Xiaomi is the biggest Apple fanboy there could be, during a press event sometime back in KL, the company’s executives unabashedly proclaimed that they love everything from Cuppertino and that they are proud of their Xiaomi phones as they are like iPhones but only cheaper.
Copying another well established company’s product design and look is well recorded in history, while many would say its flattery, bragging and making it a key proponent in your marketing model is…unimaginative. Tech sites in the past coupe of week has been giving glowing reviews of Xiaomi’s new entrant into the PC business. Having made significant impact in the mobile segment, the Shenzen based tech start-up, is now vying for a piece, in this market. Clearly targeting the Chinese peoples affinity to everything that’s made by the fruit emblem-ed tech giant in US, Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air resembles the MacBook Air in close to every aspect. Even the official website mimics Apples own, with large images and minimalist undertone. And oh yeah the name…Notebook (Air)?? Really??
The execs at Xiaomi have a plan, make the products with quality components, copy design from others and sell them cheap. Its been working extremely well for the former Google employee Hugo Barra and CEO Lei Jun, the company is estimated to worth US$45 billion today. For most Chinese company’s to go global they usually shed their original business model of imitating and start innovating. But this is not the case for Xiaomi.
All About Mi
Two new notebooks were released, a 13.3 and a smaller 12.5 inch all silver, clean with matt-finish. There is no branding on the cover, probably not wanting customers to notice its a Xiaomi, misleading form of marketing is a concept in itself. On the features, nothing has been sparred, USB Type-C charging ports, 1080 display, Intel Core i5-Skylake U processor and an Nvidia 940MX GPU all super for anyone looking for a sleek, stylish, affordable machine. While the smaller version costs 3499 Yuan ($520) the bigger model is at 4999 Yuan ($750), which is roughly RM2100 and RM3000 about 30% cheaper than a MacBook Air.
Price watchers will argue and contest that as long its cheaper and can match what’s available out there, it doesn’t matter if they are copied, 30% is a huge difference. Steve Jobs was very insistent on having the best designers, some even from 7th Avenue, to design his products, the man was obsessed with it, often rejecting final production items if he didn’t like the lines. To know a company has grown to a billion dollar organisation by just knocking off his philosophy would have him flipping in his grave, but this is China.
Xiaomi makes most of its revenue in mainland, and for now is contented in filling up orders in its native country. India and South East Asia has increasingly become absorbed with Xiaomi’s low price strategy, these are developing markets that are sensitive to price rather than who made them.
No doubt Hugo and his cohorts make great products at unbelievable prices but until they drop this game and start innovating and coming up with their own identity, instead of ‘Apple Like’ or ‘Apple Inspired’ , I for one will not be owning a Mi soon.
