By Star Chang, posted May 31, 2010 at 6:00 PM, 1,860 views,

iPad Knock-off is Seeking Help From Apple

iPad knock-offs are not selling well in China at the moment. The knock-offs’ retailers hope to capitalize on their lower prices and earlier availability to woo the customers in China, but have met limited success so far. They are hoping the real iPad’s global launch will provide more sales on the iPad clone. Apple’s iPad had officially went global, available in 9 countries, but China is still not in the list. Apple has no information on when the iPad would be available in China. Retailers claim that not many people in China know about the iPad, and if Apple officially launch their iPad here, people will look for it; if they can’t afford it, they will buy the fake one.

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According to Reuters Shanghai report, the increasingly sophisticated China consumers are seeking the real deal of a product known for its hard-to-copy performance as much as its easier-to-replicate looks. At one of the Shanghai’s top computer marts, knock-off’s retailers were trying their best to sell a new iPad clone, called the iRobot. One of the shop owners said that the iRobot came from Shenzhen and it’s expensive, they haven’t sold many of these yet. iRobot costs US$400, slightly less than the starting price of US$500 for the real iPad. The fake iPad and other wannabes come with a range of distinctively non-Apple traits such as cheap plastic casings, memory card slots and USB ports.

Well, Apple should feel happy that all those iPad knockoffs are not doing well in China, but they still do not have a schedule for the official launch. So we guess the gray market in China should be doing their best sales for now. We believe that Apple fans and the rich consumers from China will pick the real iPad from Apple, instead of getting the knock-off. However, not all Chinese have bought into the Apple ethos, consumers which are less discerning will look into the fake products. International brands will continue to face in their battle against these knock-offs.

Source: Reuters China

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