Meizu's M8? Apple lawyers, start your engines

We're not sure if the pics above are the result of an engorged, Chinese fanboy fantasy or actual product renderings of Meizu's rumored M8. We wouldn't be surprised either way what with China-based Meizu's history of uh, Apple inspired design. Posted by a senior discussion-forum jockey on the Meizu site, the M8 is now said to measure in at a scant 57x105x11.5-mm and packs both a GSM and Chinese TD-SCDMA 3G radio, a 3.3-inch 720x480 pixel display, Bluetooth, a 3 megapixel camera, and an ARM11 CPU capable of recording video at 30fps at the device's full 720 x 480 resolution. Too good to be true? Perhaps, but if not Meizu than certainly some other nimble Chinese outfit will be unveiling their iPhone clone soon enough and likely well before the iPhone hits Asia sometime in 2008. And as we've seen, even Apple's tenacious legal team can be helpless in the face of shutting down copycats on foreign turf. Picture 'round back after the break.

[Via dapreview, thanks Vinn]

[applesucksLeo @ Jan 29th 2007 7:42AM]

Better specs at lower cost. Isn`t that what competition is all about?

[thomas @ Dec 25th 2007 5:18AM]

I think it is funny becaue Meizu was supposedly the "first" iphone clone and that is why it got its name... but to this day the have yet to release a phone... The DigitalRise D69i and D99i are both iphone clones and have shake functions... youtube vids on the product pages.. http://www.chinagrabber.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=174

BR

[humpty @ Jan 29th 2007 7:45AM]

Isnt this and the iPhone just a pda with a cell phone built in. Its

[Adam Willson @ Jan 29th 2007 7:53AM]

surely it cant be real.

BTW, does that look like a removable bettery on the back?

[geezer @ Jan 29th 2007 8:02AM]

A chinese copy of a tech product - that's the price all companys, that produce their tech gadgets in the oh so loved low-cost Asia esp. China, have to pay!

Sorry no compassion from me here.

[wangli @ Jun 30th 2007 8:17AM]

as a Chinese I feel ashamed for that. It's no fair play. Simply to copy is like taking drugs, that would do harm to ourself too.

[Kip HT @ Jan 29th 2007 8:16AM]

Wow. Looks pretty good. I want one! Runs Windows CE 6?? TV in, line in/out. Great features, can't wait to hear some more details, like inbuilt memory and other stuff. Heres to hoping it has wifi! When is it available and where?

[Truth Hurts @ Jan 29th 2007 8:22AM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTdD_Ve4pMs

[Shmoe @ Jan 29th 2007 8:23AM]

Bring it stateside!!
It looks like it has a removeable battery to boot!
That's a huge advantage over the iPhone.

[David Wolf @ Jan 29th 2007 8:31AM]

This is vaporware at best.

Dead giveaway: TD-SCDMA is not ready for commercialization yet. There are no production RF chips, there won't be until the standard is finalized and ready for prime time, and that won't happen until the government makes an announcement about standards.

What you see is a cheap attempt by Meizu to attract some attention to themselves - a company that is destined to become roadkill in the coming shakeout in China's consumer electronics sector.

Nice try, boys.

[Jamar @ Jan 29th 2007 9:44AM]

Dead wrong, David Wolf. Testing is happening (for TD-SCDMA) and launch will be this year.

[Richard Ford @ Jul 1st 2007 1:25AM]

David, like myself live in China.

There is also a ban on all WIFI enabled mobile phones here due to fear of VoIP competition.

My Nokia e61 is not for sale. But the e62 was made for China sans WIFI.

[TT @ Jan 29th 2007 8:44AM]

yeah those specs look way over the top.

the original post is 404'd btw so i don't know what is up with the "low cost" that applesuckLeo is purporting. but... lets hope its real. lets hope that apple sees that it can do better despite of 2.5 years of R&D. lets hope this thing doesn't go the way of the luxpro and Meizu gets at least a slap on the wrist. and maybe 6 months down the road, we'll all have better spec'd and lower costing iphones and M8s for everyone.

[helfrez @ Jan 29th 2007 8:46AM]

Said this is the clone wars have started. And most of the clones have more base functionality that the "Real IPhone". Not as if Apple thought the idea up all by themselves. Google a OpenMoko to see the original hardware design.

[Gordy @ Jan 29th 2007 8:59AM]

So, WinCE supports 720 x 480? When did that change?

[cmonkey @ Jan 29th 2007 1:46PM]

WinCE can handle just about any resolution you want to throw at it. It's Windows Mobile, based on CE, that is, as of yet, restricted to 4:3 and 1:1 aspect ratios.

[johnnyg0 @ Jan 29th 2007 9:00AM]

So now every phone with a touchscreen will be said to be a clone of the iPhone?

Is the WM phone I have that looks a little like this a copy of the iPhone even though I've had it for 3 years?

Are Palms and every touchscreen devices iPhone like devices?

