Imitating the best

The Chinese company Xiaomi, regularly accused of plagiarizing Apple products, has become the most valuable startup in the world.

After attracting investments of 1.1 billion US dollars, Xiaomi has become the largest startup in the world: its value is estimated at 46 billion. On this occasion, The Verge portal decided to once again put pressure on the sore point of the Chinese giant - accusations of copying Apple products.

TJ studied user reviews and reviews of Xiaomi equipment and came to the conclusion that imitation of the corporation from Cupertino is perhaps the only problem for the Chinese.

Having reached a valuation of $46 billion, Xiaomi has knocked Uber off its pedestal, valued at $41 billion at the time of writing, to become the world's largest startup.

In 2014, Xiaomi sales increased by 300 percent compared to 2013. It is known that in 2013 the young company (founded in 2010) managed to “turn into profit” and show a relatively small profit of $56 million.

The Chinese startup managed to achieve such success without leaving its native country: it even uses its own application stores, bypassing Google Play.

The main black spot on the company's reputation continues to be accusations from the media and users that it shamelessly copies Apple. For example, on December 29, information spread online, supported by a blurry photo, that the company plans to release a Macbook Air clone, however, as reported by Tech In Asia and Xiaomi representatives themselves, the photo is fake.

In mid-October, Apple chief designer Jonathan Ive said that he was not flattered by Xiaomi copying: in his opinion, it was about laziness and theft.

I don't see how we can be flattered here. I see this as theft. When you're doing something for the first time and don't know how it's going to work, the last thing you want to think about is “I could have spent this entire weekend at home with my family!” I call it laziness. I don't think this is normal at all.

Jonathan Ive, Chief Design Officer at Apple

According to analysts , Xiaomi still does not leave China because it is afraid of getting bogged down in courts with Apple outside of it.

On July 22, the degree of imitation reached the point of absurdity: the head of the company appeared on stage in jeans and a black turtleneck, when the famous inscription “One more thing” used by Steve Jobs appeared on the screen. That speech caused a real scandal, but Hugo Barra, a native of Google, who became the vice president of Xiaomi, categorically stated in the media that the Chinese startup does not copy Apple.

However, the company's portfolio includes several products whose designs speak for themselves. TJ decided to find out if they could make good products without Apple.

Mi Router Mini и Magic Trackpad

Perhaps the most original imitation of Xiaomi was the Mi Router mini router, which in advertising photographs is almost indistinguishable from the Apple trackpad.

As the owners of the device note , it copes with its tasks quite well and has several nice features, including an impressive amount of RAM for a router (128 megabytes), an advanced mobile application for Android and the ability to connect external hard drives.

Mi Box и Apple TV

The Mi Box television set-top box is noticeably different in appearance from Apple TV, but its concept and advertising materials almost exactly repeat the work of Tim Cook's company.

As is the case with other Xiaomi products, users are rather satisfied with the Mi Box: it has excellent hardware for its relatively low cost. There is only one main drawback - the Chinese language in the menu in the absence of English.

Mi4 и iPhone 5/5s

Xiaomi Mi4 with its metal beveled edges reminiscent of the iPhone 5 and 5s, according to many publications , became one of the best smartphones of 2014. For $320, users get almost flagship specifications: a 13-megapixel camera, a Full HD screen and a serious 3080 milliamp-hour battery. It is because of this that many consider Xiaomi one of the main threats to Samsung, where the same thing costs noticeably more.

MiPad и iPhone 5с

Externally, the MiPad tablet is a mixture of iPad mini and iPhone 5c. From the first, the shape and resolution of the screen, from the second - bright plastic cases of approximately the same shades.

Keeping with the trend, the MiPad itself, like other Xiaomi products, is liked by users and reviewers . It has a decent set of characteristics and a balanced price.

MIUI 6 и iOS 8

And the most controversial issue today remains the visual similarity of iOS 7-8 and the MIUI shell used by Xiaomi. The fact is that some elements of Xiaomi, which the Chinese company allegedly copied, appeared before the announcement of iOS 7.

Among Android users, MIUI is considered one of the best shells, on the other hand, its latest version is really like two peas in a pod like iOS 8, and who was inspired by whom is not so obvious.

What's next

Obviously, in order to succeed, Xiaomi needs to stop copying Apple and start taking independent steps, as Samsung did earlier. The big question for the near future will be whether a hot Chinese startup can escape the shadow of Tim Cook's corporation and become something of its own. Xiaomi seems to know how to make good products, but is it anything without the designers who are best at outlining?

Startup with bad habits
Vadim Elistratov,
TJ

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