AS ONE OF the world’s biggest and most successful brands, Apple is bound to inspire some of the weirdest stories you can imagine.

From brand devotion that borders on the obsessive to heart-warming stories of Apps Against the Elements, we bring you some of the most eyebrow-raising tales…

1. Fake stores

China is no stranger to counterfeit goods, however it would appear that flogging forged iPhones and iPads isn’t enough for some unscrupulous traders in Kunming - who have opened entire Apple stores that are fake.

To the untrained eye, the stores look every inch the Apple experience… the only clue is the name hanging above the entrance: “Apple Store”.

2. Man trapped in Haiti rubble lived thanks to app

American filmmaker Dan Woolley was in Port-au-Prince making a documentary to highlight poverty in Haiti when the devastating earthquake of 12 January 2010 struck, killing an estimated 230,000 people.

Woolley found himself stuck under the rubble of his hotel, hurt and bleeding. However, a first-aid app that he had downloaded onto his iPhone instructed him how to stop the bleeding from his head and fashion a tourniquet for his leg. The app also warned Woolley not to allow himself to fall asleep if he felt he was in shock, so he set an alarm to go off every 20 minutes.

After 65 hours, a rescue team found him and brought him to the surface – shortly after which he was reunited with his wife and two sons.

3. Man who forced girlfriend to eat iPhone

A less happy story is that of Brian Anscomb, a 37-year-old attorney from New York who hit the headlines recently for allegedly forcing an iPhone down his girlfriend’s throat during a domestic dispute. The 23-year-old woman reportedly suffered cuts and bruising to her mouth and throat as a result of the incident. Anscomb has denied the claims.

4. The teenager who sold kidney for an iPad

Brand devotion often takes on an entirely new meaning in China, as the story of one teenager from Huaishan City shows. The 17-year-old, know only as Zheng, wanted an iPad 2 so badly that when he came across an illegal organ trafficker online who offered 20,000 yuan (€2,160) in exchange for a kidney he leapt at the opportunity. After the surgery, Zheng went straight out and bought a shiny new iPad and an iPhone.

However, unsurprisingly, he now reportedly regrets his decision as his health is deteriorating, according to Gizmodo. The kidney broker, equally unsurprisingly, is nowhere to be found.

5. The 300-page invoice

Justine Ezarik from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, was delighted to finally get her first iPhone… but more than a little surprised by her first bill. It wasn’t the amount due that bothered her, however, but the bill itself: a detailed list of every single transaction – including every text sent, received and the size of the data files – which was delivered in a cardboard box, ran for almost 300 pages and cost $10 for postage alone.

Her network provider, AT&T, changed their billing policy soon afterwards (much to the relief of trees everywhere).

6. The orchestra that uses iPhones as instruments

Some musicians have embraced the iPhone not only as a modern convenience but also as a gateway for artistic expression. The Michigan Mobile Phone Ensemble is one such group eschewing traditional instruments in favour of iPhone apps – and the result can be surprisingly good…