27 of the worst product knockoffs in tech
By Yoni Heisler,
Network World |
Apr 22, 2014 3:09 PM
PT
With so much money to be made selling electronics, many just try to copy what's already successful.
It's inevitable, really. A company comes out with a popular and successful product, and soon there is no shortage of knockoff products saturating that market. Thankfully, the U.S. takes intellectual property seriously, so you won’t see many of the more blatant tech knockoffs over here. But around the world you might be startled to learn some of the lengths companies will go to in an effort to capitalize on popular name-brand products. From iPhones to Kindles to gaming consoles, no piece of technology is safe from those looking to make a quick buck. Here are some of the most obnoxious, silly, and downright horrible tech knockoff products to ever launch.
It may look like a Sony Playstation, but you better look closely because this is actually a Polystation.
We're quite positive that President Obama doesn't make a habit of appearing in any type of advertisement. And even though Obama is an admitted BlackBerry fan, I think it's safe to say that he has never used a BlockBerry, which is essentially a BlackBerry Storm ripoff.
The iPhone Nano doesn't actually exist, but that didn't stop the purveyors of this bizarre product from combining the look and feel of an iPod Nano with a phone keypad. Note how the background even includes the Apple logo along with the company's old advertising slogan, "Think Different."
Yes, you read that title correctly. This is an iPnoho6, a horribly cheap knockoff for a product that Apple hasn't even announced yet. And in a poor attempt to cover all of their bases, note how the device has an Apple logo for a "home button" and is emblazoned with an "iPDA" tag as well.
The original Nintendo system, otherwise known as NES, ushered in a new era of home video gaming during the mid-1980s. What we have here, though, is a cheap knockoff dubbed the "Generation NEX." Note how the knockoff here uses the same color scheme as the original, right down to the controller and the black stripe that graces the right side of the console.
More so than other video game systems, Nintendo seems to be a rather popular target for knockoff artists. Here we have the WiWi TV entertainment system, a clear knock off of the Nintendo Wii.
For some strange reason, someone thought it a good idea to put what is obviously a knockoff version of iOS on a knockoff iPod Nano. The result? A clearly phony product dubbed the iPhone Nano.
What we have here is the PX-3600, a horrible knockoff -- both in design and in name -- of the original Xbox and the Xbox 360.
Remember the Gameboy Advance? How about the Game Theory Admiral? Yeah, neither do we.
So many things are wrong with this photo. What we have here is a piece of iPad hardware clearly running some Android software. What's more, the device is packaged in a very Apple-esque box, yet features an Android logo instead of an Apple logo. This knockoff wins points for confusion alone.
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's an iMac! Oh wait, no it's not. It's a knockoff dubbed the "lavi" that borrows every design cue imaginable from Apple's venerable iMac. The back is iMac-esque while the fish background in the photo on the right borrows generously from one of the more famous OS X backgrounds.
This knockoff earns points for simultaneously ripping off the original Nintendo controllers and the Super NES console design.
The Playstation 4 may be new on the scene, but let’s not forget about the long-popular PS 3, so curiously ripped off with this portable "mini Polystation 3," complete with a small display that juts out from the side.
Look what we found - a blatant Kindle knockoff called the "WeFound."
It may be advertised as a MacBook Air. It may look slightly like a MacBook Air. It may feature the Snow Leopard background and what appears to be OS X. And it may even feature a lookalike of Bob Borchers -- the fellow who appeared in the iPhone's original online marketing materials. Nonetheless, we can assure you that this is anything BUT a legit MacBook Air.
In its heyday, the iPod Mini was the most popular model in Apple's entire MP3 player lineup. So perhaps it's not surprising that there is no shortage of iPod Mini knockoffs, some better than others. This one, however, takes the cake when it comes to atrocious design.
A bizarre mix of a number of different items. What we have here is some fine misappropriation and misspelling of the Batman copyright, not to mention a blatant rip off of Playstation controllers and the original Xbox design. Also, that gun packaged in the box looks a little too much like the real thing. The advertisement on the box isn't lying, though. This is certainly "unique."
The Nintendo Wii knockoffs continue with this MiWi entertainment system.
Colorful they might be, but this is definitely not the legitimate MacBook Air you’d want to plunk down some hard-earned money for.
The Sega Dreamcast was one of the most beloved gaming systems of all time. What we have here, though, is a strange product called the "Treamcast," which pairs a Dreamcast controller with a mobile hardware unit -- complete with a built-in screen -- capable of playing old Dreamcast games.
Apple actually took this company to court over this desktop computer that looks remarkably like Apple's original Bondi Blue iMac.
You're familiar with the iPad, but say hello to the iPed. It's one thing to sort of get the Apple aesthetic right, but one can really appreciate Apple's design and engineering prowess when looking at the monstrously large bezel on this iPad knockoff.
An overt ripoff of the Sony PSP re-branded as an "Android Player," complete with the Android logo gracing the upper left portion of the device.
Once more, we see a knockoff product incorporate a number of copyrighted works into one final work of art. Here we have a bootleg cartridge for a knockoff gaming console that features Nintendo’s Super Mario, Disney’s Snow White, and, for reasons that remain entirely unclear, Captain Crunch.
Believe it or not, fake Apple retail stores began sprouting up in China in 2011. With the market for counterfeit and knockoff Apple products extremely vibrant, some enterprising folks thought to take things a step further and put together entirely fake Apple retail shops, complete with wood floors, Apple-style t-shirts for employees, with some even employing a spiral staircase.
Who needs a Nintendo DS when you can play games to your heart’s content on the Ne Double Games console?
Again, it's easy to take Apple's engineering talents for granted, that is until you see how thick some of these knockoff devices are.
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