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→‎Market positioning: Added information about Xiaomi's differences from Apple to balance out the dismissive tone of this section.
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== Market positioning ==
== Market positioning ==


The company's marketing strategy is to ride on the back of the "cult of Apple"<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/29/technology/challenging-apple-by-imitation.html |title=Challenging Apple by Imitation|publisher=New York Times | date = 2012-10-29 | accessdate = 2013-08-15}}</ref> using a similar marketing strategy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/07/lei-jun-xiaomi_n_2255953.html |title=Lei Jun, Founder Of Xiaomi, Might Just Be 'China's Steve Jobs' |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date= |accessdate=2013-08-24}}</ref> Its chairman and CEO, Lei Jun,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/profile/lei-jun/ |title=Lei Jun |publisher=Forbes |date=2012-04-18 |accessdate=2013-08-24}}</ref> carefully cultivates a [[Steve Jobs]] image, including jeans and dark shirts,<ref name="nytimes1">[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/05/business/global/in-china-an-empire-built-by-aping-apple.html "In China an Empire Built by Aping Apple"], ''[[New York Times]], June 5, 2013.</ref> and Jobs' style of product announcements.<ref name="businessinsider1">{{cite web|author=Steve Kovach Aug. 22, 2013, 6:48 PM 42,517 14 |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/xiaomi-2013-8 |title=Xiaomi |publisher=Business Insider |date= |accessdate=2013-08-24}}</ref> He has been categorized as a counterfeit Jobs.<ref>{{cite web|author=6/05/13 11:49am 6/05/13 11:49am |url=http://gizmodo.com/what-apple-should-steal-from-chinas-steve-jobs-511409943 |title=What Apple Should Steal from China's Steve Jobs |publisher=Gizmodo.com |date=2013-04-23 |accessdate=2013-08-24}}</ref> The company's strategy has been categorized as [[counterfeiting]] philosophy, mindset and an icon.<ref>{{cite web|last=Clark |first=Adam |url=http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/chinas-even-counterfeiting-steve-jobs-now |title=China's Even Counterfeiting Steve Jobs Now &#124; Motherboard |publisher=Motherboard.vice.com |date= |accessdate=2013-08-24}}</ref> Despite repeated comparisons to [[Apple Inc.]], Xiaomi maintains that it espouses a different set of principles.<ref name="nyt"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://techcrunch.com/2013/05/09/eyeing-4-5b-in-sales-this-year-phone-maker-xiaomi-looks-to-emulate-a-340-year-old-chinese-medicine-company/|title=Eyeing $4.5B In Sales This Year, Phone Maker Xiaomi Looks To Emulate A 340-Year-Old Chinese Medicine Company|publisher=[[Techcrunch]] | date = 2013-05-09 | accessdate = 2013-08-15}}</ref> Xiaomi has no retail stores nor does it partner with third-party distributors. Instead, all Xiaomi products are sold directly via the company's website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://allthingsd.com/video/?video_id=4AEC86F1-F03B-4D0A-95BC-A34D5CD605F3/|title=Lin Bin of Xiaomi Talks Smartphone Disruptions|publisher=[[AllThingsD]] |date = 2012-10-30 | accessdate = 2013-08-15}}</ref> Skeptics categorize the products as non-innovative<ref name="businessinsider1"/> low-price iPhone imitations that have no significant hardware or software advantages. <ref name="nytimes1"/> Others point out that while there are some similarities to Apple, innovations such as weekly OS updates and being easy to customize set Xiaomi apart.<ref>http://www.techinasia.com/york-times-xiaomi-wrong/</ref>
