iPed copies iPad down to the packaging

Mainland China's cloning of the iPad has become more blatant this weekend with the discovery of a seeming clone, the iPed. On sale in Shenzhen, near Foxconn's main factory, the tablet much more closely resembles Apple's work on the outside with a similar home button. The copying extends to the packaging, which is virtually identical to the iPad's and even uses the same icons, even though none of them are on the iPed inside.

The actual device is Intel Atom-based rather than ARM and uses an old version of Android preloaded with a handful of apps. The instruction manual notably appears to be borrowed from the APad, which is different but itself a clone of the iPad. Stores carrying the iPed in the area price it at about $105.

Clones of Apple hardware are extremely common in Shenzhen as loose hardware copyrights and ready access to parts from Foxconn's factories lets small companies produce derivative hardware with relatively little effort. Android is increasingly popular for clone builders as licensing is usually free. [via Kotaku]

By Electronista Staff