Two people from Maryland tried to trick Apple into giving them new iPhones by sending fake ones to be fixed. They did this for over 5,000 phones and could have lost Apple more than $3 million. They got caught and now they might go to jail for a long time. This has happened before with other people trying the same thing. It shows that Apple needs to be careful and make sure they don't get tricked like this again, or else they can lose a lot of money. Read from source...

1. The title is misleading and sensationalist. It does not capture the main issue of the article, which is Apple's vulnerability to fraudulent activities involving counterfeit iPhones. Rather, it focuses on the personal story of two conspirators who tried to con Apple out of millions of dollars.
2. The use of terms such as "almost conned" and "before getting busted" implies that Apple was close to being defrauded and that the authorities were quick to catch the culprits, which is not accurate. The pair managed to submit over 5,000 fake phones before they were arrested, which shows that their scheme was successful for a long time and that Apple's security measures were inadequate.
3. The article relies heavily on press releases and court documents, which may not provide the full picture of what happened. For example, it does not mention why Xue and other conspirators decided to engage in this fraudulent activity, or how they managed to obtain the fake iPhones from Hong Kong. It also does not explore the possible motives behind Apple's return and replacement policies, which may encourage such scams.
4. The article uses emotional language and anecdotes to appeal to the reader's feelings, rather than presenting a balanced and factual analysis of the issue. For example, it compares the case of Xue and other conspirators to that of Haiteng Wu, who duped Apple out of $1 million in iPhones, as if they were similar cases. However, there may be significant differences between them, such as the scale of the fraud, the methods used, and the consequences for the victims.
5. The article does not provide any solutions or recommendations to address the problem of counterfeit iPhones and Apple's vulnerability to fraudulent activities. It merely highlights the risks and challenges that the company faces, without offering any insight into how it can improve its security measures or prevent such scams in the future.