Xiaomi Inc. (stylized as Mi) (Chinese Mandarin: [?j?umì] ( listen), Chinese: ?? ??; pinyin: Xi?om? K?jì, literally "millet technology"; English: or ) is a privately owned Chinese electronics and software company headquartered in Beijing. It is the world's 5th largest smartphone maker in 2017. Xiaomi designs, develops, and sells smartphones, mobile apps, laptops, and related consumer electronics.
Since the release of its first smartphone in August 2011, Xiaomi has gained market share in mainland China and expanded into developing a wider range of consumer electronics, including a smart home (IoT) device ecosystem. The company's founder and CEO is Lei Jun, China's 24th richest person according to Forbes. The company sold over 60 million smartphones in 2014.
The company has over 8,000 employees, mainly in mainland China, India, Malaysia, and Singapore, and is expanding to other countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and South Africa.
According to IDC, in October 2014 Xiaomi was the third largest smartphone maker in the world, following Samsung and Apple Inc., and followed by Lenovo and LG. Xiaomi became the largest smartphone vendor in China in 2014, having overtaken Samsung, according to an IDC report.
Xiaomi is the world's 4th most valuable technology start-up after it received US$1.1 billion funding from investors, making Xiaomi's valuation more than US$46 billion. Xiaomi entered the Indian market in July 2014 via Flipkart.com and entered the Bangladeshi market via Solar Electro Bangladesh Limited in August 2016
Video Xiaomi
Etymology
Xiaomi is the Chinese word for "millet". In 2011 its CEO Lei Jun suggested there are more meanings than just the "millet and rice." He linked the "Xiao" part to the Buddhist concept that "a single grain of rice of a Buddhist is as great as a mountain," suggesting Xiaomi wants to work from the little things, instead of starting by striving for perfection, while "mi" is an acronym for Mobile Internet and also Mission Impossible, referring to the obstacles encountered in starting the company. He also stated that he thinks the name is cute. In 2012 Lei Jun said that the name is about revolution and being able to bring innovation into a new area. Xiaomi's new 'Rifle' processor has given weight to several sources linking the latter meaning to the Communist Party of China's "millet and rifle" (?????) revolutionary idiom during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Maps Xiaomi
History
Early beginnings
Xiaomi was co-founded by eight partners on 6 April 2010. In the first round of funding, institutional investors included Temasek Holdings, a Singaporean government-owned investment company, the Chinese venture capital funds IDG Capital and Qiming Venture Partners, and mobile processor developer Qualcomm. On 16 August 2010, Xiaomi officially launched its first Android-based firmware MIUI. The Xiaomi Mi1 smartphone was announced in August 2011. It was shipped with Xiaomi's MIUI firmware which is based on Android and resembles Samsung's TouchWiz and Apple's iOS. The device could also be equipped with stock Android.
2012-2014
In August 2012 Xiaomi announced the Xiaomi Mi2 smartphone. The phone was powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064, a 1.5 GHz quad-core Krait chip featuring with 2 GB of RAM and the Adreno 320 GPU. The company said on 24 September 2013 that the company had sold over 10 million Mi2 devices over the preceding 11 months. Mi-2 smartphones were sold by wireless phone vendor Mobicity in Australia, Europe, New Zealand, the UK and the US. On 5 September 2013, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun announced plans to launch an Android-based 47-inch 3D-capable Smart TV, which will be assembled by Sony TV manufacturer Wistron Corporation of Taiwan. The company explained the choice as to take advantage of Wistron's skill as a supplier of Sony. In September 2013, Xiaomi announced its Mi3 phone, with a version powered by the Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974AB) and another by NVIDIA's Tegra 4 chipset., a 2.3 GHz quad-core Krait chip featuring with 2 GB of RAM and the Adreno 330 GPU. On 25 September 2013, Xiaomi announced plans to open its first service center in Beijing. By October 2013 Xiaomi was reported as the fifth-most-used smartphone brand in China. In 2013 it sold 18.7 million smartphones, and 26.1 million in the first half of 2014.
