Keepin' it real fake, part XXXVIII: If it looks like an iPod, sounds like an iPod, and is named iPod...

If there's one thing that never gets old around here, it's fly-by-night tech companies trying to pass themselves off as some of our old favorites. Usually you can spot faux iPods a mile away, but this one takes fakery to a new level, right down to the plastic case that it comes in and the "Designed by Apple in California" on the back. Harry, a reader of the French Mac site MacBidouille, apparently found this psuedo-iPod nano in Thailand -- we're sure that Cupertino's cease-and-desist letters have already been drafted and are on their way across the Pacific as we speak.

[sandiegocali @ Dec 4th 2006 11:17PM]

Niiiiice

[Matt @ Dec 4th 2006 11:27PM]

iFake

haha this gets my vote for best ipod knockoff

[icepop4who @ Dec 4th 2006 11:32PM]

LOL the back is so much more realistic than the front.
keep up the good work thai. =D

[Nomi @ Dec 4th 2006 11:45PM]

Besides not being able to get the 'click-wheel' click wheel, I find it assuming they have never been able to get a screen with the right dimensions. Just get the dimensions right, then who would know?

[Josh @ Dec 4th 2006 11:50PM]

You have to love the idea of not only completely ripping off the design, but also stealing the design from the CHARITY AIDS iPod.

Steal from Charity. Alright. Go random Thailand pseudo-company.

[Intrepid @ Dec 4th 2006 11:52PM]

haha... they should put their efforts into crushing apple properly, not just by putting out more shitty ipods.

[Revrant2394 @ Dec 5th 2006 12:09AM]

Another iPod ripoff, I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

When that little Nano ripoff a while back was *better* than the real thing in almost every single way, I giggled, to this day, I still do.

[Nelg @ Dec 5th 2006 1:22AM]

Can you provide the URL to that?

[Nelg @ Dec 5th 2006 1:22AM]

Can you provide the URL to that?

[v_dogg @ Dec 5th 2006 12:15AM]

I hope Bestbuy carries these soon! lol

[Rick @ Dec 5th 2006 12:20AM]

Did they use spray paint or white-out to make the design?

[chenry @ Dec 5th 2006 12:32AM]

well, it was designed by Apple. They just stole the design :P

[Jeff @ Dec 5th 2006 12:38AM]

I'm sure a C&D from Apple will pull a lot of weight with the Chinese mafia or whoever makes these.

[Giltronic @ Dec 5th 2006 12:40AM]

all i want to know is the price.
this thing could trick many people.

[Revrant2394 @ Dec 5th 2006 7:33AM]

No I can't, it's in this series though, look back for it, if the comments are still intact, you'll see me raving about it's superior features and no doubt laughing maniacally. ;)

[DM @ Dec 5th 2006 2:18AM]

Does it really matter? Fake or original, ipod still suck.

[David @ Dec 5th 2006 2:18AM]

Screw the real one, this one is Fo-sho!!!
Plus, 1GB of memory is enough for me, but they should just have an internal SD reader as a backup...

...LOL if it runs on a fake Thailand pseudo-company made MS OS...

[Tech^Cellfish @ Dec 5th 2006 2:36AM]

Is that Cisco 7940G in the back also fake?

[crescentdavid @ Dec 5th 2006 3:18AM]

Even the ripoffs are concerned about the Zune's brown. Do we make fun of it or just rip it off ... decisions, decisions, decisions.

[Jason Kam @ Dec 5th 2006 5:19AM]

Why is this funny guys? It's just down right disturbing that these Chinese Manufacturers are getting away with highway robbery. BTW, China just passed Japan as the world's second largest R&D country...wonder where they are putting all those $$$ towards...PS IV, anyone?

[John Doe @ Dec 5th 2006 6:18AM]

Guys I highly doubt that they didn't want to completely rip off the iPod in all manners. The simple fact is that the screen and the click wheel are prob hard to get components. Do you think that a company who is trying to leech off the success of the iPod is going to spend more money on the construction of the product then absolutely necessary?
Smaller, crappier screen and a cheapo d-pad is close enough if it means they will dupe some person into thinking this is an iPod.

