By Herman Lai, posted Jul 23, 2011 at 6:16 AM, 4,008 views,

Kunming Fake Apple Store Update (Videos) [UPDATE]

You must have noticed about the Kunming fake Apple Store that originally reported by a blog BirdAbroad a few days ago, where we also did find out even more photos of other fake Apple stores around China. With this update, we will summaries all the key stuffs about this news from other major sources. Some new shots and videos after the break.

UPDATE: According to Bloomberg, the official inspected more than 300 vendors of electronic products in the city, found there are five fake Apple stores in total. Two without business licence were closed by the Chinese authorities, the remain three were under investigation because those had operating licenses.

Interestingly, Yu Cheng, three of the fake Apple stores’ owner, now applied to open an authorized Apple store, and is awaiting a verdict from Cupertino now. But the Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on this.

BirdAbroad in the last few hours ago updated a footage that captured inside of the Kunming fake Apple store, and said:

“I’ve also been called upon to publicly apologize to the city and people of Kunming for…I don’t even know what. Presumably for besmirching their good name.”

Key stuffs…

After the flawless fake Apple store was exposed by different major media sites, a customer “Wang” who cannot get a receipt after she spent 14,000 yuan ($2,170) last month buying a Macbook Pro 13-inch and a 3G iPhone from the Kunming store, and told Reuters:

“When I heard the news I rushed here immediately to get the receipt, I am so upset. With a store this big, it looks so believable who would have thought it was fake?

The biggest thing I’m upset about is that I spent so much money at this store and I don’t even know whether it is real or not. What can I do? They aren’t going to give me a refund.”

A staff of the fake Apple store replied:

“The media is painting us to be a fake store but we don’t sell fakes, all our products are real, you can check it yourself. There is no Chinese law that says I can’t decorate my shop the way I want to decorate it.”

According to WSJ, they reached an employee of the fake Apple store by phone who claimed the Apple store in Kunming is fake:

A store employee reached by phone confirmed that the store is not an authorized Apple reseller. The salesman said products in the store are genuine Apple products sold at the same prices as those advertised on Apple’s website.

Furthermore, Dailymail also stated the Apple spokeswoman had already confirmed BirdAboard is correct.

Xinhua added (Bloomberg):

Kunming, the southwestern Chinese city where three unauthorized Apple Stores were discovered, started inspecting all local electronics shops. The inspection includes business licenses, authorized permits of brand use, and the purchase channel of each store.

Chinese local reporter has been stopped by the fake apple staff for further interview on the story.

Source: BirdAboard(1), (2), WSJ, Bloomberg, Reuters, Netease