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Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts

Monday, June 11, 2012

Insights and Headaches for Apple: The iPncne in China

As I mentioned before, unauthorized Apple stores are common in many regions of China. At the moment it appears that Apple will only respond to "fake Apple Stores" that take extreme measures to imitate a genuine Apple Store. A related area of concern for companies such as Apple is protecting not how their trademarks are used in stores but on products being sold.

I previously shared an example of a Chinese mobile phone that appeared to inappropriately use some of Apple's trademarks. I will call it the "Think Different Phone". It certainly is not alone in China. For another example, here is a phone I saw for sale in Yinchuan, Ningxia:

iPncne (or fake iPhone) in Yinchuan, China

It would be hard to believe that the resemblance of the apple logo and the iPncne name to Apple's trademarks is accidental. In the post about the Think Different Phone I discussed how despite their possible trademark infringements such phones can provide insights about features possibly desired in the local market. As an example, similar to the Think Different Phone the iPncne has a dedicated button for QQ -- a popular social networking service in China:

iPncne (or fake iPhone) in Yinchuan, China

But what I believe can be an even more important feature is found inside the phone:

battery compartment and SIM card holder for iPncne (or fake iPhone) in Yinchuan, China

The capability of this iPncne to hold dual SIM cards would matter to many Chinese mobile phone users. For an example of why, see my post from last year "Mobile Phones in China: Local Rates, Fashion, and Fakes".

Even for the many Chinese-designed phones not noticeably violating any trademarks, "localizations" such as the above can indicate features desired not only in China but elsewhere as well. But regardless of any insights the iPncne may provide, Apple is probably still concerned about protecting its trademarks. Even if the apple logo and iPncne name do not cross the line for Apple, I think there is something on the back of the phone that would be hard for them to accept:

back of iPncne (or fake iPhone) in Yinchuan, China

In small print below the iPncne name is written:
Designed by Apple in California Assembled in China
At least the second half of the line seems true. I have not contacted Apple for comment about the first half. I suspect their private comments would be much more interesting.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

More "Fake" Apple Stores In China: Does Apple Care?

[UPDATE at end]

According to recent reports, new genuine Apple Stores will open in the Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Chengdu. These will be the first Apple Stores outside of Beijing and Shanghai in mainland China. Shenzhen is an intriguing location for a new store since its border has been a significant entry point for Apple products smuggled into mainland China from Hong Kong due to differences in prices and availability.

In addition to several Apple Stores in China, there are numerous authorized resellers of Apple products. But there are many more unauthorized resellers, examples of which I shared here and here. I also shared an example here of an unauthorized reseller with a website nearly identical to Apple's. All of those examples came from Southeast China, so I will now share examples of unauthorized stores in the northwestern city of Yinchuan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Ningxia is similar in stature to a Chinese province). In addition to serving as evidence that unauthorized resellers are not limited to a specific region of China, they provide an opportunity to discuss some of the concerns Apple may have about such stores.

Like before, I did not deliberately seek out any of these stores. I opportunistically took the photographs on several occasions while I walked around Yinchuan's central Xingqing District. Here are just a few of the stores I saw selling Apple products:

unauthorized Apple store in Yinchuan, China

unauthorized Apple store in Yinchuan, China

unauthorized Apple store in Yinchuan, China

unauthorized Apple store in Yinchuan, China

unauthorized Apple store in Yinchuan, China

In all of the examples above an Apple logo is prominently displayed in the location above the main entrance where one could expect a store's name, even in China.

Apple's online list of authorized resellers as of today shows only one authorized reseller in all of Yinchuan or anywhere else in Ningxia (note: an employee at the Apple Store in Hong Kong insisted to me that this list is regularly refreshed and reliable). Based on the store's address it is not any of the stores displayed above or later in this post. However, these stores not being listed as authorized is in itself not a problem since it is reportedly not illegal to resell genuine Apple merchandise in China.