In 2014 Xiaomi announced its expansion outside China, with their first stop in Singapore. The international headquarters, which will coordinate all activities including future product launches in the region, will also be set up there. Xiaomi's Redmi and Mi3 phone were released in Singapore on 21 February - 7 March 2014. On 7 March, Xiaomi Mi3 batches sold out within 2 minutes of the opening day sale in Singapore. Following Singapore, the company opened in Malaysia, Philippines and India, and had plans to enter Indonesia, Thailand, Russia, Turkey, Brazil and Mexico in the following months. On 17 March 2014, Redmi Note phablet (known as HongMi Note in some Asian markets) was announced by Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun. The Redmi Note has a 5.5-inch HD display with OGS technology and an octa-core processor from MediaTek. There are two variants of the Redmi Note, one with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage; and the other with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. It was made available for pre-order on 19 March exclusively through a mobile application from Tencent. In April 2014 Xiaomi purchased the Internet domain mi.com for a record US$3.6 million, the most expensive domain name ever bought in China, replacing xiaomi.com as the official Xiaomi domain. In Q2 2014, Xiaomi shipped 15 million devices, 14 percent of China's market, while Samsung shipped slightly more than 13 million. By July 2014, it had sold 57.36 million phones. In November 2014 Xiaomi said it would invest US$1 billion in television content building.
In December 2014 Xiaomi completed a round of equity financing led by Hong Kong-based technology fund All-Stars Investment Limited, a fund run by former Morgan Stanley analyst Richard Ji raising over US$1 billion, with a valuation of more than US$45 billion making it one of the most valuable private technology companies in the world.
2015
In April 2015 Xiaomi announced it would make its Mi devices available through two of India's major e-commerce sites, and through offline retailers for the first time.
On 23 April 2015, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun and VP Hugo Barra came together to announce a new smartphone named Mi 4i in India, the first phone to be launched in India before any other country. Mi Band was launched in the same event.
On 30 June 2015, Xiaomi announced its expansion into Brazil with the launch of locally manufactured Redmi 2, the first time the company sells a smartphone outside Asia or assembles one outside China.
2016
On 24 February 2016, Xiaomi launched the Mi 5, with Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. It has a power-efficient 5.15 inch Full HD 1080p display with a 16-LED backlight technology giving a picture of brightness 600 nits. There are models in black, white and gold cases, and available storage of 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB.
On 10 May 2016, Xiaomi launched the Mi Max, with Qualcomm Snapdragon 650/652 processor. It has a power-efficient 6.4 inch Full HD 1080p display with 342ppi, 4850 mAh battery, 4 GB of RAM, 16 MP back-facing camera, a 5 MP front-facing unit, and a fingerprint sensor.
Shortly after starting to operate in Brazil, the company left the country in the second half of 2016.
In July 2016, Chinese artists as Liu Shishi, Wu Xiubo and Liu Haoran became the first ambassadors of Xiaomi's Redmi series in China.
2017
Xiaomi officially launched in Pakistan on February 20 after a few delays and brought its Mi and Note lineup to the country.
On 19 April, Xiaomi launched Mi 6, its flagship Snapdragon 835 based cellphone.
In May, Xiaomi opened a store (MI Home)in Bangalore, India, and in Bangladesh. its first of several planned for the country.
On 25 May, Xiaomi released Mi Max 2 in Beijing. It's based on Snapdragon 625 and equipped with 6.44" IPS display.
On 26 August, new MIUI v9 alongside Mi 5x has been released
On 31 August, Xiaomi opened its first flagship Mi Store in Faisalabad, Pakistan.
On 5 September Xiaomi released Mi A1, which is the first Android-one smartphone Created by Xiaomi, Powered by Google. As per key note in the event Xiaomi started working with Google for the Mi A1 Android One smartphone almost six months ago. The phone is also available with MIUI and is known as MI 5X.
On 7 November, Xiaomi started operating in Spain with eye on Western Europe market with the availability of Mi A1 and Mi Mix 2 smartphones.
In December, Xiaomi opened its first Mi Store in Lahore.
Business model
Lei Jun, Xiaomi CEO, said that the company prices the phone almost at bill-of-material prices, without compromising the component quality and performance compared to other premium smartphones. It also profits by selling phone-related peripheral devices, smart home products, apps, online videos and themes. According to Xiaomi's Hugo Barra in late 2014, the company sees hardware sales as a means of delivering software and services in the long term, "We are an Internet and a software company much more than ... a hardware company." However, financial data available at the time indicated that this is either wishful thinking or plans for the far future: 94% of the company's revenue came from mobile phone sales, an even higher proportion than Apple.
At first, to reduce overhead costs, Xiaomi did not own any physical stores, selling exclusively from its online store. In recent years, they have opened 54 brick and mortar stores to combat the strategies of other low-cost competitors in Chinese markets. It also did away with traditional advertising and relies on social networking services and word-of-mouth to publicise its products.
By keeping a tight control over its stock, Xiaomi is able to place cheaper batch orders as demand dictates. Limited availability flash sales ensure that supply never outstrips demand and helps promote its products. In contrast traditional OEMs incur large upfront productions costs, which must be recouped by selling prices, in order to ship phones, some of which may not sell, out to retailers all around the world.
