I'm not sure if this is a valid argument. I've never heard of Xioami until I read this article, and I'm the biggest "techie" in my group of friends, family and at work. Which goes back to a comment I made earlier. They aren't borrowing just the "rounded corners" or "chamfered edges", its the whole picture down to colors, marketing material etc. This has the potential to create market confusion. I know it sounds absurd to those on this thread and website. However I'd venture to say that we know more about these products than your typical consumer.
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Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra Defends Against Copycat Accusations in New Interview
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I'm not sure if this is a valid argument. I've never heard of Xioami until I read this article, and I'm the biggest "techie" in my group of friends, family and at work. Which goes back to a comment I made earlier. They aren't borrowing just the "rounded corners" or "chamfered edges", its the whole picture down to colors, marketing material etc. This has the potential to create market confusion. I know it sounds absurd to those on this thread and website. However I'd venture to say that we know more about these products than your typical consumer.
Did you read the links to my previous posts on this topic, that I put in that message? They address most/all of your comments.
For example, how would a normal person who went to the Xiaomi site, be confused into thinking that they were looking at the Apple site? Heck, their browser shows which website they're on. Either it's apple.com or it's mi.com, and the latter says "Mi" in big letters on its pages.
Only someone paying no attention at all would think that's an Apple product site, and the law does not protect idiots. The law protects people from things like fake Gucci bags or iFonie clones that are deliberately trying to fool people, not from simply similarly marketed or colored items.
Heck, the first Apple Pay webpage looked remarkably similar to the Google Wallet page, but no one thought Apple Pay was a Google product. Xiaomi put out colored phones months before Apple did, but no one thought the later iPhone 5c was really made by Xiaomi.
Buyers are expected to use common sense, especially the more an item costs. No court on the planet is going to protect someone who buys a Hyundai thinking it looked like a Mercedes
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Sure... The chamfered edge is the only thing...
I'm glad to see this first post stay up, china has a trillion dollar fake industry that they wont give up but the west are more to blame than them. You could embargo their unfair use f American Technology and shut the nation down, but keep in mind the Apple store will be down for some time.
Did you read the links to my previous posts on this topic, that I put in that message? They address most/all of your comments.
For example, how would a normal person who went to the Xiaomi site, be confused into thinking that they were looking at the Apple site? Heck, their browser shows which website they're on. Either it's apple.com or it's mi.com, and the latter says "Mi" in big letters on its pages.
Only someone paying no attention at all would think that's an Apple product site, and the law does not protect idiots. The law protects people from things like fake Gucci bags or iFonie clones that are deliberately trying to fool people, not from simply similarly marketed or colored items.
Heck, the first Apple Pay webpage looked remarkably similar to the Google Wallet page, but no one thought Apple Pay was a Google product. Xiaomi put out colored phones months before Apple did, but no one thought the later iPhone 5c was really made by Xiaomi.
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Buyers are expected to use common sense, especially the more an item costs. No court on the planet is going to protect someone who buys a Hyundai thinking it looked like a Mercedes
Who said anything about going to the Xiaomi or Apple website? You must not have read one of my previous posts on the topic either. I mentioned that if you were in a brick and mortar store (crazy I know) and these were next to each other, it would be difficult to tell them apart. This was Apple's issue with the early Android smartphones by Samsung and my issue here. Its not one specific aspect of the device, its the product as a whole.
I don't think its a stretch to call these products more than just similar. Similar is like saying me and my friend both wore a blue shirt. Xiaomi is copying the look right down to the boxers.
Do you really think that any of the posters in this thread believe that someone is going to get fooled into buying a Xiaomi when what they really wanted is an iPhone?
Come on, be real. You are arguing for the sake of arguing.
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You're replying to the wrong person. Others are claiming the similarity is somehow confusing. See below.
You mentioned marketing materials in the post I was replying to:
What did you mean, if not the website among other things?
Nobody buys an expensive smartphone in a box off a shelf. You have to ask a salesperson to go get one out of stock. So the box color/shape doesn't matter. Neither does the USB charger shape, or anything else that consumers don't usually see before buying.
