Are iPhones gay, too, like Apple CEO Tim Cook?

When Cook decided to officially come out of the closet through a column in Businessweek published on Thursday, he caused a stir globally but more so in China that his announcement became trending on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter.

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Cook's being unmarried and his being spotted at this year's gay pride has triggered speculations that the top official of the Cupertino-based tech giant could be gay. When he decided to end all rumors and wrote, "Let me be clear ... I'm proud to be gay," the Chinese translation of his article elicited more than 23,000 comments from Chinese netizens.

The Weibo users linked Cook's homosexuality with the recent #bendgate scandal that hit Apple in September, days after the release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 10 countries.

The slang for gay males in China is "bent man" and Weibo users made fun of reports that the flagship bends easily when placed inside the pants pocket and Cook being gay. Their conclusion: "No wonder the iPhone 6 bends so easily!"

Besides Cook being spotted attending the gay pride parade, he also graced the cover of Out Magazine and a CNBC host unwittingly, outed Cook on a morning show.

Cook, who turns 54 on Nov. 1, earned both negative and positive comments from Chinese consumers over his decision to stop speculations about his sexuality.

In yet another potshot at the iPhone's sexuality, one Weibo member noted that the flower chrysanthemums serves as the background image of the iPhone, which is Chinese street word for the anus - a reference to anal sex that is practiced by some male same-sex couples.

On the one hand, with many Chinese having a conservative outlook when it comes to homosexuality, a Weibo member found it hypocritical that his countrymen disagree with the gay lifestyle but continue to patronize Apple's devices.

"All you who discriminate against gays, if you were actually clever, you would go shatter all the Apple products you own," Foreign Policy quoted a Weibo post.

On the other hand, many netizens lauded Cook for his braveness and for making LGBT history by being the first CEO of a Fortune 500 company to admit his sexual orientation. To support Cook's coming out, Liu Songlin, chair of Jucheng Management Consulting - a company based in Shenzhen - he purchased another $860 iPhone 6 and promised to raffle the expensive smartphone to followers who would share his post that commended Cook's daring confession.

Cook's announcement could be viewed by the LGBT community as another victory in its cap just days after six states recognized same-sex marriages, bringing the total number to 32, plus the District of Colombia.

His proclamation, that being gay is "among the greatest gifts God has given me," elevates the argument that a person's sexual preference is "a total nonissue," a former CEO said.

Gerald Torch, ex-CEO of Toys R Us, told SFGate, "Ten years ago, CEOs might have kept it closer to the vest because of consumer backlash."

Management consultant Billie Blair pointed out that board of Apple, a publicly listed company, would likely react negatively to Cook's revelation if it would scare buyers and cause sales and revenue to plunge.

Fortunately for Cook, Apple is only a distant sixth placer insofar as the Chinese smartphone market is concerned since local prefer more affordable handheld devices made by Xiaomi. The iPhone still breaks quarterly sales record in the U.S.  

TagsTom Cook, LGBT