Xiaomi say that they listen closely to customer feedback, having them test out upcoming features themselves, and building an extensive online community. Lei Jun described it this way, "When I was with Kingsoft, I had the opportunity to work with Nokia and Motorola, two mobile phone giants of their time. One day, I pointed out to their R&D boss, some inadequacies. After that, they merely acknowledged my input, but never acted upon what I had said. So I thought to myself, if I make a phone, you can tell me anything you wish for it or what's wrong. If it is justifiable, we will work on it immediately. I'll give you an update every week and you may even see your wishes come true within a week." In practice, Xiaomi's product managers spend a lot of time browsing through the company's user forums. Once a suggestion is picked up, it is quickly transferred to the engineers. Therefore, features can turn from mere concept to shipping products within a week. The company then ships a new batch of phones out every week on Tuesday at noon Beijing time, containing the new software builds and possible minor hardware tweaks. Xiaomi calls this process "design as you build."
According to the patent landscape report published in December 2016 by a patent research and analytics firm GreyB Services, Xiaomi owns 6989 patents with more than 90% of patents filed/acquired after 2012. The surge in number of patents was due to aggressive patent acquisition/licensing deals with many companies including Broadcom, Intel, and Microsoft. The patent acquisition was a strategic move by Xiaomi to strengthen its weak patent portfolio aligned with its global expansion plan to create a defence against patent lawsuits.
Xiaomi's mascot is a White rabbit wearing an Ushanka (known locally as a "Lei Feng hat" in China) with a red star and a red scarf around its neck.
Products
Xiaomi's products are manufactured by Foxconn and Inventec. Xiaomi makes many products, but considers its core products for a very long time into the future to be the mobile phone, TV and router, according to its CEO.
Laptops
Mi Notebook Air
Xiaomi forayed into PC space with the launch of its first-ever ultrabook Mi Notebook Air in China in August 2016. Available in 12.5-Inch / 13.3 Inch Display sizes. 13.3-inch display is powered by Intel i5/i7 processor, 8 GB DDR4 RAM, 256 GB SSD storage and runs on Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system. Xiaomi has priced this 13.3-inch laptop at RMB 4,999. A more affordable variant of Mi Notebook Air with 12.5-inch HD display, it weighs 1.07kg and it is 12.9mm thin, Intel core M3 (6th generation) processor, 4 GB RAM and 128 GB SDD is priced at RMB 3499. Mi Notebook Air includes only Chinese version Windows 10 without the possibility to download English language pack. In March 2017 announced the second version of the Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 12.5 with a processor upgrade to the next generation of Intel Core M3 (7th generation) and a new 256 GB storage version available.
Xiaomi later announced the launch of the Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 4G, with built-in 4G LTE support with a SIM card slot. The laptop retains the all-metal design seen in the earlier version and is available in 12.5 inch and 13.3 inch variants. It also comes with USB Type-C support. The 12.5 inch variant of the Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 4G laptop is powered by the Intel Core m3 processor with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB SSD. The 13.3 inch variant is powered by the Intel Core i7 processor with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB SSD. Both the variants run on the Microsoft Windows 10.
Mi Notebook Pro
Mobile Telephones
Mi series
Until January 2015, Xiaomi's flagship mobile handset line was the Xiaomi Mi series. The Xiaomi Mi 4 succeeded the Xiaomi Mi 3. It was initially launched in mainland China, followed by Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and India on March, May and July 2014 respectively. The Mi 3 uses a modified Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 and was found on test to be the world's fastest Android smartphone according to benchmark testing apps Antutu, Quadrant and Geekbench.
Announced at Xiaomi's annual product launch at Beijing on 22 July 2014, the Mi 4 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, 3 GB RAM and a 13MP Sony IMX 214 Exmor RS rear camera and a Sony 8MP Exmor RS wide-angle front selfie camera.
It was reported in 2014 that Xiaomi had ordered 50,000 sapphire covers from South Korean manufacturers, for a new premium smartphone.
Xiaomi showcased its ceramic Mi 5 on 24 February at MWC 2016. It was one of the first smartphones with Qualcomm's latest processor, the Snapdragon 820. It will retail for a price of RMB 2699 in China. It has an IMX298 camera sensor with 4-axis OIS and a sapphire lens. It is also equipped with NFC and a mobile payment function Mi Pay launched in April 2016.