The fact is, it's not the similarity that confuses naive buyers. If they come in to buy an iPhone and they leave with a Samsung, then it's because of a salesperson, not the packaging or the UI or the phone case.
No, he's replying to the right person. No one on this forum or website would be confused, but I'm not talking about them.
kdarling said:
I was referring to the images others have posted on this site of Xiaomi products. I think it would be realistic to expect these to be both online and in any stores where the device is sold.
kdarling said:
Its not really fact, its your opinion. I disagree with it, but oh well.
Barra should have said: Yes, we copied a few things from Apple. End of the problem. But, as Barra knows Samsung from his Google Days, he know that no marketing is bad marketing. I visited the Xiami website when they used the Apple Apperture icon in his website.
We may be talking about the same thing here, so I agree with your "When you must resort to a personal attack, you have lost your argument" statement.
The posters on this thread are generally tech-savvy and tech-knowledgeable. As you well know there are a lot of people who aren't as knowledgeable, and those are the people whom Xiaomi is knowingly trying to fool.
So what's your claim? That people walk into a store intending to buy an iPhone, but walk out with a Mi box instead, because ... why? It doesn't say "Apple" or "iPhone" on it.
And does this work both ways? Does someone going to buy a HTC One accidentally buy an iPhone 6 because the iPhone's metal case and antenna lines look like HTC's ?
Can you explain what you mean?
Fool people in what way?
By offering similar functionality for less money?
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I have a friend who's elderly parents live in rural France. His father wanted to buy a tablet as a gift for his mother. My friend said "get her an Apple iPad". His father went to the store and came back with a Samsung tablet. When my friend asked his father why he got that tablet, his father said "eh, they all looked the same."
If you don't think that this type of scenario is part of Samsung's and Xiaomi's strategy then, frankly, you're a little too naive for me to have this debate with you.
I think you know what he means even though he doesn't. Companies like Samsung and Xiaomi are trading on Apple's reputation by releasing products similar enough to an iPhone that people that don't know any better think "It's just like an iPhone, only cheaper."It's no coincidence that the mobile OS most like iOS (Android) became Apple's biggest competitor. And the manufacturers (Samsung beginning with the Galaxy S) that make their phones look most like the iPhone are the most successful.
And, no, I'm not implying that that's the only reason people by Android. There are plenty of people that prefer Android because they think it's better for a variety of reasons.
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B
But all Samsung tablets have Samsung printed on the front face, any adult who doesn't see that when looking at a display model should be no where near computer equipment..
It's like sending someone to the store for some Pepsi, but they come back with Coke because it's cheaper. The idea is to create the perception among the masses that there isn't much difference between a Samsung device and an Apple device. That they are interchangeable.
Thank you, this is exactly right. And then to watch a smug prick like Hugo Barra go on tv and deny this obvious fact is both laughable and maddening.
lol.
it sucks. its good for the price but it sucks.
its a near exact copy of the iPhone with a plastic galaxy like back cover.
lol they heavily modified the Android OS to look almost like iOS.
Yes there is valid points for suing.
if they bring the xiaomi's to US or any western nation they'll get sued.
it sucks. its good for the price but it sucks.
its a near exact copy of the iPhone with a plastic galaxy like back cover.
lol they heavily modified the Android OS to look almost like iOS.
Yes there is valid points for suing.
if they bring the xiaomi's to US or any western nation they'll get sued.
I have an air 2 and a galaxy tab S , anyone who says they are different hasn't used both. The are both super fast, and super smooth.. Touchwiz on lollipop is so light these days. The main difference is the super amoled screen smokes the air 2 in display quality and the 16x10 is far better than 4 x 3 for watching movies.. Its no perception any more.
The OS is not the same and they are not the same.
They are only similar because Android OS and its phone manufacturers strive day and night trying to be like iOS.
Hell, there wouldn't even be Android OS if it wasn't for iOS.