Regardless, in a country with so many fake products some consumers may be especially motivated to buy Apple products from stores reviewed and authorized by Apple. That is what makes these other unauthorized stores in Yinchuan even more intriguing:

store appearing to claim it is an authorized apple reseller in Yinchuan, China

store appearing to claim it is an authorized apple reseller in Yinchuan, China

store appearing to claim it is an authorized apple reseller in Yinchuan, China

Although Apple likely does not want stores stating they are authorized resellers when they are not, Apple is likely more concerned about protecting the Apple Store identity. The famous fake Apple Store store in Kunming received attention from Apple not because it was unauthorized, but because of the extreme measures it took to appear as a genuine Apple Store. In short, whether Apple pursues any action against a store in China is probably related to the likelihood a consumer will incorrectly believe they are shopping at a store operated by Apple. A quick estimation based on what I have seen suggests there are thousands of unauthorized Apple resellers in China, many of which may be misusing Apple's trademarks to a variety of degrees. If Apple wished to pursue every potential case it could have a huge challenge ahead of itself. But at the moment I see no indications that Apple will take any significant action unless a store goes to more extreme lengths to imitate a real Apple Store. In that case, Apple has taken a more pragmatic approach and the situation is far more manageable.

The famous store in Kunming crossed several significant lines which made it worthy of Apple's attention. For example, the staff believed they worked for Apple and wore shirts identical to those worn by Apple Store employees. The second factor is why these two stores in Yinchuan particularly caught my attention:

unauthorized Apple store with employees wearing Apple shirts in Yinchuan, China

unauthorized Apple store with employees wearing Apple shirts in Yinchuan, China

In both stores, employees were wearing shirts that appeared to be similar, if not identical, to the Apple Store shirts.

employees wearing Apple shirts at an unauthorized Apple reseller in Yinchuan, Ningxia

When I spoke with two of the employees in the second store, I asked them if the store was an "Apple Store". One quickly said it was. Then the second jumped in and said it was not. She explained that their products were genuine and from an official Apple Store in Beijing. She did not believe she worked for Apple. At no point did the employee appear to evade any of my questions, and I never had the impression she was concerned anything might be amiss.

So, are any of the above stores enough to get Apple's attention? All I can say is that in most ways they are not highly unusual in comparison to many other unauthorized stores I have seen. They also did not go to the same extremes as the store in Kunming. Nonetheless, I suspect those Apple Store shirts could cause some feathers to be ruffled at Apple.

I could now go on and on and share examples of stores in other cities in China that to varying degrees may be infringing on the identity of genuine Apple Stores.

unauthorized Apple store in Lanzhou, China
Unauthorized store in Lanzhou, Gansu province

unauthorized Apple store in Xining, China
Unauthorized store in Xining, Qinghai province

But I shall refrain. I think I have already sufficiently made my point. Again, there are many unauthorized stores across China and it does not appear that Kunming or Southeast China is special in this regards. But based on my experiences, the famous store in Kunming remains a special example.

Finally, I want to give credit where credit is due in Yinchuan, namely this business:

authorized apple service provider in Yinchuan, China

Despite the English mispelling, this Apple Authorized Service Provider is indeed listed in Apple's online locator. Consistent with my observations of what was for sale in Yinchuan's unauthorized stores, it only offers services for iPads, iPhones, and iPods -- no service for Macs. So, Yichuanese can rest assured they have a convenient and authorized option for servicing some of the Apple products they may buy, whether at Yinchuan's single authorized reseller, Yichuan's unauthorized resellers, or elsewhere.


UPDATE: Now tired of seeing "fake" stores? Then maybe the Chinese mobile phone with an apple logo in this post will interest you: "Insights and Headaches for Apple: The iPncne in China".

