Xiaomi as a brand has been the cause for change in the Indian smartphone market. The price-competitive devices that we have in the market today exist because of one and, only one reason. This reason is Redmi. Xiaomi’s sub-brand Redmi freed the consumer from the shackles of devices from the likes of Lava, Micromax, Karbonn and more, who offered cheap devices but lacked certain basics of a smartphone that enhanced the usability aspect. The disrupter, the Redmi Note 3.
In 2015, the usual smartphone was a run of the mill Micromax with a cheap plastic build, lacklustre specifications and poor quality cameras. To add to this, the basics of a smartphone such as a good display, a simple, easy to use UI were found in a handful of phones. Then, came the Redmi Note 3. The device shook up the market in such a manner, that Micromax had to take a leave of absence and return back in 2020, without the glory of it’s former, shady past. The Redmi Note 3 offered a huge display, a good set of cameras, the Snapdragon 650 processor, a full metal design and, for all this, was priced around the 11-12k mark. Post it’s launch, it remained in stock for a week or two after which, all hell broke loose and, the supply had trouble keeping up with the demand.
Five years later, the likes of realme, Poco and other competitive brands owe their existence to Xiaomi. Had the Note 3 not been launched, the Indian smartphone market would still be full of devices from chinese OEMs claiming to be Indian and, offering lackluster specifications and cheap designs for your money.
Hold up, this is not the life story of Xiaomi, rather, it is an article of why Xiaomi could be the next Apple. While this comparison will not be fair to either party, since Xiaomi excels in certain aspects, while Apple has its own strengths. However, the path that the brand is headed towards seems to be similar to Apple and that is a very good thing to do.
Why Apple?
Apple as a company has been subject to both criticism and praise, however, whichever side you belong to, you cannot ignore how much of a role the company plays in paving the way for future technology and making a new idea that has faced criticism consumer ready and available to the whole world. For example, true wireless earphones were nothing until the AirPods came along and, once it did, loads of knockoffs, alternatives and competitors were soon in the market. Four years down the line, there is a new TWS launching every few days, if not every day.
Apple fanatics and critics both fancy to call what it has an Ecosystem. Once you are in the ecosystem, there is no going out. One begins their journey into the ecosystem with buying an iPhone, after which he/she wishes to buy AirPods for self use.
Then, gradually the user moves onto the MacBook or the Apple Watch. With this tie-in, the user is a part of the ecosystem and gets comfortable with these products. This ensures that the user is in an endless loop of the ecosystem due to ease of use and cannot move out of the same.
One good example for this is the Apple Watch. A product that has been a lifesaver for some, it is one of, if not the best smartwatches available as of now. To use it, there is a very interesting asterisk, which is that to use a smartwatch from Apple and pair it to a device, it is an absolute necessity to own an Apple device. That too, an iPhone, even an iPad user cannot pair it to the Apple Watch.
What Does Xiaomi Have To Do With It?
Credits: TheTechLead
Xiaomi is a brand that is most popular in India for having launched budget smartphones under it’s Redmi sub-brand. But, for those unaware, the company has been slowly building an Ecosystem in India. It all started with the Mi Band, that has been the number 1 budget wearable in India, then came the audio products, followed by T-shirts, shoes, lights and even a soap dispenser. Recently, the company even launched its own smart speaker, which is sort of like an Amazon Echo, but, better.
In China, the company sells everything from shoes to scooters, projectors and has a proper ecosystem at play. It sells apparel, robots, jackets, lego-like puzzles and more.
Do note, in terms of the additional accessories and ecosystem related products, there needs to be good software to accompany the brand’s immaculate hardware.
Is Xiaomi Good?
In one word, Yes. Absolutely, The company has been bug-free in terms of its electronic accessories, unlike some seemingly ‘real’ brands. Their audio products do not fail and, support is pretty good as well.
Their Mi TVs are very popular and the software on those products are good as well. Having been the owner of a Mi TV for over 2 years, I can safely conclude that the usability aspect is pretty good. In these two years, not once have I faced any issues and, in terms of fitting and installation, even in a remote area, the service was rapid and issue-free.
Another example for this is the Mi Air Purifier, which has worked without fail for over three years in my usage, however, as a friend reports, after the warranty ends, if one faces an issue, they cannot get any repairs done, even if they wish to pay. The only option is to buy a new purifier, which seems a bit over the top. But, and that is a big but, something needs to go wrong for this to happen and, even if you look at the reviews from users, very rarely does someone face this.
To conclude without going on and on, Xiaomi has a good stronghold in the market and, it’s products are some of the best around. They need to avoid straying from it’s path of good software and quality control and, from the likes of it, it seems they will do just fine.
If the situation does indeed stay this way, I can assume that the brand will be able to replicate the Apple effect, if not better it in some ways. This will eventually be good for both consumer and the brand, with the consumer reaping off the benefits of good tie-ins with the products, while the brand has the ability to first, sell units and ensure that the customer stays with the brand for some time to come. As they say, ‘The Customer is of the utmost priority’ and, if Xiaomi does indeed take this saying into full consideration, they will eventually become the next Apple, even though, in terms of global sales, Xiaomi is already ranked above Apple.
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