Are these fake iPod Nanos?

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief February 19, 2007 · 1 min read

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First time I saw them imitation iPod Nanos (2nd Gen) were at the 168 Mall last month. This week-end, I saw them again at the SM Appliance Storeand they were displayed in the shelves along with several other music players. Took pictures using my N6233 (sorry for the crappy images).

Fake Nano
The label says the MP4 Player has an FM Tuner, Games, Music & Record Voice.

Fake iPod Nanos
There are two capacities – 512MB (Php4,100+) and 1GB (Php6,400+), in a variety of colors.

SM Appliance Store

I think these are manufactured in the same factories in China, minus the expensive high-capacity flash drives of the original Apple iPods.Â

Update: Turns out these are MP4-branded Â music players that looks very similar to the designs of the Apple iPod. I’m seeing more and more look-alikes of these in a lot of stores in the metro.

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ipod nano

Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and is considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines.

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74 Comments

NatDuv · 16 years ago

These have been here in NYC since 2005. lol. I bought a 2gig in gray preety good.

accountant · 16 years ago

Good Morning, I am new to blogs but I have been involved in financial sevices for over 30 years now. Your article is brilliant reading! We seem to be coming out of the recession and I hope 2011 will be a bumper year. Do I have to click a button or something to subscribe on this site as I would like to check back now and then. Are there other blogs that I need to know about?

emokatorse · 17 years ago

It is IMMITATION..FAKE and IMMITATION have similarities.

emokatorse · 17 years ago

yahh. its fake.i already seen it in SM appliances store many times. SM is now selling fake mp4s , cameras, etc. SM look like a big 168 store now.haha (no offense)

Carla · 18 years ago

Hello?

Fake iPod Nano?
Binasa mo ba yung mga sulat sa box ng sinasabi mong “FAKE iPod nano”? Nakasulat ba yung iPod sa box?

Read first. That’s what i’m trying to say. Kung gusto mong manira ng pangalan ng isang reputable na appliance center, then I suggest siguraduhin mo yung accusations mo.

HINDI GANYAN YUNG BOX NG iPOD. Mukhang iPOD lang.

Tama si Aldrin Jose

Aldrin Jose · 18 years ago

Guys. Those are NOT FAKES! those are MP3s and the manufacturer decided to imitate the structure of the original apple ipods. Ipods are only produced by Appleand those are produced by proline and such. Got it? SM are not selling fakes.

Jem Magnaye · 18 years ago

Guys if you want some fake ipods and other MP3 players like fake ipod video then visit our stall
at Makati Cinema Square unit 17 upper level near HBC. we also do wholesale for 10 units or more.
check us out and see how low are prices really are.

BlogWatcher · 18 years ago

Why do you refer to it as ‘Fake iPods’? Is there an iPod logo or word on the MP4 players? Is the Microsoft Zune a ‘Fake iPod’ as well?
Apple does not own the trademark or rights to an MP3/MP4 player. They own the rights though to their iPod software, the Apple logo, and the iPod name.

It only goes to show you’d right anything on your blog so that you’d get hits for Google. Get a life, and get a better paying job so that you won’t have to write stupid blogs.

Rhia · 18 years ago

Thats not an ipod nano. Ipod nano is small. I have one. I bought it in american base in Germany.

stupid ka · 19 years ago

This is NOT a fake iPod…
Hindi naman iPod naka lagay sa label eh!
MP4 ang naka lagay

the only issue here is, IF ang design ng iPod nano ay may patent, saka pa lang pwede mag reklamo ang apple

JM Flores · 19 years ago

I’ve also seen some of these so-called “fakes” on SM Appliance Center. The main difference between these players and those sold in Greenhills (or any other mass-market place that sells iPod-like devices) is that those at SM Appliance Center do not have the word “iPod” or an Apple logo on them. What is written on the packaging and the device itself is the name of the manufacturer (Pensonic is one example). Those at Greenhills, however, are the total fakes: they bear the iPod name and the Apple logo.
Actually, it’s not only the iPod that’s being faked. I’ve also seen some devices which have very similar features to the fake iPods which are branded as “Sony”. These fake Sony Walkmen (plural of Walkman?!??!?!? I’m talking about Sony’s line of music players) bear virtually no resemblance to the original Walkman models I’ve seen in a Sony catalogue.
Bottom line: the iPod is so expensive (although it’s becoming more and more affordable than ever before), and a lot of people (some or most of which cannot afford a real iPod) want to get their hands on the gadget.
The iPod is a victim of bad promotion and advertising. It sells not because of its functions, but because it’s “cool”. That’s just pathetic.

smiley1243 · 19 years ago

i bought this player a month ago and just recently it’s freezing on me, it wont turn on, if it does it’s stuck on the preloader, and the computer would not recognize it anymore (when initially it didnt need a driver softwear to work)
does anyone have any idea what the hell is wrong?

dayan · 19 years ago

i dont think there is a problem with that mp3/mp4 player.. its just an ipod look a like.. di naman nila sinabi na IPod yung item eh… they used their own brand name naman… di rin naman sinasabi ng sales person na ipod un eh.. we must admit na sometimes kahit alam na nating di original ang isang bagay binibili pa rin natin kasi affordable… and if you are really looking for the original item, dapat matuto ka mag-compare sa ibang naka-display or hanapin mo yung official distributor.. =)

picollo · 19 years ago

I already bought one (11K)to a certain friend. I dnt know how much they are being sold at the mall. What inspired me to buy one was the features, it has TV, Video Player, 2MB Camera, Cfone, Radio, PDA and extra battery and 512 MB memory card. what i am scared now is the spares just in case it gets problem,,, any one got this too?

dave m. · 19 years ago

Isnt dat company bringing in Pda cp fm china dat r sold in a shop at vmall? theyre goin to get screwd by NTC for illegal distribution w/o license. id lyk 2 c dat

Mohinder – Imitation research team for xxxxx · 19 years ago

Around 2-3 years ago, like other distributors, they would print logos of apple, ipod, sony, whatever they can think of on the unit and on the exterior screen. Until ’05-’06 Apple and sony complained to the local authorities for infringement..Anyway, those dealers have been cracked down, they cant even offer bribes(PHP millions)cuz a representative from one of those companies (im not saying who)is taking this matter seriously..

