How To Spot A Fake iPod

It is said that imitation is the best form of flattery, but in Apple’s case, I’m sure they would rather not receive such flattery. Apple has sold more than 140 million iPods worldwide and remains the MP3 player of choice in the global market.

Clone copies of iPod suffle, iPod nano and the bigger iPod classic have been popping up in store, targeting at consumers who want to look cool without dishing out too much moolah. The clones or imitations sell for about 30% of the original iPod price and retailers willing to take the risk are making lucrative earnings from flogging these knock-offs. These fakes are hot stuff in more than one sense of the word. They are a hit contraband.

If you thought you have hit a bargain of the century when the salesman offers you one of those “Lie-Pod”, you better think twice. Caveat emptor.

Beware of the dupes and look for these tell-tale signs to spot the fakes:

The click wheel of the iPod should be touch-sensitive. Most fake iPods have click wheels that look the same but fail to react when you swipe your finger across them.

There should be an iPod Dock Connector port for iPod-compatible speakers and headphones at the bottom of the genuine device. As this proprietary port is difficult to replicate, most fakes have a mini-USB port.

Some makers of fake iPods offer extra functions such as video viewing capabilities, FM tuner, voice recorder and e-books. These functions are not available in the real thing.

The real McCoy should display an image of the Apple logo the moment you switch it on. Other images like an animated Welcome screen or Chinese characters or logos are a tell-tale sign the gadget is fake.

The genuine player should be packed in a transparent plastic box with the Apple and iPod logos emblazoned on it. Fake iPods are usually sold in clear plastic cases without any markings.

The above tips are by no means exhaustive as copy-cats are evolving all the time to circumvent the eagle-eyed consumers. We can never say enough of this: Caveat emptor.