Shenzhen's crazy counterfeit tech marketplace is truly the stuff of legends
Tech contributor to 9to5Mac’s Dom Esposito has recently published a video reportage featuring a most extravagant selection of tech gadgets, acquired in Shenzhen, China, that go well beyond the definition of knock-off.
The range of gadgets found by Esposito goes from regular old replicas of Apple products, such as iPhone, iPad and similar devices, to the straight up comical, including everything in between.
What’s in Esposito’s Shopping bags:
An odd plastic box, in the shape of an iPhone, but resembling a makeup case, turns out to be a battery pack, compatible with a selection of connectors, including an 30-pin connector, a Lightning cable, and what appears to be a micro-USB cable. The inside of the lid that covers the box features an oval mirror, for some reason. One neat feature of this battery pack is a built-in flashlight.
The second battery pack featured in the video, is built to replicate the exterior look of an iPhone, however, upon a quick inspection, the device has no volume or power buttons, and the cameras and sensors are simply cut-out shapes printed on the body. When pressing the home key, the button turns blue, most likely as an indicator of the active state of the battery, and the touchscreen does absolutely nothing.
Ferrari phones
Little does the Italian luxury automaker knows, that smartphones are being manufactured and sold in a variety of Ferrari-inspired shapes, including two devices in particular, that are fully-functioning dual-band phones, in the shape of two Ferrari sports vehicles, or at least a close approximation. One in particular features an “astounding” 0.25 inch black and white non-touch display, and at least one app: a fullscreen clock.
iPhone 7 "Super Bluetooth"
As genuine as it gets for a product that doesn’t exist yet, the Apple iPhone 7 Bluetooth headset features “super voice quality”, “long service time”, “the most beautiful line designed”, “super anti-noise function”, and last but not the least: “can also connect the two mobile phone”, whatever that means.
On the back of the box containing this “super” Bluetooth headset, the real specs of the device are printed above a picture of Steve Jobs, and we have to concur with Esposito about Steve not looking too excited to be part of the package.
“Motorona” Boss Phone (Not a typo)
If you ever want to feel like Michael Douglas in the original Wall Street movie, here’s your chance. The “Motorona” phone, or “Boss phone” as Esposito more accurately describes it, is what an iPhone would look like if an Apple employee in 1980 had had the ability to time travel into the present and bring back an iPhone 6.
Of course Steve Jobs slamming the idea of making a giant phone in the 80s would have been an accurate expectation of what would really happen. Nevertheless, this “Boss Phone” comes in what we can only describe as “Glorious Gold”, if there were such a thing, fully loaded with a 2.8 inch color touchscreen, and a whopping 391Kb of internal storage, which is as retro as it gets. The phone also features a telescopic antenna, and a flashlight, which, at least in China, seems to be a thing.
The most interesting aspect of this phone, aside from the iPhone-like touchscreen interface mirroring most iOS icons, as well as the lockscreen, is the removable 16,800 MhA monster battery that powers this collection of retro double-GSM extravaganza.