Chinese Government Finds 22 More Fake Apple Stores

They can just take a bite out of the other side of the Apple and call them Mapple stores :)

I have lived in Guangzhou China the past 6 years. I haven't posted on MacRumors in a very long time (at least 7 years) and actually had to make a new account to throw my silly opinion out for everyone to read.

When I first read this story on macrumors and yahoo about the fake Apple stores in Kunming, it surprised me, in that, this is news? You wouldn't believe the amount of copy Apple stores where I live here in Guangzhou, for years now. I read that story and thought, why is this getting press? This is business as usual for China. You visit any major city in China, and likely many of the smaller ones, I'm pretty well traveled in China, and you will find any number of copy Apple stores. Now, they all sell legitimate Apple products from my experience. I have NEVER seen a knock off Apple laptop or desktop sold at any of these stores. It just doesn't exist. It would be too cost prohibitive for the Chinese to come up with a replica close enough to the original to make any money. These knock off stores are, in my opinion, taking advantage of the popularity of the Mac platform over here and filling a need. iAnything and Mac anything is HUGELY popular at the moment. Apple only has a few official stores in China right now and where there is a desire for something, there is someone willing to fill that. They sell all their products in these fake Apple stores for the same price as you could order them on Apples official Chinese online store. As Apple expands it's presence in China, these knock-offs will slowly disappear for sure. Until then though, it only benefits Apple, and the average consumer in China certainly doesn't know the difference between a true Apple retail store and a fake. Even the employees believe they work for Apple if I read the article correct.
I'm not saying this is good or bad, it just is. I would never buy an Apple product from them personally. China puts a very high tax on all Apple products. For all my Apple needs, I take the 3 hour bus trip to Hong Kong which sells everything at about American prices, minus the sales tax.
There are certainly fake iPhones and iPods to be bought in China, but anyone with a brain knows they are fakes. The market in Guangzhou called haiyin guangchang will do their best to confuse you, but any moderately savvy user will know the difference.
Just my two cents!

Brian

Sorry, but i think its awesome they had the guts to FAKE an Apple Store. Thats just plain hilarious.

Do the stairs on that picture lead to nowhere? :eek: There doesn't seem to be a second floor.

It's the Chinese version of the Indian rope trick. Your money goes up to the top of the stairs and vanishes.

I loved John Gruber's take on this story.

"That’s twice the number of legitimate Microsoft stores." :D

Do the stairs on that picture lead to nowhere? :eek: There doesn't seem to be a second floor.

look again.

The trees are a picture.

Not even a picture, just a reflection.

I love that 22 high profile fake store can go unnoticed. It's Sooo old west and awesome to me.

Wag the dog.

Meanwhile chinese hackers requited by the (unbelievably) corrupt government and country, practice their skills for the coming cyberapocalypse

Dayum lol