Phil77354
macrumors 68000
- Jun 22, 2014
- 1,922
- 2,029
- Pacific Northwest, U.S.
- #13
where did you purchase them?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
-
Home
-
New posts
-
WikiPost
-
Support
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Do I have fake Airpods Pro? (Serial number swapped location)
- Thread starter canhaz
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Bought a pair of Airpods Pro off Amazon.com last week, and gotta say, I reall love them.
That said, I became a bit worried after watching videos of the new April 2020 clones that are practically almost impossible to tell apart. The fakes have working H1 chip, noise cancellation everything. I've also previously been burned on Amazon before, even buying full price "direct" from the manufacturer. My Bose QC35's ended up being really convincing counterfeits :/
So first thing I did was to go to https://checkcoverage.apple.com/ to check the Serial number. Well that showed 3 green ticks, with an option to buy Apple Care+ (which I did). However is this a foolproof method? In other words are serial numbers impossible to fake?
However the main thrust of this post is this photograph from a review site:
www.scmp.com
As you can see the Serial and model numbers are printed on the right side, and the certification logos on the left.
![1593269640382.png]( "1593269640382.png")
However, on my Airpods Pro, the the serial is on the left side of the case and the logos look a bit different and are now on the right, as you can see below:
![1593269787290.png]( "1593269787290.png")
AFAICT there are not different Airpod Pro hardware versions (mine still says V1.0.0) in Settings -> About.
Maybe being a bit paranoid but do you think we have anything to worry about. How about your own pair, where is the serial number located on your case?
[automerge]1593270306[/automerge]
That said, I became a bit worried after watching videos of the new April 2020 clones that are practically almost impossible to tell apart. The fakes have working H1 chip, noise cancellation everything. I've also previously been burned on Amazon before, even buying full price "direct" from the manufacturer. My Bose QC35's ended up being really convincing counterfeits :/
So first thing I did was to go to https://checkcoverage.apple.com/ to check the Serial number. Well that showed 3 green ticks, with an option to buy Apple Care+ (which I did). However is this a foolproof method? In other words are serial numbers impossible to fake?
However the main thrust of this post is this photograph from a review site:
We review Apple AirPods Pro: are they better than the original?
The AirPods Pro offer a much richer, rounder and deeper sonic palate than previous Apple headphones, but does our reviewer think they are better than the original?
www.scmp.com
As you can see the Serial and model numbers are printed on the right side, and the certification logos on the left.
However, on my Airpods Pro, the the serial is on the left side of the case and the logos look a bit different and are now on the right, as you can see below:
AFAICT there are not different Airpod Pro hardware versions (mine still says V1.0.0) in Settings -> About.
Maybe being a bit paranoid but do you think we have anything to worry about. How about your own pair, where is the serial number located on your case?
[automerge]1593270306[/automerge]
Update. OMG These new Hicity v3.5 fakes have working serial numbers! How the ** is this possible?
This is out of control.
![1593300592952.png]( "1593300592952.png")
It makes no sense why Apple would let this happen. They obviously could control the database of genuine serials.
[automerge]1593300906[/automerge]
Guys please be careful out there. The amount of fakes on Amazon is a growing rapidly and they everywhere. Amazon has finally launched a new anti-counterfeit team this week, to try get it under control.
www.theverge.com
Personally I'm going to buy from Apple.com from now on. After a few hours research, honestly am not sure if I have the real thing or not. It seems so, but I hate that I can't be 100% sure.
This is out of control.
It makes no sense why Apple would let this happen. They obviously could control the database of genuine serials.
[automerge]1593300906[/automerge]
Guys please be careful out there. The amount of fakes on Amazon is a growing rapidly and they everywhere. Amazon has finally launched a new anti-counterfeit team this week, to try get it under control.
Amazon launches Counterfeit Crimes Unit to fight knockoffs on its store
Despite the name, it’s not a new CSI show.
www.theverge.com
Personally I'm going to buy from Apple.com from now on. After a few hours research, honestly am not sure if I have the real thing or not. It seems so, but I hate that I can't be 100% sure.
I feel you. This is ridiculous. Like you, i‘m looking for some hours now to check if mine are real or not and i‘m still not sure.
