Gallery: Fake Apple Hardware: 9 Knockoffs That Would Make Jony Ive Cringe
01fake-iphone-1
Apple offers three generous gifts to product bootleggers: an iconic design language, an easily replicated logo, and the most lucrative brand ID around. These assets are irresistible to counterfeiters who want to piggyback on Apple’s success, but they rarely translate into elegant product knockoffs. Quite the opposite, in fact: The parasites that feed on Apple’s success typically create bootlegs that scoff at plausibility. Just look at our list – it’s literally fantastic. It’s one thing to sell a bootleg product that skimps on quality material and fine details. That’s what you’ll find in Louis Vuitton and Gucci knockoffs. But it’s another thing entirely to sell a fake that Apple would never, ever create in the first place. Take the "iPhone" pictured above. It actually has an SD card slot – because, yeah, the iPhone is famous for its removable storage support. Of course, Apple knockoffs have been around since the company’s early days, when Apple products weren’t sold in overseas locales like China. But now that Apple has an [expanding presence in Asia](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/epicenter/2012/03/tim-cook-is-in-china-and-so-is-apple/), the fakes haven’t stopped – they’ve just become more and more creative. With that, we give you the 9 weirdest, most unique Apple-branded bootleg items of all time. These things definitely weren’t approved by Jony Ive. *Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired* [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/about/#faq13)
02fake-iphone-2
Fake iPhone ----------- Here we have the spectacular fake iPhone that we showcased in our opening slide. It was purchased in China, and in addition to a shiny silver Apple emblem on the back, it’s also got the Bluetooth logo. The phone runs a mysterious operating system of unknown pedigree – it looks kind of like iOS ... kind of. Beneath the rectangular touchscreen display are three buttons: a home button in the middle, and buttons "1" and "2" flanking either side. There's also a small power button on one side of the device, and a plastic volume rocker on the other. The phone has a camera centered on the rear, flanked by dual circular speaker grilles. Ooh, and how could we forget? This “iPhone” has a stylus! When we turned the phone on for the first time, it started making glass-crashing noises that wouldn't stop until we powered down – always a sign of quality engineering. *Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired* [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/about/#faq13)
03iphone-stove
iPhone Brand Stove ------------------ “You can’t replicate a fake iPad very well and get away with it,” Landor brand consultant Hayes Roth told Wired. “You have to move on to an accessory that isn’t very technically sophisticated. Then you just have to slap a label on it.” So if an iPad is out of the question, what’s the next logical product to turn to? Ah, right, a stove. An [iPhone-branded stove](http://www.cultofmac.com/148324/chinese-company-caught-selling-iphone-branded-oven/) – because, you know, a phone-stove makes perfect sense. Although we can’t know for sure until we see the spec sheet, we’ll speculate that the stove does not have a Retina display or a dual-core processor inside. But maybe Apple should take the hint and expand its iPhone line to non-phone products. Isn’t everyone doing it? *Photo courtesy [Sina](http://tech.sina.com.cn/t/2012-02-23/20536761237.shtml)*
04iphone5pop
iPhone 5 Popsicle ----------------- Never mind that the iPhone 5 doesn’t even exist yet. In Taiwan, you can get iPhone 5 labeled ice pops. The popsicles [aren’t actually shaped](http://micgadget.com/25258/meet-the-iphone-5-ice-pop/) like an iPhone. They’re merely in the form of an Apple logo. And they come in two fantastically fruity flavors: mango and pear. Also worth noting: The iPhone 5 name on the packaging appears to be trademarked. When its next iPhone debuts, could Apple become embroiled in a trademark kerfuffle with this enterprising frozen treat maker in Taiwan?
05apple-sneakers
Fake Apple Sneakers ------------------- True Apple fans don’t only carry iPhones and iPads. They don an entire wardrobe of Apple attire, including [Apple-branded kicks](http://s8.taobao.com/search?q=%CCO%B9%FB%B7%AB%B2%BC%D0%AC&commend=all&ssid=s5-e&pid=mm_14507416_2297358_8935934). Just one problem: Apple doesn’t make sneakers. These shoes are both fake Chuck Taylors *and* fake Apple products, so kudos on efficiency, counterfeiter. You’ve killed two birds with one stone.
