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A few years ago I lived in Shanghai, and it was always fun to stop by the black markets to check out the fake iPhones and Apple gadgets that they were selling.
by laddng 10y ago
A few years ago I lived in Shanghai, and it was always fun to stop by the black markets to check out the fake iPhones and Apple gadgets that they were selling.
It was amazing how close they were to copying a real iPhone in terms of the hardware design, but it was always funny to see them run a version of Android. They were selling them for $10 a pop as well. It's incredible to check out these electronic markets in China and see the effort that goes into these fakes.
- AceJohnny2 10y ago> They were selling them for $10 a pop as well Yeah, that's the most incredible part for me: I just can't understand the economics that allow such low prices. Every time I read about it, I get strong Neuromancer vibes. See also Bunnie Huang's analysis of a $12 phone, back in 2013: https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?page_id=3107 https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?page_id=3107 And his follow-up essay about the Chinese "open-source" (quotes very much needed) model: https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=4297 https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=4297
- M_Grey 10y agoLook inside some of those phones, and it will all become clear to you.
- carterehsmith 10y agoCome on man, we need to know :) More details please?
- M_Grey 10y agohttp://2.media.dorkly.cvcdn.com/62/91/7e91c6284f3492c9266fb2f128fafacd.jpg http://2.media.dorkly.cvcdn.com/62/91/7e91c6284f3492c9266fb2... My favorite. From: http://www.chaostrophic.com/10-weirdest-things-found-inside-cheap-chinese-knock-off-products/ http://www.chaostrophic.com/10-weirdest-things-found-inside-...
- carterehsmith 10y agoAnd then there is this: "Punching Bag Filled With Used Underwear" All right. I need to think about these things, and life in general.
- M_Grey 10y agoYeah... that moment when you realize that nothing makes sense anymore, and maybe everything is just filled with used underwear? Maybe that's the answer to Dark Matter, the interior of a black hole, and dare I say it?... the Big Bang itself. Just... tiny... used... underwear.
- carterehsmith 10y agoCan I bring your attention to this matter? It is important, imho: https://youtu.be/uWzRvwg9z3E?t=105 https://youtu.be/uWzRvwg9z3E?t=105 We are talking Stormtroopers doing Single Ladies. They are also found twerking. Seriously? That needs some consideration. :)
- skrebbel 10y agoI love how you found a way to share funny youtube videos on HN without people downvoting you. Hats off!
- uola 10y agoI don't know if this improves your view of the world or not, but filling punching bags with used clothes (or fabric scraps) is actually common practice.
- jschwartzi 10y agoIt seems like it would work really well provided the bag is tough enough.
- eridius 10y agoI lost it at the pony. http://1.media.dorkly.cvcdn.com/49/88/218a3fcaad60f3ab12f55ef638dcec2f.jpg http://1.media.dorkly.cvcdn.com/49/88/218a3fcaad60f3ab12f55e...
- GunboatDiplomat 10y ago> They were selling them for $10 a pop as well. How is that even possible? The raw materials almost have to cost more than that on the market.
- tcas 10y agoWell, many chips can be recycled (desoldered and resold), meaning you can buy "expensive" chips for really cheap.
- StavrosK 10y agoWait, they were selling a phone whose hardware was close to an iPhone's, for $10? What am I misunderstanding?
- obrajesse 10y agoIt looked like an iPhone. It didn't work like an iPhone.
- carterehsmith 10y agoHow so? Was it like, there is no screen but just a paper cutout? Or, there is screen, but it is 120X60 resolution? Thanks :)
- dagw 10y agoPoke around alibaba and you'll find several companies selling 4-5" touch screens with decent resolutions for around $2-3 a piece for order of 1000+ units. If you're on the ground and speak the language you can certainly get a much better deal than that.
- jeff_petersen 10y agoI read "hardware" in this case to mean the case of the device, and not the computer inside it.
- cheiVia0 10y agoThe amazing thing for me is that you cannot choose what operating system you are running on your official iPhone.
- cronjobber 10y agoThe amazing thing is the customer, who had slowly developed a set of acceptability criteria for desktop computing (basic stuff like "no spyware") and got it all reset to zero for mobile computing, just like that. That was amazing. And scary.
- dTal 10y agoThis is the IT story of the century, but it's not often talked about in those terms - I found it horrifying and demoralizing to watch. But perhaps it's not the last time we'll have some sort of discontinuous lurch - perhaps it's a good thing that such resetting of expectations is possible. Perhaps the shoe will move to the other foot with the next wave...