Fake $95 AirPods Pro vs. Real AirPods Pro

[sclawis300]

Always amazed at how readily MR gives publicity to illegal IP thieves. Surprised Apple has never asked you to stop highlighting garbage knockoffs.

My thought exactly. “Replicate”????? It’s called infringement and it’s illegal.

 

[Jar Jar Abrams]

Love my real deal Airpods Pro, pretty dispicable the way these companies steal foreign tech, you'll never find a copied 1:1 CN product like DJI, Aputure or Anker because you cant steal from CN companies but you're free to rip off and destroy any foreign business thats how their economy was built.
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My thought exactly. “Replicate”????? It’s called infringement and it’s illegal.

totally agree I'd never have run this story!

 

[JustAnExpat]

TWS is a company I just do not understand. I picked up some TWS QCY QS2 wireless earbuds for about $20 USD. They are excellent (for the price), and I don't think they are knockoffs either. I have an Android phone, and OK Google works. They connect instantly. They have good battery life, about 2 hours long.

And then TWS goes and makes overpriced knock off AirPods....

 

[31 Flavas]

You are unfortunately correct. I’d like to see them priced to be more affordable, but if they are selling like hot cakes, why would Apple reduce their price?

I hear the desire for them to be more afordable. However, isn't that typically the domain of what Google, Samsung, and other provide? They take whatever Apple develops make it better and discard the “Apple Tax”?

I mean Samsung’s AirPods equivalent wireless buds are $130 - not half price - which critics of Apple have typically valued AirPods at.

If apple is truly scalping consumers and “taxing” them has heavily as they’re criticized for - then isnt Samsung guilty of the same? Why were Google’s own “wired” bluetooth headphones prices at $160?

 

[repoman016]

It’s interesting that MR offers what is essentially a product review of an illegal knockoff without investigating the legal side of the story, i.e., what if anything is being done to hinder their production & marketing.

who cares. Its a news site for apple and apple related products. not a law firm.

 

[JosephAW]

"There’s a sucker born every minute.” Phineas T. Barnum may not have actually said that but it’s still true. Put these right up there with fake Rolex’s, fake Gucci, fake Coach, etc. Stupid, low income level people trying to look affluent. Fake keeping up with the Jones actaully.

Speaking of fake I was just at Burlington and they have the fake TWS airpods in black for $14. Nice!

 

[repoman016]

Interesting review of a knockoff product. But rather than ‘should you buy these’ maybe you should have done how to identify fakes so you don’t get ripped off’. Make it more of a public service announcement than a review, especially as Christmas is coming up.

box differences, so you can identify fakes before even opening them.
silicon tips push on like beats, not like AirPod pro which
etc

If you watch the video chances are you'll be able to tell the difference. Do they really need to spell it out for you?
hell, I can tell the difference just by looking at the third screenshot.....

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

When did EverythingApplePro join the Mac Rumors staff?

 

[HappyMBAowner]

I always love your reviews. Thanks for this. Even for $100, I won't buy. I'll wait until I can open up my piggy bank for a new set of Airpods Pro. For the moment, the regular Airpods make me happy. I'm still afraid the in-ear design will be too big for my small ears; this is not an issue with the regular Airpods.
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Why would anyone care if the sound quality matches Apple's when Apple's sound quality has always been mediocre at best?

So, you've bought all Apple products just for fun and find they sound bad? Did you give them all to your family members or friends? I'm sure they would love to have them.

 

[julesme]

who cares. Its a news site for apple and apple related products. not a law firm.

I thought it was obvious, but in case you had trouble following, I’ll make a list of “who cares.”

1. Apple shareholders
2. US workers with a 401K, since they are exposed to Apple shares given AAPL’s massive size.
3. Readers whose livelihood has no ties to Apple but otherwise think it’s wrong for a company to blatantly steal Apple’s IP on a newly released product in order to generate sales behind it.
4. People who have been following the current trade war with China and are aware that the country has promised to crack down on IP theft as part of any upcoming agreement.
5. Anyone not in #1-#4 who nonetheless likes to read about technology and Apple news.

