Fake AirPods are a $3.2 billion ‘problem’ for Apple, here’s why – morningtidings

Apple AirPods are amongst the most popular true wireless earbuds in the world. Every year Apple sells them to millions of people and continues to rake in the moolah. AirPods’ popularity means that there is a huge market for counterfeit or fake versions of the true wireless earbuds. Skim through any e-commerce platform and you will see AirPods replicas selling by the dozen.
Fake AirPods, according to a report by The Information, could cost Apple close to $3.2 billion in lost AirPods sales in 2021 in the US alone. The idea is on the basis that people who bought fake AirPods would’ve otherwise bought the real, genuine product, says the report by The Information. Of course, it’s an assumption but even if half the people who bought fake AirPods had purchased the real ones, Apple would have made quite a profit.
The company spoke about not just the loss of revenue but the threat to user safety from fake products. “Counterfeit products deliver an inferior experience, and they can often be dangerous,” an Apple spokesperson said. (There have been cases of fake chargers and batteries catching fire.)” Apple further said that it has teams around the world working with law enforcement, customs, merchants, social media companies and e-commerce sites to remove counterfeits. “It’s important for customers to have the confidence they are buying a genuine product, and not being tricked into thinking they’re buying something that they’re not,” the spokesperson further added.
The report further says that close to 3.6 lakh counterfeit “wireless headphones with a retail value of $62.2 million were confiscated in the first nine months of the US government’s fiscal year, which starts in October.” This is according to previously unreported data from US Customs and Border Protection. Most of the fake Apple products, including counterfeit AirPods come from China as well as Hong Kong.