Xiaomi Showdown: Chinese upstart set to target high-end market with 'premium' metal handset

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 55
    woochiferwoochifer Posts: 385member

    Quote:


    Originally Posted by mpantone View Post

    As far as I know, Apple's steel parts (like the back of iPod classics, previous iPod touch generations) have never been milled from a single block of steel. This is why Apple has invested so much in their partnership with LiquidMetal: the ability to extrude or form complex shapes in alloys that are far stronger than aluminum.

    The iPhone 5c also uses stamped steel internal frames. While much of the attention has focused on the plastic shell, the use of stamped steel also greatly contributes to the 5c's lower production cost by reducing the time needed for machining. That also explains why the 5c weighs more than the 5s.

     

    If Liquidmetal allows for Apple to form durable and attractive metal shell casings without time-consuming machining, then they will have the best of all worlds -- cutting edge design that takes less time to manufacture than the current state-of-the-art.

  • Reply 22 of 55
    tundraboytundraboy Posts: 1,885member
    The high end market in Android phones will be as vast and lucrative as the high end market in Windows PCs.
  • Reply 23 of 55
    stanthemanstantheman Posts: 332member
    Very utilitarian, made for those in developing countries where the emphasis is on durability not fashion. Not in the same market segment as iPhone.
  • Reply 24 of 55
    lukefrenchlukefrench Posts: 102member

    the whole point of milling from a single slab of aluminum is that the chips are 100% recyclable and so reusable if it is done correctly. You cannot do that in steel so you have to stamp to save costs.  I say gimmick

  • Reply 25 of 55
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,096member

    "High-End" and "Android" were never meant to be in the same sentence.



    Honestly, they can make an Android phone built out of solid diamond for all I care, and it'll STILL suck badly because of the crap OS running it.



    Honestly, do these clowns really think the market is that stupid to not notice?

  • Reply 26 of 55
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post

     

    "High-End" and "Android" were never meant to be in the same sentence.

     


     

    I can hardly think of a better example of an oxymoron.

  • Reply 27 of 55
    theothergeofftheothergeoff Posts: 2,081member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

    Good for them!

     

    This has very little to do with Apple.

     

    I fully support Android manufacturers going at each others throats. Let them all fight each other, while scrambling to pick up a few leftover crumbs. I fully support an Android civil war. 

     

    As for the phone itself, it's Android, so it doesn't matter if somebody makes an Android phone that is covered with real gems and diamonds. You're still stuck with a piece of junk.

     

    As for the CEO, he's merely a cheap Chinese imitation of Steve Jobs. How pathetic.

     


    But I'm sure they said the same thing about Steve (west coast), when compared to the Jack Welch (in the early 80's Jack was the quintessential CEO), or Tom Watson, or Seymour Cray, or Ken Olson. Or Hewlett... or Packard, or Noyce or Moore.

     

    I think the key point is in China, the Xiaomi leadership team is considered a dream team.    Doesn't matter what we think.

     

    As for android, this basically makes the major growth market for Samsung highly competitive, and it being the android market, they can only compete on price and incompatible features.   Not unlike the Windoes PC market, and we've seen how that market has fared for the leaders (if that's winning, it's probably better to realize that quitting is better than losing [see IBM]).

     

    And this is good for Apple.  I don't see them caring if they never garner more than 30% of the world market of phones, because it will b a billion sales a year... 2nd place is good enough in units, if they can differentiate enough in product to continue 25% net profits, vs 2% net loss.

  • Reply 28 of 55
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,372member
    They may make a minor dent in Samsung's market share in Asia but I agree with all other posters who say that no Android powered smartphone will ever be perceived as a "high end" product. No matter how shiny they polish the can the dog food comes in it's still a can of dog food.
  • Reply 29 of 55
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post



    Now I'm wondering if Hugo Barra leaving Google for Xiaomi was by a nodding agreement with Google, helping them blunt Samsung's juggernaut.

     

    Hugo Barra left Google in disgust and went to China after Sergey Brin slept with his girlfriend, Amanda Rosenberg.

     

    Brin's wife at the time, Brin's wife, Anne Wojcicki, left him shortly afterwards for cheating on her.

     

    Try not to read "strategy" into areas where there was nothing but just another example of the owners of Google failing to respect boundaries.

     

    @tomdri - not so much thinking outside the box, more like thinking inside the box

  • Reply 30 of 55
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    woochifer wrote: »
    Yeah, and the timing of Barra's departure just happened to coincide with his fellow Googler girlfriend becoming Sergei Brin's mistress.

