AirPods 3 are "released" and can be purchased for only two or three hundred yuan

If nothing unexpected happens, AirPods 3 will definitely be included in this year's Apple conference. However, even if Apple does not release it, it doesn't matter, because the omnipotent Huaqiangbei has already started shipping it. If you have the channels, you can use "AirPods 3" earlier than Cook.

According to previous reports, AirPods 3 should be released in the third quarter of this year, but before that, the renderings of AirPods 3 were exposed in advance. Then someone uploaded a video showing AirPods 3 headphones on Douyin. At least from the appearance, they are basically the same as the previously exposed AirPods 3. Could it be that AirPods 3 were smuggled out? Of course not, it's just that Huaqiangbei has once again "taken the lead" of Apple.

Today I will tell Apple what "Huaqiangbei speed" is

The shipping speed is faster than that of Apple's official product, which is enough to show how much the merchants in Huaqiangbei care about AirPods. As soon as there is any sign of trouble, they will imitate it without saying anything.

The "Huaqiangbei speed" of making a copycat version before Apple released the product is really amazing. If Cook saw the copycat AirPods 3 from Huaqiangbei, he would probably be in tears and amused.

From the leaked video of the knockoff AirPods 3, we can see that the overall shape of the earphones is similar to that of the AirPods Pro, but the earphone handle is shorter, and the overall appearance is basically the same as the rendering. Of course, it is unclear whether the functions are the same, after all, the genuine products have not yet been launched, and it is estimated that only Apple's internal engineers can tell after trying them out.

To be honest, Xiao Lei suspects that Apple's AirPods drawings have been leaked again, otherwise it would be difficult to explain how the great people in Huaqiangbei could make something with just a rendering.

Apple has a precedent in this regard. Previously, AirPods Pro was copied into a 1:1 replica in just one week due to the leak of 3D drawings. Considering that Apple originally planned to release AirPods 3 in the third quarter of this year, it should have started production and stocking in related factories by now, so it is not impossible for the drawings to be leaked again.

However, compared to last year's knockoff AirPods Pro, which shipped in a week, this time the "Huaqiangbei speed" has reached a new level. Here I would like to remind all readers that if you encounter a merchant selling AirPods 3 recently, no matter where they claim to be from (factory leaks, test machines, etc.), it is 100% a knockoff from Huaqiangbei, so don't be fooled.

Crazy knockoff AirPods

AirPods is Apple's most popular product besides the iPhone, with annual shipments in the tens of millions and a very respectable profit margin. The huge demand has given AirPods knockoff manufacturers the motivation to iterate and update their products time and time again. It is said that the original knockoff AirPods were not only larger in size, but also seriously lacked in functionality.

However, as more powerful manufacturers joined in, the fake AirPods have undergone more than ten iterations and updates, and they are not only indistinguishable from the real thing in appearance, but also have a high degree of similarity in function. The most expensive Qualcomm chip version is said to be 95% similar, and even Apple stores need to send it back for inspection to verify its authenticity.

As for whether it is true, emmmm, Xiao Lei’s colleague once spent a lot of money to buy a pair of counterfeit AirPods worth more than 500 yuan, but the experience was far inferior to the original ones. The legendary 95% similarity version may only exist in the fantasy of unscrupulous businessmen.

However, such a rampant counterfeit AirPods industry has also brought a lot of trouble to domestic users of genuine AirPods. After the fake AirPods can be mistaken for the real thing, the AirPods replacement after-sales service that could have been easily obtained now requires multiple tests, or even factory inspections before it can be passed, which greatly increases the time cost.

Not only that, the fake AirPods are also sold overseas and have become famous all over the world. Last year, the U.S. Customs made a big mistake and detained the new Oneplus headphones as fake AirPods, and proudly publicized the incident on social media. Afterwards, they were naturally ruthlessly mocked by a group of netizens, and the U.S. branch of OnePlus even demanded the return of the headphones online.

To be honest, Oneplus and AirPods are not very similar, so how did the US Customs make a mistake?

The craziness of Huaqiangbei's counterfeit AirPods is probably beyond your imagination. According to incomplete statistics, as of October 31, 2020, Apple has shipped about 80 million AirPods, while Huaqiangbei's AirPods shipments have reached an astonishing 600 million.

(Photo from woaiaudio.com)

What does 600 million mean? Since the release of the first generation of AirPods, the total production of all series has not reached 600 million. If Cook knew this data, perhaps we can see AirPods Lite released next year.

Of course, this is unlikely. After all, the "low-end" market with an average selling price of dozens to three or four hundred yuan is quite useless for Cook. Not only is the profit low, but if the product functions are severely reduced, it will also be a blow to Apple's own brand value. The result may not be worth the loss.

Not only AirPods, Apple supports most of Huaqiangbei

Not only AirPods, but you can find anything related to Apple in Huaqiangbei, from a screw to an iMac. Huaqiangbei can provide everything you can think of. Even the AirPower wireless charging pad that Apple stopped, you can find a product with a similar appearance here.

Of course, apart from the knockoff AirPods, most other knockoff products are far behind the genuine products in terms of experience, so they have basically not made any waves in the market. For example, the AirPower just mentioned, according to Apple's description, is a wireless charging pad that can support wireless fast charging of multiple devices at the same time, and the internal charging coil structure is integrated.

As for the Huaqiangbei version, you can think of it as three wireless charging plates spliced ​​together. Each fixed area can hold a charging device, which cannot be placed randomly. Moreover, the charging speed is slow, far from the speed described by Apple. Of course, if the real AirPower can be made so easily by Huaqiangbei, then Cook would not have stopped this product due to cost and other reasons.

In addition to a variety of imitation products, various parts of Apple products are also the main source of income for Huaqiangbei.

Xiao Lei once watched a video of an overseas YouTube channel owner. At that time, he wanted to repair an iMac, but the price given by the local Apple after-sales service center was too high, and it would take more than a month to wait. Helplessly, he finally bought a second-hand iMac motherboard from Huaqiangbei through the international version of Taobao at the suggestion of netizens. After spending some time to replace it, he successfully revived his iMac on the spot. The total cost and time cost were lower than the after-sales warranty.

However, the channel owner subsequently received a call from Apple officials, cough cough.

Conclusion

Although Huaqiangbei was able to launch AirPods 3 before Apple, which is enough to prove the strength of the local electronic manufacturing industry, it is not a good thing in Xiaolei's opinion. As China's largest electronic product trading market, Huaqiangbei has produced many famous technology companies, such as Tencent, PISEN, Shenzhou, etc.

However, more than a decade ago, the terms "copycat" and "fake" have replaced "innovation" and become synonymous with Huaqiangbei. For a city like Shenzhen that is famous for its innovation, this is obviously not something to brag about. Even though he is short of money, Xiao Lei would rather choose domestic brands such as Edifier than the AirPods, which look similar, so that the money can flow to manufacturers who are really willing to make products and do research and development.