Smartphone-maker Xiaomi plans to step up to the plate against Apple, says the company’s founder. South China Morning Post reports that Xiaomi founder and chief executive Lei Jun said on Chinese social media platform Weibo that it is “a war of life and death” that Xiaomi must overcome.
Lei said that the company will focus on the high-end global smartphone market, directly butting heads with Apple in an attempt to fill the void left by Huawei, who was China’s largest smartphone vendor before being shut out of the U.S. market. Lei said Xiaomi will work to become the world’s largest smartphone vendor within three years.
“[We aim to] fully benchmark against Apple in [terms of] product and experience, and become China’s biggest high-end brand in the next three years,” Lei added. He went on to describe competition with Apple in the high-end smartphone segment as “a war of life and death” that Xiaomi must overcome.
During the fourth quarter of 2021, Apple became the top smartphone brand in China for the first time in six years. Apple became the top-selling smartphone seller in the world, with one in every five smartphones sold being an iPhone.
Xiaomi, along with other companies, has struggled with supply chain issues over the past two years.
Xiaomi will boast 20,000 new retail stores in China over the next three years, adding to the 10,000 stores it currently operates. The company will invest nearly $16 billion in research and development over the next five years.
(Via MacRumors)