Filed under: Humor, Odds and ends
Chronicling the Apple Rip-offs
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." - attributed
to Charles Caleb Colton's The LaconApple Ripoffs is a website that is chronicling manufacturers' attempts to sell equipment that is, in most cases, a weak copy of Apple's product designs. It hasn't been updated in awhile, but it's a great historical record of companies trying to ride Apple's coattails.
Some additions: the Super Tangent and AOpen's Pandora. What other Apple rip-offs can you think of?
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jonathan Poh said 12:02AM on 10-27-2005
Not a product knock off, but Vodafone australia has been doing TV ads that resemble the Apple 'Switcher' ads, getting ordinary people to make testimonials in front of a red background.
The videos can be seen on their site:
http://vodafone-myway.com.au/index_vb.html
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Penginkun said 12:18AM on 10-27-2005
Am I correct in believing there are better things to worry about than chronicalling the products which bear a slight resemblance to Apple's own? I'll grant you many of those iPod clones bear a striking resemblance, but the Dell DJ? Is he serious?
I can't believe I wasted my time looking at that site. That's five minutes of my life I'd want back, so I can spend them wisely, looking at porn.
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Andrew said 12:40AM on 10-27-2005
Huh? I'll admit that some of the iMac G3's rip-offs were truly rip-offs but the others were questionable at best...
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Mario Panighetti said 1:49AM on 10-27-2005
A notable addition to the list...
http://www.macworld.com/2001/06/bc/buzzgrill/index.php
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John said 2:26AM on 10-27-2005
There are Apple fans and there are idiots.
That site helps point out the difference between the two.
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narco said 2:29AM on 10-27-2005
I remember an iMac G3 ripoff available at circuit city not long before the introduction. I still have the advert somewhere.
Fishes,
narco.
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Jake said 6:55AM on 10-27-2005
The dell DJ?
That is not a ripoff. It looks nothing like an iPod. How stupid can you get?
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Jon said 9:12AM on 10-27-2005
It's arguable that most HDD MP3 players are iPod rip offs; most probably wouldn't exist if it weren't for the popularity of MP3 players that the iPod single handedly created. In effect, most players on the market today are designed to try to cut into the iPod's market share and thus are by definition ripoffs :)
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LD said 11:25AM on 10-27-2005
The site lists the Gateway Profile as a rip-off of the iMac flat panel. However, the Profile existed years before the iMac flat panel came out. If anything, it should be the other way around. Though their standard is pretty weak, simply integrating a flat panel seems to fit the bill for them. To be a rip-off it shoud have to actually resemble the Apple, like with the original iMac rip-offs.
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pnarse said 12:28PM on 10-27-2005
Some of these are not even slightly similar!
Like previously mentioned, the Dell DJ doesn't look the slightest bit like an iPod.
Of course different music players are going to be somewhat similar, that doesn't mean anyone has ripped anyone else off.
(Although ones like the ABoss have no excuses... Might as well go all out and put "Cheap-O iPod Mini Rip-Off! Look cool without having to shell out for a real one!" on the box! :)
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Chris C. said 2:49PM on 10-27-2005
What other Apple rip-offs can you think of?
obligatory response.
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