Entire Apple stores being faked in China

[Jack]

[attachment=740]

A shopkeeper dressed as an Apple store employee looks out from a window of a shop masquerading as a bona fide Apple store in downtown Kunming, in southwest China's Yunnan province, Thursday, July 21, 2011. China, long known for producing counterfeit consumer gadgets, software and brand name clothing, has reached a new piracy milestone - fake Apple stores. (AP Photo) CHINA OUT

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At first, it looks like a sleek Apple store. Sales assistants in blue T-shirts with the company's logo chat to customers. Signs advertising the iPad 2 hang from the white walls. Outside, the famous logo sits next to the words "Apple Store."
And that's the clue it's fake.

China, long known for producing counterfeit consumer gadgets, software and brand name clothing, has reached a new piracy milestone — fake Apple stores.
An American who lives in Kunming in southern Yunnan province said Thursday that she and her husband stumbled on three shops masquerading as bona fide Apple stores in the city a few days ago. She took photos and posted them on her BirdAbroad blog.

The three stores are not among the authorized resellers listed on Apple Inc.'s website. The maker of the iPhone and other hit gadgets has four company stores in China — two in Beijing and two in Shanghai — and various official resellers. Apple's Beijing office declined to comment.

The proliferation of the fake stores underlines the slow progress that China's government is making in countering a culture of a rampant piracy and widespread production of bogus goods that is a major irritant in relations with trading partners.

China's Commerce Minister promised American executives earlier this year that the latest in a string of crackdowns on product piracy would deliver lasting results.


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[HeffeD]

Ridiculous...

Surely the government realizes that its reluctance to crack down on these sorts of activities isn't helping them any, in regards to global trade agreements?

 

[jamescv7]

China was not only known for faked gadget but also the gadget will sell it cheaper than the original one.

From the pictures you can determine its like an authorized dealing Apple Store since products are made by Apple.

 

[Gnosis]

And Steve Jobs thought that Bill Gates was his biggest problem. lol

@HeffeD

I am not sure that the Chinese gov't is worried about exporting issues. There is the WTO. Also, as long as China continues to hold a huge chunk of US Bonds, we will continue to import junk from their landfills called factories. There is no accountability in China when it comes to quality, legitimacy and authenticity. There will never be. IMO

 

[Deleted member 178]

the government do not care so much. Remember that chinese people like every other in the world likes big brand fashion electronic products but their salary cannot afford them to buy the real one so those copies exist; they are originally supposed to be sold only on the local market. for example i own a fake Iphone 4 (i bought it because i can use 2 sims at same time)