China shuts down fake Apple stores

Chinese authorities in the southwestern city of Kunming have launched a sweeping investigation of electronics stores after a blogger said one retail outlet seemed to be copying Apple Inc.'s store format.

According to the blogger, the store looks exactly like Apple Stores found all over the world. Pictures posted on the BirdAbroad blog show a sleek Apple store. Sales assistants in blue T-shirts with the company's logo chat to customers. Signs advertising the iPad 2 hang from the walls. The initial clue that it was not real was the fact that it uses "Apple Store" as a sign outside, instead of the fruit logo the company normally uses.

"This was a total Apple store rip-off. A beautiful rip-off - a brilliant one - the best rip-off store we had ever seen," the anonymous blogger posted on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, four more fake stores were found in the city.

"There are more and more of these fake stores in Kunming. Although they may sell real Apple products, some of those products were not imported through legal means. And they cost more', said Zhang, the manager of an authorised reseller in Kunming.

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