Xiaomi (manufacturing country - China) was founded not so long ago, in 2010. And only in the current, 2018th, she became public. Today, its products are very popular, especially phones.
And now I would like to tell in detail about the history of this company, as well as how it achieved such success.
About the founder
So, the Xiaomi manufacturing country is China. The largest company was founded by Lei Jun, an IT specialist.
Lei Jun grew up in the small town of Wuhan, where he studied at the local programming institute. Inspired by the life of Steve Jobs, he decided that he would create his own company. Even then, he set out to produce products that would be no worse than top brands.
Lei Jun gained experience in porting proposals by working at Kingsoft. In the future, this helped him. He also invested in various Internet projects, which gave him a good profit. In total, he invested in 20 startups. Among them are the online clothing store Vancl and the payment service Lakala.
It should be noted that it was Lei Jun who created the Joyo website, which sells media files and books. In 2004, he decided to sell his Amazon store for $ 75 million, and in 2011, he left the post of CEO of Kingsoft.
Partners
In 2010, Lei Jun with seven partners opened a company, which is today one of the most famous in the field of technology. And here is who became his partners:
- Bean Ling is a former chief engineer at Google and Microsoft.
- Guangping Jou - headed the Chinese division of Motorolla.
- Andy Rubin is a former Apple process engineer, now a leading Android developer.
- Jiangji Guang is a former employee of Microsoft China.
- Hugo Barra, a former Google employee, later became vice president of Android OS development.
- Race Feng - Previously led Google China.
Registration of legal entity occurred on April 6. But before that, Bin Ling and Lei Jun had been discussing mobile trends for several months.
Every weekend from morning to night they considered their ideas, shared their thoughts on what the ideal operating system of an ideal telephone should be. Bin Lin himself said they had a passion for practical, bold ideas and good software.
First developments
The pilot product created by the company was MIUI firmware, based on the Android system. Its feature was the combination of the styles of Apple iOS and Samsung TouchWiz.
This firmware at times improved the functionality of the system, and also added a number of interesting features and chips, which led to its further demand.
Interestingly, such an unusual abbreviation is the abbreviation of such pronouns: "Me", "You, and" I, which translates as "I, you, me."
This is not a random choice of name! The first version of the OS was already very user friendly and friendly. But, more importantly, it worked flawlessly and stably. Not surprisingly, 3 years after the release, the audience of this operating system exceeded the mark of 30 million.
First smartphone
It was announced on August 18, 2011. We are talking about Xiaomi Mi 1, which was released, of course, on the new OS Android 4.1 MIUI for that time. The phone also became known as Xiaomi Phone.
Its features can be distinguished in the following list:
- 2-core processor with a frequency of 1.5 GHz.
- 1930 mAh battery
- Accounting for 3G traffic.
- Transflective LCD display developed by Japanese electronics manufacturer Sharp. This screen maintains a decent image quality even in very bright sunlight.
- Dual system partition, thanks to which you can install 2 firmware versions.
- Video accelerator Adreno 220.
- An 8 megapixel camera that could record videos with a resolution of 1080p / 30fps.
The main feature of the first Xiaomi phone (manufacturing country - China) was its modest price. Relative cheapness was determined by the company's decision to save on packaging materials, advertising and offline sales.
Of course, this phone has become popular. A well-planned pre-sale advertising campaign, reasonable price, high characteristics - all this led to high demand even in the first stages of the sale of goods.
Xiaomi Mi 1S
This is an updated version of the first smartphone, released in 2012 in the country of manufacture. Xiaomi, as many thought then, decided to imitate Samsung, adding the letter “S” to the name, because at that time its Galaxy models were very popular.
Although, other connoisseurs of technology are inclined to the version that claims that the company simply wanted to create a cheaper analogue of Sony Xperia S. This phone was extremely popular in the early 2010s. And the version is believable: the same processor, a similar, but slightly cheaper screen and camera is simpler, as well as not so artsy design.
Other features include:
- TFT capacitive touch screen.
- Android OS, v4.0.
- 2MP front camera.
- The presence of LED-flash and autofocus.
- Wi-Fi hotspot.
- 1930 mAh Li-Ion battery
2012 opening
Then another model came out in the manufacturing country - Xiaomi Mi2. It was decided to install a more advanced processor - a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro with two gigs of RAM.
And this development, as they say, “shot”. Released in 2012 in the Xiaomi manufacturing country, the phone quickly became popular. After all, all the top gadgets of that time, including Motorola Razr Maxx, Galaxy S3 and HTC One S, were equipped with only one gigabyte.
Another novelty was equipped with a 4.3-inch IPS display - the cheap TFT was no longer in the trend. It was even covered with Dragontrail glass.
And the photosensor was also on the level. The smartphone had an 8-pixel camera with an f / 2.0 aperture, made using BSI technology. And she was better than installed in LG and Samsung. Xiaomi's new product was already able to shoot in Full HD format, and this distinguished it from its competitors.
Line extension
In 2013, Xiaomi (the brand manufacturing country is China) decided to begin to scale. Therefore, two new items appeared:
- Advanced version of Mi 2S. Features: 13-megapixel camera and Snapdragon 600 processor.
- Lite version of Mi 2A. Features: wider screen, 1 gigabyte RAM.
A little later, they released the top version of the smartphone. And we are talking about Xiaomi Mi 3. Here's what of the characteristics of the phone at that time really hit potential buyers:
- 5 inch full HD screen.
- Snapdragon 800 processor.
- 13 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and autofocus.
- 3050 mAh lithium-ion battery
In many ways, the novelty released by Xiaomi in the manufacturing country and other countries was like the Sony Xperia Z1.
