For those who were disappointed that Apple announced the iPhone 4S instead of the widely-anticipated iPhone 5 at today’s press event, rest assured that knockoff iPhone 5s are already available in China. From Penn Olson:
When Fuzhou authorities conducted a sudden sweep of electronics markets recently, they discovered vendors were already selling a number of cheap iPhone 5 knockoffs. The phones were being advertised prominently with signs saying things like “the all-new iPhone 5″ and indeed featured capabilities we haven’t yet seen in iPhones, including the ability to take two different SIM cards at once, and “data navigation” — whatever that means.
According to the Beijing Morning Post, the phones closely resemble an iPhone 5 — or at least some kind of iPhone — and they have the Apple logo printed on the back of the case just like real iPhones. It’s all a lookalike imitation, however, right down to the operating system. The phones apparently come from Shenzhou, but unsurprisingly inspectors found that whatever company manufactured them hadn’t marked the packaging in any way.
A new documentary project by three Italian journalists looks at the lives and dreams of the Foxconn workers who make (authentic) Apple products (among others) at their massive complex in Shenzhen. From the introduction to Dreamwork China:
In the suburbs of Shenzhen, in Guangdong province, young workers talk about their lives, existences built on a precarious balance between hope, struggles and wishes for the future. Around them activists and NGOs strive to give sense and meaning to words like rights, dignity and equity.
The project also includes a series of portraits of workers in the on-site photo studio.
Read and watch more about the “kids of Foxconn” via photographer Jordan Pouille.