On 27 September 2016, Xiaomi unveiled the Mi 5s and Mi 5s Plus. The Mi 5s is powered by Snapdragon 821 SoC and is offered in two different models, one comes with 3 GB RAM and the other with 4 GB RAM. The 3 GB RAM variant comes with 64 GB of internal storage whereas the 4 GB variant comes with 128 GB internal storage. The device features ultrasonic fingerprint scanner which is based on Qualcomm's Sense ID technology. Other specs include 5.15-inch Full-HD display, 12 MP rear camera with Sony IMX378 sensor, 4 MP secondary camera on the front and 3200 mAh battery. The Mi 5s Plus has a 5.7-inch Full-HD display. It comes with Snapdragon 821 SoC under the hood which is coupled with 4 or 6 GB RAM. The 4 GB RAM variant comes with 64 GB internal storage whereas the 6 GB RAM variant offers 128 GB internal storage. The Mi 5s Plus comes with 13 MP dual cameras at the back and a 4 MP secondary camera on the front. The fingerprint scanner is the same found on the Mi 5s, however, the battery is bigger at 3800 mAh.
On 25 October 2016, Xiaomi unveiled the Mi Mix which was later released on 4 November 2016. The Mi mix is a revolutionary phone, with its 91.3 percent screen to body ratio. For this to be possible, all the top-mounted sensors have been removed. The proximity sensor has been replaced by ultrasound, the earpiece has been replaced with a piezoelectric speaker that uses the metal frame to generate sound, and the front-facing camera is relocated to the bottom. The phone packs a 6.4 inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 2040 pixels in a body with dimensions of 158.8 x 81.9 x 7.9 mm (6.25 x 3.22 x 0.31 in). Its design is minimalistic, with the company choosing a micro-crystalline zirconia ceramic as the raw material, making it both beautiful and durable. Inside it has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor with the Andreno 530 GPU running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. There are two variants of the phone, one coming with 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. The second coming with 256GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. The main camera is a 16MP shooter, with the front-facing camera having 5MP. All this is powered by a 4400 mAh battery and 3.0 fast charging.
Xiaomi Mi 5c smartphone was launched in February 2017. The phone comes with a 5.15-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080 pixels by 1920 pixels at a PPI of 428 pixels per inch. The Xiaomi Mi 5c is powered by 2.2 GHz octa-core Surge S1 processor and it comes with 3GB of RAM. The phone packs 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to GB via a card. As far as the cameras are concerned, the Xiaomi Mi 5c packs a 12-megapixel primary camera on the rear and an 8-megapixel front shooter for selfies. The Xiaomi Mi 5c runs Android Android 6.0 and is powered by a 2860mAh non-removable battery. It measures 144.38 x 69.68 x 7.09 (height x width x thickness) and weigh 135.00 grams. The Xiaomi Mi 5c is a dual SIM (GSM and GSM) smartphone that accepts Micro-SIM and Micro-SIM. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, FM, 3G and 4G. Sensors on the phone include Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor and Gyroscope.
Mi Note series
In January 2015 in Beijing, China, Xiaomi unveiled the Mi Note and Mi Note Pro. Both devices have a 5.7-inch display and use a dual-glass design with a 2.5D front and 3D rear glass.
The Mi Note is powered by hardware more than a year old at launch, the Mi Note Pro has the newer octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, Adreno 430 GPU, 4 GB LPDDR4 RAM and LTE Cat 9, giving it a higher performance than the Mi Note, with approximately the same battery life.
Redmi series
Other MIUI-based devices
MiPad
The Xiaomi Mi Pad is the first tablet by Xiaomi. First announced in the Xiaomi New Product Launch Event 2014, the device is the first device to use the NVIDIA Tegra K1 quad-core 2.3 GHz processor with 2 GB RAM and it is on sale in mainland China at the price of CN¥ 1,499.
Other devices
MIUI
MIUI is a stock and aftermarket Android firmware for smartphones and tablet computers based on the open-source Android operating system. It is available on Xiaomi devices as well as devices made by other companies. It is Xiaomi's earliest known product. The stable global variant of MIUI 8 has started rolling out 23 August 2016 and MIUI 9 Developer Variant which would roll out as stable on 2 Nov 2017, is the latest iteration of this operating system based on Android 4.4 Kit Kat up to 7.1 Nougat.
MiWiFi
The Xiaomi MiWiFi is a series network routers initially launched on 23 April 2014. The latest in the series is a corporate-class router with built-in storage of up to 6 TB. It is said to have a PCB dual-antenna array supporting 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, a Broadcom 4709C dual-core 1.4 GHz processor and 512 MB of flash memory. The router can be used as a wireless hard drive for movies and photos, in tandem with Xiaomi's apps that feature remote downloads, automatic backups, remote access to files and other features.
