Skip to main content

Fake Apple Stores open in China

fake-apple-store-1
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Chinese aren’t exactly know for their respect for intellectual property rights. Just take a trip to Chinatown in New York City, and you’ll see an endless chain of tiny stores selling knockoff Gucci bags, fake Chanel sunglasses and forged Calvin Klein belts. And we’re all too well aware of the bogus gadgets that too frequently get pawned off as the real thing on gadget blogs. If you actually go to China, however, the scale of counterfeiting apparently grows to an absurd level: They are now opening entirely counterfeit brick-and-mortar Apple Stores. That’s right; the whole store is a fraud.

Evidence of the fake Apple retail locations comes via American ex-pat blogger “BirdAbroad,” who today posted pictures of a number of phony Apple Stores in the city of Kunming, China, which is cloistered away in the country’s southern region — or, as BirdAbroad describes it, “the end of the Earth.”

She explains the bizarre scene:

“We proceeded to place a bet on whether or not this was a genuine Apple store or just the best ripoff we had ever seen – and to be sporting, I bet that it was real.

“I know, you guys are laughing: an Apple store in Kunming? No one who doesn’t know me personally has ever heard of Kunming before. Kunming is the end of the Earth. It’s all true – but seriously, China warps your mind into believing that anything is possible, if you stay here long enough. When we went back to this store 5 days later and couldn’t find it, having overshot by two blocks, I seriously thought that it had simply been torn down and replaced with a bank in the mean time – hey, it’s China. That could happen.

“You have already guessed the punchline, of course: this was a total Apple store ripoff. A beautiful ripoff – a brilliant one – the best ripoff store we had ever seen (and we see them every day). But some things were just not right: the stairs were poorly made. The walls hadn’t been painted properly.”

fake-apple-store-2Other amiss details include the fact that the stores had signs that actually said “Apple Store” — something Apple would never do. None of the employees’ name tags actually had names on them. It is not clear whether the store was selling real Apple products.

One of the most astonishing (and saddest) parts of the story is that the fake Apple Store salespeople “all genuinely think they work for Apple,” writes BirdAbroad. “I tried to imagine the training that they went to when they were hired, in which they were pitched some big speech about how they were working for this innovative, global company – when really they’re just filling the pockets of some shyster…”

The blogger says she tried to take pictures of the stores, but was “quickly accosted by two salespeople inside, and three plain clothes security guys outside.” Once she told them that she was an Apple employee from the United States, however, they gladly let her snap a few shots.

Upon leaving, BirdAbroad quickly discovered two more imitation Apple Stores just around the corner, one of which had a sign that read “Apple Stoer.”

Apple does have a small but growing number of legitimate retail operations in China. Those stores, however, are limited to the capital, Beijing, and to the bustling metropolis of Shanghai — far, far away from the nether regions of Kunming.

Read BirdAbroad’s full story here.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
Walmart+: Everything you need to know about Walmart’s retail subscription
Walmart logo.

You've heard of Amazon Prime. Maybe you've heard of My Best Buy Plus. But what is Walmart+? Walmart launched its paid membership program last year. If you haven't checked it out yet, it's worth considering before Black Friday sales start. It offers same day delivery on most items and exclusive discounts. It's currently $13 per month or $98 per year, but there is a 15-day free trial you could time with Black Friday. But there's a little more to it than just that. Here’s everything you need to know about Walmart+.

What is Walmart+?

Read more
30 best gift cards you can give friends, family, and coworkers in 2023
google play gift cards launch in uk

Between gifts, birthdays, and holiday, it can be difficult to figure out what to give the people we know and love. With everybody having their own minds about what to get for themselves, the thought of giving a selected gift becomes challenging. What if the headphones you pick our for your brother aren't exactly the best headphones you can buy? Your niece is into gaming, but there's seemingly no way to remember what games she wants. The solution to all of this disarray and individuality could be cash, but different families and groups tend to have frustratingly unwritten rules around cash giving. That leaves one real solution: The gift card.

But that solution quickly brings forth the new problem of trying to figure out which gift card to give. Nearly every company and service offers one nowadays. And different ones give different sentiments. A gift card for a weight loss program's merchandise could be either be the most thoughtful, well-wishing gift of the year or a metaphorical slap in the face. Despite appearances, a gift card is not necessarily the equivalent of cash. What, then, should you choose?

Read more
Over 100 more Best Buy Black Friday deals just went live
Digital Trends Best Black Friday Best Buy Deals

Best Buy is one of the key retailers when it comes to offering fantastic Black Friday deals. That means it's the perfect place to check out awesome TV deals, laptop deals, and even great sales on appliances too. With hundreds of options newly available, we've helped you out by picking out some highlights. Below, you'll find all the best Best Buy Black Friday deals on TVs, laptops, gaming PCs, headphones, appliances, and other items too.

Best Buy Black Friday TV deals

Read more