Three new purported Apple retail stores opened recently in Kunming, Yunnan Province, have aroused a torrent of media attention since an American blogger reported them on her Web site last week.

The recent discovery has ignited a hot topic on Chinese internet forums: Are the stores in Kunming fake?

According to Apple's website, there are only four Apple retail stores in the Chinese mainland: two in Beijing and two in Shanghai.

Staff at the stores has refused to talk to reporters and prohibited photography inside, but an anonymous employee said the company would issue a release to the media soon.

A Xinhua journalist who visited the store at 25 Zhengyi Rd. in Kunming said the shop was well decorated, with the famous white Apple logo displayed prominently on the storefront. "Apple Store" signs in English and Chinese characters accompanying the logo provided the only clue that something was off – Apple retail stores use only the logo.

Apple has refused to comment on the stores.

Employees at the store wore the same blue T-shirts and name tags printed with the Apple logo as their legitimate counterparts.

Liu Zongkun, an authorized Apple dealer in downtown Kunming, said the purported Apple retail stores had been open for nearly two months but haven't affected sales at her store. She suggested buy Apple products in authorized stores to ensure more reliable guarantees.

Only retail stores directly run by Apple can feature Apple's logo prominently in their stores, Liu said. At Liu's store, the Apple mark isn't used in the store's name or on any of its posters or uniforms.

Some media have reported that Apple plans to open 33 new retail stores around the whole world, including its first one in Hong Kong. The company is expected to open 25 new retail stores in China by 2012.

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