Should I keep going?

 

[lkrupp]

You get what you pay for, folks.

Truer than ever. The “Common law of business balance”, attributed to 19th centruy English social thinker John Ruskin, states that...

"There is hardly anything in the world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price alone are that person's lawful prey."

 

[ignatius345]

but any BT5 headphones, once paired, will automatically reconnect when you take them out of the charger. i have a couple of el-cheapo pairs from amazon (iKanzi TWS-X9 and another) that both do this.

Yeah, my existing BT headphones reconnect automatically too, but I'd love to be able to hop from device to device more easily. Is that something the W1 chip helps with or maybe I'm misunderstanding?

Here's a perfect example: paired my BT headphones with Apple TV to watch a movie and not disturb the baby -- but unless I unpair them completely afterwards, they'll auto-connect to the ATV instead of my phone next time I power them up, which is not great.

 

[qwertzuiop.98]

Who said that these knock offs are as well built as the real deal or have the same tight integration with an iPhone like the real ones do...? I certainly don’t recall saying that. Also the knockoff units have a funny (probably cancerous) smell to them. I’d gladly spend $100 more to get the real deal.

the real airpods pro also have a cancerous smell to them

 

[repoman016]

I thought it was obvious, but in case you had trouble following, I’ll make a list of “who cares.”

1. Apple shareholders
2. US workers with a 401K, since they are exposed to Apple shares given AAPL’s massive size.
3. Readers whose livelihood has no ties to Apple but otherwise think it’s wrong for a company to blatantly steal Apple’s IP on a newly released product in order to generate sales behind it.
4. People who have been following the current trade war with China and are aware that the country has promised to crack down on IP theft as part of any upcoming agreement.
5. Anyone not in #1-#4 who nonetheless likes to read about technology and Apple news.

Should I keep going?

I'd say keep going as I still don't follow what this list has to do with a news site publishing a news story and why they aren't digging for legalities, but I think you've missed my point.
Read the story then move on. Its not macrumors responsibility to send cease and desist letters to china. They are simply reporting on a review. like it or dont. "who cares"

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Apple seem to be trying to become a designer brand. If these are like Beats Headphones, they are a rip off ... "According to The New York Times, reports that according to headphone experts, a pair of Beats could cost as little as $14 to make. Yep, even while the cheapest price you can pay for a pair is $199.99, and the most expensive is available for $699.99."

The whole "manufacturing cost" thing is a red herring. The point of any "quality" manufactured product is to be able to charge more than a nominal mark-up from its manufacturing cost.

Let's put this in terms the New York Times could understand. The manufacturing cost of putting out a pile of newsprint imprinted with randomly-generated text is far less than what the New York Times charges for a copy of that newspaper.

 

[acorntoy]

This is why nothing should be Made in China anymore.
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I don't like paying too much for anything either, but give Apple credit where it's due. It's full of their R&D so why shouldn't they profit from that? The knock-off is theft.

Are you saying that it isn’t simply coincidental than the Chinese ARJ21 is almost exactly the same as the American MD-80 produced there years earlier?

https://www.avgeekery.com/is-chinas...inning-of-chinas-rise-in-commercial-aviation/

 

[RogerWilco]

Pfft -- I just snagged a new Mac Pro, 16 core intol 7 GHz Zeon, 512 GB RAM for $1295. The display stand is $49 bucks extra, but what the heck...

 

[Kierkegaarden]

Apparently some people think if a product costs more than they think it is worth or than they are willing to spend then it’s OK for somebody else to rip it off and price it cheaper. It’s disgusting. What’s more disgusting is only China seems to get away with this. If this was some product from the United States Apple would be suing them so fast it would make your head spin. But China? Crickets.

