Copycat

We've all seen and heard the commotion that the release of the iPhone made this summer. It's the "must-have" piece of technology of the moment. Costing more, sometimes double, of what any other cellphone on the market, the iPhone displays a touchscreen, MP3 player, Internet browser, and the clearest and brightest camera a phone can have. People all across the US stood in line for hours just to get a piece of the newest product from Apple.

What , then, will happen once more and more phones, like the iPhone, starts popping up in the market? The answer to that reached my ears just last week as I sat in the cafeteria talking to a friend. A copycat, look-a-like, exact replica of the iPhone was being made in China! According to my friend, it would be twice as fast, double the memory, fancier exterior, and more than half of what the original iPhone costs. Being the skeptical person that I am, I immediately went and did the research.

As soon as I found the page, I couldn't believe my eyes! A Chinese company by the name of Meizu is currently manufacturing a product so close to the iPhone, that many journalists and tech experts say Apple will surely sue. Just little differences in the chrome finish of the phone and length are visible by the photos online. However, this got me thinking if copying a product this exactly was ethically correct?

Many critics online say that the product will not reach popularity because it is such an exact copy of the iPhone that Apple will surely sue and no miniOnes by Meizu will be made. On the contrary, maybe a copycat phone is the ideal solution for those of us who want a stylish and high-tech phone, but would rather spend their money on something else. Isn't that how everything evolves? One idea copied from another, but only made better, and in this case cheaper? Maybe the miniOne won't guarantee that quality of its product, or have as much status, but if released, it will be a quick end to the iPhone craze that is sweeping this country.

Can you see a difference?