The phenomenon of fake Apple Stores in China had an origin, a blog entry was enough to denounce them. They seemed so original that the employees themselves believed they worked for Apple
From time to time it is very good to see what a brand was like to see how it evolved over the years. In those searches we found this news that could happen in any country in the world, although from the title you probably already know that it is something that could happen only in China. 13 years ago, Reuters toward echo of fake Apple Store in Kunming city, Yunnan province, southwest China. Coincidentally, the discovery was possible thanks to the fact that at that time a WordPress blog reported the incident. When we see the images we can see a store that has essentially everything that was needed to accredit an Apple Store: the white logo, wooden tables and the cheerful, properly uniformed staff. How was it discovered to be fake? The name “Apple Store” along with the logo did not look at all familiar and original. It was found that at that time Apple did not have stores in that city and there were only 13 authorized resellers but they did not have permission to call themselves the Apple Store..
A total scam from the Kunming Apple Store, employees did not know it was fake
A fake Apple Store in the middle of 2011. Photo: Reuters
The anonymous person at that time stated that it was “a beautiful scam, brilliant, the best scam ever seen.”. The most incredible thing about the matter is that, talking to the employees there, they believed that they worked for Apple. At that time it was not so clear whether the products were fake as well. Let’s remember that there are currently a vast number of devices and accessories that look just like Apple products but are fake.
Getting Apple products in China in the provinces in those years was complicated, although many resellers traveled abroad to introduce them to these provinces. The only existing stores in those years were those in Shanghai and Beijing, the latter we classify at iPadizate as one of the best in the world. In the case of the fake Apple Store, it was later verified that the products were faithful. They advertised the iPhone 4, the iPad 2, MacBook Pro and many posters for products that looked perfect at that time.
Fake Apple Store in Kunming, China. Photo: Reuters
An investigation was carried out after it became news
The blog reached eyes in various parts of the world and in Kunming, The authorities took on the task of carrying out their own investigation, starting with the photographs that had been published on the internet.. Initially, 5 fake stores were found, 2 were immediately closed for trading without permission according to a 2011 note from the BBC.
This is what the tables in the fake Apple Store looked like. Photo: Reuters
They finally found 22 fake stores that illegally used the Apple brand and logo. The authorities of the Chinese city warned about this series of stores and some time later public officials took drastic measures against them. Like any legal and civilized country, Chinese law states that it is expressly prohibited to “copy the appearance of another company without permission”. Later, the Kunming retail store agency defined a public channel for complaints of unauthorized Apple stores that try to open in the future.
The Apple products were not fake but illegally exported. Photo: Reuters
Years later, Apple Kunming officially opened
Apple’s popularity led to more official Apple Store openings. Currently, China is the second country with the most Apple stores, according to Statista in 2023. In 2024, there are already 57 stores adding the latest opening of Apple Jing’an.
In Kunming, Apple opened its doors on January 21, 2017. As you can read on this page dedicated to the fact, The opening of this store and many in those years was due to a low market share. Even in those years and the ones we currently live in, In China, a large number of products are exhibited that “seem to be official”.
Apple Store Kunming opens its doors in 2017
A few years before the official opening, Business Insider could also testify that this model of stores was still in operation. Now They stood out for bringing iPhones at the same time as the rest of the world. There was a time when iPhones were launched in waves, that is, first the wave in the United States and some European countries, then in Spain and the rest of Europe, until a third wave that left Asian countries. It was no longer distinguishable whether a user bought their iPhone in an official Apple Store or one of the copies like the one from 2011.
Currently, it is one of the most important Apple Stores due to its geographical location within the Chinese province of Yunnan. Wow, this story is still being told to this day. Do you know of any other country in the world where they pose as official Apple Stores?
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