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With the iPad still not released to overseas markets, and demand higher than ever, it is inevitable that some knockoffs would try and get a little of that market share. So the unsurprising news of the day: there are knockoff iPads available in Shenzhen, China already. And hey, this one has three USB ports! Better than the original!

One shopkeeper surnamed Lin told Reuters that his iPad knock-off, which runs Windows and features three USB ports, is competitively priced: 2,800 yuan ($410) compared to Apple’s iPad, priced between $500 and $830. Reuters described the knock-off as a giant iPhone, and Lin said future generations would look even more like the real thing.

“This is just the first rough version,” Lin said in Cantonese. “While the shape isn’t quite the same, the external appearance is very similar to the iPad, so we don’t think it will affect our sales that much.”

Shenzhen is notorious for being home to counterfeits of many products, such as iPhones, MacBooks and battery chargers. The New York Times in April 2009 wrote a report illustrating the impact of cellphone knock-offs capturing market share from the world’s biggest phone makers. Manufacturers have been urging the Chinese government to crack down on fake products while warning consumers about potential health hazards, such as exploding batteries.

Source: Reuters.