Fake Chinese version of latest Apple device on sale Months before the real thing is unveiled
The hiPhone 5
The latest version of Apple's widespread iPhone has already hit the Chinese market, albeit the black market.The 'hiPhone 5' is selling for as very little as two hundred yuan (£19 / $31) on China's high e-commerce web site Taobao.
The counterfeit device relies on leaked pictures of the yet-to-be-launched iPhone 5 and is thinner than the prevailing iPhone 4.
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| Knock-off: The 'hiPhone 5' (left) and Apple's iPhone 4 (right). The counterfeit device is based on leaked images of the yet-to-be-launched iPhone 5 and is thinner than the existing iPhone 4 |
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| Spot the fake (it's on the left). Chinese consumers have to pay 200 yuan (£19 / $31) for the hiPhone 5, compared to four times that for the genuine article |
Western governments have repeatedly criticised China for widespread violation of intellectual property rights, but pirated goods from branded watches, to bags and computer software can be easily found in shops.
Last month, an American blogger set off a media storm after she posted pictures of an elaborate fake Apple Store in Kunming, selling genuine if unauthorised iPhones, Macbooks and other widely popular Apple products.
Reuters also uncovered a look-a-like of the Swedish furniture giant Ikea in the south-western Chinese city.
Apple, which is expected to roll out the latest version of the iPhone 5 smartphone within a few months, sold a record 20.34million iPhones during the last quarter, even though its newest model is over a year old.
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| Fake iPhones are displayed at a mobile phone stall in Shanghai. Like most pirated mobile phones, it is extremely light, almost like a plastic toy |
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