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How to tell if your AirPods are fake

How to tell if your AirPods are fake

Counterfeit AirPods are more common than you might think.

Leander Kahney
August 23, 2023

A while ago, I bought a pair of Beats earbuds from a street vendor here in San Francisco.

They were only $50 — a huge bargain! I was delighted … until I put them in my ears.

They sounded absolutely terrible. Shockingly, I’d been ripped off!!!

From outside appearances, the bogus Beats looked great. Even the packaging looked genuine.

The street vendor thing should have been a warning sign, but wishful thinking clouded my judgment.

The problem is even worse for AirPods. Given the runaway popularity of Apple’s little white earbuds, the market is flooded with knockoffs.

Customs authorities just seized thousands of counterfeit AirPods in Long Beach — part of the 25 million knockoff products seized every year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

So if you’re tempted by some bargain AirPods that look too good to be true, or recently acquired some that seem suspicious, here’s how to tell if your AirPods are genuine or not.

Also in today’s newsletter:

Talking of Beats, Studio Buds+ now come in two new cosmic colors.
This year’s Apple betas are drawing to a close — release candidates are expected soon. Meanwhile, here are all the changes in the latest releases.
With a new Apple Watch Ultra expected shortly, it may not be the best time to buy Apple's best wearable. Then again, the updated Ultra isn’t expected to change very much, and the current one is on sale at its lowest price ever.
The best thing you can do to protect your teeth is get an electric toothbrush, and at just $25, this one can’t be beat.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

How to tell if your AirPods are fake

Need to check if your new AirPods are genuine? Follow these steps to identify counterfeit AirPods, which might be more common than you think.

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^{A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team}

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Beats Studio Buds+ come in 2 new cosmic colors

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Adorable puppy prosthetics star in new ‘Shot on iPhone’ video

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^{A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team}

This $25 smart toothbrush knows when to stop cleaning

Keep your smile healthy. Get the AquaSonic Icon electric toothbrush with magnetic holder and slim travel case for $24.99 (regularly $39).

2022 M1 iPad Air gets a big $149 discount

Apple's 2022 M1 iPad Air with cellular connectivity has hit an all-time low price of $599 after a big $149 discount on Amazon.

Momax power station packs 6 ports, 100W of power and wireless charging

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The Plugable USBC-4IN1 USB-C dock has just what's needed to connect a 4K HDMI TV to a Mac or iPad, plus more high-speed accessories, too.

Today in Apple history: iPad takes to the skies with United Airlines

On August 23, 2011, United Airlines said it would hand out 11,000 iPads to its pilots. Apple tablets replaced aircrews' heavy flight bags.

Why does this MacBook Pro rig need a dock with 14 ports? [Setups]

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Tweetz o’ the day

Blue Dalmatian & Flower Power iMac Wallpapers ✌️
These Apple wallpapers are a blast from the (psychedelic) past.
httpbasicappleguy.com/haberdashery/b…p
— Basic Apple Guy (@BasicAppleGuy)
2:06 PM • Aug 23, 2023

In today’s money, roughly how much would you have to spend to acquire these two, which would have allowed you to start a lucrative small business in early 1990s and earn it all back in about a year?
(No Googling/ChatGPTing)
↓
— Kontra (@counternotions)
7:44 PM • Aug 22, 2023

One more thing ...

❝

We were young — and we learned that we could build something, ourselves, that could control billions of dollars' worth of infrastructure in the world. It was an incredible lesson. I don't think there would have been an Apple computer, had there not been blue boxing.

— Steve Jobs, 1995.

Today’s poll

Have you ever bought fake products?

Results from yesterday’s poll: If prices go up, will you balk at buying a new iPhone this year?

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