China'sanswertotheApplesuccessstory

Updated:2012-06-0708:03ByShenJingting(ChinaDaily)PrintMailLargeMediumSmall1ThefrontdeskofXiaomiCorp'sheadquartersinBeijing.
FengYongbin/forChinaDailyXiaomiCorp'sLeiJunwantstoemulatelegendaryUSbrandWillanyChinesemobilephonecompanyreplicateAppleInc'stremendoussuccessTheanswerfromLeiJun,chairmanandchiefexecutiveofficerofXiaomiCorp,maybeabig"Yes".

EstablishedinApril2010,theBeijing-basedXiaomioffershigh-capabilitysmartphonesbelow2,000yuan($317),anaggressivepricingstrategythatalmostputsthesellingpriceatitsfactorycost.

SinceitsdebutonAug16lastyear,the1,999yuanMi-One,thefirstgenerationofXiaomimobilephones,hasattractedgreatattentioninChina.

About300,000Xiaomihandsetswerepre-orderedinthefirst34hoursafterXiaomiacceptedonlinebookingfromSept5,2011.
Thecompanyhadtoimmediatelysuspendsellingbecausestocksranout.
OnDec18,Xiaomiresumedonlinesalesbutitsstockpileof100,000handsetsbegantorunoutinjustthreehours.

InanexclusiveinterviewwithChinaDaily,Leisaidheexpectedthecompanytosellmorethan5millionXiaomihandsetsbytheendofthisyear.
Xiaomi'srevenueislikelytoexceed10billionyuanthisyear,hepredicted.

ThebroadervisionofXiaomi,Leipointedout,istoshipmorethan100millionsmartphonesannuallyforonemodelby2016.

"Iknowit(thevision)iscrazy,butwewouldliketohaveatry,"saidLei.
Cupertino-basedApplemanagedtosellmorethan90millioniPhonedeviceslastyear.
ItiswidelybelievedthatApplewillbreakthe100millionunitmarkthisyear,althoughithasbeenlessthanfiveyearssincethefirstiPhonelaunchedin2007.

Obviously,LeiatXiaomidreamsofasimilargrowthpaceasApple's.
"Ifoneelectronicconsumerproductreallycatcheson,itwillspreadatanextremelyrapidpace,beyondwhatyoucouldimagine,"hesaid.

GowiththetrendLei,43,isaserialentrepreneurandaniconicbusinessleaderinChina'ssoftwareandInternetindustries.
HebecameCEOofKingsoftCorp,aleadingChinesesoftwaredeveloper,attheageof25.
In1999,heinvestedinthee-commercecompanyJoyo.
combutsoldthewebsitetoAmazonin2004for$75million.

KingsoftwentpublicontheHongKongStockExchangein2007andLeiretired.
AfterleavingKingsoft,Leiactedasanangelinvestorandmadeinvestmentsinabunchofwell-knownChineseInternetcompanies,includingonlineclothingretailerVancl.
comandUCWeb,aBeijing-basedmobileInternetbrowsermanufacture.

Withconsiderablewealthaccumulatedfromhisearlyexperiences,Leienjoysfinancialfreedomandhasnoneedtoworkforaliving.
However,hedidnotchoosetoleadarelaxinglifebuthasthrownhimselfintothehard,competitivesmartphoneindustry.

"SettingupXiaomiwasdoingtherightthingattherighttime,"Leisaid.
Duringhisretirement,Leididsomeseriousthinking.
Themostimportantthinghelearnedwasthatifoneindividualwantstoachievereallybigsuccess,heshouldalwaysfollowthetrend,otherwise,hiseffortswillbeinvain.

"WhenIwasatKingsoft,Iwasunderpressureandworkedhard,buttheresultswerenotsatisfactory.
Ontheotherhand,IdiscoveredsomeInternetcompanies,suchasSina.
comandSohu.
com,easilymadefortunesandhadagreaterinfluenceonsociety,"Leirecalled.

"Ireallystruggledthen,"Leisaid.
Gradually,heconcludedthatdoingtherightthingismuchmoreimportantthandoingthethingright.
Heusedtotellajoke-apigcouldflyifitfindsitselfintheeyeofastorm.
Bythishemeansthingsgetmucheasierifonejumpsonthebandwagonofexistingtrends.

