“More than $635,000 in counterfeit Apple adapters and USB cables were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during a routine search in Anchorage, the agency announced Thursday,” Laurel Andrews reports for The Alaska Dispatch.
“The goods arrived in Alaska via plane from China, and were heading toward several locations in the continental U.S.,” Andrews reports. “Designed to look like iPhone 5 USB “lightning” connector cables and adapters, the products included fake Apple logos and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) trademark icons.”
Andrews reports, “The items stood out as counterfeits, Frank Falcon, CBP spokesman said. They were packaged for retail sale in cardboard blister packs that were sub-standard compared to Apple’s trademark white packaging… The seized items will be destroyed.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
But would they have worked?
I have a legitimate Lightning cable, that doesn’t even work.
Just one, out of four.
Take it back!
my fatwallet and slickdeals alerts send emails every day for fake cables
these things are really taking off. haven’t read of too many problems with them. these things aren’t very complicated
Maybe you should return the cable if it doesnt work?
Hmmm. Computer cables NEVER fail and need to be replaced. This is an outrage! 🙂
Cough, cough……bull$hit….cough, cough….
I would think anyone familiar with Apple products would have known to take it back to Apple.
“Just one, out of four”
Cough, cough……bull$hit….cough, cough….
What a shock–counterfeit items from China arriving on our shores–this simply feeds the insatiable appetite for knock off goods in North America.
From my experience with Chinese production, if they were tagged as MSRP totaling $635,000, COGS is about $200,000.
Some crook (the importer) just took a $300,000 hit (prepay for shipment). Good.
Interesting, I have purchased cables from Staples in Oshawa Ontario that came in bags instead of the usual Apple Box. Guess they were fake too.
‘I would think anyone familiar with Apple products would have known to take it back to Apple.’
I had a 27” 2011 iMac replaced with a new model 2012 iMac on Christmas eve, plus Apple started my 3 year Applecare coverage over. Apple is great. If it doesn’t work, take it back.
Sorry if this is a stupid question but does Apple have the proprietary rights to the lightning cable or is it just because they were trying to sell them as an Apple product? I purchased one yesterday and it was $20. Ouch! I would prefer not to have to pay that price but I will because I think the counterfeiting thing is detestable.
Lightning connector is Apple’s IP.
It has a chip built in. Look it up.
There are legit cheaper models appearing, NOT being sold as Apple connectors, just Lightning ones. I don’t think Apple would stop anyone from licensing the tech to make their own versions, there are Lightning docks and other stuff appearing now.
Since it was counterfeit Apple product, $635,000 probably amounted to just a few cables
That comes to about 100000 Lightning cables, I wonder which Chinese factory could’ve produced that many cables in one month. The Lightning chips were also in limited supply.
About 5 adapters then 🙂