CNET Australia's Shanghai correspondent heads down to the market and buys a fake iPod. To see how they compare, we not only give them a run, but also measure and take them apart.
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Eeny, meeny, miny, moe! Part I
Can you pick the fake iPod? Is it the blue or orange one?
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Eeny, meeny, miny, moe! Part II
Eagle-eyed readers should be able to pick which is which from this set of pictures.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Eeny, meeny, miny, moe! Part III
The wording on the back of both devices is identical. Not a hint of Chinglish here.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Fake contents
The accessories shipping with the fake iPod Nano include headphones, instructions and a USB connector. Interestingly, the replica's cable works with real iPods too.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Getting naked
Still can't pick them yet? Well, to keep the suspense going, let's disassemble both units and see whether there are many differences under the hood.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Casings
According to the tape measure, both casings have identical measurements.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Gooey, gooey glue
Both the real and fake iPods have little dobs of glue holding down their bottom plastic covers.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Not so bright now, eh?
The orange Nano's LCD screen is on the left, the blue one's is on the right.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Mirror, mirror on the wall
Again, the orange Nano's screen cover is on the left, the blue one's is on the right.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Coming in to dock
Both the Apple-endorsed product and the imitator conform to Apple's iPod connector specifications, as both work fine on iPod-certified docks.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Power for all
For once the difference is more obvious: the power button on the fake Nano looks and feels inferior to the real thing.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Packing light
The differences are beginning to build up. The orange unit (on the left) features a much larger battery, with all the appropriate markings.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Would you like chips with that?
The top two photos are of the blue Nano's circuit board, front and back; the orange Nano's innards are the bottom two pics. We don't like to berate our readers, but if you can't spot the fake by now, well...
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Inside out
A quick look at each unit's bits and bobs before we attempt to put them back together.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Side by side
When they're switched on, it's clear that the orange one was blessed by the hands of Steve, while the blue Nano was put together by a guy who only aspires to wearing a black turtleneck.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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Clunk clunk
The fake Nano's scrollwheel works, but the software is rather clunky.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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There is one plus
The fake iPod Nano won't sync with iTunes, so files need to be dragged and dropped onto the device. In many ways, this is a much easier solution than Apple's method.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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The whale says fail
We tried putting the fake iPod Nano together again, but this was the last time we were able to get it working. While attempting to stuff the copy's hardware back into its casing, the device broke.
(Credit: Brendon Chase)
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