The company's marketing strategy is to ride on the back of the "cult of Apple"<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/29/technology/challenging-apple-by-imitation.html |title=Challenging Apple by Imitation|publisher=New York Times | date = 2012-10-29 | accessdate = 2013-08-15}}</ref> using a similar marketing strategy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/07/lei-jun-xiaomi_n_2255953.html |title=Lei Jun, Founder Of Xiaomi, Might Just Be 'China's Steve Jobs' |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date= |accessdate=2013-08-24}}</ref> Its chairman and CEO, Lei Jun,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/profile/lei-jun/ |title=Lei Jun |publisher=Forbes |date=2012-04-18 |accessdate=2013-08-24}}</ref> carefully cultivates a [[Steve Jobs]] image, including jeans and dark shirts,<ref name="nytimes1">[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/05/business/global/in-china-an-empire-built-by-aping-apple.html "In China an Empire Built by Aping Apple"], ''[[New York Times]], June 5, 2013.</ref> and Jobs' style of product announcements.<ref name="businessinsider1">{{cite web|author=Steve Kovach Aug. 22, 2013, 6:48 PM 42,517 14 |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/xiaomi-2013-8 |title=Xiaomi |publisher=Business Insider |date= |accessdate=2013-08-24}}</ref> He has been categorized as a counterfeit Jobs.<ref>{{cite web|author=6/05/13 11:49am 6/05/13 11:49am |url=http://gizmodo.com/what-apple-should-steal-from-chinas-steve-jobs-511409943 |title=What Apple Should Steal from China's Steve Jobs |publisher=Gizmodo.com |date=2013-04-23 |accessdate=2013-08-24}}</ref> The company's strategy has been categorized as [[counterfeiting]] philosophy, mindset and an icon.<ref>{{cite web|last=Clark |first=Adam |url=http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/chinas-even-counterfeiting-steve-jobs-now |title=China's Even Counterfeiting Steve Jobs Now &#124; Motherboard |publisher=Motherboard.vice.com |date= |accessdate=2013-08-24}}</ref> Despite repeated comparisons to [[Apple Inc.]], Xiaomi maintains that it espouses a different set of principles.<ref name="nyt"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://techcrunch.com/2013/05/09/eyeing-4-5b-in-sales-this-year-phone-maker-xiaomi-looks-to-emulate-a-340-year-old-chinese-medicine-company/|title=Eyeing $4.5B In Sales This Year, Phone Maker Xiaomi Looks To Emulate A 340-Year-Old Chinese Medicine Company|publisher=[[Techcrunch]] | date = 2013-05-09 | accessdate = 2013-08-15}}</ref> Xiaomi has no retail stores nor does it partner with third-party distributors. Instead, all Xiaomi products are sold directly via the company's website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://allthingsd.com/video/?video_id=4AEC86F1-F03B-4D0A-95BC-A34D5CD605F3/|title=Lin Bin of Xiaomi Talks Smartphone Disruptions|publisher=[[AllThingsD]] |date = 2012-10-30 | accessdate = 2013-08-15}}</ref> Skeptics categorize the products as non-innovative<ref name="businessinsider1"/> low-price iPhone imitations that have no significant hardware or software advantages. <ref name="nytimes1"/> Others point out that while there are some similarities to Apple, innovations such as weekly OS updates and being easy to customize set Xiaomi apart.<ref>http://www.techinasia.com/york-times-xiaomi-wrong/</ref>


