Apple’s evil twin emerges in China

So, you thought only Louis Vuitton handbags and Rolex watches could be faked? Well it seems even the iPad has an evil twin.

Despite Apple’s massive success with iPad – having already sold more than 2 million genuine iPads since its launch 2 months ago – a Chinese challenger has emerged, beating even Google to the game.

The iPed, no that’s not a spelling error, is identical to Apple’s massively popular tablet and is selling for a fifth of the price at around $US126.

Available in Shenzhen in the country’s south, the lookalike product runs on Google’s Android operating system and is said to be powered by an Intel chip.

Pictures of the iPed, filmed by Japanese TV news and posted on YouTube, show the gadget being sold in a Shenzhen computer mall in packaging that looks remarkably similar to an iPad box.

 
The change in vowel is seemingly the only major difference in appearance between the two computers.

A review of the iPed on tech website TECHi says “the iPed is exactly what you’re thinking: a Chinese knock-off”.

“The iPed is an Intel-driven, Android-based copycat packaged like an Apple product and, to be honest, it doesn’t look half bad.”

Last week, Apple and its contract electronics manufacturer Foxconn refused to confirm or deny rumours that the iPad was being made at Foxconn’s massive Shenzhen factory, which had been hit by a spate of staff suicides.

The iPad will go on sale in a further nine countries in July including Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.