Want An Apple Watch Now? Chinese Knockoffs Are Already On Sale For As Little As $40!

Apple’s much awaited Apple Watch models will be on sale officially starting April 24, 2015. However, if you are the really impatient kind and wish to have a slice of the Apple Watch (or something that resembles it) right now, let us inform you that there are several Chinese clones of the famous iProduct already on sale! According to CNN Money, several models of Apple Watch clones are being sold in Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei electronics market. For those who cannot visit Shenzhen, similar knockoffs are available on e-commerce websites.

The Apple Watch knockoffs are being sold under several names – some of which include “Ai Watch” and “D-Watch.” While the real Apple Watch starts at a pricey $349, and the premium editions set to cost well above $10,000, you can buy the clone for anything between $40 and $80, the report adds. Almost all of the Apple Watch knockoffs run an operating system that mimics the Apple Watch UI-complete with the icons and text that look exactly like the ones seen on the real Apple Watch.

While China has been for years known to be the counterfeiting capital of the world, the rate and speed at which companies there bring out knockoffs is amazing. Chinese companies seem to have a strong affinity towards anything Apple and the business of manufacturing fake Apple products is a booming one there. In the few months since Apple first showcased the Apple Watch last year, several knockoffs have been already designed, manufactured and are being sold in the country.

Laurent Le Pen, the founder and CEO of smartwatch maker Omate has a manufacturing unit in Shenzhen and knows how fast manufacturers in China can generate knockoffs. He says;

“These guys are specialists. The speed at which they can bring copies on the market is amazing.”

He adds that while the initial versions of the copycats will be low quality, poorly made knockoffs, the quality improves once the real product is out in the market. Eventually, they end up being so well-designed, even a trained eye would not be able to distinguish a fake product from the real one at first glance.

While there have been several efforts to curb the manufacture and sale of Chinese knockoffs, no company has been able to completely ban these products from being made or sold. Would you be inclined to buy an Apple Watch knockoff – just to find out how good/bad a clone it actually is?

[Image Via Ali Express]