Mi TV
The Mi TV is a line of smart TVs designed and marketed by Xiaomi. It runs Android and was initially announced in 2013. The latest in the series are Mi TV 3s 43 inch and the Mi TV 3s 65 inch curved. The Mi TV 3s 43 inch has a 43-inch 1920p x 1080p from either LG or AUO. It has the 1.45 GHz quad-core MStar 6A908 Cortex-A9 processor with Mali-450 MP4 GPU, and 1 GB DDR3 RAM and 8 GB internal memory (eMMC 4.5). At 10.9 mm, it is pretty thin for a TV. The Mi TV 65 inch curved has a 4K Samsung display. It has a 1.4 GHz quad-core MStar 6A928 Cortex-A17 processor with Mali-760 MP4 GPU. For the memory, it has 2 GB DDR3 RAM and 8 GB internal memory (eMMC 50). It is 5.9 mm thick, but it has to have a sound bar for audio.
MiBox
The Xiaomi MiBox is a smart set-top box for televisions. From deals struck with content providers, the set-top box offers films and TV shows with no user account nor subscription required. The box can also access content via its USB port, such as through an external hard disk. Due to content licensing restrictions, it was only available in mainland China until October 2016, Xiaomi released a MiBox running Android TV, making it accessible worldwide.
MiCloud
MiCloud is a cloud storage and cloud computing service created by Xiaomi. The service allows users to store data such as contacts, messages, photos and notes on remote computer servers for download to multiple devices running MIUI. The service also includes a feature that allows users to track the location of their MIUI device as well as alarm, lock or reset it.
MiTalk
MiTalk is an internet-based cross-platform instant messenger mobile app available for Android and iOS launched in 2011.
MiPower Bank
MiPower Bank is a battery charger with a built-in internal battery. The charger is built with an aluminium case, and includes batteries rated at 5000/5200/10000/10400/16000/20000 mAh. Through the use of a USB cable, it can be used to charge any device that supports USB charging. The 16000 & 20000 mAh have two USB ports. Silicone sleeves are available for all except the 20000 mAh version.
Smartbands and Smartwatches
Mi Band
The Mi Band was announced in August 2014. The Mi Band are sold for US$13, has a reported 30-day battery life, can act as an alarm clock and tracks your fitness and sleep. The band also has the ability to unlock your phone based on proximity. Initially available in China, it can now be purchased in Xiaomi's seven markets in Asia and -- courtesy of a recent extension of its Mi.com store -- the France, Germany, UK & US. With 2.8 million Mi Band shipments in the first quarter of 2015, Xiaomi became the world's second-largest wearables maker, accounting for 24.6% of the global market share.
Xiaomi announced the Mi Band 2 in June 2016. Mi Band 2 features PPG sensor for accurate heart rate tracking. It also uses an upgraded pedometer algorithm for gathering better fitness and sleep data. The Mi Band 2's housing was rated for IP67 water resistance.
AMAZFIT
On 30 August 2016, Xiaomi's sub-brand unveiled the first smartwatch named AMAZFIT Pace. This watch is powered by a dual-core processor which is clocked at 1.2 GHz. It has 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal storage. The smartwatch has a 1.34-inch circular display which boasts 320 x 300 pixel resolution. It'is powered by a 280 mAh battery and also comes with IP67 certification making it ideal for use while raining. Other features include heart rate monitor and built-in GPS. The launching price of the device was set to 799 RMB.
Smart Home products
Blood pressure monitor
Xiaomi launched a smart blood pressure monitor on 24 September 2014, in partnership with iHealth Labs of Silicon Valley, USA. Xiaomi says the blood pressure monitor is easy to use and meets all the necessary professional medical standards and certifications. The accompanying app, customized for Xiaomi smartphones, tracks blood pressure, heart rate, average pulse and other parameters on a real-time chart, then makes recommendations for improvement.
Air purifier
Xiaomi released an air purifier on 9 December 2014 in Beijing. This CN¥ 899 device has the capability to clean up to 406 m3 of air in an hour. The device uses HEPA technology to reduce polluting particles from as high as 600 ppm to a clean 2.5 ppm. The device has a real-time air quality monitor. Users can synch the air purifier with a smartphone to control it remotely, receive air quality data, and be alerted when the air filter is dirty.
