China's Goophone unveils US$99 Android iPad Mini clone
Every inch a GooPad mini with none of that Apple taste
Apple’s Chinese nemesis Goophone is no slouch when it comes to launching fruity tech clones powered by Android – it’s just taken the covers off an iPad Mini lookalike running Jelly Bean which will sell for just $99.
The infamous handset maker, which is already selling devices that bear more than a passing resemblance to the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5, is now touting the GooPad mini, according to Chinese tech site Gizmochina.
Although The Reg couldn’t find reference to it on Goophone's .hk site, the firm has form in the tablet space – having previously sold a 9.7in iPad rip-off dubbed the GooPad.
A poster obtained by Gizmochina features the $99 mini clone in all its glory – and has even ripped off Apple’s famous marketing tagline with a cheeky: “Every inch a GooPad mini”.
The 8in device apparently features a 1024x768 pixel display, a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, and 8GB storage.
It’s slated for launch in November.
If you think Apple’s lawyers will be sharpening their quills as we speak, well, there’s not been any movement so far from Cupertino despite Goophone’s previous with its iPhone and iPad clones.
The firm even had the cheek to issue a public warning to Apple after launching its Goophone i5 device that it had already patented the design in China and would sue if the fruity tech titan tried to sell its new phone in the People’s Republic.
We’re still waiting for that to happen, of course, although the genuine device is nigh on certain to launch in the world's biggest mobile market before the end of the year. ®
COMMENTS
Intrigued
I must say I'm intrigued. I don't care that it looks like an iPad, but that's not a bad price for those specs. Assuming the build quality isn't absolute pants, of course.
Is it even possible to buy these in the UK without knowing someone in China? I suppose eBay may be an option.
Re: Howexactly is this an iPad clone?
It's a clone because the specs are way behind the competition, the lowres screen seen in this and the ipadmini would be laughed at by the likes of HTC, Motorola and Samsung.
On the other hand it's not a clone because the price actually matches the specs.
its not
It only needs to add GPS to instantly make it better specs than the 3x the price ipad mini....
I know apple maps is really poor, but leaving out GPS and having a rubbish bluetooth stack that can't even share files is ultimate cheap skating on apples part...
Re: Intrigued
Eh hem "Assuming the build quality isn't absolute pants, of course."
