Xiaomi focused on connectivity

Xiaomi made its CES debut this week looking to transform its image as a smartphone maker into a technology company of international vision that goes beyond its core smart devices and connects 50 million devices through its internet of things (IoT) platform.

Xiaomi has more than 70 products on display at the Las Vegas Convention Center, including smartphones, TVs, routers and dozens of Mi Ecosystem products across categories such as smart home, health and fitness, personal transportation and smart toys.

Although approximately 23 million Mi bands (heart-rate monitors) and 3.3 million webcams have been sold so far, and more than 1 million Mi Air Purifiers are sold annually, Xiaomi's international marketing and sales approach remains modest, as there is no immediate plan to officially enter "developed markets" such as the US, Canada or Western Europe.

Xiang Wang, senior vice-president, said at Thursday's media conference that his company believes the Consumer Electronics Show is an "ideal place for us to showcase our innovations" to a tech-savvy audience.

"We have proved that the Mi Ecosystem model works, and our focus going forward is to ensure that we can scale this model further in terms of products and also geographically."

Functioning like an umbrella, the Mi Ecosystem covers hundreds of smart products manufactured by Xiaomi's "ecosystem" partners.

Xiaomi has invested in 77 companies that design and manufacture products beyond its three core product categories: smartphones, smart TVs and smart routers, said Hugo Barra, vice-president. "We incubate and invest in specialized companies to effectively expand product line in a highly scalable manner."

Barra introduced three Xiaomi products at CES: the white version of the Mi Mix smartphone; Mi Router HD and Xiaomi's thinnest smart TV to date, the Mi TV 4.

Spending about 10 minutes detailing the "revolutionary features" of the Mi TV 4, Barra explained why the 4.9mm-thin, frameless set is a "must-buy".

The Mi TV 4 (65") has been crafted with a modular design, and the TV set is separated into two parts: a 4K display and the Mi TV Bar, which incorporates both the motherboard and an independent sound system that includes up-firing speakers.

The speakers, together with a subwoofer and two rear wireless satellite speakers, make up the Mi TV 4 Dolby Atmos home theater.

junechang@chinadialyusa.com