BrandSecure Forum: Insights on Anti-Counterfeiting & Brand Protection

Zhu Chenghao takes a drag on his cigarette as he pulls out his latest top-selling phone–the iPhone Mini. He may be less charismatic than Steve Jobs but is every bit as keen to show those all too familiar features from a full-size iPhone: The touchscreen, integrated media playback, games, colorful icons and stylish curved finish.

But as the Apple CEO would say, “that’s not all”. The iPhone Mini includes features Apple is yet to announce in its smartphone: An FM radio player, dual-SIM card support, Java, external storage via miniSD and video recording, to name just a few.

“Shanzhai,” Zhu says with enthusiasm as he shows off the shake-to-shuffle feature.

Welcome to a Shanzhai tech market in Shanghai, China. Shanzhai is the Chinese term used inside the middle kingdom for counterfeit or copied goods. The direct translation of Shanzhai (山寨) is “mountainvillage” and is used to refer to the small, low-quality factories in southern China. It’s a blanket term for a range of counterfeit goods ranging from designer bags and clothing to tech gadgets, cars (even Formula One race cars) and helicopters.

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Tags:   Australia · Cell Phones · china · Counterfeiting · Iphone · Shanghai · Windows MobileNo Comments