iPhone 5 Fakes Found in China [PHOTOS]

By Daniel Tovrov | August 16 2011 7:04 PM

Consumers waiting for Apple to release the iPhone 5 may want to simply fly to China, where cell phone stores are selling the "hiPhone 5."

Reuters

Apple's iPhone iOS continued to increase its market share in the second quarter.
Reuters

A "hiPhone 5" (L) and Apple's iphone 4 are pictured in Shanghai August 11, 2011.
Reuters

A "hiPhone 5" is pictured in Shanghai August 11, 2011.

The hiPhone 5 sells for as low as 200 yuan, which is about $30 dollars, practically 10 times less than a real iPhone 5 will be when it first hits the market. It is already on sale on Taobao, an online shopping Web site in China that is similar to eBay or Amazon.

It has been discovered that China is making its own versions of a large number of products from Western companies, and at least 22 fake Apple stores have been found in the country. Apple is currently suing about 50 business owners who are using their logo.

"China has taken great steps to enforce intellectual property rights and the stores weren't selling fake products," Chang Puyun, Kunming government's business bureau spokesperson stated.

A copycat Ikea store was recently found in Kunming, China.

Some ex-patriots said that a fake Apple store in Kunming was "the best ripoff we had ever seen."

There is also a coffee shop in Harbin, China called "USAbucks," that looks very similar to Starbucks.