The
term ‘Made in China’ has become synonymous with fake products over the years.
But this is a prejudice that needs to change.

This myth dates back to the time when Europe and other markets
were overrun by the first wave of consumer electronics from China that started
in the early 90’s—very cheap devices in plain plastic bodies that very often
had famous brand names on them.

No one was expecting quality and the only perk they had was the
price. I must add that even if the Chinese wanted to produce quality stuff
then, they would have failed. Back then, China did not have the necessary
technologies like production lines or the expertise including engineers and
designers.

But in a decade, China made a breakthrough in quality and
quantity. By creating a free economic zone, China has managed to attract
virtually all consumer electronics manufacturers from around the world with the
availability of cheap labour and financial privileges. Today, European,
American and even Japanese manufacturers like Sony, HP, Dell and Apple operate
in China for reasons mentioned above. The result is that as far as one brand is
concerned, Sony, for example, there is absolutely no difference where the products
are manufactured, the quality is the same. It is achieved by simply following
the thoroughly tested production line manuals and use of competently trained
staff.

The goal of any manufacturer is to follow the quality standard
regardless of the factory. Moreover, all the parts of a single device are all
the same at any factory with almost no exceptions.

All this allows you to create identical products and quality
issues usually arise due to improper factory quality control or faulty
production lines and very often the ever-present human factors. The vast
majority of the production of electronics parts is outsourced to contract
manufacturers operating in so-called low cost countries and of course, China
takes a lead.

Quality depends on
manufacturer not country of origin
Many are fixated on the “Made in China” stereotype and they associate
everything Chinese with the devices that used to break down immediately after
the purchase. This attitude has been changing very slowly in the recent years.

You should always draw a line between Chinese products
manufactured by major international companies like Sony and Apple that
guarantee quality, and the tiny Chinese cottage industry, which manufactures
anything from four-sim card phones to radio watches. Both are Chinese and will
have Made in China on their products but the quality will differ significantly.

Nonetheless, because of the thriving manufacturing industry in
China, it is not difficult for anyone with the right machinery to open up a
production line and make knock-off electronics that are of poor quality with
popular brand copying. These items are usually miles away, in terms of the
price difference, with the real thing. And this is what exactly pushes up their
demand.

I must add that these items are not always a bad thing, so long as
you know what you are getting. See, China is a land of endless factories—with
many pumping out the world’s most desirable gadgets, from iPhones to portable
computers to digital cameras and much more. Plenty of other goods, both
electronic and otherwise, are routinely copied in China.

The most common on the Ugandan market are the phones, specifically
known as Chinese phones. Manufacturers of these phones have interesting
marketing strategies that are quite simple.

They copy the designs and brand names. For instance, you shall
come across things like Sumsung for Samsung or Nckia for Nokia. Some are bold
enough to print Nokia on the phone, using a different font. This has now
changed and you shall see generic logos. It might look like a Sony Ericsson, or
Apple’s latest, but turn it on and you will hear a strange Chinese techno
ringtone. Turn on the 8-Megapixel phone camera, take a photo, and see something
of a 0.5-Megapixel quality. Then scroll through the operating system and you shall
shockingly find English grammar and spelling mistakes and the worst case
scenario is some parts of the operating system being in Chinese.

Why fake products
thrive
The biggest selling point for most of these fake phones is the price in
contrast to the intended use. There prices are more often than not way lower
than the real thing that they are a compelling choice for many buyers who just
want to make a phone call. It is significantly important that awareness of fake
phones be raised, as it can be very difficult for buyers to tell the difference
between a fake and genuine product.

The quality of fakes has reached the point where many buyers will
assume they have the real thing. They sometimes look, feel and behave like the
real thing right down to start up sequences and graphics. We all ought to raise
a glass to Uganda Communications Commission for their recent declaration of war
on these kinds of phones and by logical extension to other fake electronics
that have been flooding the market.

That said, keep in mind that the Made in China stamp does not
necessarily mean it is of any less quality than that made from elsewhere.

Spotting the fakes
With the influx of genuine-looking fake gadgets hitting the market, here are a
few tips that might just helping you spot the fakes;
• Packaging: Check the packaging to make sure it is in good condition. Also,
make sure the batch number on the packaging is the same as that on the product.
• Colours: Check packaging and products for colour consistency, and depth.
Quality is key.
• Spellings: Check for misspellings or bad English, grammar etc, on manuals or
labels.
• Labels: Fake electronics don’t often have inner labels. When they do, these
scratch off easily.
• Price: If it’s so cheap you can’t believe it, then it probably is fake.
Research on the current market price and if the price being offered is nowhere
close to it, then it might be fake.
(Tech News Daily)

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com