Most connoisseurs of mobile technology believed that it was Sony who was trying to keep up with a very young brand. There were similarities in everything: in the square design, technical specifications, hardware platform, screen.
Tablet and Mi 4
Continuing to talk about the history of Xiaomi, it should be noted that by the beginning of 2014, lovers of modern gadgets were already looking forward to the release of new devices - tablets, to be more precise. At that time, the developers were working hard on the next generation of the smartphone. Therefore, in August 2014, the first Xiaomi tablet was presented to the world.
This was a real event. The compact Xiaomi MiPad has proven to be a great alternative for the iPad mini. The developers tried to improve its performance, so it became a godsend for people looking for a tablet for work, and for game lovers.
The new smartphone Mi 4 was also released. And this phone set an incredible record. Just 37 seconds after the official start of sales, smartphones just ran out. No wonder everyone wanted to buy a phone with increased performance, a thin profile and an impressive screen for just $ 320.
Further developments
It is impossible not to mention about Xiaomi Redmi. In the manufacturing country and other countries where this phone is very common, phones of this series are very popular.
Why? Because Redmi phones are high-quality, solid state employees on a stable platform. The first model quickly became popular, but because the company decided to upgrade. And it ended with the advent of a whole line of Redmi Note.
Everything was good in these phones, lacking only 4G support. But this nuance was corrected - at the end of 2014, the company released an improved new product with this option.
By the beginning of 2015, the company was already very popular in its native manufacturing country. Xiaomi Mi, budget Redmi, as well as Redmi Note from the middle segment by that time were already familiar to everyone. All that was needed was a flagship gadget with a large screen. Actually, the development did not take long to wait - Mi Note appeared.
The novelty was similar to Mi 4, but had an enlarged screen, better contrast and color reproduction, the top Snapdragon 810 processor and the amount of RAM brought to 4 GB.
Last years
Since 2010, the company’s fame has gained impressive proportions both abroad and in the native Xiaomi manufacturing country. Redmi 6A, Note 2, gadgets of the Mi Max and Mi Mix rulers - which devices have not been released by the company during this time!
And every year, gadgets only got better and more modern. Fingerprint scanners, more powerful batteries, good cameras with phase autofocus, screens developed according to modern technologies, appeared ... And in less than 11 months of 2016, the company even released about a dozen gadgets in the Redmi line and the same number of different devices in the Mi line!
How are things at the moment? In 2018, there were many new products - Mi Note 3, Redmi 5A and S2, Mi Mix 2S, as well as a host of other gadgets. And in 2019, the flagship is expected to launch, which will offer everything that the Galaxy S10 has. True, it will cost 2 times cheaper.
Company strategy
Much has been said above, who is the manufacturer of Xiaomi smartphones, the country in which they are released, you also know. We talked about how it all began and with what exactly. But how did a little-known, very young company, which began its development path at a time when technology giants already existed on the market, manage to get around Samsung sales in just 4 years?
It's all about strategy. For two years, the Chinese brand sold phones at a price that differed from the cost by only 20-30 dollars. The creators decided to make the main source of profit not smartphones, but the digital component.
Secret of success
In addition to the above, there are a number of other nuances:
- The corporation has its own store of games and applications, and additional functions for smartphones bring many times more profit than selling phones. Xiaomi also opened an online accessories store.
- Thanks to the presence of fans, the brand does not need to do advertising for itself. Enthusiastic social network users and bloggers make it on their own initiative. For example, 50,000 Mi 2 phones were sold on the Sina Weibo network.
- Each user receives an update of the current firmware, regardless of which phone model he owns.
- The company is open to communication with ordinary users. And loyal fans of the brand are given the opportunity to buy new items out of turn.
- Lei Jun, being a billionaire, works at least 100 hours a week. And the result of this industriousness is evident - the growth in shares of his company is impressive.
Of course, this is far from all the nuances that determine the success of a company. But even with the attitude of developers towards their product and customers, it becomes clear why Xiaomi is the leader in sales of wearable electronics.
Similarities to Apple
Speaking about whose company Xiaomi (manufacturing country is China) and what is its success story, it is worth noting that it is often compared with the American "apple" company, and its creator - with Steve Jobs.
There are similarities, but perceiving it is not from the point of view of borrowing, but from the Chinese response to the arguments of the Americans. And here are some nuances about this:
- At all presentations, Lei Jun appears in the same clothes as Steve Jobs had before - in jeans and black golf. The billionaire counters this comment: "Our smartphones have parts from the same manufacturers as Apple phones."
- Xiaomi's only tablet resembles a symbiosis of the colorful iPhone 5C and iPad mini. And this, by the way, is the first model with a screen, the aspect ratio of which is 4: 3, and not 16: 9. Like the iPad mini, by the way.
- The emergence of the MIUI OS was perceived by many as the entry into the iOS clone market for owners of Android devices. They even started jokingly calling this RAM an elixir to turn an ordinary smartphone into an iPhone.
- The answer to the Apple TV set-top box was a gadget like the Mi Box. Externally, they are similar, only the Xiaomi device is cheaper, more modern and more functional.
- The compact Xiaomi Mi Router Mini router is somewhat reminiscent of the Apple Magic Trackpad computer mouse. The Chinese manufacturer simply refracted the design of the gadget from one category, creating a completely new device.
- Xiaomi, like Apple, has its own prefix to its gadgets. If Apple has iPhone, iTunes, iPad, etc., then the Chinese manufacturer has Mi Box, MiPad, Mi Router, etc.
- A worthy answer to the famous Apple MacBook Air are Xiaomi laptops. The company has released compact computers for a variety of purposes - for study, programming, "heavy" games, for freelancers, and even for watching movies on the go.
Well, on this, I would like to complete the story about which Xiaomi is the manufacturer country, who are the founders of the company and what are its unique features.