All the ways we faked Apple's hottest gadgets of 2019
2019 was a big year for Apple, with items like its upgraded Apple Watch and AirPods Pro proving to be hot consumer picks. But whether these products were sold out or just too expensive for your budget, it was easy enough to fake your way through owning them.
For many, these knock-offs weren't anywhere near the quality of the original product. But it's all about the looks rather than how it actually works, right? And for others, the practicality of a cheaper option is always a huge plus.
Whatever the reason for going "off-brand," here are four of 2019's biggest Apple fake outs.
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The knock-off AirPods Pro
The buzziest Apple product of 2019 wasn't a phone, it was the new AirPods Pro, the upgrade to their already-popular wireless earbuds. The new AirPods Pro came with an updated in-ear design, solid battery life, and noise cancelation, making it a hot commodity.
They also set you back $250 and that's not counting any replacement buds if (shudder) you should lose one. The solution? Well, if you have $95, you can buy these much cheaper knock-offs that look exactly like Apple's product.
The results? According to MacRumors, they're not awful, but also not great. These fakes lack the noise cancellation feature and sound quality of the AirPods Pro. Plus, at $95, they're still pretty expensive for knock-offs, even if they're less than half the price of the AirPods Pro.
If you want to go a bit cheaper and just stick to the regular AirPods, then Walmart has these for under $20. Surprise: They're made by the same folks as the Pros knock-offs.
The iPhone 11 camera sticker
When Apple announced its new iPhone 11 product line, people fixated on that rear triple-camera setup. Some were even freaked out by it.
Those cameras wound up being the best thing about the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. But as with all things iPhone, excitement has already shifted from the iPhone 11 line to next year's iPhone and its rumored upgrades.
But that's almost a year away and owning the latest, greatest iPhone is still a status symbol amongst some tech fans. What to do, though, if you didn't want to bother with this particular model of iPhone, but still wanted people to think you had?
Luckily, a lot of people had the same idea: stickers. Whether you settled for the much cheaper iPhone 11 base model or still had an iPhone X/XS with their *sniff* double-camera system, these stickers attach to your current phone and make it look like an upgraded iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max.
And most of your sticker options should cost less than the largest size of your favorite Starbucks beverage. So you can impress your friends while also pinching pennies as you await the glorious iPhone 12.
The fake Mac Pro cheese grater case
Most of us probably don't have the boatload of cash that's necessary to buy the new, powerful Mac Pro and its $400 wheels. But that doesn't mean you can't make it look like you can shell out $50,000 for a top-of-the-line Mac.
Meet the Dune Pro, a PC case that's meant to convince your pals you've plopped down a small fortune for Apple's high-ender.
At $200, this product is easily the most expensive thing on this list. And it costs a healthy chunk of change in its own right, especially when the point is to fake it like you own the actual tech.
But, considering the Mac Pro starts at $5,999, $200 is pretty darn cheap in contrast.
The knock-off Apple Watch
This one's actually different in that the product is, well, real. The BingoFit Legend is a "smart" watch that has a touchscreen, notifications, and a heart rate and sleep tracker. Crucially, it's shaped like an Apple Watch, so if your friends just glanced at it, they'd totally think it was an Apple Watch.
Oh, and it costs less than $20.
It's part of a whole Apple Watch-look-a-like industry that's saturated Amazon and other retail sites simply because it looks like an Apple Watch. Whether or not it actually measures up to an Apple Watch (unlikely) is besides the point. No one will know the difference ... and, it costs less than dinner at Red Lobster. That, friends, is a win-win.
Topics AirPods Apple Apple Watch
Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