    Word on the street. . .:D
  • Reply 31 of 55
    peter236peter236 Posts: 254member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bdkennedy1 View Post



    Having been in contract manufacturing for 5 years, this is simply lipstick on a pig. The Chinese simply don't have the work ethics and technological knowledge to compete with Apple.



    From my own experience, the Chinese have much better work ethics and technology than Apple.

  • Reply 32 of 55
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post



    Word on the street. . .image

     

    Then the word on the street is that Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, a company that has access to the private contacts, communications, daily routines, and other sensitive information of hundreds of million users, betrayed the trust of not only his own Vice President and Product Spokesman for Android, but also the trust of his own wife, someone he should cherish and respect more than any other.

     

    Add to that Eric Schmidt, previous CEO of Google, who joined Apple's board of directors while forgetting to mention that his company was developing their own mobile operating system, and it does nothing to reassure my trust in this company.

  • Reply 33 of 55
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    gtr wrote: »
    Add to that Eric Schmidt, previous CEO of Google, who joined Apple's board of directors while forgetting to mention that his company was developing their own mobile operating system, and it does nothing to reassure my trust in this company.

    Huh? Of course Steve Jobs, every Apple director and probably every Apple engineer from top to bottom was aware that Google was developing a mobile OS, and had known as much as a year or more before Schmidt joined Apple's BoD. It's not as tho it wasn't reported by Bloomberg, CNET and in other business articles, shared with Sun Micro and some carriers, discussed on internet blogs, and talked about in the Valley well before he was invited over to assist Apple.

    I had always assumed you were much more knowledgeable about the histories of the two companies than you currently appear to be.
  • Reply 34 of 55
    georgeip5georgeip5 Posts: 225member
    Not a nice design or look and I don't think any one here or at android police would buy that so no point. Android fans would most likely stick with the known brands or switch to an iOS device. I wonder if they use child labour. Like Samsung.
  • Reply 35 of 55
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post



    Huh? Of course Steve Jobs, every Apple director and probably every Apple engineer from top to bottom was aware that Google was developing a mobile OS, and had known as much as a year or more before Schmidt joined Apple's BoD. It's not as tho it wasn't reported by Bloomberg, CNET and in other business articles, shared with Sun Micro and some carriers, discussed on internet blogs, and talked about in the Valley well before he was invited over to assist Apple.



    I had always assumed you were much more knowledgeable about the histories of the two companies than you currently appear to be.

     

    I'm sorry but, apart from the fact that you didn't even address the information about Sergey Brin being unable to be trusted, your attempts to convince me that Eric Schmidt are trustworthy have not been successful.

     

    Eric Schmidt with his mistress, Kate Bohner, at Burning Man 2007:

     

     

     

    (Incidentally, Kate joined a monastery in Thailand after ending her relationship with Eric and became a Buddhist nun. Way to go, Eric.)

     

    His wife, who he met after she 'edited' his thesis, also reported as feeling like 'luggage' ( http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/fashion/nantucket-benefits-from-a-google-long-distance-marriage.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 ) and separated from him.

     

    Eric promptly went on to become involved with various women while still remaining married:

     

     

    Meanwhile his wife remains at Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, where she focuses on her philanthropic work amid reports that she has accepted their ‘open marriage’.

     

    The man just oozes trust and reliability.

     

    Why is this relevant?

     

    Because if a man cannot be honest in a relationship, then just what can he be honest in?

     

    ?Enjoy your Google products, people: They've been created by people with outstanding principles and moral fibre that you can totally trust.

  • Reply 36 of 55
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by GTR View Post

    Because if a man cannot be honest in a relationship, then just what can he be honest in?


     

    It’s a new world now. Traditional values are bigoted and morality is evil.

