As a technology editor, it is common for relatives and friends around me to ask Xiao Lei to recommend a machine.
Generally speaking, Xiaolei has an unshakable priority principle, which is to recommend products with the same ecology and brand.
The reason is very simple. The correlation between products of the same brand is better and it is easier to contact after-sales service if there are any problems.
Take the iPhone as an example. When everyone asks what headphones they recommend, Xiaolei’s first recommendation is Aguo’s airpods series.
If you have a limited budget, go for airpods. If you don’t have a lot of money, just go for airpods pro. The operation and experience will be much better.
Source: Apple’s official website
However, airpods have not been doing well recently. Yesterday, they actually topped the Weibo hot search list, which is not a good thing.
Hey, #The Apple headphones you bought may be fake# As soon as this topic came out, it immediately aroused heated discussion among netizens.
After all, the price of Apple earphones is not cheap. If you buy fakes, you will suffer a great loss, not to mention the poor user experience.
In line with the attitude of being responsible for everyone, Xiao Lei felt that he had to follow up on this matter to see how much trouble was hidden behind it.
Picture source: Weibo
Apple headphone counterfeiting den was found
Xiaolei will give you a rundown first, this is what happened.
On January 26, some media obtained news about Apple Bluetooth headsets from the Anju District Branch of Suining Municipal Public Security Bureau.
It turns out that Suining police discovered after investigation that criminals were manufacturing counterfeit Apple Bluetooth headsets in Guangdong and Guangxi.
These Apple headphones are sold to more than 10 provinces and cities across the country, including Guangdong, Sichuan, Shandong, and Hainan. There are quite a few places.
Picture source: Weibo @ cover news
so, the time comes from January 18th to 24th.
The Food, Drug and Environmental Protection Detachment of Suining Municipal Public Security Bureau organized the Anju District Public Security Bureau and sent more than 80 police officers to Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, and arrested a total of 22 suspects.
Of course, in addition to arresting criminal suspects, the police also blocked the entire counterfeiting process of Apple headphones.
destroyed 9 counterfeit dens, 3 production lines, and 8 sales dens that produced counterfeit Apple Bluetooth headsets;
seized more than 69,000 counterfeit Bluetooth headsets and more than 45,000 semi-finished products;
4 sets of counterfeiting tools and 50,000 packaging materials There are more than 10,000 sets of spare parts and parts, and the amount involved is as high as 167 million yuan.
The current progress is that 8 of the 22 suspects have been criminally detained, 14 have been released on bail pending trial, and the case is under investigation.
Picture source: Weibo @Cover News
Xiaolei initially thought that the counterfeiting den was just a small operation. After reading this news, he realized that it is not simple. The one-stop process of counterfeiting has been sorted out.
Moreover, these Apple headphones are sold in multiple provinces and cities, and the amount involved is as high as 167 million yuan. Maybe there are friends around us who have been affected.
From this point of view, there is nothing wrong with the topic #The Apple Headphones You Buy May Be Fake# on Weibo.
So here’s the question, “Apple headphone counterfeiting” is nothing new, so why do some people still risk their lives and continue to fake it?
Why are counterfeit earphones repeatedly banned?
In fact, if we really want to pay attention, Xiaolei has already seen fake "knock-offs" as early as the airpods generation many years ago.
At first glance, the appearance of the counterfeit product and the genuine product are almost exactly the same. You can only tell the difference unless you hold it in your hand and compare it carefully.
is nothing but awesome. As the saying goes, you can't imitate the soul but you can imitate the appearance. The difference in sound quality is very obvious. As long as you are not a "headphone fungus", you can still distinguish the difference between the two.
Source: Apple official website
Until the second generation of AirPods Pro, the situation of "headphones being counterfeited" has not disappeared, and there are even cases worth hundreds of millions today.
According to Xiaolei’s many years of experience in the computer industry, the reasons here can be divided into the following aspects.
For one thing, Apple’s headphones are priced more expensive than headphones with the same functions from competitors due to craftsmanship and brand bonuses.
Take the three wireless Bluetooth headsets currently on sale on Apple’s official website as an example. The cheapest AirPods second generation costs 999 yuan, and the most expensive Airpods Pro costs 1,899 yuan.
Picture source: Apple official website
Secondly, the profits of "counterfeiting Apple headphones" are huge. Criminals only need to fake the appearance and fool the sound quality.
Low cost and high profit, many criminals are attracted by the price difference. Even though there are so many past mistakes, they still choose to take risks and cause trouble.
Thirdly, if there is no market, there will be no buying and selling. There are still "quite a few people" who buy fake Apple headphones to satisfy their own face.
so, naturally they are not willing to spend the official original price on this, so they naturally choose cheaper ones if they can solve it cheaper.
Nowadays, there are still some people who really want to buy genuine products, but they may not be able to tell the difference themselves, or they may be tempted by low prices on unreliable trading platforms.
Here comes the question, how to tell the authenticity of Apple headphones? Xiao Lei summarized a few practical tricks, let’s take a look below.
The first way to tell the authenticity of
headphones is to look at their appearance.
The workmanship of Aguojia headphones is guaranteed, but counterfeit headphones will cut corners in various places due to cost constraints.
For example, the font style and thickness on the packaging is different from the original version, the layout is not as neat as the original version, and the clarity is also much worse than the original version.
Fake earphone packaging Source: Internet
The second method is to check the serial number.
Put on the headphones and connect to your iPhone or iPad, open "Settings" - "Bluetooth", or directly "Settings" - "Your Airpods".
Then find your airpods in the list, then tap the "More Information" button next to the airpods to find the phone serial number.
If the headphone serial number does not match the one on the packaging, it is most likely a fake.
Source: Apple official website
The third point is to look for official and formal channels.
If you really don’t want to buy a headset and have to consider so much, then there will basically be no problem if you look for official channels.
For example, if you buy headphones through Apple’s official website, offline stores, a certain cat flagship store, a certain Dong self-operated store, etc., you will not be disappointed.
Source: Apple’s official website
Finally, Xiaolei would also like to advise friends that it is best to use less or no such “fake Apple headphones”.
On the one hand, it is for the purpose of supporting the genuine version; on the other hand, it pays attention to our health and safety.
The craftsmanship of counterfeit headphones is not much different from that of genuine products. After-sales wrangling is also a big problem if something really goes wrong.
Since our budget is limited, we can also choose other headphone products from our friends. In fact, the effect is also remarkable.
cover image source: Apple official website
