A local manufacturer of household items introduced a new type of bathroom dipper or “tabo” that appeared to be a parody of Apple’s new expensive earphones.
Orocan‘s supposedly new product is called the “Tabo Max” and billed it at P69 for two pieces, which is also the average cost of its bathroom dippers.
In a post on Thursday, Orocan described the pair of dippers in a witty, straightforward manner.
“Orocan has announced the Tabo Max. Featuring a high-sheen plastic finish, adaptive handle, active water retention, and maximum buoyancy factor,” it said.
“The Tabo Max comes in six colors: red, blue, green, white, light blue at light green, and is always available to order with prices starting at P69.50 for two pieces, one for each cheek. Max masarap sa pwet ang Tabo Max,” it added.
The social media advertisement showed two white plastic dippers facing each other.
They resemble the new over-the-ear headphones AirPods Max that retails at a hefty $549 (₱32,990), which is more expensive than the latest iPhone offerings and other headphones in the market.
Orocan’s post immediately circulated on Facebook just hours after it was uploaded. So far, it earned more than 8,100 shares and garnered 12,000 reactions and 1,700 comments
The reactions were also mostly positive wherein 11,000 were laugh emojis, 988 were likes and 301 where heart emojis.
Filipinos who commented under the post also joined in the fun and asked the warranty, specifications and if the dippers are waterproof.
Others quipped that they’ll wait for the “pro” version. Apple products normally have “pro” versions of their flagship models.
They also praised the company’s marketing strategy for such creative and humorous advertisement.
In June 2019, Orocan also started what was known as a “tabo war” with Japanese brand MUJI Philippines after it promoted its water dipper valued at P365.
The local manufacturer took the opportunity to advertise its own dipper with a cheaper price at P34.75 and quipped that it comes with free coins to match the former’s price tag.
Japanese budget store Daiso Japan Philippines later chimed in and stated that its own dipper cost “less than P365.”
What’s the deal with the Airpods Max?
US-based tech giant Apple introduced its AirPods Max on Tuesday and promoted it as a wireless, noise-canceling over-the-ear headphones that deliver “high-fidelity sound.”
“AirPods Max combine a custom acoustic design, H1 chips, and advanced software to power computational audio for a breakthrough listening experience with Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, and spatial audio,” its press release read.
It is also available in five colors—space gray, silver, sky blue, green and pink. Moreover, it comes with a case called SmartCase that helps preserve the headset’s battery change when not in use.
The only catch is that it has a hefty price tag at $549 (₱32,990). By comparison it is more expensive than Apple’s iPhone SE which costs $399 (₱26,490) and the basic in-ear AirPods which costs at $199 (P9,560).
It’s also pricier than other offerings that deliver similar quality of services such as Bose’s Noise Canceling Headphones 700, Sony’s WH-1000XM4 model and Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless headphones.
The term “AirPods Max” circulated across Facebook and Twitter in the form of memes and witty remarks.