The iPhone is hardly the first Apple product to be copied. Apple's popularity makes it an extremely profitable target. Anything from the basic design to the final product can be appropriated with varying degrees of quality.
China started its cloning trade in the 1980s, and by the early 90s the creations had evolved from cheap textile knockoffs to more brand-specific goods. Within another decade, cloners would be offering functional duplicates of Intel processors, Viagra tablets and Bosch power tools.