This morning’s report that claims the iPhone 5 will now launch a month later than its expected September release will be a huge blow to some, but as long as you’re not too concerned about having your device made by Apple, you can get an iPhone 5 today in China.
Despite having no idea what Apple’s official iPhone 5 might look like yet, counterfeiters are already spawning fake devices based on those case designs that have recently been circulating. One particular device, discovered by GizChina, boasts a JAVA based operating system, MP3 and MP4 playback, and even Wi-Fi capability for just $108 USD.
This particular device is just 7mm thick — 2mm thinner than the iPhone 4 — and sports that tapered edge design that was revealed by those case leaks. It is advertised as an “iPhone 5” and was purchased from the Chinese online store Taobao.
I certainly don’t agree with the business model of these iPhone counterfeiters, nor do I suggest you purchase one of their creations, however, I am impressed by the speed of their “iPhone 5” release. Also, I actually quite admire the design of their device. It has a few flaws here and there, but if Apple’s official iPhone 5 is similar in shape and in thickness, I’ll be one happy customer.
This isn’t the first time counterfeiters have created their own Apple-like devices. Fake iPhone 4s were produced before the device’s launch based on the device that famously turned up in a bar. We’ve also seen knockoff MacBook Airs and iPads.
What do you think of this iPhone 5 knockoff?
[via MacRumors]
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
20 responses to “iPhone 5 Fakes Are Already Available in China Thanks to Speedy Counterfeiters”
Looks lame to me?
It’s what’s inside that matters, and there is NO WAY this knock-off has an A5 or anything remotely close inside.
-Chris
http://friendsofmac.net
If that’s an accurate counterfeit, then I’m disappointed in the new iPhone design… It looks like a poorly-made knock-off 3GS…
It looks awful!
Thank God I bought the white iPhone 4 when it launched.
I just paid $22,87 for an iPad2-64GB and my girlfriend loves her Panasonic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $38,76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $675 which only cost me $62,81 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, GrabPenny.com
The crucial detail would be whether any of the other fake iPhones that came out before the original, actually turned out to be the same design, or whether they were instead, wildly off on their predictions. Without knowing that fact, it’s impossible to say anything reasonable or insightful at all.
i have seen this chinese people just selling this as a new iphone5… he he in my city someone purchased this as a new iphone5 from apple. but in my country this is not working
When Gizmodo bought the iPhone 4 last year, everyone was saying how ugly it looked, and how they’d never buy one.
Wait until the actual 5 is in your hands before you judge it
Check out this awesome apple blog!
http://applefanboynews.com/
Damn… It’s ugly for real…
The usual idea is that you would use NFC to set up the link between the two devices and then do an automatic hand over to a different protocol for doing the actual transfer of data – eg Bluetooth,iphone 5