  • Reply 37 of 55
    singularitysingularity Posts: 1,328member
    gtr wrote: »
    <div class="quote-container" data-huddler-embed="/t/181357/xiaomi-showdown-chinese-upstart-set-to-target-high-end-market-with-premium-metal-handset#post_2564006" data-huddler-embed-placeholder="false">Quote:<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>Gatorguy</strong> <a href="/t/181357/xiaomi-showdown-chinese-upstart-set-to-target-high-end-market-with-premium-metal-handset#post_2564006"><img alt="View Post" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" /></a><br /><br />Huh? Of course Steve Jobs, every Apple director and probably every Apple engineer from top to bottom was aware that Google was developing a mobile OS, and had known as much as a year or more before Schmidt joined Apple's BoD. It's not as tho it wasn't reported by Bloomberg, CNET and in other business articles, shared with Sun Micro and some carriers, discussed on internet blogs, and talked about in the Valley well before he was invited over to assist Apple.<br /><br />I had always assumed you were much more knowledgeable about the histories of the two companies than you currently appear to be.</div></div><p> </p><p><span style="line-height:1.4em">I'm sorry but, apart from the fact that you didn't even </span>address<span style="line-height:1.4em"> the information about Sergey Brin being unable to be trusted, your attempts to convince me that Eric Schmidt are trustworthy have not been successful.</span></p><p> </p><p>Eric Schmidt with his mistress, Kate Bohner, at Burning Man 2007:</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/45730/"><img alt="" data-id="45730" data-type="61" src="http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/45730/width/350/height/700" /></a></p><p> </p><p><a href="http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/45731/"><img alt="" data-id="45731" data-type="61" src="http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/45731/width/350/height/700" /></a></p><p> </p><p>(Incidentally, Kate joined a monastery in Thailand after ending her relationship with Eric and became a Buddhist nun. Way to go, Eric.)</p><p> </p><p>His wife, who he met after she 'edited' his thesis, also reported as feeling like 'luggage' ( http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/fashion/nantucket-benefits-from-a-google-long-distance-marriage.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 ) and separated from him.</p><p> </p><p>Eric promptly went on to become involved with various women while still remaining married:</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/45732/"><img alt="" data-id="45732" data-type="61" src="http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/45732/width/350/height/700" /></a></p><p> </p><p><span style="line-height:1.4em">Meanwhile his wife remains at Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, where she focuses on her philanthropic work amid reports that she has accepted their ‘open marriage’.</span></p><p> </p><p>The man just oozes trust and reliability.</p><p> </p><p>Why is this relevant?</p><p> </p><p><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">Because if a man cannot be honest in a relationship, then just <em>what</em> can </span><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">he be honest in?</span></p><p> </p><p>?Enjoy your Google products, people: They've been created by people with outstanding principles and moral fibre that you can totally trust.</p>
    Using your own standards why on earth do you have anything to do with Apple after SJ committed perjury to deny paternity over his daughter?
    I can understand disliking a company for its actions/products etc but when you start bringing personal morality into it you just sound like a complete numpty
  • Reply 38 of 55
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    gtr wrote: »
    The man just oozes trust and reliability.

    I think Eric is being full of Schmidt.
  • Reply 39 of 55
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    gtr wrote: »
    Why is this relevant?

    Because if a man cannot be honest in a relationship, then just what can he be honest in?

    ?Enjoy your Google products, people: They've been created by people with outstanding principles and moral fibre that you can totally trust.

    Yes, cheating on your partner seems to be a recurring theme, especially with the wealthy and influential. Steve Jobs lied to his friend Woz about the money he made from their Atari deal. I doubt that's made you sit back and question every other claim that came out of his mouth since. If a man cannot be trusted in business then just when can he be trustedt? :rolleyes:

    Personally I avoid getting involved in other folks marriages and relationships. For all we know both sides could be stepping out on each other. How they handle their personal affairs is theirs to deal with, and they always do.
  • Reply 40 of 55
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by singularity View Post



    Using your own standards why on earth do you have anything to do with Apple after SJ committed perjury to deny paternity over his daughter?

    I can understand disliking a company for its actions/products etc but when you start bringing personal morality into it you just sound like a complete numpty

     

     

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post



    Yes, cheating on your partner seems to be a recurring theme, especially with the wealthy and influential. Steve Jobs lied to his friend Woz about the money he made from their Atari deal. I doubt that's made you sit back and question every other claim that came out of his mouth since. If a man cannot be trusted in business then just when can he be trustedt? image



    Personally I avoid getting involved in other folks marriages and relationships. For all we know both sides could be stepping out on each other. How they handle their personal affairs is theirs to deal with, and they always do.

     

    Jobs no longer runs Apple.

     

    And the fact that you both had to go back decades to find something even comparable to what I mentioned earlier only bolsters my point.

     

    The current Apple management team have hundreds of millions of dollars between them. They fall within that wealthy and influential category that you speak of. They are in the prefect position to misbehave and get away with it.

     

    Yet where is the lying?

    The cheating?

    The drink driving offences?

    The drug related incidents?

    The gaudy mansions in multiple locations around the world?

    The fast women and even faster cars?

     

    There is almost nothing.

     

    And that is very telling about their characters.

     

    All I'm saying is, given a choice between the management at Apple and the management at Google, I trust, and would choose, Apple every time.

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