“Xiaomi”, often described as China’s Apple, is actually quite different from Apple.
It was more like a rock concert as the casually dressed chief executive unveiled his firm’s new smart phone to crowd on a darkened stage. Yet this wasn’t the launch of the new iPhone , but the Mi–3 handset by “Xiaomi”. With its snazzy design, no wonder “Xiaomi” is often compared to its giant American rival.
Xiaomi sold 7.2m handsets last year, in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, earning 12.6 billion yuan( $2.1 billion).Apple sold 125m smart phones globally, earning about $80 billion of its $157 billion sales. But since it was founded in 2010, Xiaomi has grown fast. In the second quarter of 2013, Xiaomi’s market share in China was 5%, is more than Apple’s( 4.8%) firstly.Yet” we have never compared ourselves to Apple. We are more like Amazon.” says Lin Bin, Xiaomi’s founder, who once worked for the Chinese arms of Microsoft and Google. Crucially, Xiaomi’s business depends on selling services to its users.
Another big difference is their openness to users’ feedback. Apple takes a stalinist approach to its handsets, limiting user’s customisation . Xiaomi is guided by its users, releasing a new version of its MIUI software ( based on Google Android operating system) and response to their suggestions every week. In some cases, Xiaomi asks users to vote via microblog, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, on whether particular features should be included or how they should work.
http://www.cnbeta.com/articles/254727.htm