Did Apple copied the LG Prada phone when they did their phone? I don't know, but it looks a lot alike and LG had it done months before Apple. Does people think Apple copied LG, noooooo they think LG copied Apple... and now every squared device equipped with a touch screen is called an iPhone copy.

Why does Apple gets all this respect? And why a website like Engadget continues this "everything looks like an iPhone" madness, I though they knew better.

[Felipe Cepriano @ Jan 29th 2007 9:48AM]

No, just the ones that copies Apple's design. The HTC TyTN isn't a iPhone-like device.

But the Meizu M8 is a obviously rip-off. Look at the interface!

[Technophile @ Feb 13th 2007 8:34PM]

Ummm.. First look at the design. It isn't similar (ie the Prada phone) it is friggin exactly the same form. Not only that, the four buttons on the bottom seem to do exactly the same thing as the iPhone (not anything like the Prada phone). Hmmm...Phone button..check. E-mail button...check. Internet button..check. What looks like a movie button...check!!! That's OK becasue this can be similar in different phones. Waitaminute...is that a widget/gadget button on the phone? yup! Damn, that looks exactly like the iCal calendar app icon on the iPhone. yup! At least it doesn't have a camera widget onscreen. Oops it does! and a settings widget...Hmmm. Taking into consideration the form, the design style and the selection of available buttons I would have to say that this is a very cool fanboy design of the iPhone. Not even Meizu is stupid enough to pull this one off.
BTW check out the patent filings regarding the iPhone and the Prada phone. The iPhone had been in development far longer than the Prada phone....and it shows.

[Emceay @ Jan 29th 2007 9:20AM]

China laughs at the concept of "owning ideas" which is convenient because they still believe in owning land and people.

[applesucksLeo @ Jan 29th 2007 9:22AM]

Steve`s ulcer just flared up big time :)

[s i d @ Jan 29th 2007 9:39AM]

even piracy hasn't yet got down prices of new cds/ dvds so these won't bring apple iphone prices down only a following version does .... btw if this is real how do these so called 'clones' appear so soon after the real one?

[Anto @ Jan 29th 2007 9:43AM]

If this is real then this is one hell of a rip off by them, I should imagine Apple will be getting the lawyers onto it as we speak and frankly I wouldn't blame'em one bit!
It's a total rip off.

[3rdsun @ Jan 29th 2007 1:52PM]

It looks like it runs Vista or is that photoshopped, anyways I wouldn't call it a rip off until it is produced.

[len @ Jan 29th 2007 9:50AM]

ZOMG! It's a white phone! With an icon-based start page! They beez rippin' off da iPhone!

This blog is a fashion magazine with pretensions of technical relevance.

[Surur @ Jan 29th 2007 9:55AM]

But I though Steve said the Iphone was 5 years ahead of everyone else!!! Why is this phone better then?????

[Jeff @ Jan 29th 2007 9:59AM]

"yeah those specs look way over the top."

This is Asia. They're not five years behind the rest of the world with their phones like we are.

I'm not saying it's real, but nothing about those specs looks "over the top" for a continent where twin QVGA touch-screens and 3G capability is considered a "mid-range" phone.

The iPhone would probably get laughed off the continent.

[ben @ Jan 29th 2007 11:46AM]

As I recall, a Japanese company just announced a phone with a 2" 800x480 screen. A 720x480 screen is very plausible.

[DM @ Jan 29th 2007 10:17AM]

This is china's way of saying, " why spend $600 for a damn phone? "

[Alex @ Jan 29th 2007 10:44AM]

My friend in China told me that, some movie studios got tired of Chinese bootlegging their movies and have them available way before they're shown in theaters in China. So what they ended up doing is, bootlegging their own movies and sell them in China with higher quality, comparing with the "normal bootleg discs". That way they still earn some money.

Apple should consider doing the same... slightly modify their own products' design, make the specs slightly worse, save some money on the packaging and stuff, then sell it in China at a slightly cheaper price. So for example, at $450 you get the crippled, bootleg iPhone (needs stylus, no multi-touch, etc.), or $500 for the real iPhone from Apple.

[surur @ Jan 29th 2007 11:29AM]

Looking at the specs of this device Apple would have to make a BETTER device to sell in China, not the crippled version they intend to sell here.

[J @ Jan 29th 2007 10:58AM]

Sweet, I'll take one.

[7of7 @ Jan 29th 2007 11:09AM]

The iPhone isn't all that impressive anyway. It's overpriced and mediocre which has been Apple's calling card since Jobs returned. It would be excellent if the Chinese finally blew the company out of the water, but that's not going to happen because Meizu doesn't have a several hundred million dollar advertising budget and a legion of dedicated idiots on the internet to spread the word of Jobs.

[Bazza @ Jan 29th 2007 11:25AM]

agreed!!

