The number of fake wireless headphones from China flowing into the US is a record high, most of which are AirPods

According to a report from The Information, the number of counterfeit wireless headphones seized by US border customs in 2021 has surpassed last year’s total. It is a sign that manufacturers of these counterfeit products continue to try to “copy” famous wireless headphones, most of which are Apple’s AirPods, as well as products from Samsung, Jabra, and others. Bose, Sony and others.

According to the report, “approximately 360,000 counterfeit wireless headphones” – worth $62.2 million – were seized in the first nine months of fiscal 2021. This is higher than the 295,000 headsets that were seized during the entire year. fiscal 2020. Just yesterday, US Customs and Border Protection announced a major seizure in Cincinnati.

About 80% of counterfeits brought into the US come from China, and these manufacturers see a big opportunity: Strategy Analytics estimates worldwide sales of Bluetooth headsets to be more than 300 million in 2020, and the market wireless headphones increased by 90%.

Apple still holds the leading position in terms of market share. Research firm Canalys estimates that Apple raked in at least $16 billion from AirPods sales last year. The introduction of AirPods Pro in 2019 gave counterfeiters the opportunity to snag even more money from inexperienced buyers.

Even OnePlus itself faced an awkward incident last September, when US Customs and Border Protection seized a shipment of the company’s headphones and described them as fake AirPods.

Blatantly fake AirPods are increasingly looking like the real thing. Some fake headphones are suspected to be made with “genuine molds stolen from factories that work with Apple.” There are also fake headphones that can mimic the AirPods pairing process on an iPhone and display a number. the appropriate Apple series But even in these situations, there are small details (like a bogus firmware version) that reveal a product is fake.

Apple said it is working globally to tackle the problem of counterfeiting and is working with law enforcement and e-commerce sites to prevent customers from being misled.

Reference: TheVerge