Phony iPhone Nano makers guess wrong

Wed Jan 7, 2009 7:04PM EST

See Comments (20)

Far Eastern chop shops are legendary for their ability to turn on a dime and crank out thousands of fake gadgets that look just like the real thing... even if the software on the inside doesn't quite measure up.

Alas, this time, the counterfeiters missed the boat. Relying on news that Apple would announce an iPhone Nano at this week's MacWorld keynote, the knockoff artists weeks ago began in earnest building lookalike devices -- based on "leaked" specs for the so-called Nano. The only problem: Apple didn't release a smaller version of the iPhone, leaving the counterfeiters high and dry.

Check out the fake Nano in the picture above. That's it on the right. A real, regular-sized iPhone appears on the left.

Knockoff gadgets are infamous for their generally spot-on, good exterior looks as well as their dismal construction quality and questionable software. In the case of an iPhone Nano knockoff, you likely get the iconic globe wallpaper and little more than a rudimentary cell phone, maybe a primitive web browser, too.

Can the counterfeiters just warehouse their Nanos until Apple eventually releases one for real? Unlikely, says one analyst, quoted in the above BBC story, who shrewdly notes, "If I was Apple, with the fastest selling handset in history, and I currently couldn't make enough units to sell, why would I want to make a smaller one?"

Comments on Phony iPhone Nano makers guess wrong

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  • 6 Posted by dj_mindframe_99 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    what a bunch or retards, i hope those phones sell for pennies, where can i find them? im gonna make a fortune ROFL

  • 8 Posted by nguyenpeter15 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    why make another iphone. it totally kills the line. the iphone is another ipod. they wouldn't make one if they already have the same thing. if they did, they would be like other companies and suck. like saying their would be a ipod nano that has a touchscreen. if it did it would have been called an ipod touch but they already have one so that would obviously fake

  • 9 Posted by nguyenpeter15 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    why make another iphone. it totally kills the line. the iphone is another ipod. they wouldn't make one if they already have the same thing. if they did, they would be like other companies and suck. like saying their would be a ipod nano that has a touchscreen. if it did it would have been called an ipod touch but they already have one so that would obviously fake

  • 10 Posted by forgivable8 on Thu Jan 8, 2009 11:32PM EST Report Abuse

    All these knock-offs & imitations are really getting annoying!!! Craigslist is being filled with all these imitations too especially the ones that come from China. darn people, get with the f'ing "program!"

  • 12 Posted by hebollozos on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:17PM EDT Report Abuse

    To the counterfeiters, it doesn't matter whether they guessed wrong cuz they know many will still buy their products (fake iphones) in the third world.

  • 13 Posted by cobra_killas187 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:28PM EDT Report Abuse

    I dont give a Fudge what any of you Kunt FACES have to say, that Mini Iphone wannabe looks of the Hizzle.. that Zhit looks tighter than my girls tigh @ZZ, , , CUZ.. i would buy that zhit any time

  • 14 Posted by gippah on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:09PM EDT Report Abuse

    Most likely this counterfeit device IS something that Apple considered making. Remember that all Apple products are made in China, and very probably these instances are all a matter of someone stealing the specs from a factory. So this is probably a fully functional version of a prototype, right down to the Apple software on it. Even though the Nano isn't being released (yet), this still is a burn to Apple.

  • 15 Posted by cdgurlzone on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    Yeah it's a third world thing. Even rich and educated third world citizen who have the money to buy real iphone wouldn't buy these fake stuff. I feel sorry for those who live in the third world as a working class citizen. Some of them dont really know that they are fake and they got conned by their own people who try to get rich by lying to them. But there is one golden rule in the human nature. The STRONG ALWAYS CONQUER THE WEAK! if you are stupid, you will fall in the smart people's trap! Access to newer information provides leaverage to "new business idea" whether it is legal or not. China dose not have the agency to enforce these laws though they want to agree with the world that it is not right to steal interllectual properties.

  • 16 Posted by mpionus on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:27PM EDT Report Abuse

    It sounds all well and good to say "haha, counterfeiters left holding the bag!", but the reality is they wont' be stuck with them. They'll still be able to sell them to people who don't know any better. So the reality is, they didn't just get beaten when it's all said and told. Course, I wouldn't expect anything less than tabloid sensationalism that completely misses the boat (such as this article) from a guy who proclaims that Blu-Ray won't catch on because he says so.

  • 17 Posted by wilkins7444 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    Mac is a looser. I've had the Iphone clone for over a year now and I love it. It plays MP4 and wide screen feature and MP3's and MP3 ring tones and file manager. Let me sum it up, my Clone Iphone ( also known as Hiphone.) is the best phone Ive ever had and I didn't spend $500.00. I spent only $100.00 for a phone that looks and is 99.9% the same as the real Iphone. Dont waste your money on a real Iphone, just buy a Clone Iphone. You can find it on Ebay witht he trust of paypal to order it with. "Type in China iphone or Iphone clone."

  • 19 Posted by cboquin2004 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    Far eastern chop shops? Why not call a spade a spade? Just say China. Apple's (and now everybodys) products are made in China and even thought the factories must promise to keep their product specs secret, the chinese are famous for not doing so. I'm glad this has happened and that it happens again. Just wondering. If someone got wind that there would be an iPhone nano, that means that the manufacturers from the "real) iPhones were told of this, to see if they could be trusted. Apparently not. So Apple now knows that the companies that can make their products at the best price, can't be trusted. What would you do now if you were Apple knowing this?

  • 20 Posted by angustickner on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:55PM EDT Report Abuse

    These have been around over a year, so weren't made especially. There is a whole market based on people who want the look of a trendy phone, but don't care about the functionality or quality (I guess that is the counterfeiting industry all over)and as you can buy these for $130 it's alot less than many people pay for 2 months of their 3 year iPhone contract. I'm guessing the market is school kids, low income earners or the truely desperate, who can't justify the extortionate prices or contracts. I don't see the point, but they sell them all the same.

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