Keepin' it real fake, part LXVI: shifty shuffles

We've gotta say, we're having real trouble figuring out exactly which MP3 player the bright green "Mini Aluminum Pocket Clipper" is trying to copy: the lack of a symbol for the play button, coupled with a badly Photoshopped-out logo on the back has us really muddled! The second example -- the iQ Sound 2GB Clip-on Aluminum MP3 Player with FM -- at least tries to improve upon its "source of inspiration," whatever that device may be.

[Thanks, Marcus V]

[groundZ @ Jul 16th 2007 6:12AM]

those little ones with the screens are kinda cute.

[Big @ Jul 16th 2007 9:35AM]

Apple's bullshit about less or more is the reason that I'd buy one of these before ever touching an APPLE product.

[rob @ Jul 16th 2007 6:17AM]

The one with the screen is what Apple should have made in the first place if Stevie wasn't so greedy. Oh and BTW, don't try to always dis the fakes, sometimes the fakes are much better than the original.

[Deluxe @ Jul 16th 2007 7:13AM]

Yeah, I mean -- Look at Family Guy!

[ItchyArms @ Jul 16th 2007 8:00AM]

Yeah, Steve's wicked greedy with his $1 yearly salary...

[Brendan @ Jul 16th 2007 8:51AM]

It's all about taxes. That $1. means he can avoid certain taxes because that's his "income". He makes millions off of stocks and other investments in his own company.

You really didn't believe he was that altruistic, did you? The guy is filthy stinking rich.

[Thomas Trautman @ Jul 16th 2007 9:04AM]

The $1 a year payday has nothing to do with avoiding any taxes. In order for you to receive any bonuses from a corporation, you must receive some sort of regular pay.

In fact if he was pulling a huge salary and getting all the compensation..that would truly be greedy.

[Dinraj @ Jul 16th 2007 6:33AM]

The second one is quite "revolutionary". It's so revolutionary that its "unbelievable". "Pretty cool, uh?"

[Dave @ Jul 16th 2007 8:40AM]

Yea. His salary is low, but have you looked at the bonuses he receives each year?

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 16th 2007 8:41AM]

As they are they're just a curiosity from the far east.

Put a real logo on 'em and the sheeple would line up for 'em 3 days in advance.

Granfaloonery at it's finest.

[Jugomugo @ Jul 16th 2007 8:57AM]

These look more useful than the Apple model.

[Thomas Trautman @ Jul 16th 2007 9:06AM]

Anyone can buy these directly from China. Most providers take paypal, and even give them a one year warranty.

How long is apple's warranty again?

[Big @ Jul 16th 2007 9:38AM]

I have yet to see a Chinese ripoff of the Ipod which wasn't better than the Ipod itself.

[little willy @ Jul 16th 2007 10:26AM]

You seem to forget that if it wasn't for Apples original design these knock companies wouldn't be producing these 'improved' versions in the first/second place.

What's more, they may be a dog to use (or perhaps not). Either way, it's not exactly hard to take a great idea and then add a load of stuff to it but then where's the innovation in that?

Just my twopence or 2 cents for you US people).

[Joe @ Jul 16th 2007 10:58AM]

Umm.. Have you ever heard about Steve Jobs' love for the quote "good artists create, great artists steal"??? Apple in a way is just like those Chinese knock-off companies! So don't be complaining about it and saying how Apple is all-innocent. There's some video out there where Steve Jobs himself says that the way to "innovate" is to copy others ideas and develop them. That REALLY sounds familiar to what the Chinese are currently doing.

Just my two cents.

[Simon @ Jul 16th 2007 7:34PM]

There were plenty of MP3 players around before the iPod shuffle (and the iPod, for that matter), and they had screens back then too!

[JJV @ Oct 3rd 2007 4:18PM]

wouldn't it be more like 4 cents at current exchange rates??

[little willy @ Jul 16th 2007 11:10AM]

Joe: I'm well aware of the saying. However, producing an exact copy of something and adding a screen or something is not what is meant. All great products or ideas come from something else but these are blatant like for like copies - there's nothing artistic about it.

You could say there were other MP3 players before the iPod but Apple didn't take those MP3 players, copy them exactly and sremove the label. There is a difference.

A lot of these companies are effectively taking someone elses book, copying it word for word and the nsticking their own name on it. That's not innovative or artistic. I couldn't give two hoots about Apple as such (even though I'm an Apple user) - I'd say the same if this was a Zune and someone simply re-badged it.

[Thomas Trautman @ Jul 16th 2007 2:23PM]

They added a screen and radio. Lets be fair.

I'm an owner of a chipod shuffle (sans the screen) and the 1.8" screen "nano".

They work good and the company I buy these from actually stands behind the product.

The overall look and operation is not the same as the apple counterpart, but they are solid inexpensive players.

[ThePete @ Jul 16th 2007 3:45PM]

I have a black iPod shuffle bootleg and while I love it, the battery life is a joke. It's great for the bus to work and from, but I use the old 5g for listening at work.

I do hope to grab me one of the ones with the LCD on them--those are cool as hell! :)

What also cracks me up about these boots is their feature set--at least, according to the packaging. The box my bootleg came in claimed it was a multi-media player and also was an e-book reader. Mind you, this thing is the spitting image of a real Apple shuffle.

[thom @ Jul 16th 2007 1:15PM]

It's funny but I do prefer the screenless version.
I don't know why, it just looks more solid and less plastic to me. It may be the ipod (with the mini) I find the more stylish. Solid, good battery life and minimalism. A question of taste I guess.

[Wilson @ Jul 16th 2007 3:11PM]

I want one...

[drtekger @ Jul 16th 2007 9:24PM]

I actually bought one of the screenless iPod shuffle knockoffs two weeks ago in Shanghai. What a huge waste of money! The recharging time is longer than the playing time (2 hours recharge, 1 hour playtime), the transfer speed just plain sucks (took me forever to fill the 2gb). Too bad I threw the packaging away, else I would have returned it right away.

Verdict: Those knockoffs will never get close to the originals, who on earth wants a mp3 player with only 1 hour of playtime.

[uros @ Jul 26th 2007 11:38PM]

Hey, I've seen the blank-play-button ones on sale in Miami a few days ago.