China Has Fake Apple Stores as Well as Fake Apple Devices!

Maura · Jul 20, 2011

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[FONT=&quot]9to5 Mac has a fascinating story today about the strange phenomenon of amazingly authentic-looking fake Apple stores that have been springing up in China. 9to5 Mac has lots of photos from one such store in Kunming that show just how uncannily like actual official Apple stores these fake stores are. The employees even have blue t-shirts sporting the Apple logo, and the stores exterior has a huge Apple logo and the words Apple Store in both Chinese and English. Apparently even the flooring is suitably swish, usually either smart wood or grey stone, and the shop is filled with tables displaying iPads, Macs, and iPhones. Official Apple product stands are used to display the various devices. Even the displays and pictures on the walls are rip-offs of authentic Apple ad campaigns, according to 9to5 Mac. Yes, they really have thought of everything, including a Genius Bar and a childrens play area. According to the report, which was all the work of a blogger called BirdAbroad, who is also responsible for the pictures, the employees in the store all were under the misapprehension that they were actually working for Apple. She adds that there were three similar stores all within walking distance of each other in Kunming.[/FONT]

Source: China not only fakes iPhones but Apple Stores, too! | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence
[FONT=&quot]Are you listening, Steve Jobs? « BirdAbroad[/FONT]

heartbeat · Jul 20, 2011

Well, what else can we expect.. China does manufacture a lot of overruns and Class A products.

DaytonAnnie · Jul 20, 2011

BAB posted this post the other day. http://www.iphoneforums.net/forum/i...2/becarefull-when-buying-iphones-china-16993/

So I wonder if Bab has seen this?

heartbeat · Jul 20, 2011

DaytonAnnie said:
BAB posted this post the other day. http://www.iphoneforums.net/forum/i...2/becarefull-when-buying-iphones-china-16993/

So I wonder if Bab has seen this?

Clearly, not yet

He'll definitely reply to this if ever he comes across it, hehe.

crowd pleaser · Jul 20, 2011

I fancied s trip to China for our Ruby Anniversary, but I got cold feet realising the other half (or worse her mother) might be replicated millions of times lol!

CP

DaytonAnnie · Jul 20, 2011

LOL!!!! I sent BAB a private message... it will be interesting to hear his thoughts on this.

iCrank · Jul 20, 2011

wow. only in china

jpuett · Jul 21, 2011

I wonder from how long these people were running these fake apple stores before being exposed by that blogger. Is there any statement/action from Apple regarding this?

mariuss · Jul 21, 2011

China no wonder why theirs economy is blooming,they copy everything. At least if they will do a better job but all their fakes product are useless,chip quality and waste of money !

vee1985 · Jul 22, 2011

Wow what else can we expect

bab2010 · Jul 22, 2011

Well I'm now seeing the thread

you guys know what China is, and I would suspect the info if it mentioned that the fake store is in Bejing or Shanghai or any big City in China but since it's in Kunming, well I believe it's possible that the news is legit. There used to be fake Nokia care center in Wenzhou City, also in Chongqing City, so a fake apple store in China is nothing suprising unless the bring those fake stores to Beijing or Shanghai, then it will be something completely new. Do you guys know that it's in a way or other to fake out things in China? No one punish you for copying or faking things here, instead people think you are smart if you arrive to fake out an original thing

DaytonAnnie · Jul 22, 2011

bab2010 said:
Well I'm now seeing the thread you guys know what China is, and I would suspect the info if it mentioned that the fake store is in Bejing or Shanghai or any big City in China but since it's in Kunming, well I believe it's possible that the news is legit. There used to be fake Nokia care center in Wenzhou City, also in Chongqing City, so a fake apple store in China is nothing suprising unless the bring those fake stores to Beijing or Shanghai, then it will be something completely new. Do you guys know that it's in a way or other to fake out things in China? No one punish you for copying or faking things here, instead people think you are smart if you arrive to fake out an original thing

BAB, I just wondered, that after your recent issues, and after your post about being careful when buying an iPhone in China, if you could have perhaps been at one of the fake stores....

bab2010 · Jul 22, 2011

DaytonAnnie said:
bab2010 said:

Well I'm now seeing the thread you guys know what China is, and I would suspect the info if it mentioned that the fake store is in Bejing or Shanghai or any big City in China but since it's in Kunming, well I believe it's possible that the news is legit. There used to be fake Nokia care center in Wenzhou City, also in Chongqing City, so a fake apple store in China is nothing suprising unless the bring those fake stores to Beijing or Shanghai, then it will be something completely new. Do you guys know that it's in a way or other to fake out things in China? No one punish you for copying or faking things here, instead people think you are smart if you arrive to fake out an original thing

Click to expand...

BAB, I just wondered, that after your recent issues, and after your post about being careful when buying an iPhone in China, if you could have perhaps been at one of the fake stores....

No no, that couldn't happen in Beijing. It's just impossible, I went to the official apple store and the store I went is even listed in apple website

they have returned me my Hong Kong iPhone with the home button faulty still on it and I gave them back the Chinese one. When I'm saying "Chinese iPhone" I'm referring to the hardware serial specification. The iPhone is original authentic but made for the Chinese market according to the Chinese government regulation regarding certain aspects like YouTube, VPN, google map, google etc... The Hong Kong one is also made according to the Hong Kong regulations which allow to have YouTube, google, facebook etc...
So if I was in a fake apple store in Beijing they wouldn't be able to give me a brand new Chinese band iPhone, and let me say that what they gave me was a fake one, then they wouldn't return me my Hong Kong band iPhone. No no fake apple store in Beijing.