Foreign media: Less than 24 hours after the release of Apple Watch, knockoffs appeared in Shenzhen

Foreign media reported that counterfeit Apple watches were already being sold in Shenzhen, and uploaded a photo of three counterfeit Apple smart watches with brown and orange straps, which immediately went viral.

According to a report on the website of Radio France Internationale on March 11, Apple CEO Tim Cook officially released the smartwatch in San Francisco a few days ago. The watch will be pre-sold on April 10 and officially released on April 24. The first round of sales will be in nine countries and regions, including Hong Kong and mainland China. However, a copycat version of the Apple Watch has appeared in Shenzhen, China, and some experts suspect that the watch is operated by the " Android " Android platform, not Apple's iOS platform.

The report said that according to information uploaded by mainland netizens on the evening of the 10th, counterfeit Apple watches are already being sold in Shenzhen. They also uploaded a photo of three counterfeit Apple smart watches with brown and orange straps, with the title "See the speed of Shenzhen, iwatch launched in Shenzhen", which attracted attention and was immediately circulated wildly.

Some netizens suspected that this was a knockoff Apple Watch using the Android system, and that they were rushing to ship it by the end of the month. Another netizen responded that a friend promised to buy a knockoff version as a gift once it was available. However, there is no information online about how much the knockoff Apple Watch sells for and what its detailed functions are.

In fact, smart watches that use the Android platform have been on the market for a long time. Manufacturers include Samsung and LG in South Korea and Huawei in mainland China. The Shenzhen copycat version of Apple Watch probably copied the appearance of the Apple Watch, but its content is still operated by the Android system.

According to reports, the most expensive genuine Apple Watch costs nearly HK$130,000, with an 18K gold case and sapphire crystal surface, which is similar in price to Patek Philippe and Rolex. There are also popular ordinary versions, with the cheapest small version selling for HK$2,728 and the large version selling for HK$3,088. If the ordinary version is made of stainless steel, the price ranges from HK$4,288 to HK$8,588.

Deng Juming, chairman of Hong Kong Prince Jewellery & Watch, which specialises in selling expensive watches, said that smart watches lack collectible value. “If there is a new model next year that keeps turning, will you buy it?” He predicts that not many people will buy the “rich gold” version of the Apple Watch, making it difficult to compete with traditional luxury watches.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.