Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has been on a roll since they started manufacturing their own brand of smartphones, having in mind the market's current demand, which is low-cost high-performance devices. All their products so far have been receiving positive feedbacks from buyers in and out of China. They have only been in the industry for 4 years but they must really be doing something right for them to easily climb the number 3 spot among the world's top smartphone manufacturers. Their mid-range phone, the Redmi 1S, is currently their top-seller having sold more or less 600,000 of its units in India alone. They are well on their way towards hitting or even exceeding their goal of selling a total of 60 million units of all their products globally by the end of 2014.
There seems to be no stopping the company from expanding its horizon, as recent reports have surfaced that it may now join the smartwatch bandwagon. In a recent Facebook video post of its Vice President for International Relations Hugo Barra, he asked Xiaomi users and fans "what they would like to see in a smartwatch." Although VP Barra did not make any confirmation if indeed Xiaomi will take that route just like its giant counterparts Apple and Samsung, he mentioned there will be a "decision in the next few months" but there are "no solid plans" as of this time.
If ever they will push through with the plan, which is quite logical to keep up with the trend if we think about it considering where the competitors are heading, it will surely be in line with the company's principle that luxury need not be expensive. As Barra has candidly said in an interview during the Wall street Journal Live Technology Conference in Laguna Beach California, "We just fundamentally believe that when it costs you $200 to make something, you shouldn't sell it for $600...The business model is to make a little bit of money where we can. Innovation is not a luxury item. Innovation is for everyone."
Keep tuning in to Franchise Herald for more updates on Xiaomi.
