If you’ve been reading iLounge recently, you’re probably familiar with Luxpro’s line of iPod shuffle knock-offs. What you may not know is that there are numerous companies copying every model of the iPod and even iPod accessories. At this week’s Computex trade show in Taipei, an iLounge reader snapped several photos and collected specs on a number of these clones.
The most brazen iPod copy seen at the show was an iPod mini look-alike from a Taiwan consumer electronics OEM supplier. Said to cost only US$50, the “i-Pocket” is roughly the same size as Apple’s iPod mini, but includes no internal storage—instead it has a memory card slot. It supports SD/MMC/MS cards for music storage, and acts as a card reader for SD/MMC/MS/MS Duo/MS Pro formats. The player also offers voice recording, an FM radio and recorder, a color OLED display (128 x 64), USB 2.0, and supports MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, WMV, ASF file formats. It is available in gold, red, blue and black.
Continue reading for a full report (with photos) on iPod shuffle and iPod accessory clones, as well as new products.
The popularity of Apple’s iPod shuffle was also apparent at Computex Taiwan: at least two new iPod shuffle clones were on display. Like the iPod shuffle, each sported a white “candy bar” design and were built with flash memory. Both tried to one-up the shuffle with added functionality, namely FM tuning and recording features. One of the manufacturers also added a tiny screen to its device.
And iPods aren’t the only devices being copied. Also spotted at the show were clones of popular iPod accessories, two of which will be familiar to speaker lovers and creators. The first photo is of a product that looks very similar to Harman Multimedia’s JBL On Stage circular speaker system for the iPod, while the second photo looks to be a shameless copy of Altec Lansing’s inMotion (iM1) speaker system.
The following products appeared at Computex but were not clones – just mediocre designs, typical of the items found on the show floor there. These items are frequently picked up by companies in the United States and elsewhere for re-branded distribution. At top is a battery back that uses interchangeable iPod sizers, each containing a Dock Connector plug. Then there’s a rather odd FM transmitter with a built-in dial, as well as three new dockable speaker systems.
