macnn/electronista
09/21/2007, 12:45pm, EDT
Friday, September 21stMeizu iPhone clone to closely mimic interface?
While some reports had indicated that the iPhone clone by Meizu, the miniOne (renamed M8), was going to diverge more sharply from its inspiration, company CEO Jack Wong has posted new images of its interface that appear to be directly copied from the iPhone. Lifted style elements include everything from the navigation buttons at the top of iPhone menus, to the roll-up touch keyboard, and the SMS messenger's iChat-style "bubbles." Even the dialing interface is not far removed from Apple's own.
The M8 is expected to ship in China by the end of this year, costing the equivalent of $259 for a 4GB model or $453 for a 16GB phone. It is unlikely to leave China however; as it is so conspicuously similar to the iPhone, it is likely to violate intellectual property laws in the United States and in many other countries. China is notoriously free in its application of copyright laws, resulting in many imitation products.
Apple has yet to officially respond to Meizu's efforts, but has indicated that the genuine iPhone will only reach "Asia" in 2008. [via Meizu Me]
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I want to wait for 3G. But I definitely won't buy til IM is there. To someone who's hearing-impaired, it makes a huge difference to have as many text message options as possible.
Go Adium for iPhone
McD
When Apple introduced iChat years ago, they made a deal with the biggest IM service out there at the time. AIM is still the biggest one with twice as many active users as the second-place (Windows Live/MSN), or third place (Yahoo).
It is almost certain that an iChat app will appear on iPhones with one of the upcoming updates.
But as the most populous country in the world with a booming economy, China should be held accountable (by way of sanctions/taxes) for the products it sells both inside and outside it's borders.