NowthemobileInternetisthenextbigtrend,andLeiisdeterminednottomissit.
MaryMeeker,aformerMorganStanleyanalyst,predictedasearlyas2009thatmoreuserswouldaccesstheInternetviamobiledevicesthandesktoppersonalcomputerswithinfiveyears.

"Smartphones,e-bookreaders,connectedin-carelectronicsandwirelesshomeapplianceslikegamingconsoleswouldsellmorethan10billionunitsby2020.
That's10timesmoredevicesthantherearedesktopPCs,"saidMeekerinareportpublishedin2009.
ShepredictedthatthemobileInternetrevolutionwillproduceanewcropofwinners,whoserankswon'tincludetoday'sgiants.

ThatmayprobablycreateopportunitiesforXiaomi.
LeihopeshiscompanywillbecomeaFortune500consumerelectronicscompanysomeday,competingwiththelikesofAppleandSamsungElectronicsCoLtd.

China,acountrywiththeworld'sbiggestmobilepopulationofmorethan1billion,hasnaturallybecomethebirthplaceofworld-classsmartphonecompaniesbecauseofitshugemarket.

ChinaovertooktheUnitedStatestobecometheworld'slargestsmartphonemarketbyvolumeinthethirdquarteroflastyear,accordingtotheresearchfirmStrategyAnalytics.

"Chinaisnowattheforefrontoftheworldwidemobilecomputingboom,"saidNeilMawston,executivedirectoratStrategyAnalytics.

LeiexpressedsimilaroptimismabouttheChinesesmartphonemarket.
Volumesarehighnowbutthecountrystillhasevenbiggerpotential,hesaid.

"Iexpecttwo-thirdsofChinesepeoplewillbeusingsmartphonesby2013,"Leisaid.
"Wemaygowiththetrendthistime-theinitialpopularityofXiaomihasprovedthat,"Leiadded.
WhyXiaomiTheovernightsuccessofXiaomialmostcaughtLeioffguard.
LimitingthesupplyofXiaomihandsetsledtomediaaccusationsof"hungrymarketing".
It'sapracticethatseekstoworkupafeverforaproductthatbecomescontagious.

Althougheverythingisstillundercontrolandisgoingforwardstepbystep,LeiadmittedXiaomimovedmuchfasterthanheexpected.

"Wehadafour-yearplanbutwefinisheditintwoyears,"hesaid.
ThesuccessofXiaomiphonesisdowntothreethings,Leiadded.
First,one-thirdofXiaomidevice-designideascomefromwhatuserswant.
Second,Xiaomisellshandsetsmainlythroughe-commercewebsites,whichcutscostsandhelpslowerthesellingprice.
Thethirdreasonmaybethemostimportant-Xiaomidoesn'texpecttomakemoneyfromsellinghandsetsbuthopestorealizeprofitsbyprovidingsoftwareandrelatedservices,Leisaid.

XiaomidrewideasfromtheInternet,gainingareputationthroughword-of-mouthandsoldhandsetsusinge-commercechannels.

RogerSheng,aShanghai-basedanalystwithGartnerInc,saidoneofthemostimportantreasonswhyXiaomiexperiencedsuccessisbecauseoftheword-of-moutheffectpromotedbymillionsofXiaomifans.

"ThereisnootherwaytopurchaseXiaomihandsetsexceptthroughonlinechannels,whichresultedinmorepeoplerushingtojointheline-upbecausethey'reafraidoffailingtogetone,"Shengsaid.

Xiaomi'stargetedcustomersarehardcoremobiledeviceusers.
Mostofthemarefanaticalaboutmobiledevices,tendtobeopinionleadersandliketosuggesttotheirfriendswhathandsetstobuy.

ItistruethatXiaomipaidattentiontonurturingacloserelationshipwithitscustomers.
Inadditiontomakingsmartphones,thecompanylaunchedacartooncharacter,therabbitMi-Tu,madepromotionalminimoviesanddesignedspecialsouvenirs,suchasT-shirts,toattractandretainusers.

