Why Are Fakes Always Better?
I came across the full specs of the Meizu MiniOne the other day on IntoMobile. I recall when this thing was announced a while back, everyone was bagging on it cause it’s an obvious iPhone knock-off. However, check the specs: Screen resolution of 720*480, 3MP cam in the back with a VGA up front, DMB TV tuner, Video-Out, and native AVI/MPEG4/WMV playback. 4GB internal storage for $260, 16GB for $450.
Ok seriously, those specs make the iPhone look like a freakin Nokia 6101. I would actually consider picking one of these up for ~$450, just to see. So here’s my question: Why are the fakes always better spec-wise? There’s been several N73 and N95 fakes, and they all have touchscreen (which isn’t necessarily better), a MUCH bigger battery, etc. Some of them are downright tempting.
Are manufacturers considering this when they launch the big lawsuits against these companies? Perhaps they shouldn’t be suing them but hiring them? I mean, it’s probably safe to assume that *someone* is buying these, which means that these fakers have addressed a need. In some instances, the fakes have even hit the market well before the real ones do.
Have you ever noticed this, or am I alone on this? What do you think? Do you agree that perhaps Nokia should take note of the "Nokla" and "Nokir" devices and see what prompted them to be created in the first place, and also see how they were created? Can legit companies learn from fakers?
Other related links:
Spluch
Darla Mack
Fakes are always better and cheaper since there isn’t usually a giant worldwide company behind them with thousands of employees, there are no patterns deposited, and well (i think) barely no customer service & no guarantee whatsoever. Fakes are also usually less reliable.
But then again, this is a general assumption and I don’t know much about it. To tell you the truth, 3 yrs ago, I bought a chinese mp3 player (not even branded) and it ended up working 2yrs without a single problem, which totally modified my opinion about counterfeiting.
Now come to think about it, you are absolutely right: these fake companies have created these products assuming there was a need for them. So the answer is YES, legit companies in my opinion can learn from fakers, for fakers usually go the extra mile that legit companies are not willing to make, for marketing issues.
Now by all means, if you end up grabbing that 16gb phone, which won’t be much of a money waist, i think, tell us what OS it runs and if there are apps available for it
If you are willing to buy a device that hasn’t been approved by a recognized authority e.g FCC, limited customer support, and obscure OS, then by all means jump into the volcano lava.
It may look good but first consider why the bigger companies don’t do it, see the success rates of such better devices and assess both sides.
the grass may seem greener on the other side, but make sure they didn’t just paint that grass and you would have left your usual natural grass thats well looked after and regulated.
Fake companies lie in their specs, simple as that. They are starting with dihonestly, claiming to be something they’re not (by claiming to be Apple or Nokia for instance), so why they would stop there?
Hey, if they would have the technology to beat whole competitor scene, hands down, why won’t they do it with honestly and broudly under their own brand?
But please, disagree with me, spend the 450 bucks, use it 6 months, buy real iPhone as a comparison and prove us wrong.
Mikko,
Thanks for commenting. I’ve never actually held a counterfeit phone, so I can’t say whether or not they lie in their specs. I’ll assume you have, and thus you know for a fact.
I think Rita’s comment has some merit, that the counterfeiters have less concern over the risk of whether the unit bombs or not, while the big guys have alot at stake.
My point remains, however, that rather than simply sue the pants off them, the big manufacturers might do good to take a look at some of the design and little features.
nokia n96i from laos - 100 us$
absolutely perfect
no problems one month later
i feel that its is because we r reluctant to move to other pastures that these ppl try to fake things… if we were a bit more receptive to the ‘other companies’ than hanging on to the ‘big boys’, maybe we’ll get better products for a lesser cost… we could depend on tests and benchmarks rather than the brand names… i agree with Rita on one stmt… we tend to depend too much on assumptions and hype, with has a tendancy to fail most often, as the Nokia N95 has proved…