06iarm-prank-gift
iArm, a Fake iPad Mount for Your Forearm ---------------------------------------- This one is actually nothing more than a packaging parody for a third-party iDevice accessory. Interested parties could buy the box, but nothing was packed inside. Still, to the ill-informed, the name might sound like something that would come out of Cupertino. The [iArm](http://www.prankpack.com/buy/iarm-prank-pack-fake-gift-box-3370.html) is a fake iPad mount for your forearm. It can be used in just about every situation imaginable: in the car, in class, while you’re skydiving. And if you’re not feeling like using your iPad, you can use the iArm for an air fan, e-reader, or just about anything else you could think of strapping to your arm. If you think this product looks entirely useful, I think it’s time to put the iPad down and get out more.
07ifong
Apple-Inspired Cake Packaging ----------------------------- Apparently, Apple-like packaging is just the thing for pineapple cakes in Taiwan. A bakery there packs the traditional treat in an [iPhone-inspired box](http://micgadget.com/21300/taiwan-pineapple-cake-copy-iphones-packaging/), and it’s called the "iFong." (Fong means pineapple fruit.) Each iFong box includes six small pieces of cake, and costs about $8.30. The unique packaging reportedly helps attract customers who want to give something novel as a gift.
08fake-magic-mouse
Fake Magic Mouse iPhone ----------------------- This ultra-bright device adorned with a silver Apple logo looks like a [magic mouse](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/reviews/2009/11/pr_magicmouse/) at first glance. Then you notice the “iPhone” (or is that "iPhonc"?) labeling toward the bottom. Yep, this is a [fake iPhone that looks like a magic mouse](http://micgadget.com/8834/do-you-think-this-is-shanzhai-magic-mouse/). Specifically, a magic mouse dipped in engine coolant. On its face, it doesn’t even have a touchscreen – it’s more of a fancy feature phone than a smartphone. It’s got a two-row number pad, an iPod-like circular directional pad, call start and end buttons, and two other buttons that don’t seem to serve much purpose. A small secondary Apple logo is situated just below its 2.4-inch display. This knockoff could be had for the bargain price of $70. Enjoy!
095279469833-afffe2db20-b
iPad clones ----------- Before the first iPad landed internationally, Chinese counterfeiters [created their own versions](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/04/hot-out-of-chinas-knock-off-oven-ipad-clones/) to sell. Some early models were basically extra-large iPhones that ran Windows. They had three USB ports and were “competitively priced” with the iPad at $410. Since the iPad has debuted, counterfeiters tend to get the shape of the device and some semblance of the OS pretty close to what Apple actually offers. With the fake iPad above though, you'll notice the bezel is extra large and the corners are a bit more rounded than an actual iPad. Can't fool us! *Photo: [ukhomeoffice](http://www.flickr.com/photos/49956354@N04/5279469833/)/Flickr*
10jobs-taiwan-ss
Steve Jobs Stand-In ------------------- This bizarre Steve Jobs proxy appeared in a Taiwanese TV commercial airing early this year – and annoyed the world with a [completely distasteful](http://www.pcworld.com/article/249092/steve_jobs_imitator_with_angel_wings_promotes_taiwanese_tablet.html) performance. In the TV spot by Action Electronics, the actor wears Jobs' signature black mock turtleneck and jeans, as well as a pair of silver angel wings, and hawks an Android tablet called the Action Pad. "We praise Jobs. Jobs has done great things, and we also want to do the same. We are not trying to use his death. This is not meant to make fun of Jobs," a company spokeswoman [told PCWorld](http://www.pcworld.com/article/249092/steve_jobs_imitator_with_angel_wings_promotes_taiwanese_tablet.html).
