Warning: iPod shuffle “Clone” Debuts At Show.

Thursday, March 10, 2005 | What's New | Read or Post a Comment

It’s no secret that the iPod is made by a Taiwan company for Apple. Supplies of Apple’s iPod shuffle have been in short supply since the launch in early January.

It’s possible there’s a shortage because Taiwan is manufacturing iPod shuffle “clones” and selling them in Aisa and Europe, not in the United States.

LuxPro’s Super shuffle was announced and on display at the CeBIT Conference in Germany.

The shuffle clone looks exactly like Apple’s diminutive iPod shuffle,.... (excerpted).

1 Reader Comments

What they won't tell you said:

Some of the “clone” products that appear are actually companies in China that have been approached by known brand names as cheaper manufacturing bases (Lego is another example).

They get a chance to build something from the blue prints as a sample to show the brand name what they can do in the way of quality.

Some however don’t make the cut quality wise and so don’t get the build contracts. They do however have the right to keep the raw design and make similar products as long as they don’t use proprietary functions ie the iDock system. This is why these products look the same but can function differently.

This is also why there haven’t been any actions against people selling look alike brands even in retail outlets, unless they claimed to be the real thing.

Apple would surely not respond to what their outlook on the “cloning” is as they set it up in the first place.

Remember the term “IBM clone”?

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