Those pictures of Mp4 player comes from a company called Bse7ven..They don’t use or print logos of apple, ipod, nano, whatsoever…It may have the same casing and in some cases, it might look similar to the real ones if you just take a quick glance..The difference are so obvious when you look at it carefully…There is no ‘click button’ on the real Ipods, just a touch screen pad….These mp4 are not so bad as you may think, it’s got more features than Ipod (FM, voice recorder, ebook, games, MP4 in AMV format(unit comes with the software for converting formats)….It’s not bad to own one, just don’t buy it from ‘bSe7ven’ at SM APPLIANCE CENTER it’s such a ripp off…3,000+ (64USD) for 1 gb? Some places i know sells it S.R.P. ranging 1,500-2,000k for exactly the same thing (features, interface, software, battery, and warranty)

Nick · 19 years ago

hey ya i live in the usa
Oklahoma
and today my friend showed me one of these
and i thought they were really cool
so i thought i would research them

marxus · 19 years ago

i don’t see the word and or logo of apple on the product on the pictures. so, i dont see why you call them fakers. if they looked like ipods, then, maybe they were paterned after ipods , but dont you think creative looks more like an ipod as well, and for info, creative got that first design of Apple ipods you have now. so, who is the copy cat now.

another example are those Iphone killers going out ahead of iphone’s launching, you dont call them fakers, they are just out there to compete. and give consumers a second thought which product to invest on.

cheers

tengots · 19 years ago

well, fake iPods are cheap and practical…I think there’s nothing wrong in buying that kind of stuff…Apple iPod is too heavy for our wallet, and it is very impractical, you’re just like buying the name “APPLE iPod”…Just think about the price (1GB iPod shuffle – 5k, without video, games – it’s purely a music player; 1GB “iPod” fake is only for 2k with video player, fm radio, games, voice recording, e-book, photo display)…it really satisfies the consumers of these products…

yohann · 19 years ago

It always happen in SM… I know for sure that it is just not fake appliance they have but people and management as well

Shari · 19 years ago

I believe this person was referring to me, LOL. My father got me an iPod for only PhP1000 in China. It’s still working. :D

I’m not really someone who inspects a gadget if it’s an imitation or not (but then, I don’t really care much about them). But I have to agree with Ade. Why would SM even sell fakes?

@Benj, that’s Ganns, right? =D

pat · 19 years ago

there run really cheap in greenhills guys…. i even saw one with a camera… cool but the one with the camera doesn’t look like an ipod though…. but its an mp4 player still

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 19 years ago

There’s no logo or anything that would identify it as the iPod or the Nano.

Sasha Manuel · 19 years ago

So, that’s why I’ve been seeing a lot of people with “iPods” Pffft. And I thought a lot of people are earning a lot nowadays that they can actually afford them. My mistake, I guess. Heh.

Minic · 19 years ago

As long as they don’t market is as “iPod” then it’s perfectly fine, I guess. There are plenty of those “mp3 fakes” even in New York.

jhay · 19 years ago

These players are all over the place. Still, they’re quite popular to the common folk, it’s the nearest thing to the real thing, with out busting their wallets. ;)

pinoymoneytalk · 19 years ago

Are the units being called or marketed /as “iPod”? If they are not, then I agree that there’s no copyright infringement here and SM is not liable for anything. At worse, they are just selling iPod copycats, not fakes. And there’s nothing wrong with that, unless Apple has successfully sued those copycat manufacturers for copyright violation.

Andrew · 19 years ago

@ade: Just go to their department store. Fakes left and right.

Nick · 19 years ago

This just goes to show, how deeply embedded the piracy and fake product market has become in The Philippines..

It’s sad for the consumer who is being duped into these products…

benj · 19 years ago

jet: yep, it can play videos. hehe

benj · 19 years ago

someone from the blogparteeh showed me his fake 2.5k ipod. Heck, it plays video and it’s plug and play! I didn’t get to hear how it sounds but if it’s anywhere near decent, those Chinese imitators sure have great craftsmanship. hehe

gURBI · 19 years ago

fake iPods are also for sale in Greenhills…

jher · 19 years ago

SM appliance used to sell bootleg discs for the original playstation so this is not new. I think that if Apple will complain to SM management about this, this will be pulled out (just like the playstation discs). It’s darn expensive for a fake nano, methinks. I bought a 1gb iFOD for just 2500. Doesnt work like the orginal, but I deserve that kind of product coz Im a cheapskate. :-)

Mr GPS · 19 years ago

Abe, I’m confused. Is SM callng these iPods? I can’t read the tag in your photos. If they aren’t calling them iPods then what are the infringment issues?

No law against making/selling MP3 players that I know of.

Mike Abundo · 19 years ago

An MP3 player is an MP3 player is an MP3 player.

ade · 19 years ago

I saw them too! I wonder why SM would even sell fakes.

jet · 19 years ago

Hehe, saw this yesterday at Octagon in Megamall too – opposite the shelf where the real Ipods were displayed. The 512MB sold for P3200+ while the 1GB sold for P3900. The salesman even told us it can play videos =P