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What's an 'Ai Feng?' China's iPhone Knock-Offs, Now Available in 4G

Where: China
June 7, 2010 at 10:35 AM | by | Comments (0)

Oh, China—what a country of contradictions. You can't log in to your Facebook profile, post to Twitter or check-in on Foursquare at Tiananmen Square, but you can buy an iPhone 4G, months ahead of its actual Apple release. That is, if you're comfortable buying a knock-off, as it goes in China.

The new Apple 4G iPhone hasn't even been officially announced yet, but the advance and detailed images by Gizmodo of the one lost by an Apple developer and found in the California bar make fakes possible this early on. The Chinese look-a-likes are however going for more than just cosmetic mimicry, but also attempting to include features of the coming Apple 4G, including a "front-facing camera, a TV antenna, mini USB interface, and camera flash," according to Mac Rumors.

China is known for being particularly adept at manufacturing knock-offs, especially when it comes to the latest tech gadgets. Case in point: they had an iPad-looking thing months before Apple even showed theirs off. When last we were in Shanghai, buying an Ai Feng—an iPhone 3G knock-off—was all the rage among tourists and locals, especially since Apple didn't get around to selling the real iPhone in China until late last year, and for a whopping $730 each.

By comparison a new 4G knock-off will run you significantly less, but then you've still got to have a plane ticket to go over there and get one.

Related Stories:
· iPhone 4G Already Faked in China [Shanghaiist]
· Apple Finally Doing the Paperwork to Sell iPhones in China [Jaunted]
· Mobile Boarding Passes are God's Gift to Modern Air Travel [Jaunted]
· iPhone Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: PC Online/Shanghaiist]

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