LeinamedApril6,thedaywhenXiaomiwasestablished,astheannualcarnivalforXiaomifans.
Duringthefirsteventthisyear,hundredsoffans,invitedfromacrossthecountry,gatheredinasmallhallinBeijing's798artdistrict,andchattedasiftheywereoldfriendsatareunion.

Somefollowershavemadespecialmusicvideosandadd-onsforXiaomismartphones.
OtherssaidtheyhadcollectedalmostallthemobilephonecasesofdifferentcolorsproducedbyXiaomi.

"Xiaomiistheonlysmartphonebrandthatreallycapturesmyheart,"saidLiuCheng,aXiaomiuser.
The1,999-yuanclassicmodel,togetherwithits1,499-yuanyouthversionsmartphone,surprisedthemarketatfirst,saidJiChengdong,ananalystwithresearchfirmFrost&Sullivan.

"Xiaomibecamethefirstcompanytosellhigh-endsmartphonesatarelativelyaffordableprice,whichdefinitelydrewthemostmarketattention.
"ShenSui,anInternetanalystatconsultancyfirmiResearch,said:"XiaomihasessentiallyimitatedApple'smarketingstrategy.
"Likewise,itaimstomakeaprofitbycombiningthesalesofhardwarewithitssoftware,suchasMiliao.

"Thephoneisclearlytargetedatpeopleonlowerincomeswhowantasmartphonebutcannotaffordthosepricedat4,000yuanormore.
Thisisanichemarketthatislargelyignoredinthesmartphonesector,"Shensaid.

GoingglobalXiaomiwillstartsellingsmartphonesintheoverseasmarketinthesecondhalfofthisyear,Leisaid.
Ratherthangotodevelopedeconomies,suchastheUnitedStatesorEurope,Xiaomihasamorepracticalstrategy-enteringemergingmarkets.

ItstillneedstimeforcustomersindevelopedeconomiestorecognizeandacceptaChinesebrand,Leipointedout.

CountriessuchasRussia,IndiaandBrazilmaybecomethefirstdestinationmarketsforXiaomi.
"BecauseXiaomiisauniquemobilephonevendorthathaslargelybuiltitsreputationthroughtheInternet,weneedtoselectmarketswithagoode-commerceenvironmentandawell-establishedsocialnetwork,"Leiadded.

"Similarly,Xiaomiwillformafans'groupineverycountryinwhichweplantohaveapresence,"Leisaid.

TheMIUI,Xiaomi'smobileoperatingsystembasedonAndroid,hasalreadyattractedmillionsoffollowersin23countries,whichlaidthefoundationforXiaomi'sglobalization.

C.
K.
Lu,aseniormobiledeviceresearchanalystatGartnerInc,saidXiaomihasanopportunitytopenetratemarketsespeciallyinAsia,whereuserstendtobemorecost-conscious.

"Butalackofpatentscanbeanissueforit(Xiaomi)whenleavingitshomemarket,"Luwroteinane-mail.
Culturalchallenges,limitedexperienceininternationaloperationsandashortageoftalentarelikelytobemajorobstaclestoachievingthedesiredresult,saidDuncanClark,chairmanofinvestmentconsultancyBDAChina.

Xiaomiraisedabout$90millioninthelatestroundoffundingonOct20.
TheinvestorsincludedTemasekHoldings,InternationalDataGroupandQualcommInc.
Xiaomi'stotalfundraisingamountsto$131million.

LeisaidXiaomiwouldnotgopublicinthenextfiveyears.
"IfwehaveanIPO,wemaybedistractedfromdeliveringgoodproducts,"hesaid.
Leisaidhehadreceivednosalaryfromthecompany,eventhoughheisitsCEO.
"IjusthopeXiaomiwillfulfillmydreamsandbecomeaworld-classcompany.
WorkingforXiaomiisthelastjobofmylifetime.
"OnlinespathidesbiggertensionsUpdated:2012-06-0708:03ByShenJingting(ChinaDaily)PrintMailLargeMediumSmall0AXiaomiCorpemployeetalkswithacustomerinBeijingonMay16.
FengYongbin/forChinaDailyIt'sraretoseetwofamousChinesebusinessleadersengaginginatit-for-tatspatpubliclyjustbecausetheyarecompetitors.
However,ithappenedbetweenLeiJun,founderofXiaomiCorp,andZhouHongyi,chairmanoftheChineseonlinesecuritysoftwaredeveloperQihoo360TechnologyCo.
Bothofthemlosttheirtempersandcriticizedeachotheronmicroblogs.

