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China, knock-off Apple Watches have their own fans
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[April 10, 2015]
SHENZHEN/HONG KONG (Reuters) -
Lining the glass display cases of Shenzhen's giant tech malls, knock-off
versions of Apple Inc's smartwatch were on sale at many stalls, with
some Chinese consumers eager to snap them up for a fraction of the cost
of the original.
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"It came on sale in mid-March and has been constantly out of stock,"
said one imitation Apple Watch seller who declined to give his name.
"On average we sell around 40 a day. Some customers just came and
bought five or more at a time."
The mimic Watches, built on Google Inc's operating system, don't
need a separate smartphone to work, said one merchant. At her store,
one was retailing for 360 yuan ($58) - around one eighth of the cost
of Apple's cheaper Watch models.
One version used a SIM card, could make calls, send messages, browse
the Internet and take pictures, she said.
On Friday, Apple, the world's most valuable technology company,
started previewing the Apple Watch, its first new gadget line since
former CEO Steve Jobs died in 2011. Customers in China and elsewhere
will be able to buy it from April 24.
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In Hong Kong, the official Apple Store preview of the Watch was
quiet. No lines stretched down the street as they normally do for
Apple product launches. A handful of people waited at the door,
outnumbered by Apple staff whose cheers lasted a handful of seconds.
Most of the shoppers from mainland China, who commonly cross the
border to pick up the latest Apple must-have, were there for other
gadgets.
"I'm here to buy an iPad," said a shopper from the southwestern city
of Chongqing, who gave her surname as Jian and said she didn't know
the previews launched that day.
"I will take a look at the Watch later ... none of my friends have
talked about the Watch back home."
But the technology bazaars in the southern Chinese boomtown of
Shenzhen were chaotic on Thursday. Merchants hawked their goods to
Chinese and foreign shoppers, showing off different smartwatches'
various colors and models.
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Some weren't impressed with the imitation Apple Watches.
"I really want to buy the original one," said Vikram Jan, an Indian
businessman from New Delhi shopping in Shenzhen. "The fake one is
really bad."
Though the knock-offs have their admirers, some merchants are
doubtful about the impact on genuine Apple Watch sales.
"You know some want the real thing and some just want to go for the
cheaper option," said the woman selling knock-off watches. "There
are all kinds of customers and people who want the cheaper one would
still buy our product."
(Reporting by Clare Jim, James Zhang and Stefanie McIntyre; Writing
by Paul Carsten; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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