Quick Takes: Xiaomi Plans to Enter U.S. Within a Year, Ritual Launches Apple Pay Promotion, and More

[MacRumors]

In addition to our standalone articles covering the latest Apple news and rumors at MacRumors, this Quick Takes column provides a bite-sized recap of other headlines about Apple and its competitors on weekdays.

Monday, March 5

- Xiaomi plans to enter U.S. market within a year: "We've always been considering entering the U.S. market," Xiaomi Chairman Lei Jun said at the sidelines of China's annual legislative session in Beijing, according to the WSJ. "We plan to start entering the market by end 2018, or by early 2019."

Commentary: Xiaomi was the world's fifth-largest smartphone maker in 2017, with an estimated 92.4 million shipments, according to research firm IDC. To be successful in the United States, where Apple and Samsung reign supreme, the Chinese company will need a sales agreement with a big carrier like AT&T.

- Ritual launches Apple Pay promotion: Today through March 16, any customer who orders with the Ritual app and pays with Apple Pay will have access to exclusive daily deals at 1,300 restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Boston, and Toronto.

Commentary: Ritual is a mobile app for ordering and paying ahead of time at participating restaurants and coffee shops, enabling customers to skip the line and pick up their food instantly upon arrival.

- iPhone X supplier Finisar gives tour of its Texas facility: "We are trying to make this the VCSEL capital of the world," said Finisar Vice President Curt Barratt, referring to the small town of Sherman, Texas.

Commentary: VCSELs, or vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, are part of the TrueDepth camera system that enables Face ID on the iPhone X. In December, Apple announced it had awarded Finisar $390 million to expand its research and development and production capacity.

- Apple Park: Transcript of 911 calls about injuries from walking into glass: Following reports of some Apple employees walking into glass doors at the company's new headquarters, The San Francisco Chronicle obtained transcripts of 911 calls about related injuries via a public records request.

Commentary: Many people have accidentally walked into a door or two at some point. Hopefully the employees are okay. Apple is reportedly adding stickers to the glass doors to make them more visible.

For more Apple news and rumors coverage, visit our Front Page, Mac Blog, and iOS Blog. Also visit our forums to join in the discussion.

Article Link: Quick Takes: Xiaomi Plans to Enter U.S. Within a Year, Ritual Launches Apple Pay Promotion, and More

 

[Supacon]

That Xiaomi phone doesn't even have a notch. Ugh, that looks so 2016.

 

[Apple_Robert]

If Xiaomi comes to the U.S., it will be interesting to see how they fare against Apple. Being in the U.S. may push Apple to do even more.

I wish Ritual eats was near me. Fifty percent off is a good deal.

 

[Michael Goff]

If Xiaomi comes to the U.S., it will be interesting to see how they fare against Apple. Being in the U.S. may push Apple to do even more.

I wish Ritual eats was near me. Fifty percent off is a good deal.

Xiaomi will never be able to enter the US. They need to stop fooling themselves.

 

[thisisnotmyname]

I'm sure it's not funny to the people who walked into them but I'm laughing a bit that multiple Apple employees have collided with glass doors.

 

[RoboCop001]

I'm sure it's not funny to the people who walked into them but I'm laughing a bit that multiple Apple employees have collided with glass doors.

And also, hard enough to have to call 911? lol how....

 

[bruinsrme]

I'm sure it's not funny to the people who walked into them but I'm laughing a bit that multiple Apple employees have collided with glass doors.

Maybe this is why Apple is starting the AppleCare for employees.

 

[ersan191]

I’m incredibly uninterested in Xiaomi’s phones, but I am VERY interested in everything else they make. Hopefully they bring it all here.

 

[bladerunner2000]

That Xiaomi phone doesn't even have a notch. Ugh, that looks so 2016.

LOL. They can ape Apple all they want, but as long as they don't include that ridiculous notch, it's all good. Whoever at Apple thought it was a good idea needs to be fired.
[doublepost=1520291376][/doublepost]

I’m incredibly uninterested in Xiaomi’s phones, but I am VERY interested in everything else they make. Hopefully they bring it all here.

The Xiaomi Mi Box is easily the second best streaming device after the Nvidia Shield TV. At 70 bucks, it's a bargain. I bought one for my dad for christmas, he loves it.

 

[ersan191]

The Xiaomi Mi Box is easily the second best streaming device after the Nvidia Shield TV. At 70 bucks, it's a bargain. I bought one for my dad for christmas, he loves it.

They make a robot vacuum for $250 that is as good as the $900 roomba.

And a fantastic air filter.

 

[D.T.]

I'd say Samsung has more to worry about than Apple if Xiaomi enters the US market. I think the potential market for iOS to Android conversion will be way less (with their presence) vs. Android buyers looking for alternatives to Samsung (and/or LG, Google, etc.)

 

[outskirtsofinfinity]

This happened to me too. The solution was to attach pink PostIt notes to the glass. #lifehack

 

[B4U]

Surprised that the US government banned Huawei and ZTE but did not do anything about Xiaomi yet.

 

[kildraik]

I understand the first 911 call, where blood is gushing out of his head, but the second two? Apple certainly must only be hiring people that have no skills outside of their careers.

They sound like adult babies. They can’t patch up and move on to an urgent care center, like a self-sufficient adult would do?

No wonder why Apple is installing their own medical offices. (ROTFL)

 

[Mi1lion]

Do these doors not have handles???

 

[subjonas]

The custodians at Apple have a lot of “Face IDs” all over the windows to clean now. Those windows probably need notches.

 

[usarioclave]

The removal of skeumorphism from reality has significant costs.

 

[wemax]

I understand the first 911 call, where blood is gushing out of his head, but the second two? Apple certainly must only be hiring people that have no skills outside of their careers.

They sound like adult babies. They can’t patch up and move on to an urgent care center, like a self-sufficient adult would do?

No wonder why Apple is installing their own medical offices. (ROTFL)

you sound very bitter. something you wanna tell us?

 

[prasand]

but the second two? Apple certainly must only be hiring people that have no skills outside of their careers.

I'm pretty sure that many Apple employees are socially inept, and not "tough". Kinda comes with the territory.

 

[Wide opeN]

Yeah these stories with the injuries just don't add up...

Need more details.

 

[mtneer]

What is so different about Xiaomi and One Plus (Oppo) compared to ZTE and Huawei, in that they haven't attracted any significant scrutiny from the US Government?

 

[citysnaps]

Xiaomi coming to the US. That is so adorable.

In annual mobile phone sales and revenue rankings, Xiaomi will be relegated to the "All Others" category along with a dozen or so other companies, commanding a fraction of 1%.

If that turns out not to be true, then Samsung would be the one to worry.

 

[radiology]

Xiaomi will never be able to enter the US. They need to stop fooling themselves.

That’s exactly what people used to say about the Japanese car makers and then we saw what happened...

No empire last forever.

 

[manu chao]

Xiaomi will never be able to enter the US. They need to stop fooling themselves.

Why? Because no Chinese telecommunications/consumer electronics firm has ever made it into the US and Xiaomi will be no different.

 

[SactoGuy18]

If Xiaomi brings their phones to the USA, it could likely be installed with a "plain" version of Android similar to what Google did in the past with their Nexus phones. That way, Xiaomi can leave the updates to Google.