Friday, April 20, 2012

Android Robot Singing for the iPhone

I have one more tech-related photo to share from Nanping, Zhuhai--the place I found due to a trip on a randomly chosen bus. I share it as a striking example of "creative" trademark usage in China. It certainly is not the only case, but this particular example seems to be a fitting tribute to both the Android store I saw nearby and the "fake" Apple stores I saw elsewhere in Zhuhai.

advertisement for the iPhone 4S including the Android Robot in Zhuhai, China

Yes, in the above photo an Android Robot appears to be singing its praises in a promotion for the iPhone 4S. Although Google's branding guidelines for the Android Robot stipulate that it, "Can be used, reproduced, and modified freely in marketing communications," I suspect Google presumed that any marketing would be for Android-based products and not iPhones. Even if the promotion has technically met this part of the guidelines, it does not appear to have met Google's criteria for providing proper attribution. However, I see some open space below the Android Robots perfect for this purpose. They could easily add it with a good marker and then all would be fine, right?

So, should Google and Apple be more concerned about promotions like the above or about "fake" stores? What do you think?

Monday, April 2, 2012

When is a Fake Apple Store Fake?

[UPDATE at end]

Reader Justaguy left the following comment on my post about the large number of "fake" Apple stores in China: "More of the Same: "Fake" Apple Stores in Zhuhai, China":
How are these fake Apple stores? In order to be fake, they'd have to be presenting themselves as real Apple Stores - are they? Chinese stores use brands in their signs in ways that US stores do not. Whenever I've spoken to someone in a store with such a sign, they've never made any pretense to be in any way affiliated with Apple or whatever brand they have on their sign. They put it there to advertise what they're selling. While that might be an illegal use of a trademark (I'm no expert in Chinese IPR law, so I have no idea), or use of Apple's logo in a way that Apple doesn't approve of, its very different than a store misleadingly presenting itself as a real Apple store.
I considered these issues while writing the earlier posts and appreciate the opportunity to address them. Indeed, stores can apply the "Apple spirit" to a variety of degrees. At what stage does a store deserve being labeled as a "fake Apple store"? For example, take this store in Zhuhai with a very large Apple logo on its storefront:



The store is dedicated to Apple products:

store in Zhuhai, China selling Apple products

checkout counter of store in Zhuhai selling Apple products


And its business card prominently describes itself as "Apple" and the store name "创实数码连锁" (it also appears to go by the name "Choicy"):

business card with the Apple logo, the word Apple, the store's Chinese name, and a website address


Additionally, the store currently promotes itself with a remarkably familiar-looking website at www.zh-apple.com (catch it while you can (added note: for comparison, Apple's official Chinese website is here)):

screenshot of a webpage in Chinese that looks almost identical to the official Apple chinese website
The copyright is brilliant.

While I doubt the employees think they are working for Apple, I would not be surprised if they believe the store is authorized to sell Apple products (especially since their shirt sleeves said "Authorized Reseller"). As far as I know it is not.

So, is it fair to call this a "fake Apple store"?

My short answer is that I think it is fair but I really do not care what you call it. I think what matters is that there appear to be many examples of Apple's products being sold without authorization and of Apples logos being used improperly. As in many cases, there can be fuzziness in what deserves to be labeled as "fake". Hence, I have often used quotations marks around the word when I used it. Furthermore, one can distinguish between "Apple store" and "Apple Store". I have tried to be careful in my use of those terms. In my usage (and the usage of many others I have seen) the former simply refers to a store selling Apple products while the latter refers to the copyrighted stores officially run by Apple which can use Apple patented store designs such as the glass staircase. Although none of the stores I have shared are as grand as the notorious store in Kunming described by BirdAbroad, it seems reasonable (especially for convenience) to call the offending stores "'fake' Apple stores". In most (if not all) cases though, I would refrain from labeling them "fake Apple Stores".