Android is literally a knockoff version of iOS. I develop for both, I haven't tried Android Studio out yet, but Eclipse was a beat up Pinto compared to Xcode.
I think that's a true statement but not in the context of this. Xiaomi products are really well made for a price you wouldn't expect. That's innovation. As a design? far from it.
Innovative? Im sure other companies have done this before.
They're making very minuscule profit per device sold. Its about just selling and getting the name out there and branding themselves. Which they already did.
The design is a straight knock off, when you talk about the actual hardware and the OS (android to look like iOS) and it feels cheap because of the plastic. Same as a galaxy.
This isn't marketable to the average consumer in the US. If someones try to save couple bucks maybe, but thats like buy your kids payless shoes. Nobodies going to want a Xaomi in the US.
Not to mention that they will get sued if they bring it over and they Will lose.
-"Nobody is going to want a Xiaomi in the US" you will eat your words. I'm not saying this in defense of Xiaomi but their plan is not hard to see. Xiaomi shamelessly copies Apple and risks paying fines in the short run. They learn from their mistakes. Then, they use the money to hire a world class design team and the rest is history.
Don't forget what Steve Ballmer said about the iPhone. He no longer works for Microsoft. Hope that helps put things into perspective.
You're still forgetting the western worlds view on chinese products made by chinese companies.
You, Me (I'm assuming) travel, we see Xiaomis, and if you travel to china you know that they literally manufacture everything in the world (even though they are trying to transition from manufacturing to offer services like the US)
1. Its going to be hard to market the Xaomi phone, because first of all its a chinese company, as i stated above. Thats like saying are you going to buy Jordans? Kobe's? Lebrons? or Ling Nings? Are you going to buy ralph lauren, burberry, louie, or are you going to buy shanghai tang? (high end chinese brand)
Its going to be hard to market, Japanese/Korean products are not comparable to chinese products in terms of marketing.
Because chinese brands been having impressions of being cheap and poorly made. In which cases its true, the quality control is no where near of a US company. Even if its made from the same country, city, or even same factory.
And most of the time, it is crap. Shirts, blankets, etc theres less thread counts, shampoos and soaps are watered down, etc etc. But its like this to make it affordable to the average citizen there.
This doesn't fly in the US.
2. Regardless, Samsung and Apple have the majority of the market when you talk about hardware with smartphones. Already being a chinese brand, its going to be impossible for these guys to come make an impact. But then again look at lenovo and acer. Xiaomi if they come they would need to change the name, indefinitely.
Not to mention no US company is going to buy Xiaomi devices for their company to use, especially if their customers would see it.
3. Xiaomi will get sued and they will lose. They're coming to US courtrooms if they sell here, they won't win. This gets international politics involved.
If Apple were to sue in china, apple would surely lose, since they are a more somewhat corrupt and less transparent (even though the current elected dictator is cleaning up general corruption on the local and province level) government.
Simply put, their extremely petty. Hell they claim the whole south china sea off a 1,000 year old map. trying to get oil thats in Indonesian, phillipines, vietnam, and malaysian waters.
Not to mention technology/economic wars between china and america is forever constant. blocking all google services, drop box, logmein,
basically any american software to promote their own chinese software (which is Ali Baba). It all stemmed over an issue over Wi-Fi routers made by a chinese company that the US banned years ago because of espionage/security issues.
so i agree, to disagree.
If that's how he thinks, and how much he obeys suggestions, then it sounds like it didn't matter what kind of gift your friend recommended by name. He was going to ignore any specific advice. Wouldn't matter if it was a tablet or an LCD TV.
Sure, but every company hopes to attract customers from the other side by trying to look like at least an equivalent choice. This goes for everything from cold medicines to cereals to soft drinks to shoes to cars. Heck, Cook brags every time Apple pulls some Android users over to iOS, by including features or sizes that used to be available only on Android.
We're surround by advertising. People have to take responsibility for their own choices.
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Sales person dictating a consumers choice over a smartphone?
this is 2015 we're talking about.