Chinese authorities close some fake Apple Stores while others discovered worldwide

While Chinese authorities have closed some fake Apple Stores down, a great deal more have been discovered around the world. Poor Steve Jobs.

Last week it was discovered that a number of fake Apple Stores had sprung up in Kunming, China. The story gained worldwide attention, and thousands of people descended on the premises in question. Which would have been good for business had some of the people checking them out not been investigators from the Chinese authorities.

As reported by BBC News, two of the five stores found in the area were consequently closed down. Not because they were mimicking the look and feel of Apple’s retail outlets, or because they were selling either real or counterfeit Apple products without permission, but because they did not hold official business permits.

Two interesting new takes on these fake Apple Stores have emerged from the updated story.

The first, noted by BirdAbroad, is the belief amongst a lot of Chinese people that counterfeiting or ‘shanzhai’ as it’s more commonly known in China is an unstoppable force. And actually that companies such as Apple deserve it because of the prices they charge. It’s true that it’s a huge problem but does that mean tech manufacturers should just give up? Or be forced to lower prices?

The second, noted by CultOfMac, is the belief by the owner of three of these fake Apple Stores that what he and others like him are doing isn’t actually a bad thing. In fact, he suggests he’s “doing Apple a favor” by effectively offering somewhere for Apple fans to buy the products they are craving, and has applied to be an authorized Apple reseller.

Also, images and descriptions of other similar operations in other countries have been flooding on to the Web, suggesting Apple has a serious problem. I guess this is the price you pay for making all your shops looks bland, boring, and identical to each other.

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