Psst. Wanna cheap iPad without going to Hong Kong? Well, have I got a deal for you — just don’t look too closely. That line probably wouldn’t sell too many fake iPads in China, but knockoffs of Apple’s tablet device have been spotted in that country for as low as $110.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a Beijing market known for selling tourists fakes of well-known brands has turned its attention to the iPad. Labelled “iPads” and carrying the Apple logo, the knock-offs are a Frankenstein Monster-like mix of Cupertino, Calif. design and Google innards.
Although the devices superficially carry the well-known Apple design qualities, the units actually run the Android operating system. And, here, the word, “run” should probably more accurately be “crawl.” According to the WSJ report, the units boast 64GB of memory, but likely contain less. The touchscreen is described as “unresponsive” and advancing the screen to a new page can be an adventure.
It’s unclear beside China’s well-known penchant to fake every popular product, why the nation’s street vendors are offering knockoff iPads. The device is already available in Hong Kong and Apple’s China partner China Unicom, is expected to sell the iPad (and iPhone 4) later this year.
[WSJ]
