China has been a country that has a long history of selling pirated merchandise. Today Reuters reports that there are at least some efforts by the country"s law enforcement authorities to crack down on such enterprises. The report, which uses a Chinese newspaper as its source, claims that five people were arrested today in Shanghai. They were charged with both making and selling fake versions of Apple"s iPhone. About 200 of those devices were found as a result of the arrests.
The report says that the five men were part of a group that bought the components for the fake iPhones in southern China. The final assembly was accomplished in the group"s rented apartments in Shanghai. Some of the parts used to make the phones are used in Apple"s real iPhone. The cost to make the fake iPhones was estimated to be about $313. The police state that it is hard for consumers to spot the fake iPhones compared to the real ones. One big difference is that the fakes ones have a shorter battery life.
Even though Apple is slated to show off the next iPhone for the first time in public on Tuesday, October 4, the report states that fake versions of the smartphone are already on sale in parts of China. The phones are being made based on leaked photos of the iPhone 5.