OnMay15,whenXiaomireleaseditsyouthversionsmartphoneat1,499yuan($235),Qihoo360announcedapartnershipwithHuaweiTechnologiesCoLtdtointroduceasimilarsmartphonemodelatthesameprice.

Thetwocompanieswerequicklyinvolvedinawarofwords.
LeiaccusedZhouofmanipulatingpeopletocreatemaliciousinformationaboutXiaomianddisgraceXiaomiproducts.
ThelatterdeniedallthechargesandcriticizedLei,sayinghefearedcompetition.

ThequarrelreflectedawidebeliefthatthereisintensifiedcompetitioninChina'ssmartphoneindustry.
Moreandmoreoutsiders,especiallyInternetcompanies,haveshownastronginterestinrivalingtraditionalhardwaremanufacturersinthehopeofgrabbingashareofthesmartphonemarket.

China'sbiggestInternetcompany,TencentHoldingsLtd,hasreleasedsixQQsmartphones,mainlytargetingstudents,withdifferentmobilephonemakers.
BaiduInc,thesearchenginegiant,introducedtwosmartphonemodelsrunningonitsself-developedmobileoperatingsystem.

AlibabaGroup,whichintroduceditsfirstAliyunsmartphonelastJuly,pricedat2,680yuan,releasedthesecondgenerationofthedevicepricedat1,499yuanlastmonth.

ThelatestnewcomerisShandaInteractiveEntertainmentLtd.
ChinesemediareportedShandawaslikelytointroduceitsfirstsmartphoneinJune,pricedat1,199yuan.

"Xiaomicouldfeelpressurebecausetherearemanyambitiousrivalscomingupfrombehind,"saidZhangYanan,ananalystwiththeBeijing-basedconsultancyZero2IPOGroup.

Smartphones,amongvariousmobiledevicesthatarelikelytogaininpopularity,havethesameimportanceassoftwareandapplications.
That'swhyvariousInternetcompaniesregardthesmartphonebusinessashot,Zhangsaid.

However,LeiexpressedconfidenceinXiaomi.
"XiaomiisuniquebecauseitmaybetheonlycompanyinChinathathasintegratedhardware,softwareandservicesfromtheverybeginning.
It'sinXiaomi'sDNA,"Leisaid.
CombiningthosethreecriticalpartsisalsothesecretofApple'ssuccess,headded.

Inaddition,Xiaomihasmillionsof"Mi"fans,whodefendedXiaomismartphonesduringLei'sdisputewithQihoo360.

"NewcomersarenotabletoreplicateXiaomi'sbusinessmodelsasMifansareconsideredloyal.
ButthereareopportunitiesforsometoselldevicestotheircorefansbecauseChinaissuchabigmarketwithwidespreadintereststobecovered,"saidC.
K.
Lu,aseniormobiledeviceresearchanalystatGartnerInc.

小米科技—再现苹果商业神话中国互联网元老雷军的智能手机梦(2012年6月7日)中国日报记者:沈静霆中国能否出现一个手机企业取得和美国苹果公司一样巨大的成功对于这个问题,小米科技责任有限公司首席执行官雷军很可能会给出一个非常肯定的答案—"Yes".
2010年4月,小米科技在北京诞生,定位是生产高性能、低售价的智能手机.
小米手机采取比较激进的定价策略,每部手机价格锁定在2000元(317美元)以下,仅仅是覆盖生产成本.
自发布售价1999元的小米第一代手机Mi-One以来,小米科技便在国内获得了广泛关注.
2011年9月5日,Mi-One开始接受网络预定,短短34个小时,30万部手机便销售一空.
面对突然的缺货,小米科技不得不立即暂停销售.
三个月后,公司重新开始在线供应Mi-One,但库存的10万部手机也仅用了3个小时便被抢购完毕.