[boe @ Jan 29th 2007 11:27AM]

Not sure if this will make it to market but I would really really like an MS mobile unit with these hardware specs on Sprint or Verizon. Anything that would really let me browse the web at more than 320 x 240 and in a SLIM 11mm package! I'm looking forward to throwing out my toaster size 6700! I'll be the BT in it is better than my 6700 too! Hopefully we'll get some more info on memory for this unit.

[yessindeed @ Jan 29th 2007 11:29AM]

"This blog is a fashion magazine with pretensions of technical relevance."

Nail on the head award.

[Ben @ Jan 29th 2007 11:48AM]

test

[Jerid @ Jan 29th 2007 12:06PM]

You can see this phone and the iphone are so close to each other. Some people are saying it's not a copy of Apple's iphone.

If the pictures aren't plain enough to see, some of those posts are dead giveaways to the inent.

First off, this is a concept design, not an actual phone. What they are talking about is the race to come up with the first iphone knock off. They are talking about how fierce of a race it is and they are wanting to develop it first. They are throwing features out and trying to get a feel for what people would want. They specificially talk about the iphone.

There is also a phone on page 13 that looks quite interesting. It's not as sleek as the iPhone, but it does have a touch keyboard as well. It's a little clunky for my taste, but here is the image:

http://www.meizu.com/bbs/UploadFile/2007-1/200712223491047147.jpg

Also, what is M8? I assume it's a type of cellular service but I'm not sure. Some people are saying they won't buy it if it has M8.

[Christian @ Jan 29th 2007 12:10PM]

Nice interface. Aero meet iPhone. This is the first of many clones, and I don't think Apple's leagl department caries much weight abroad, especially not in that country.

[Christian @ Jan 29th 2007 12:15PM]

Those laptops are actually pretty nice. After having played with several different sizes and Vista in Circuit City the past weekend, if you're in the market for a laptop, they're a pretty good bargain. However, although their a decent deal, I would order from shophp.com and get the better speced Intel versions that allow you to get the NVIDIA 7600 mobile chip for relatively the same price.

[Sam @ Jan 29th 2007 1:43PM]

720x480 resolution? It looks like a hacked up windows mobile OS, and Windows Mobile doesn't support that resolution.

[ASTROBOT @ Jan 29th 2007 1:50PM]

lol @ Truth Hurts

The shirt and pants that you're wearing and most of the other products in your house hold are made in CHINA.

Yes, truth does hurt eh?

[ASTROBOT @ Jan 29th 2007 1:54PM]

After iphone announced their product, don't expect other phone companies to sit idle. Some people need to stop their bitching about people are copying iphone. Why don't you surf around and look at majority to the mobile phones out there and see how most of them all look the same. Why don't people bitch about that??

[Allan Clark @ Jan 29th 2007 2:52PM]

sid: re: clones ETA -- they happen real fast, nearly as fast as the originals, if the news circulates quickly enough. In Shenzhen China, there are companies who openly make knock-offs, and make good coin on a 90%-the-same 50%-the-price for China's middle class. There's a lot of money to be made in that short period of when a new product is released, and the hype wears down -- the middle-ground of envy and impulse drives an entire market. Fast turnaround time.

[Stranger @ Jan 29th 2007 3:43PM]

Chill, we don't know if anyone will copy the iPhone. Just look at iMac, no iMac-copies out there. Well, since iMac G5 is a copy of the Gateway Profile 3 I assume we would be talking about a Profile 3-copy but it's splitting hair. Look at Mac Mini and all the clones, like the one from Aopen and the one from.. Well, that's it actually. Only one clone so far. Of course, the Mini is an almost exact copy of a mini-pc released in 2001. But we're splitting hair once again. We do have quite a few cheap iPod-copies, but any major brand (Creative, Sandisk etc) have developed their own design-ideas.

My point beyond the rambling and gay Apple-bashing - don't expect iPhone-copies from any but the cheapest Chinese manufacturers since we don't know how the iPhone will perform in the marketplace.

[boe @ Jan 29th 2007 4:39PM]

I'm stoked that a manufacturer is considering a SLIM full WM6 phone - not that limited smartphone crap. Many people I support don't really use their keyboards, they just use the on screen keyboard. I'm glad options will be available to those who want a brick with a keyboard and those of us who prefer to keep our phones in our pocket vs. a fannypack sized holster.

[joe @ Jan 29th 2007 5:25PM]

chinese copies apple and apple copies LG



wow

[Alegoo92 @ Jan 29th 2007 8:03PM]

no they dont. :-)

[Alex G @ Jan 29th 2007 8:01PM]

Asides from the facts that this is an obvious fake, and even if wasnt would be impailed by Apple's lawyers... one good thing can come out of it..

Its shown me that the iPhone can look very good in white... and should probably have multiple interface choices "Aqua, Black, Glass..."

[v_dogg @ Jan 29th 2007 8:16PM]

Daang, I'd take that over the iPhone anyday. Me want!