Yi Smart Webcam
Xiaomi released the Yi (also called Ants or Xiaoyi) Smart Webcam for CNY 149 on 29 October 2014. It has 720p resolution, a 111 o wide-angle lens with 4x zoom, and the ability to make two-way voice calls. Activated and viewable via the smartphone, it doubles as both a webcam for chatting and a security camera with recording capabilities. The camera automatically records whenever it detects movement in view. In June 2015, Xiaomi launched a night vision edition of the Yi Camera with a 940 nm infrared sensor.
YI Action Camera
Xiaomi began selling the YI action camera for CNY 399, which was created by YI Technology. It comes with a 16 MP Sony IMX206CQC sensor which can record videos at 1080p60 and 720p120. It is waterproof up to 40 m with the waterproof case. Since it became very popular even outside China through its low price and same physical dimensions like products from Hero, there exists some user-made tweaks for features include shooting in RAW, customizable ISO and white balance. Compared to the popular GoPro brand of action cameras, Xiaomi's Yi motion camera has electronic motion stabilization, an integrated LCD display, dual microphones, bigger battery, slow motion mode and timer modes.
Mi Smart Scale
Xiaomi announced the Mi Smart Scale for CNY 99 on 31 March 2015. According to Xiaomi, the smart personal weighing scale makes measurements ranging from 5 kg to 150 kg, with a 50 g precision, and shows weight in kg and lbs. When paired with the Mi Fit app, which itself pairs with the Mi Band, users can track their weight and BMI. The Mi Smart Scale is equipped with Bluetooth 4.0 and is compatible with both Android and iOS. The maker of the scale is Huami, a company Xiaomi invested in.
Mi Water Purifier
Xiaomi announced the Mi Water Purifier for CNY 1,299 on 16 July 2015. It sits on a kitchen surface and filters water for drinking by reverse osmosis. Xiaomi says the purifier is able to dispense 1,800 litres a day with a 1:1 water production rate. The device also pairs with a smartphone and sends real-time data on filter effectiveness and reminders to change filters. The R&D of the device is done by Yunmi Technology, a part of the Mi Ecological System.
Smart Home Kit
Xiaomi unveiled the Smart Home Kit for CNY 199 on 10 June 2015. The kit contains a set of smart sensors, including the multi-function gateway, the door/window sensor, the motion detector and the wireless switch, which can be combined to achieve over 30 different kinds of functions. For example, the motion detector can be paired with the gateway to perform functions such as switching on a light at night when it detects motion; the window sensors can start or stop a connected fan as windows are closed or opened; in another example, users can set the gateway into alert mode with their smartphones as they leave the house, and the gateway would then send push notifications and turn on the automatic recording of a Yi Smart Webcam when the door/window sensor or the motion detector detects abnormal activity.
Ninebot Mini
Being a major investor in Ninebot, a Chinese company that acquired the self-balancing scooter manufacturer Segway, Xiaomi released a self-balancing scooter called Ninebot Mini for CNY 1,999 on 19 October 2015. It was released for Chinese market only. The scooter has a maximum speed of 16 kph (10 mph), a 15-degree incline climbing capability, a range of 22 km on a single charge, and a recharging time of three hours. It weighs 13 kilograms (28 lbs). Users can monitor speed, check vehicle condition, update firmware, receive theft alarms and remotely control the vehicle via a smartphone app. The scooter can learn and adapt to users' driving habits.
For European market Xiaomi released Ninebot Mini Pro, known as Segway miniPro in the US. This version has a slightly modified design and a different steering bar. Maximum speed of this scooter is 18.5 kph and a range is 30 km.
There have been several updates to its Software application however the product is plagued with faults and bugs that have yet to be fixed limiting its sales success
Mi Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker
Xiaomi launched the Mi Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker for CNY 1,999 on 29 March 2016. According to Xiaomi, the pressure rice cooker uses 1.2 atm to raise the boiling point of water to around 105?, resulting in the most flavourful rice. Users can use their smartphones to scan the barcode on the rice packaging, with the cooker automatically adjusting its methodology to suit the particular rice type, brand, origin and user preferred softness. The companion app also includes options to cook steamed vegetables, crispy rice and cakes, and users can look up the recipe and set the corresponding heating method through the app. The company had to deal with a PR crisis when netizens found resemblances between the design of Xiaomi's rice cooker and an earlier product by MUJI. Lei had to response in public to settle the disputes.
Mi Robotic Vacuum
Xiaomi announced the Mi Robot Vacuum on 31 August 2016. Priced at CNY 1,699, the Mi Robot Vacuum is equipped with a 5200 mAh, 14.4V lithium ion battery. The vacuum includes 12 sensors, including an ultrasonic radar, cliff radar, gyroscope and accelerometer. According to manufacturer specifications, the Mi Robot Vacuum is able to vacuum for 2.5 hours on one charge, translating to approximately 2700 sq. feet of floor space.
