It seems clear to me that Xiaomi and all of its antics (and the same for Lenovo and others who copy Apple designs and marketing) are meant to gain brand awareness, and all of the world's major "news" and blog sites have been played, pawns in an elaborate, effective use of media.
If their CEO did not wear black turtlenecks (and now blue shirts), if they had not used the "one more thing" at a keynote, if their phones did not look as if they could have been designed by Apple, if their marketing did not replicate the look and feel of Apple, would anyone truly have heard of Xiaomi? They know exactly what they are doing and laughing all the way to their bank.
"that a Chinese company actually could be a world innovator, could build amazingly high-quality products"...
Not if they're running Android.
"High quality" is determined by =
User experience User experience User experience
It's the hardware AND the software, AND the ecosystem, and how these three pillars merge, interact with one another, and then interact with a LIVING, BRRATHING PERSON, in order to create that experience from the the moment you begin an interaction to the moment you put the device down, and moreover, from the moment you first become a customer to the moment it's time to upgrade (as in, service and support; the RELATIONSHIP you build with the people who made and support your device - if you're smart it's the *same* people.)
"that a Chinese company actually could be a world innovator, could build amazingly high-quality products"...
Not if they're running Android.
IMO running Android isn't making anything a quality problem. FWIW Android and iOS are both highly stable and nicely-featured OS's, each with their own unique strengths, features, and advantages depending on what the user is looking for. Some Android devices have certainly had their share of problems tho. It's not the fault of Android as the OS.
Despite this It's certainly fair if some users consider hardware issues to be a reflection of the underlying OS, or think of their own experience with a a budget handset to be typical of all Android devices. Heck I know someone who says she won't ever buy another BMW because of one bad car. It doesn't mean every BMW is poorly built.
The old adage about one bad apple (no pun intended) does hold true in many cases. When an Android smartphone doesn't perform as a user wishes/expects it's Android the OS that quite often takes the blame.
You say you can't understand why "people" accuse China of not being able to innovative or be creative? And you sell a phone that looks and functions like an iPhone. Hmmm. Ever hear of Chinese "knockoffs"? Ask Apple, Ralph Lauren, Coach, Fendi, Kate Spade, Rolllei, Mercedes...should I go on?
The crap coming out of this guy's mouth is just simple spin and avoidance of facts. No smart phone had the characteristics described until the iPhone and now, "that's how interaction design works."
Well, that's been true ever since Apple came out with the iPhone anyway.
"You have to have curved corners. You have to have, you know, like a home button in some way, that's how interaction design works."
Smooth edges are required for comfort obviously, but why rounded? The Lumia 735 has square corners, so it's clearly a design choice.
That same Lumia 735 does not have a home button, though it does have a Windows button. Samsung have a Home button on the Galaxy S4, but its icon looks like that of a stylised house. The Samsung A series has a home button which looks nothing like Apple's. Xiami's home button however, purely by chance I'm sure, mimics the iPhone home button's rounded square icon.
Finally, Xiami's web site looks more like Apple's in terms of appearance than any other web site I've seen which is selling a mobile device. I'm sure that, strangely, if Apple's were to redesign their website today, that in a month or so, Xiami's web site would be updated to look like Apple's new design, because "that's how interaction design works".
Comments
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/70321018/android-praised-by-former-google-exec-hugo-barra
Android is - well it's just wonderful. /s
If their CEO did not wear black turtlenecks (and now blue shirts), if they had not used the "one more thing" at a keynote, if their phones did not look as if they could have been designed by Apple, if their marketing did not replicate the look and feel of Apple, would anyone truly have heard of Xiaomi? They know exactly what they are doing and laughing all the way to their bank.
Marketing 101.
Not if they're running Android.
"High quality" is determined by =
User experience
User experience
User experience
It's the hardware AND the software, AND the ecosystem, and how these three pillars merge, interact with one another, and then interact with a LIVING, BRRATHING PERSON, in order to create that experience from the the moment you begin an interaction to the moment you put the device down, and moreover, from the moment you first become a customer to the moment it's time to upgrade (as in, service and support; the RELATIONSHIP you build with the people who made and support your device - if you're smart it's the *same* people.)
IMO running Android isn't making anything a quality problem. FWIW Android and iOS are both highly stable and nicely-featured OS's, each with their own unique strengths, features, and advantages depending on what the user is looking for. Some Android devices have certainly had their share of problems tho. It's not the fault of Android as the OS.
Despite this It's certainly fair if some users consider hardware issues to be a reflection of the underlying OS, or think of their own experience with a a budget handset to be typical of all Android devices. Heck I know someone who says she won't ever buy another BMW because of one bad car. It doesn't mean every BMW is poorly built.
The old adage about one bad apple (no pun intended) does hold true in many cases. When an Android smartphone doesn't perform as a user wishes/expects it's Android the OS that quite often takes the blame.
EDITED to add BMW mention
Watching him defend Android...so transparent.
Well, that's been true ever since Apple came out with the iPhone anyway.
"You have to have curved corners. You have to have, you know, like a home button in some way, that's how interaction design works."
Smooth edges are required for comfort obviously, but why rounded? The Lumia 735 has square corners, so it's clearly a design choice.
That same Lumia 735 does not have a home button, though it does have a Windows button. Samsung have a Home button on the Galaxy S4, but its icon looks like that of a stylised house. The Samsung A series has a home button which looks nothing like Apple's. Xiami's home button however, purely by chance I'm sure, mimics the iPhone home button's rounded square icon.
Finally, Xiami's web site looks more like Apple's in terms of appearance than any other web site I've seen which is selling a mobile device. I'm sure that, strangely, if Apple's were to redesign their website today, that in a month or so, Xiami's web site would be updated to look like Apple's new design, because "that's how interaction design works".
Mr Barra, you are a smoke cloud of trickery.