I’ve said this over and over again in multiple forums, but I’ll repeat it here. Chinese technology companies have to stop intellectual piracy. From the look and feel of the Chinese Facebook to the plethora of Chinese-made Rolex knock-offs on eBay, Chinese design is derivative to the extreme. I don’t know what it is about the mentality — perhaps it’s a “They’re winning, so we can win using their formula” — but it’s embarrassing, unprofessional, and ridiculously obvious.
So here we are looking at screens from the Meizu M8 media player. If you’ve ever used the iPhone, you will recognize that this company has stolen everything from the form factor to the UI and workflow. Instead of hitching their wagon to a star, Meizu CEO Jack Wong hitched it to a freaking donkey cart.
This device will fail. It will not sell in the U.S. and will sell a few million in Asia and then disappear along with the company. China, please. I know it’s easier to make things that look like other things, but it’s futile. Make all the crappy handbags and DVDs you want, but in a knowledge economy, piracy is tantamount to admitting you want to remain in the industrial age.