Apple foils iPhone Nano forgery plans

unceremoniously on Tuesday, those who eagerly awaited an iPhone nano can still get their hands on one -- just not from Apple.

Consumers are being warned to be on the lookout for fake iPhone Nanos, even though the real one has not been released.

Counterfeiters have produced phones that look similar to a real Apple product, complete with an operating system, similar ergonomics, and even replete with Apple logo.

The replicas were based on rumors circulating online about what the phone might look like and do.

Fake iPhone Nanos started appearing in Thailand just after Christmas, with the "official" Apple logo and iPhone branding and there are reports that they have started to appear in European shops.

"Our view is that it's unlikely an iPhone Nano is in the works at Apple," Ian Shircore, marketing head of Envisional -- a counterfeiting research firm -- told BBC News.

Shincore believes that attempts by counterfeiters to pre-empt Apple had backfired spectacularly.

"You would have to radically reinvent both existing battery and radio technology. What's more, the LCD - currently the killer feature of iPhones - would also be shrunk," Shircore continued.

"What's actually inside these fake units is anyone's guess. When you're selling fakes, it's the exterior that matters. I suspect the retail value of these fake iPhone Nanos will be much lower now than they were last week."