== History ==
== History ==

Revision as of 13:42, 29 August 2013

Xiaomi Inc.
Company typePrivate
Industry
FoundedApril 6, 2010; 14 years ago (2010-04-06)
FounderLei Jun
Lin Bin Edit this on Wikidata
HeadquartersBeijing, China
Key people
Hugo Barra (Vice President)
Products
Number of employees
approximately 3,500[citation needed]
Websitewww.xiaomi.com

Xiaomi Inc. (Chinese: 小米科技; pinyin: Xiǎomĭ Kējì) is a privately owned company that designs, develops, and sells smartphones, apps, and consumer electronics.[1] Since the release of its first smartphone in August 2011,[citation needed] Xiaomi has gained market share in Mainland China and has expanded into developing a wider range of consumer electronics.

Market positioning

The company's marketing strategy is to ride on the back of the "cult of Apple"[2] using a similar marketing strategy.[3] Its chairman and CEO, Lei Jun,[4] carefully cultivates a Steve Jobs image, including jeans and dark shirts,[5] and Jobs' style of product announcements.[6] He has been categorized as a counterfeit Jobs.[7] The company's strategy has been categorized as counterfeiting philosophy, mindset and an icon.[8] Despite repeated comparisons to Apple Inc., Xiaomi maintains that it espouses a different set of principles.[2][9] Xiaomi has no retail stores nor does it partner with third-party distributors. Instead, all Xiaomi products are sold directly via the company's website.[10] Skeptics categorize the products as non-innovative[6] low-price iPhone imitations that have no significant hardware or software advantages. [5] Others point out that while there are some similarities to Apple, innovations such as weekly OS updates and being easy to customize set Xiaomi apart.[11]

History

Seven partners co-founded Xiaomi on June 6, 2010. Institutional investors include Temasek, a Singaporean government-owned investment vehicle, and the venture capital funds IDG Capital and Qiming Venture Partners both from China.[2]

In August 2012 Xiaomi announced the Mi 2. The phone featured Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064, a 1.5 GHz quad-core Krait SoC complemented by 2 GB of RAM and the Adreno 320 GPU.[12]

In November 2012 Xiaomi's set-top box stopped working one week after launching due to the company having run afoul of the regulatory agency State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television.[13][14][15] The regulatory issues were overcome in January 2013.[16]

Xiaomi products are manufactured by Foxconn, which also assembles Apple's iPhones and iPads.[17][18]

References

  1. ^ "小米47寸电视真机照曝光". 驱动之家. 2013-06-17. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  2. ^ a b c "Challenging Apple by Imitation". New York Times. 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  3. ^ "Lei Jun, Founder Of Xiaomi, Might Just Be 'China's Steve Jobs'". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
  4. ^ "Lei Jun". Forbes. 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
  5. ^ a b "In China an Empire Built by Aping Apple", New York Times, June 5, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Steve Kovach Aug. 22, 2013, 6:48 PM 42,517 14. "Xiaomi". Business Insider. Retrieved 2013-08-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ 6/05/13 11:49am 6/05/13 11:49am (2013-04-23). "What Apple Should Steal from China's Steve Jobs". Gizmodo.com. Retrieved 2013-08-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Clark, Adam. "China's Even Counterfeiting Steve Jobs Now | Motherboard". Motherboard.vice.com. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
  9. ^ "Eyeing $4.5B In Sales This Year, Phone Maker Xiaomi Looks To Emulate A 340-Year-Old Chinese Medicine Company". Techcrunch. 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  10. ^ "Lin Bin of Xiaomi Talks Smartphone Disruptions". AllThingsD. 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  11. ^ "The New York Times Gets Xiaomi Way, Way Wrong", Tech In Asia, June 10, 2013.
  12. ^ "Xiaomi Phone 2 Review". engadget. 2012 -11-14. Retrieved 2013-08-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Bischoff, Paul (2012-11-26). "How and Why Xiaomi Ran Afoul of China's Media Regulator". Techinasia.com. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  14. ^ Bischoff, Paul (2012-11-23). "Xiaomi TV Set-Top Box Service Suspended, Regulatory Kerfuffle Perhaps to Blame [UPDATED]". Techinasia.com. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  15. ^ Celine Sun in Beijing celine.sun@scmp.com (2012-11-24). "Xiaomi suspends set-top box amid illegal content talk | South China Morning Post". Scmp.com. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  16. ^ Bischoff, Paul (2013-01-25). "Xiaomi Box Finally Gets Regulatory Approval, Can Soon Go on Sale". Techinasia.com. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  17. ^ "China's Xiaomi Technology to become Foxconn's major client: reports | Economics | FOCUS TAIWAN - CNA ENGLISH NEWS". Focustaiwan.tw. 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  18. ^ Murph, Darren (2013-04-15). "Xiaomi president Lin Bin aims to ship 15 million superphones in 2013, expand sales beyond Asia". Engadget.com. Retrieved 2013-08-25.