Fake or unauthorized Apple Stores have become a common phenomenon in China just before the new iPhone’s launch on September 25, 2015. There are more than 30 store that show Apple’s iconic white logo and offer pre-orders for the new iPhone. The new iPhone has now pretty much become a status symbol for the well-to-do crowd of China.
Surprisingly, most of the stores look like signature Apple stores from the staff with blue t-shirts with the Apple logo, sample iPads, and iWatches displayed on the wooden tables. The fact is that the US based tech giant has just one official store in Shenzhen and five authorized stores in the area. The stores that are mostly in 1 km shopping corridor are unauthorized and fake but are still selling genuine Apple products.
The number of stores have increased in recent times just before the launch of the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus. The increasing number of fake stores are reducing the popularity of the brand in the country. A clerk at one of the unauthorized stores opened recently said, “There are many silly people in China who are willing to pay extra money just to get a new iPhone ahead of everyone else.”
The latest iPhone with larger screens and longer battery life will be available to the Chinese customers only on the launch date, who have reserved online.
Photo Credits: ibtimes