Mi WiFi+
The Mi WiFi+ is a wireless repeater announced by Xiaomi in 2015.
Drones
It has announced it plans to build two drones. One will be priced at CNY 2,499 and will include a 1080p camera, and the pricier 2,999 Yuan model is capable of shooting 4k videos. Xiaomi said the drones will have 27 minutes of flying time to a range of 3 kilometers with a 5,100 mAh battery. They will be making the drones in summer 2016.
Xiaomi Mi Drone Features
4K Camera: This particular Xiaomi Mi drone features a 4K UHD RAW camera which takes clear, crisp and clean footage. For still images, it has a pixelation of 12.4 MP. These two are guaranteed to give amazing aerial images of whatever it is you want. It is mounted on a 3-axis gimbal which is designed to stabilize it.
Flight time: Another outstanding feature of this gadget is its flight time. At twenty-seven minutes, this drone surpasses plenty of its competitor's productions which offer as little as little as eleven minutes of flight time.
Remote Controller: Xiaomi drone comes with a remote that has a comfortable design that fits well with a variety of users' hands. It also has a PCB antenna which is specifically designed for high performance in small-sized electronics. This makes is a powerful piece of equipment despite its relatively small size.
Recognition
Xiaomi is ranked number 2 on the list of 50 Smartest Companies 2015 by MIT Technology Review, which noted in the publication that "the fast-growing smartphone vendor is maturing beyond its original 'cut-price Apple' model with ideas like flash sales over its mobile messaging platform"; No. 3 in the list of Most Innovative Companies 2014 by Fast Company, "for reinventing the smartphone business model in the world's largest mobile market"; and No. 35 in the list of the Most Innovative Companies 2014 compiled by The Boston Consulting Group.
Xiaomi's innovative business model has been characterized as a disruptive force to the existing smartphone industry by a number of commentators.
Stratechery writer Ben Thompson notes in his article "Xiaomi's Ambition" that Xiaomi's target consumer base is the young population of China, especially college students and young adults who just entered the workforce. As they get places of their own, they will need TVs, air purifiers, etc., things that Xiaomi sells along with the smartphones. He then notes:
This, then, is the key to understanding Xiaomi: they're not so much selling smartphones as they are selling a lifestyle, and the key to that lifestyle is MIUI, Xiaomi's software layer that ties all of these things together.
In fact, you could argue that Xiaomi is actually the first "Internet of Things" company: unlike Google (Nest), Apple (HomeKit), or even Samsung (SmartThings), all of whom are offering some sort of open SDK to tie everything together (a necessity given that most of their customers already have appliances that won't be replaced anytime soon), Xiaomi is integrating everything itself and selling everything one needs on Mi.com to a fan base primed to outfit their homes for the very first time. It's absolutely a vertical strategy - the company is like Apple after all - it's just that the product offering is far broader than anything even Gene Munster could imagine. The services Lei Jun talks about - MIUI and Mi.com especially - sell the products and tie them all together, but they are all Xiaomi products in the end.
Guinness record achievement
Xiaomi celebrated its 5th birthday on 6 April 2015 with the Mi Fan Festival, which includes an online shopping day with offers and discounts. Xiaomi managed to break the world record for "most mobile phones sold on a single online platform in 24 hours", by selling 2,112,010 handsets through its direct-to-customer website Mi.com.
OTA Remote Code Execution
On 7 July 2016 several technology news sources reported a severe vulnerability in the MIUI firmware developed by Xiaomi. The hack targeted a flaw in the MIUI OTA "over-the-air" updating system.
Controversies
Comparisons with Apple Inc.
Xiaomi has been compared to the American corporation Apple Inc., as reviewers found some of Xiaomi's phones and tablets similar in appearance to Apple's. In addition, the marketing strategy of Xiaomi is at times described as riding on the back of the "cult of Apple". It is reported that, after reading a book about Steve Jobs in college, Xiaomi's chairman and CEO, Lei Jun, carefully cultivated a Steve Jobs image, including jeans, dark shirts, and Jobs's announcement style at Xiaomi's earlier product announcements. Given the above, he was categorized as a "counterfeit Jobs."
In 2012, the company was said to be counterfeiting Apple's philosophy and mindset. In 2013, critics debated how much of Xiaomi's products were innovative, and how much of their innovation was just really good public relations. Others point out that while there are similarities to Apple, the ability to customize the software based upon user preferences through the use of Google's Android operating system sets Xiaomi apart.