Finally, regarding Justaguy's comment "Chinese stores use brands in their signs in ways that US stores do not." I will simply say that many clothing stores, banks, restaurants, etc. use storefront signs in a manner consistent with what is found in many other countries. I could cite numerous examples, but perhaps two are particularly pertinent. First, here is an authorized store in Zhuhai for Meizu, a Chinese brand of mobile phones:

Meizu store in Zhuhai China


Second, here is the only store in Zhuhai listed as authorized on Apple's website:

authorized Apple retailer Garyin in China

Although I would agree that many mobile phone stores use brands in their signs in a manner that U.S. stores would not, many businesses in China do indeed place a proper identification for the store on the storefront sign. That being said, I would be interested to see the results of a carefully designed research study examining how "fake" signs are perceived by Chinese consumers.

But that is another story.


Added note: Yes, the title of this post was deliberate and I realize it could invite a variety of constructive comments. Feel free to send them if you simply desire to add to my amusement.


UPDATE: For more about "fake" Apple stores in China see: "More 'Fake' Apple Stores In China: Does Apple Care?"

Or tired of seeing "fake" stores? Then maybe the Chinese mobile phone with an apple logo in this post will interest you: "Insights and Headaches for Apple: The iPncne in China".

Friday, March 30, 2012

More of the Same: "Fake" Apple Stores in Zhuhai, China

I have shared photos of various "fake" Apple stores in Hengyang, Chenzhou, and Guangzhou in China. Most recently I shared photos of an Android store and several Nokia stores in Nanping, Zhuhai. Although I did not see any stores in Nanping appearing to identify themselves as Apple stores, I did see these two stores in another part of Zhuhai -- Gongbei:

iPhone store in Zhuhai, China

mobile phone store in Zhuhai, China with Apple logo for its sign

Neither appears on Apple's list of authorized stores and both have characteristics of other unauthorized stores I have seen. I would share photos of other similar Apple stores in the area, but I feel the point has already been made. I share these photos simply to emphasize that such stores are not at all atypical in many parts of China.

However Apple may be reacting to unauthorized stores, it appears that they face a daunting task if they plan to swat down every example. And still more such stores are springing up in China. In fact, the first store seen above is one of the newest.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Nokia Stores Selling a Variety of Phones in Nanping, Zhuhai

The Android store I saw in Nanping, Zhuhai was unique in my experiences. However, as I mentioned when sharing photos of the inside of the store, I think it is important to shed more light on what is and is not unusual about the store by providing some additional context.

I will now share some similar examples of stores in the same shopping district highlighting another world-famous brand -- Nokia. Although Nokia may still be the single most popular brand of mobile phones in China, Nokia's strength in China has declined -- in part related to the rise of Android devices. However, Nokia hopes a line of newer phones running Windows Phone 7, including the Lumina 710 and the Lumina 800, re-boost Nokia's prominence in China.

Down the street from the Android store this Nokia store* may not seem striking from afar:

People selling clothes and shoes on the street and store with a large Nokia sign in the background

Similar to the Android store, a Chinese name is also on the sign. But its name "诺基亚(名流)专营店", which can be translated as "Nokia (Celebrities) Authorized Store",** is more specific than the Android store's Chinese name. It would seem to further suggest that this store focuses on Nokia products. However, as one approaches the store there are indications it has a more varied selection:

Store with Nokia sign in Nanping, Zhuhai, China

The greenish display is for Oppo, a Chinese brand with Android-based smartphones. Those with keener eyes may also notice displays for Koobee and Xiaomi, also Chinese brands. More is revealed as one gets even closer:

view of inside of a mobile phone store

Oppo's "Find Me" media campaign featuring Leonardo DiCaprio can be seen on the left side. Other brands available in the store are also clear such as Apple, BBK, LG, and Samsung. Is this Nokia store unique? Not at all:

Store with large Nokia sign also showing signs for Apple, Android, and Samsung

Store with large Nokia sign with displays for Apple and Motion

Store with large Nokia sign displaying Apple products

Again, these are all within easy walking distance from the Android store and they all sell a variety of Chinese and foreign branded phones despite so prominently displaying "Nokia"on their store signs.

