Looks like Apple’s legal team is on a bit of an overdrive mode this month. This is the second legal action taken by Apple in just over a week!
Just a few days ago, a simple piece of gadgetry went on sale out from the far east – it was a simple USB hub that worked with PCs and Macs. Never before have I seen so many blog posts and tweets made on a USB hub before and never has any company had to file a legal complaint to stop the sale of one.
Wait, what?
In case you missed the [Universal Serial] bus, the USB hub in question looked like this:
Yup, it looks exactly like a mini Mac Mini, complete with the real Apple logo that glows when it’s plugged in. The iHub design was practically waving the lawsuit flag as it went on sale on the M.I.C. Store and no one is surprised that this has happened. Not only was the device a clone of an Apple product, even the packaging exactly mimicked an official iPod device:
The product is no longer available on the store, but it looks like a few who ordered it right after the first news of it came out on 9to5 Mac might be lucky enough to get it. This is the mail that was sent to the buyers:
Dear Customer, We are warned by Apple Inc. to stop selling the iHub and pull it down from our store. If you have already made a purchase, you are one of the lucky ones. We ship all orders within 3 working days after payment made but due to the Easter Public Holiday from Apr 22~25, shipping resumes only Apr 26. As we have many orders to process, there will be a slight delay. Delivery takes 10-14 working days after ship out from Hong Kong and tracking will be provided upon ship out. Please accept our apologies and rest assured that we are working hard to rectify this. w/rgds, Cyril Chang
We know of one such person who ordered it hours before it went out of stock – we’ll update this post with his story with his news very soon!
Ohh yea me too getting mine 😀
If you see the MIC Site carefully. You’ll notice they have such specialized products which they know Apple will send a legal notice for, hence they produce in limited quantities and hence avoid any loss.
smart! Apple accessory makers do that so often. Release fake accessories of unreleased products and get free press.
We’re waiting for your’s to ship too, so we can do a review! 🙂