The fake Apple Store in Kunming, China (that we recently covered in this article) has sparked Chinese officials to begin a sweep of the city’s retail outlets to expose those fraudulently selling as real-deal Apple Stores – already having found no less than five bogus stores in operation.
To the naked eye, all was legit. But the store itself was not as it seemed to be. Noticeable only by an American woman living in Kunming, the appearance of the “Apple Store” to the average high street shopper may have been unchanged from that of an actual Apple Store, the staff even sporting the blue t-shirt with motif, yet the observant yank spotted inconsistencies with other details, such as the paintwork and decor – little things which didn’t ring true with an official iPhone outlet.
The lady blogged her findings and shared photos revealing the alternate store’s flaws. One big difference was the shop front – stating the words “Apple Store” along with the familiar fruity symbol, as many will know real Apple Stores depend only on that logo to draw the punters. The words are clearly no longer necessary for 21st century tech aficionados.
Of the five stores already found to be running in the city of Kunming, two are now closed. Their owners being found to not even have business licences. However, the store visited and photographed is still operating. That store’s boss has a licence to sell and the goods on sale are true Apple gadgets. The real Apple is yet to comment on the imposter stores.
If you’re planning on applying for a job at an Apple Store you may want to check out if it’s legit beforehand!
As a true Apple fan could you have spotted the difference? Apple is so much a part of culture now that even CEO Steve Jobs has a comic book charting his early years and career with the tech company!
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