Although Nokia seemed to receive this treatment frequently, it certainly was not alone. For example, here is a Samsung store:

store with large Samsung sign displaying Nokia and Apple products

And here is a store combining the spirit of Samsung and Nokia:

store with many Nokia signs with a larger Samsung sign at the top

They both sold a variety of phones. Amongst other brands, the second store sold Moral phones (also a Chinese brand) and the staff wore shirts with the Android robot logo.

The above provides a taste of the store sign issue. Another feature of the Android store was the variety of phones that could be found in a display case with a specific brand name. This is another area in which the store is not unique. Here is a relevant example from a display case sitting outside one of the many mobile phone stores in the area:

Nokia display case with non-Nokia phones

It includes mobile phones of Chinese brands such as Daxian and Telsda. You may now be thinking "Hey, there are iPhones too!" However, those are not iPhones. The remarkably familiar-looking phones are made by Chengji (诚基). Whatever their story, they are not made Nokia.

I saw numerous other examples of display cases with mismatched phones. It appeared to be very common.

There are some further issues I would like to touch upon and other "interesting" photos I would like to share, but I have already shared quite a bit in this post. For now, I just want to say that based on my recent explorations across China what I have shared above is not unique to Nanping, Zhuhai. I do not believe it is highly unusual for a mobile phone store to sell a variety of brands despite prominently displaying a specific brand on its store front and for it to maintain display cases containing phones not matching the name on the display. What was particularly unique (to me) about the Android store was that I had never before seen a mobile phone store in China leveraging the Android brand so prominently and extensively. The store's inclusion of phones not based on Android may seem striking, but as some Nokia store owners in Nanping could quickly tell you it is not unique in that respect.



* I realize there could be a debate as to whether the terms "Android store" and "Nokia store" are appropriate. I am fine with them being interpreted as shorthand for "Store apparently portraying itself with a sign as an Android phone dealer" and "Store apparently portraying itself with a sign as a Nokia phone dealer" respectively. In a later post, I hope to touch on why it is reasonable in China to interpret the signs in this manner.

** I have seen a few people claim that "名流" is best translated in this case as "famous". My understanding is that "名流" is a noun typically specific to people. In that case, using "famous" could lead to unintended interpretations in English. I thank my Chinese friend who does professional translation work for her input on this matter. Regardless of the translation, it is not of much relevance to the main points I have made.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Inside the Android Store in Zhuhai, China

Update below

Since there has been a bit of interest about the Android store I saw in Nanping, Zhuhai, I returned to the same location today to conduct some further explorations:

street in Nanping, Zhuhai, China with an Android Store
Pedestrian (mostly) street in Nanping

The friendly staff permitted me to take a few photos, so I will share a few. Here is someone trying out an iPad:

customer trying an iPad at the Android Store in Nanping, Zhuhai, China

There were a broad variety of smartphones for sale. This HTC case:

HTC case of a variety of phones in the Android Store in Nanping, Zhuhai, China

included brands such as BBK, Huawei, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson. Oh, there was one HTC phone too.

This Android display:

Android display case of a variety of phones reflecting the Apple logo in the Android Store in Nanping, Zhuhai, China
The reflection adds a nice touch.

included a similar selection. At least the display cards for the Nokia phones did not indicate they ran Android and did not include the Android logo.

This Android display:

Android display in the Android Store in Nanping, Zhuhai, China

included a ZTE U880 running Android 2.2 on the left and a Lenovo A60 running Android 2.3 on the right.