Well said. I completely agree. And this is why IP protection is such a big part of the trade negotiations with China. The WTO should be calling them out on this blatant theft, but they do nothing. It takes decades for a sitting US president to finally call them out on this abuse.

Retailers and platforms that facilitate the selling of these fake products should be held liable. This would change the vetting process overnight.

I‘be had many of my designs knocked off by Korean and Chinese copycats over the years. Some of us tend to take this sort of thing more personally than others.

(as for the article itself, you don’t really think this site is actually pro Apple in any way, do you really? Just look at their syncophantic suck up work with respect to the “ifixit” parasites.’)

Sorry to hear that you’ve gone through this yourself. That must really sting. I’ve only been through it on a smaller scale in retail, and that always bothered me. Having something stolen from you is not pleasant.

To your second point — thanks for the info. I guess I am a bit naive in thinking MR is pro Apple. Also, please share your thoughts on iFixit — you seem to know some history of them.
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Apparently some people think if a product costs more than they think it is worth or than they are willing to spend then it’s OK for somebody else to rip it off and price it cheaper. It’s disgusting. What’s more disgusting is only China seems to get away with this. If this was some product from the United States Apple would be suing them so fast it would make your head spin. But China? Crickets.

What’s a fair price? Just some number you made up in your head.

Well said. I completely agree. And this is why IP protection is such a big part of the trade negotiations with China. The WTO should be calling them out on this blatant theft, but they do nothing. It takes decades for a sitting US president to finally call them out on this abuse.

Retailers and platforms that facilitate the selling of these fake products should be held liable. This would change the vetting process overnight.

 

[Marshall73]

If you watch the video chances are you'll be able to tell the difference. Do they really need to spell it out for you?
hell, I can tell the difference just by looking at the third screenshot.....

‘they could have covered differences in packaging etc rather than saying normal folk would be hard pushed to spot the difference, which would help them spot fakes when shopping as if sealed they can’t see the obvious differences on the bottoms of the AirPods or different silicon buds. plus if they don’t own a pair and are buying for someone else how would they know exactly what they looked like? I know folk who have had fake kit bought for them by total non techies who paid near to full price. Best one was an iPhone 6S Plus, that looked identical but ran android, would have been hilarious had they not spent £500 on it.

 

[Tech198]

One more thing: they’re both made in China.

Probably a first

 

[brenton289]

So... you’re saying you’re not the target demographic for the AirPods then, am I right? Assumingely, you’re just probably not apt to appreciating the technology the Pros have offer, which I question why you would even comment anyway if you’re not interested in buying the AirPods. Perhaps you’re the type of individual that be happy with a $10 pair of Bluetooth earbuds from eBay. No snark, just sayin.

No, I am I am a huge fan of the 3.5mm Apple EarPods. I couldn't think of anything worse than the design of the AirPods Pro, or having noise cancelling in my ears giving me headaches.

 

[kimmen]

Is not this criminal?
Copying someone else's work and making money on it?
I'm amazed that fake pirazy items is reviewed as if being a legitimate alternative!

 

[dantroline]

Are you saying that it isn’t simply coincidental than the Chinese ARJ21 is almost exactly the same as the American MD-80 produced there years earlier?

https://www.avgeekery.com/is-chinas...inning-of-chinas-rise-in-commercial-aviation/

Of course it's a copy. Even China's system of government, and its slave labor prison system, as bad as a it is, is a copy.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

As long as Apple sells overpriced earphones there will be people looking to copy and undercut them. £249 for the AirPod Pros is ridiculous and I can see why a £95 pair would be attractive as long as the sound quality is good enough.

 

[HMFIC03]

I’m sure these will sell well on Amazon, they seem to be quite happy selling Chinese counterfeit crap. Careful out there folks.

It’s a shame that MacRumors profits from and provides free marketing for illegal counterfeit products like this.

total agree! I got ripped off off a pair I bought off there that were passed off as the real thing. Packaging and all too. I have so many problems with them dropping connection and the “Find My” app doesn’t work with them.