[Nelg @ Dec 5th 2006 10:09AM]

Goddammit this posting is awkward.
If it wasn't about Thanko's "metrosexual"-player, even google couldn't find it. Did you use a different nickname?

[rotten applepod @ Dec 5th 2006 8:45AM]

it might be apple after all, pretending to be a fake to test market other styles. .. did i say that out loud?

[nickanderson @ Dec 5th 2006 10:00AM]

These are readily available on eBay UK for a whole �49.99... and people are buying them!

[Revrant2394 @ Dec 6th 2006 12:51PM]

Just plain Revrant, before I was banned, or so I assume that's what happened, as I can't get a reply out of Engadget.

[Tom Gabriele @ Dec 5th 2006 10:33AM]

this isn't a nano knockoff - its the iphone!

[Skirrow @ Dec 5th 2006 11:42AM]

A couple of friends at work bought 3 of these from a friend who'd just been to thailand, thinking they were the real thing as christmas presents. The actual box they came in was a very convincing copy of the actual Apple box too. Luckily they showed them to me first and i noticed the iffy wheel and screen on the front. Touching the wheel, it felt like it was going to drop off at any minute. Also even though they said 2gb on the back they only had 64mb of built in memory. They paid �70 each for them. They were none too pleased either. Luckily they got their money back.

[K @ Dec 5th 2006 8:05PM]

It's cool to see this on Engadget. I think most places offer guarantees on the electronics (that they work). That little white sticker is often put on various pirated electronics and identifies the seller. Usually, it covers a screw necessary to disassemble the device. If it's tampered with or removed by someone other than the seller, it essentially voids the warranty.

I have tons of pirated GBA games with these stickers on 'em.

[Smartchap @ Dec 6th 2006 5:19AM]

i want to know is the price..

[Ansuman @ Dec 6th 2006 5:23AM]

guys ....look for some more ipods like this

[Achal Kapoor @ Dec 6th 2006 5:25AM]

This is all rubbish. :)

[dee-dee-deetarded @ Dec 6th 2006 11:39PM]

They're still making this bulls**t? And well first off, they're too damn poor to get the right screen, and thanks for pointing that out Josh, this is the (RED) iPod Nano, except no (RED) logo. Instead of manufacturing this bulls**t, that money could actually go to (RED) to help a child in Africa with AIDS. ...fakeass bs...

[Tom @ Dec 7th 2006 2:07AM]

dee-dee-deetarded and many others of you are complete morons. If any of you gave a damn about AIDS research you wouldn't contribute by being a gullable consumer, you would be volunteering time, or applying money directly to the charity.

[Mike @ Dec 8th 2006 12:40AM]

Huh. On the back it says (c) 2005, but the new aluminum/rounded Nanos only showed up a few months ago.

[DrunkenCP @ Dec 8th 2006 1:47PM]

Now if only some company would make an exact clone of the iPod that worked as a mass sortage device.

[archipenkoblackmilk @ Dec 10th 2006 4:49AM]

"we're sure that Cupertino's cease-and-desist letters have already been drafted and are on their way across the Pacific as we speak."

Unlikely, these are pirated goods sold on small stores in the back of malls, or on the streets.... when they hear the police/inspector coming, they quickly wrap up and hide away all knock off merchandise...

[scotttacy @ Nov 12th 2007 6:50PM]

A freind of mine went to china and bought 2 of these peices of shit. Was going to buy one from him until i tried to use them. Went to walmart ,got a creative zen 2. its 2 gig ,does video,has all i need for now. Beware! of knock offs!

[zaraxia @ Sep 5th 2008 7:28AM]

i'm living in thailand and these knock offs are EVERYWHERE even in the plush shopping centres..certainly no hiding from the police, far from it...i have one, everyone has them, its simply too expensive to buy the real thing in the one and only apple shop here in phuket....this is the black market flipped upside down... 'cease and desist' ---doubt it, in thailand 85% of computer operating programmes are pirate!! its IMPOSSBILE to find authentic ones!! really i have tried....but these fake ipods are good by the way...radio too!! great battery aswell...such is life here and no one seems to give a damn!