![F44A1561-C1A9-48F2-910B-9519CDD8CBCD.jpeg]( "F44A1561-C1A9-48F2-910B-9519CDD8CBCD.jpeg")
Manually, i can‘t Type in the purchase date...
I paid 214€/240$ for them an they are better then my first gen AirPods in any way. I just have to be sure they‘re originals
Manually, i can‘t Type in the purchase date...
I paid 214€/240$ for them an they are better then my first gen AirPods in any way. I just have to be sure they‘re originals
Thank you, I was surprised to learn about this. Apple encodes a bunch of static information in the Serial number. Yikes. This may have strong historical precedent, but it's not great for security.
Predictable serial number attack - Wikipedia
Now that means there's only 3 alpha numeric that identify a device. Which is a paltry 39,304 devices for a certain date,location and model number.
The good news it seems Apple is aware of the problems this create, and is set to change it.
Why Apple is going to randomize its device serial numbers (and why you should care) - AppleToolBox
Apple is expected to change to a new type of serial number that could make figuring out date of manufacture harder. Here's what you should know about the change.
appletoolbox.com
The newer randomized serial will supposedly contain 12 characters A1B2C3D4E5F6 without restrictions. Thus we'd have 34^12 = 2,386,420,684,000,000,000 or 2.3 Quintillion possible serials.
So lets say Apple Manufacturers 50 Billion devices (it's less of course but we can afford to round up). That means a shady counterfeiter has a 0.000002095188008% chance of stumbling onto a valid serial by chance.
Much better
So small update here. Because sometimes you just gotta NOT let things go...
Had a friend who runs a lab offer to weigh my Airpods Pro using their fancy weighing equipment.
The test result shows the case and buds together weigh in at 56.3209g
Now according to the MR Airpo Pro overview page, the official weights are "5.4 grams per earbud. The charging case also weighs in at 45.6 grams. Therefore 5.4g*2 + 45.6g = 56.4g. Seems to be pretty dang close to what we measured. Yay.
While this method is not foolproof it seems previous fakes were all off by a least a few grams based on other reviewers anecdotes.
This measurement is showing less than a <1.0 gram difference, which seems to put it in the acceptable variance (the official figures probably are rounded off introducing less accuracy).
Long story short, it seeming more likely (at least to myself) that there a more than one version of the logos and printing and genuine Airpod Pros from Apple.
Different regional SKUs could account for the this. Another reason could be simply Apple silently updated the product in newer batches with minor cosmetic updates that don't require a new Hardware revision number.
Had a friend who runs a lab offer to weigh my Airpods Pro using their fancy weighing equipment.
The test result shows the case and buds together weigh in at 56.3209g
Now according to the MR Airpo Pro overview page, the official weights are "5.4 grams per earbud. The charging case also weighs in at 45.6 grams. Therefore 5.4g*2 + 45.6g = 56.4g. Seems to be pretty dang close to what we measured. Yay.
While this method is not foolproof it seems previous fakes were all off by a least a few grams based on other reviewers anecdotes.
This measurement is showing less than a <1.0 gram difference, which seems to put it in the acceptable variance (the official figures probably are rounded off introducing less accuracy).
Long story short, it seeming more likely (at least to myself) that there a more than one version of the logos and printing and genuine Airpod Pros from Apple.
Different regional SKUs could account for the this. Another reason could be simply Apple silently updated the product in newer batches with minor cosmetic updates that don't require a new Hardware revision number.
fischersd
macrumors 603
- Oct 23, 2014
- 5,367
- 1,936
- Port Moody, BC, Canada
- #14
Do the counterfeit AirPods show up in Find My??? Has anyone verified that?
That they have access to Apple's serial numbers does suggest that the information is leaking from the plant they're being manufactured in, in China. (which shouldn't be surprising to anyone - the counterfeit business has been huge in China for many years). Apple needs to do activation lock for AirPods to combat this. (which will also cut down on theft, obviously).
That they have access to Apple's serial numbers does suggest that the information is leaking from the plant they're being manufactured in, in China. (which shouldn't be surprising to anyone - the counterfeit business has been huge in China for many years). Apple needs to do activation lock for AirPods to combat this. (which will also cut down on theft, obviously).