I did not see any BlackBerry phones so I am not able to top the BlackBerry marketing with Barack Obama I saw at a mobile phone store in Chengdu. Also, all of the phones appeared to be legitimate brands. There were no copycat "creative-but-inspired-by-Apple" phones such as the one I saw which included a portion of the Apple logo and the phrase "I See Things a Little Differently". Regardless, this display of HTC phones especially caught my attention:

4 displayed HTC phones in the Android Store in Nanping, Zhuhai, China

Outside of China, the second phone from the left is often described as the HTC Eternity. However, that is based on its code name and its official name is the HTC 凯旋 X310e. If your Chinese is rusty, 凯旋 could be translated as "Triumph" though another translation I have found is "Return Triumphant". But here is the really fun part: although many HTC phones run Android, the X310e is a Windows Phone that was just released for sale two day ago (so, I doubt it was there during my previous visit). In fact, the label mentions that it runs Windows Phone 7.5 just above the image of the Android logo. Between Google and Microsoft, who is now groaning most?

The visit also allowed me to better clarify another issue. The store's business cards list its name as the text "名流智能手机体验店" shown below "Android" on its sign. This is similar in practice to what I noticed for some of the "fake" Apple stores I recently saw in Guangdong province and Hunan province where they did not list "iPhone 4" (or whatever was prominently displayed on their sign) on their business cards but instead a more proper-sounding name. I do not want to share an image of the front of the card since it includes a helpful employee's name, personal mobile phone number, and QQ number (not uncommon in China). However, I am happy to share the backside:

Android Store in China business card displaying Apple and Android logos

I am not sure if they plan to update it with a Windows Phone logo.

Before commenting further, in an upcoming post (by Monday) I will share photos of some other nearby stores. They provide important context for understanding what is and is not unusual about the above store. The context will also be useful for my responses to some comments and questions I have received or have seen on some of the articles/posts now referencing my earlier post.

Here is just a small taste of what is on the way:

Store in Nanping, Zhuhai, China displaying signs with logos for Android, Apple, Nokia, and more.

More soon.


UPDATE: See in what ways this Android store is not unique in the post "Nokia Stores Selling a Variety of Phones in Nanping, Zhuhai"


Disclosure: I previously worked as a user experience researcher in Microsoft China's Mobile Services China group. This exploration was not conducted as paid work nor at the request of any company.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Android Store in Zhuhai, China

Updates at end

An earlier post here provided an overview of the "fake" Apple stores, including iPhone stores, I saw in a number of cities in Southeast China. Another post shared photos of a variety of other mobile phone stores in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

Although I have included photos of a variety of stores, at least one company may feel left out. If so, Google can now perk up. I saw this Android Store after I took a random bus to Nanping in Zhuhai, Guangdong province:

Android store in Nanping, Zhuhai, China
Android store in Nanping, Zhuhai

"名流智能手机体验店", which is under the word "Android" on the store's sign, can be literally translated as "Celebrities Smartphone Experience Store". In short, if you want to be like a celebrity (or you are celebrity) this is presumably the place for you. The idea of an Android "experience store" reminded me that several months ago in Melbourne, Australia Google opened its first "Androidland". Mike Isaac on Wired described the store:
Created in collaboration with Android device manufacturers, “Androidland” showcases the many different devices that run Google’s operating system in a fun, Android-themed environment. And rather than merely hawking the devices, special displays and gaming kiosks aim to inform potential buyers about how Android works, and what devices may be best for them.
Perhaps the owner of the store in Nanping was inspired by Androidland. As far as I know, Google has not opened any official stores in China, so this could also be another opportunity for a foreign company to be inspired by local design (in this case "store design") in China. It could also be another opportunity for a trademark dispute. Whatever the case, I doubt Google would be thrilled with all of the choices made by this Android store owner. For example, in addition to a variety of Android-based mobile phones the store also sold Apple products such as iPhones, iPads, and computers (no ifads for sale, though).

Sign for iPhones and an iPhone accessory display case at the Android store
Sign for iPhones and an iPhone accessory display case at the Android store

Maybe some celebrities in Zhuhai demand Apple products. However, Apple lists only one authorized retailer in Zhuhai. Of no surprise to me, its address is nowhere near the above store and it does not have "Android" in its name.