在接受中国日报独家专访时,雷军说希望截至2012年年底,小米科技能够售出500万部手机.
他预测公司全年营业收入有望超过100亿元人民币.
但小米科技的远景目标是:2016年单款手机出货量超过1亿部.
雷军坦言:"我知道这(远景目标)听起来似乎有点疯狂,但我们想去尝试一下.
"位于美国加州库比蒂诺的苹果公司去年卖了9000万部iPhone手机.
尽管目前距离苹果发布第一款iPhone手机不到5年,但人们普遍认为苹果今年会打破销售1亿部iPhone手机的纪录.

很明显,雷军梦想着小米科技取得和苹果公司相似的成长速度.
雷军说,如果一个电子产品真的风行起来,它的扩张速度会非常快,甚至超出你的想象.
顺势而为现年43岁的雷军经历多次创业,是中国软件、互联网领域的行业领袖.
25岁时,雷军便成为中国著名软件公司—金山软件公司—的首席执行官.
他1999年投资创建电子商务公司卓越网(Joyo.
com),并在五年后以7500万美元将其出售给了美国亚马逊公司.
2007年,金山软件有限公司香港上市,雷军随即宣布退休.
离开金山公司之后,雷军成为了一名天使投资人,投资了一系列中国著名的互联网公司,包括在线服装零售商凡客、移动互联网浏览器服务商UCweb等.

雷军早期创业和投资经历为其积累了可观的财富.
他没有必要为了生活而工作了.
然而,雷军没有选择放松的生活方式,而是又投入到了竞争异常激烈的智能手机产业中.
雷军说:"成立小米科技是在正确的时间做正确的事情.
"在雷军淡出业界的时间里,他做了很多深入思考.
在他眼里,一个人能够获得巨大成功最重要的因素是他必须总能顺应时代的潮流,否则所有的努力都要付诸东流.
"在金山工作的时候,我工作非常努力,压力很大.
但是,我发现一些互联网公司诸如新浪、搜狐等,他们很容易创造财富,并且对于社会有很大的影响力.
"雷军回忆说.
"我当时为此非常苦恼.
"渐渐地,雷军参悟到一个道理—做对的事情远比把事情做对更重要.
雷军经常讲一个笑话—即使是一头猪,如果它在台风口,它也能飞起来.
他用这件事情做比喻是为了说明顺应形势和潮流做事情,成功会变得非常容易.
现在移动互联网就是下一个大趋势,因此,雷军下定决心不能错过这个机会.
玛丽米克,一位前摩根士丹利分析师,早在2009年就作出预测:五年内,通过移动设备访问互联网的人数将超过通过台式机访问互联网的人数.
米克在其2009年发布的一份报告指出:"2020年,智能手机、电子书阅读器、车载电子设备以及游戏机等家庭无线设备销量将超过100亿部,那会是届时电脑销量的10倍.
"她预测这场移动互联网革命会在当今大公司之外产生新的伟大公司.

