Days after Apple Watch launch, Chinese sites start selling its Android-running copies

It has not even been a week since the launch of Apple Watch and Chinese giant Alibaba’s online retail site Taobao has already listed what seems to look like clones of the Apple Watch. Dubbed the AW08 and the iWatch, the smartwatch models also feature a digital crown on the sides, similar looking straps and although these cheap imitations of the Apple Watch do not run the Watch iOS, the UI looks quite similar. The AW08 and iWatch runs on Google’s Android platform. The AW08 is priced at 238 Yuan, which is a fraction of the 2,588 Yuan price which Apple is expected to charge for its Watch. It is expected to go on sale officially next month. [caption id=“attachment_258623” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  AW08 selling on Taobao[/caption] While the AW08 and its ilk do not boast of the heart-rate sensor on their smartwatch, they claim to have a long-lasting battery life. When this was pointed out to Alibaba, the spokeswoman for Alibaba said that the company was dedicated to the fight against counterfeits. According to a report in Mashable, there were Apple Watch copycat watches on sale at CES as well. In fact the reporter actually bought one for $27 at the event in Las Vegas. The ‘Smart Watch’ was made by Shenzen based company called Hyperdon. Apple products are quite popular in China. But according to Matthew Forney, president of business consultancy Fathom China, most consumers in China are aware of the issue with fakes and copycats on Taobao. Also people buying these products are aware of the fact that they aren’t buying the real Watch. According to an intellectual property lawyer, Apple is not going after these companies as blocking the sale of these fakes can lead to expensive litigations and could be time-consuming.