During the Mi4 unveiling conference in 2014, the presentation slides used Apple's iconic "One more thing..." slide before introducing the Mi Band; it was the only English language slide in the whole presentation.
Xiaomi has been also known for their hunger marketing tactics, which Apple also uses. "Sold out in just 50 seconds!" This comment is what an article said when Xiaomi released their latest smart phone, Mi Note 2, and it made more people focus on their new product. When Xiaomi releases new products, they make the shortest time record every time they sold out the new item. Their new products are only available for purchase on their official website, people who pre-registered could get a chance to make a purchase.
State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television issue
In November 2012, Xiaomi's smart set-top box stopped working one week after the launch due to the company having run afoul of China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television. The regulatory issues were overcome in January 2013.
Hugo Barra
In August 2013, the company announced that it was hiring Hugo Barra from Google, where he served as vice president of product management for the Android platform. Barra has declined to comment on the timing of the Google relationships, and stated that he had been in talks with Xiaomi for over a year prior to announcing the move. He will be employed as vice president of Xiaomi to expand the company outside of mainland China, making Xiaomi the first company selling smartphones to poach a senior staffer from Google's Android team. Barra's focus was to help Xiaomi grow internationally. Barra quit his position in January 2017. Hugo Barra now Joined Facebook and is the VP for the virtual reality section.
Privacy concerns
Xiaomi's cloud storage service Mi Cloud stores all the user data in its servers located in China. There were also reports that Xiaomi's Cloud messaging service sends some private data like call logs and contact information to Xiaomi servers. Xiaomi later released a MIUI update that made cloud messaging optional, no private data is sent to Xiaomi servers if the cloud messaging service is turned off, as Xiaomi claimed.
In October 2014, Xiaomi announced that they are setting up servers outside of China for international users citing improved services and compliance to regulations in several nations. Around the same time, the Indian Air Force issued a warning against Xiaomi phones, stating that they were a national threat as they sent user data to an agency of the Chinese government.
In September 2016, Thijs Broenink, a computer science student, suspected a pre-installed app named AnalyticsCore in Xiaomi phones. Upon further investigation Thijs Broenink reported, through a blog post, that AnalyticsCore can send device information, including IMEI, MAC address, Model, and other parameters, to Xiaomi servers. He also revealed Xiaomi phones having a backdoor allowing installation of any app without user approval.
Sales numbers
The Taiwanese Fair Trade Commission had investigated the flash sales and found that Xiaomi had sold fewer smartphones than advertised. In December, 3 separate flash sales were investigated. In those flash sales Xiaomi claimed that the number of smartphone sold was 10,000 units each for the first two sales, and 8,000 units for the third one. However, FTC had investigated the claims and found out that Xiaomi only sold 9,339 devices in the first flash sale, 9,492 units in the second one, and 7,389 for the third. It was found that during the first flash sale Xiaomi had given 1,750 priority 'F-codes' to people who could place their orders without having to go through the flash sale, thus diminishing the stock that was publicly available. The FTC fined Xiaomi NT$600,000.
Ban in India
On 9 December 2014, the High Court of Delhi granted an ex parte injunction that banned the import and sale of Xiaomi products in India. This injunction was issued in response to a complaint filed by Ericsson in connection with the infringement of its patent licensed under FRAND (Fair, Reasonable and Non Discriminatory Licensing). This injunction issued by the High Court was applicable until 5 February 2015, the date on which the High Court was scheduled to summon both parties for a formal hearing of the case. On 16 December The Delhi High Court granted permission to Xiaomi to sell its devices that are running on a Qualcomm-based processor until 8 January 2015. Following this, Xiaomi held various sales on Flipkart including on 30 December 2014. With this sale, the company received press coverage when their flagship Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G phone sold out in 6 seconds. On 5 February 2015, Ericsson claimed that Xiaomi was violating the ban on selling handsets based on non-Qualcomm chipsets, through a website called www.xiaomishop.com. Xiaomi denied any involvement with the website. The judge also extended the division bench's interim order allowing Xiaomi to continue the sale of Qualcomm chipset-based handsets till March 2018.
On 27 April 2015, it was reported that Ratan Tata had acquired a stake in Xiaomi.
See also
- Advanced Mobile Phone System
- Comparison of high-definition smartphone displays
- Comparison of mobile phone standards
- Comparison of smartphones
- List of mobile phone standards
- Mobile phone industry in the United States
- Smartphone
- Hunger marketing
References
External links
- Official website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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