After scratching an Android store off my list, I will now keep my eyes open for another brand. After all, Windows Phone 7 officially launched in China today. That could mean some additional interesting stores are on the way.


UPDATE 1: More on this store in the more recent post "Inside the Android Store in Zhuhai, China".

UPDATE 2: See in what ways this Android store is not unique in the more recent post "Nokia Stores Selling a Variety of Phones in Nanping, Zhuhai"

UPDATE 3: See what I discover when I visit the store several months later in the post "The Fate of the Android Store in Zhuhai, China"

UPDATE 4: About a year and half after my first visit, much more had changed—see "The Fate of the Android Store in Zhuhai, China: Part II".



Disclosure: I previously worked as a user experience researcher in Microsoft China's Mobile Services China group. This exploration was not conducted as paid work nor at the request of any company.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Apple's Trademark Challenges in China: EPADs and ifads

In case you are not already aware, Apple is in the midst of a legal battle over whether or not they own the "iPad" trademark in mainland China. A mainland Chinese court has ruled that it is now owned by the Chinese manufacturer Proview but a higher court has still not announced its ruling. For more details about a fascinating case I recommend some posts written by lawyers knowledgeable about China. Dan Harris on China Law Blog clearly described the overall issue here: "The Proview v. Apple China Trademark Dispute. Wanna Buy The Brooklyn Bridge?". And Stan Abrams on China Hearsay has been very regularly explaining and commenting on various aspects of the case as it evolves. His most recent post (at the time of publishing this post) is here: "The Natives Are Restless: Proview’s Latest iPad Threatdown".

Abrams also mentioned another Apple trademark legal case. Apple has filed a complaint over the Chinese luggage vendor EBox using the name "EPAD" on its products. Michael Kan on PCWorld shared a response by EBox that indicates it is fully aware of Apple's current trademark problem in China:
EBox opposes Apple's complaint and is preparing a formal response. "The iPad trademark is not Apple's, so now they want to take ours," said EBox's spokeswoman. "Apple has been a bully."
Abrams does not comment on the case specifically but does mention that:
...there are tons of “bad guys” out there using marks similar to “iPad” to flog their stuff.
Based on what I have seen, I am not surprised by the use of the word "tons". In fact, I have seen some items that may strike some as slightly more egregious than EPAD-labeled luggage. For example, in the city of Guangzhou, where I earlier observed the iPhone 4S grey market and a number of "fake" Apple stores, here is what I found in a large shopping mall several weeks ago:

an ifad in Guangzhou that looks like a human-sized version of Apple's iPod
Want one for your home?

Just like many similar-looking products offered by Apple, the rather large ifad had a touch screen and provided an interactive experience. I did not have much time to fully explore its functionality so I will refrain from providing a review. I will just say that it did allow one to find a variety of products listed for sale, such as these shoes:

zoomed in view of an ifad screen showing a selection of shows for sale
If only it could automatically detect my shoe size and let me know if they are in stock.

I am not sure whether ifads are widespread, but this is my first and only time to notice one. And I assume that this is not an Apple product despite its name and remarkably familiar design.

So, it looks like Apple's lawyers still have plenty of work to keep them busy even if Apple successfully acquires ownership of the iPad and EPAD trademarks.

And no, I do not know if ifads are available in other colors.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

"There is No Jobs Anymore"

Still working on a post about access to some websites through China's Great Firewall, so for now I'll simply share a photo I took last November while on a small bus from Sujiawei to downtown Heyuan in China's Guangdong province.

shirt in China with symbol of an Apple power button and the sentence THERE IS NO JOBS ANYMORE
"THERE IS NO JOBS ANYMORE"

Since this is supposed to be a quick post, I'll refrain from commenting on the shirt or using it as an introduction to my thoughts (hopefully later) on the recent article in The New York Times "How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work".

And in case you missed it, here's a T-shirt I saw last year in Vietnam that also caught my attention (though for very different reasons).

More soon...