这就为小米创造了机会.
雷军希望他的公司未来成为世界500强公司,在电子消费品领域与行业内强手如苹果、三星等公司展开竞争.
中国拥有世界上最大的手机用户群.
如此巨大的市场容量自然成为世界级智能手机公司诞生的摇篮.
研究机构StragegyAnalytics在一份报告中指出,2011年第三季度,中国手机出货量已超过美国,成为世界最大的智能手机市场.
"中国目前处于世界移动计算最前沿.
"StrategyAnalytics执行总裁莫斯顿说.
雷军同样对于中国智能手机市场持乐观态度.
中国智能手机销量很大,但是相对未来仍然有巨大的潜力.
"我预测到2013年,中国有三分之二的人口将使用智能手机.
"雷军说到.
"这一次,小米应该是做了一件正确的事.
"为什么是小米小米科技的一夜成名几乎使雷军猝不及防.
限制小米手机供货量被媒体指责说小米科技采取饥饿营销策略.
尽管一切尽在掌控并稳步推进,雷军承认,小米科技前进得速度比他预想得要快.
"我们原本计划4年要达到的目标仅用两年就实现了.
"雷军补充说小米科技的成功源于以下三点:首先,小米手机设计理念充分吸取了用户意见;其次,小米卖手机主要通过互联网渠道,降低了渠道费用,最终降低手机售价;第三点原因是最重要的—小米科技没有打算通过卖手机赚钱,而是通过提供软件和服务获取利润.
Gartner公司上海分析师RogerSheng说,小米科技成功的重要原因在于数以百万计的小米粉丝的口碑效应.
"用户仅能通过互联网才能买到小米手机,其他渠道买不到,这就导致网上排队抢购现象的出现.
"RogerSheng说道.
小米手机的目标用户群是铁杆移动设备用户.
他们中大多数对于移动设备特别狂热,是这个领域的意见领袖,也乐于推荐朋友买他们认可的手机.
小米科技在维护用户关系方面付出了较多精力.
除了做智能手机外,公司还推出了卡通人物米兔、制作微电影、生产特殊纪念品,诸如T恤衫等.
雷军把小米科技成立的日期—4月6日,作为小米粉丝年度聚会的日子.
今年第一次盛会,几百名米粉从全国各地赶来,相聚在北京798艺术中心,一起歌唱、聊天,就像久别重逢的老朋友一样.
一些小米追随者甚至为小米手机制作了特别的音乐、视频和配件.
程柳,一位来自成都的米粉,说小米手机是唯一打动自己的智能手机品牌.
Frost&Sullivan公司的电信分析师季宸东说:"小米是第一家以较低价格出售高端智能手机的公司.
小米1999元的经典版和1499元的青春版,一开始就给了市场一个惊喜.
""小米手机清晰的定位在那些收入较少、难以负担超过4000元以上高性能智能机的人群,这是一个容易被忽略的市场.
"艾瑞公司分析师沈岁说道.
全球化视野雷军说,小米将于今年下半年启动海外销售.
相比美国、欧洲等发达国家,小米将把更多的精力放在开发新兴国家市场,如俄罗斯、印度、巴西等国家.
"由于小米手机主要通过互联网口碑相传.
我们要进入的市场需要有支持电子商务的友好环境以及成熟的社交网络.
"雷军指出.
小米手机操作系统MIUI是基于安卓开发的智能手机操作系统,目前已经吸引了来自23个国家数以百万计的开发者进行应用开发,这是小米建立全球化的根基.
Gartner高级移动设备分析师C.
K.
Lu说,小米科技在国际市场,尤其是亚洲市场,还是大有机会的.
"但是,中国手机厂商成立时间短,往往专利储备比较少,这是在海外竟争中面临的一个主要挑战.
"另外,小米科技在国际运营中缺少经验,并有可能出现人才短缺,这都是它实践国际化战略的障碍,北京BDA投资咨询公司主席邓肯说.
截至目前,小米科技总共融资1.
3亿美元,投资者包括淡马锡控股、美国国际数据集团(IDG)、高通等.
雷军表示,小米手机未来五年内都不会上市.
"如果我们上市了,我们就不会集中精力创造好的产品了.
"雷军说自己没有从小米科技拿过一分钱工资.
"我只是希望小米科技帮我完成建立一个世界级企业的梦想.
在小米工作是我一生中最后一份工作.
"配稿:科技界巨头口水战折射手机行业激烈竞争中国日报记者:沈静霆两个著名商业领袖在公开空间中恶语相向、互相攻击的情况在中国并不多见.
然而,它却真实发生在小米科技有限公司创始人雷军和网络安全企业奇虎360创始人周鸿祎身上.
他们两个都表现的有点失控,在微博上展开了对骂.

5月15日,当小米发布了青春版智能手机,并宣布售价1499元(235美元)之后,奇虎360随即宣布与华为公司联合开发售价完全相同、功能类似的智能手机.
两家公司很快卷入了口水战.
雷军指责周鸿祎误导用户、散步恶意信息、诋毁小米产品.
周则拒绝承认这项指控,并反过来指责雷军惧怕竞争.
深层次上,这个争吵反映了一个现象—中国智能手机市场的竞争日趋激烈,越来越多的外部竞争者,尤其是一些著名的互联网企业,显示了进入智能手机市场、并分一杯羹的强烈欲望.
中国最大的互联网公司腾讯控股和不同的硬件制造商合作,发布了六款QQ智能手机,其主要目标用户是学生.
搜索引擎领导者百度公司,最近也发布了两款新型智能手机,内置百度自身开发的移动操作系统.