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I am sure that you have seen counterfeit Apple iPhones (and iPods) floating about on Craigslist, eBay, and perhaps even on the streets, depending on where you live. All of these fakes originate from China or Taiwan, and it is no wonder since copyright laws are nearly impossible to enforce in these nations. Also, since the iPhone uses mostly Taiwanese parts, assembling a knock-off in that very place is an easy job for crooks.

People confuse the terms “imitation” and “knock-off.” An item that resembles another product made by another company but is either unbranded or bears the copying company’s name is an imitation. As far as I know, this is not illegal if there are enough distinctions between the imitation and the imitated. On the other hand, knock-offs and counterfeits are purely fake and pretend to be the real thing: i.e. an unknown Chinese factory pumping out iPhones bearing Apple logos and badges. My advice to consumers is to avoid fakes and imitations, particularly the former. There are legal and ethical reasons to shun them, not to mention the fact that they will never function like a real iPhone.

Typical Chinese Fake:

This commonplace knock-off runs Windows Mobile and makes no common sense at all. It fools no one and is a good candidate for an imitation instead. I doubt that the touchscreen is more than mediocre.

Imitation Everything:

Found mostly on eBay and Craigslist, this is a classic imitation of the iPhone’s chasis and OS. Unlike knock-offs, this imitation unit is unbranded. Even the back title reads just generic “Phone.”

Fakes and imitations vary greatly in price and performance. Needless to say, some of the “better” ones use higher spec hardware, but none of them works just like an iPhone. If you cannot pay for a real one, then get a used Android smartphone instead, or consider a proprietary OS touchscreen phone from LG or Samsung.


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