Chinese factories rushing to get knock-offs of Apple’s AirPods Pro to local buyers the day after US release
- Amid lacklustre iPhone sales in the past few quarters, AirPods have become Apple’s second-best-selling product of all time
Apple’s iPhone brand might have taken a hit in China because of increased trade tensions but its AirPods – the company’s second best-selling product of all time – are still a big hit, so much so that local factories are rushing to knock-off the latest versions that go on sale Wednesday in the US for US$249.
“We will have earphones identical to Apple’s AirPods Pro available for sale very soon, possibly within the next two or three days,” a salesman surnamed Fu, who sells electronics in Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei wholesale district and online via Tencent Holdings’ WeChat Moments platform, said on Tuesday morning, a few hours after Apple announced the high-end product.
Apple’s latest wireless earbuds feature active noise cancellation powered by an in-house chip called the H1. Its official retail price in China has also shot up to 1,999 yuan (US$283) compared with 1,558 yuan for the wireless charging version of AirPods sold through official channels.
Amid lacklustre iPhone sales in the past few quarters, AirPods have become Apple’s second best-selling product of all time, with Bernstein Research estimating sales surged an estimated 70 per cent for the three months ended June 30 to about US$2 billion.
