Xiaomi is preparing to launch its products outside Asia – but that doesn’t include mobiles.
Hugo Barra, VP of international at the company (and formerly head of product management at Google’s Android unit), said that Xiaomi will launch its Mi.com website in the USA and other markets “within a few months”. Products like fitness bands, TV streaming devices and power banks will be sold.
Barra blamed the delay on localisation and manufacturing challenges, as well as regulatory issues. “The amount of effort required to bring [smartphones and tablets] to market is significant. So we’re accelerating our entry in a sense by bringing simpler products”, he said at an event earlier this month.
Analyst Comment
As we have seen in the big battles between Samsung and Apple (and others), the world of smartphones is beset with issues of patents and other ip. As Norbert pointed out in this article (Xiaomi: Success May Make Life More Difficult), as Xiaomi gets bigger and goes outside China, it is likely to raise a host of enemies that will use ip to defend their markets. Unlike other, long established, vendors, Xiaomi does not have deep depth in patents to allow it to trade with the others. (BR)
