Counterfeit iPods

Posted by Jared Hislop Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Portable Audio / Video, Rumors

It seems that some companies are attempting to pass off counterfeit iPods to unsuspecting consumers.  Apple warns that the two players that are most likely to be ripped off are the iPod nano and the iPod shuffle.  It has been noted that several of the fakes are even stamped with legit serial numbers, one of which is 6U545TK2TJT.  The fake iPods also lack a dock connector, and often have non standard headphone jacks.  Apple said that the counterfeit nanos also ship without the standard USB cable, and have a screen that is slightly longer than that of the real thing.

One key mark to look out for is a play/pause symbol on the center select button.  The players that are similar to the shuffle lack a battery or status indicator light, and have a power switch that lacks a repeat option.  The counterfeit packaging is the same as Apple packaging except that the counterfeit package has the words “Digital Music Player” on the top of the box.  Some of the counterfeit players have also known to have documentation included that asks the user to copy their music to a directory on the device rather than using iTunes.  Apple is taking this matter very seriously and has released a bulletin to its service providers asking them to photograph the fake iPod, find out where the buyer purchased the fake iPod, document the serial number, and pass the information along to Apple’s technical support group. 

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