There has been a lot of press about the story of the fake Apple stores in China. For anyone catching up this came up from a blog by a US national living in Kunming in China who walked into an Apple store and realised it was a fake.
One thing that struck me about the story was the fact the staff really thought they were working for Apple. Whether this is true or not it struck me as a great touch. Creating a fake environment and including the staff in the process. It's like something out of a Phillip K Dick novel. People working hard for "Apple" and taking pride in their jobs, telling their friends and families they were part of a huge global company when in reality they are slaving away in a bizarre alternate universe.
Of course now it seems they are all over China and I suppose that is the interesting point. Technology and the web creates the demand for Apple products but that same technology means once the secret is out the whole world knows about it.
As we are on the subject this is a good excuse to remind people about some other classic store fronts that have become international stories, the classic one being Hitler's Cross, the Hitler themed restaurant in Mumbai. Another favourite is the Ken Livingstone tea stall in Cochin, India.
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