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Counterfeit iPod Nanos and Shuffles Appear

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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30,804


With the rapidly rising popularity of the Apple iPod, imitators are trying to cash in on the phenomenon.

They've gone so far as to create counterfeit iPods (photos). These iPods look-alikes are similar to the Apple iPod and can even be labeled with Apple serial numbers. Both counterfeit iPod nanos and iPod shuffles have been spotted. Both products share a general resemblance to the original products, but have some key differences:

The counterfeit iPod nano has a non-standard headphone jack located on the lower-right and has no dock connector. Meanwhile, the counterfeit shuffle comes in a convincing box but has the words "Digital Music Player" on the top, which the original does not. Other differences in the shuffle are the lack of a repeat setting on the switch and no battery light or status button.

Apple, of course, does not provide service for these imitation iPods, and claims they are taking these matters seriously and are investigating these devices.
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2006/04/18/counterfeit-ipod-nanos-and-shuffles-appear/
~Shard~

~Shard~

macrumors P6
Jun 4, 2003
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Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! ;) :D

I don't blame the people doing this though - it's a hell of a way to cash in on the iPod phenomenon, where every Joe and his dog appear to be buying them, and many people are not necessarily "smart shoppers' when it comes to making sure they're buying from a reputable place, etc.


As with many other things, a fool and his money are soon parted... :cool:
 
JonHimself

JonHimself

macrumors 68000
Nov 3, 2004
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Toronto, Ontario
Macrumors said:
Apple, of course, does not provide service for these imitation iPods, and claims they are taking these matters seriously and are investigating these devices.
Click to expand...

That makes me laugh. I can just imagine the look on someone's face who doesn't know they bought (or better, received as a gift) a counterfeit and tried to get it serviced?
 
~Shard~

~Shard~

macrumors P6
Jun 4, 2003
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bluebomberman said:
What do you do with a counterfeit iPod without a dock connector? Paperweight? Foosball? Pez dispenser?
Click to expand...

My guess is to use it as an expensive paperweight which makes you feel stupid every time you look at it. Perhaps their counterfeiters should laser-etch, "There's one born every minute" on the back of their iPods... :p :cool:
 
bluebomberman

bluebomberman

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2005
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Queens, NYC
~Shard~ said:
My guess is to use it as an expensive paperweight which makes you feel stupid every time you look at it. Perhaps their counterfeiters should laser- etch, "There's one born every minute" on the back of their iPods... :p :cool:
Click to expand...

Actually, come to think of it, iPod mini shells would make really cool paperweights.:p
 
jer2eydevil88

jer2eydevil88

macrumors 6502
Feb 6, 2004
254
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USA
Interesting.... Now this sucks for Apple and they should take this totally seriously! If however these fake iPods come up correctly iTunes most people would never know the difference, until they took it into an Apple store for repairs.

.:: Edit ::.
On second thought the interface is a dead giveaway for anyone who is even slightly aware of Apple products (As in having seen one used or used one themselves).
nanoc5eb.jpg


nano27dd.jpg


Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting
 
M

MacRumoron

macrumors 6502
Sep 6, 2005
324
0
JonHimself said:
That makes me laugh. I can just imagine the look on someone's face who doesn't know they bought (or better, received as a gift) a counterfeit and tried to get it serviced?
Click to expand...

imagine them buying an iPod Hi-Fi to go with their new "iPod" and trying to get it to work :D
 
~Shard~

~Shard~

macrumors P6
Jun 4, 2003
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bluebomberman said:
Actually, come to think of it, iPod mini shells would make really cool paperweights.:p
Click to expand...

Yeah, they probably would! Hmm, you and I should start up our own company which salvages old/broken iPod minis and resells the cases as paperweights... Cool, we'll be millionaires... :cool:
 
bluebomberman

bluebomberman

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2005
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Queens, NYC
bluebomberman said:
Actually, come to think of it, iPod mini shells would make really cool paperweights.:p
Click to expand...

~Shard~ said:
Yeah, they probably would! Hmm, you and I should start up our own company which salvages old/broken iPod minis and resells the cases as paperweights... Cool, we'll be millionaires...:cool:
Click to expand...

Nah, you wouldn't want me as your business partner. I'm enrolling in a graduate fiction writing program next year.:eek:

I'd like to know where one can get these counterfeits. Should I be wary next time I walk into Best Buy?
 
nagromme

nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
1,196
The moral of the story is ONLY buy name-brand products from TRUSTED vans, sacks, and carts.
 
~Shard~

~Shard~

macrumors P6
Jun 4, 2003
18,377
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bluebomberman said:
Nah, you wouldn't want me as your business partner. I'm enrolling in a graduate fiction writing program next year.:eek:

I'd like to know where one can get these counterfeits. Should I be wary next time I walk into Best Buy?
Click to expand...

I think major chains such as Best Buy would do their due diligence and QC on something like this, so I don't think you'd have anything to worry about.

As for a business partner, I may be an Engineer and Project Manager and have that business savvy, however I also like to write screenplays in my spare time, so who knows, perhaps we'd have more in common than you might think! ;) :D

nagromme said:
The moral of the story is ONLY buy name-brand products from TRUSTED vans, sacks, and carts.
Click to expand...

Exactly. When will people learn?

It's people like these counterfeiters who are giving the rest of the black market dealers a bad name, damn them... :mad:
 
bluebomberman

bluebomberman

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2005
919
0
Queens, NYC
~Shard~ said:
I think major chains such as Best Buy would do their due diligence and QC on something like this, so I don't think you'd have anything to worry about.
Click to expand...

Maybe I should swing by the sketchy electronics shops along 5th Avenue that prey on tourists and ignorant people. ;)

~Shard~ said:
As for a business partner, I may be an Engineer and Project Manager and have that business savvy, however I also like to write screenplays in my spare time, so who knows, perhaps we'd have more in common than you might think! ;) :D
Click to expand...

Have you actually tried to sell one of your screenplays? I'm pretty untested, to be honest: I had to hack out a 25-page writing sample because I had failed to write anything substantial in years.
 
~Shard~

~Shard~

macrumors P6
Jun 4, 2003
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ColdFlame87 said:
I too wonder if they work? I mean it would be pretty cool to check it out, i would pay about 10 dollars for one of those just to see how it works :p
Click to expand...

Ironically, perhaps one day these things will be worth something as collector's items once people look back to the early 2000's and the iPod craze... Anomalies like this could actually be worth something, along with rare collectibles such as iPod lunch boxes, action figures... :eek: ;) :cool:
 
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