Xiaomi banks on retailers,

dual camera to capture new users

 Learn and Talk III – Lesson 35

Preview
Words Expressions

1. overturn /ˌəʊ.vəˈtɜːn/ [verb] catch up in

change radically
bricks-and-mortar
2. unmet /ʌnˈmet/ [adjective]
not satisfied, or achieved
dual-camera
3. rollout /ˈrəʊlˌaʊt/ [noun]
the act of making something, especially a product or service, available for the first time win back

4. gadget /ˈɡædʒ.ɪt/ [noun] all-around sales channels

a small device or machine with a particular purpose

5. endorsement /ɪnˈdɔːs.mənt/ [noun]

the act of saying that you approve of or support something or someone

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 Learn and Talk III – Lesson 35

Article

Xiaomi banks on retailers, dual camera to capture new users

Xiaomi, which once overturned China's smartphone market

and gained world fame with its affordable and online-sold-only
smartphones, is now catching up in boosting its presence in
bricks-and-mortar stores.
The company launched a new handset named Redmi Pro
featuring dual rear cameras on Wednesday in Beijing, which
founder Lei Jun claimed could produce professional photos.
It also announced that the new smartphone will be available in
more than 2,000 retail outlets, a major departure for a
company that once sold products exclusively online.
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 Learn and Talk III – Lesson 35

Di Jin, Research Manager of IDC China, said that there is an actual unmet need
for better photos as smartphones are used very often to take photos in the
country and this new Redmi Pro will help Xiaomi gain more customers.
But its dual-camera technologies are not mature enough and it's still to be
seen whether people who want better photos will buy this kind of smartphone
or go for Single Lens Reflex cameras, Jin added.

Rumors have been around for a long time that Apple will roll out dual-
camera smartphones but there are no such products yet, which means
the tech giant is more cautious, she added.
The rollout of upgraded Redmi products is in time as Xiaomi's high-end
gadgets have failed to generate expected shipments in the first half
year, resulting in last year's crown-holder being squeezed out of the
club of global top five vendors, Jin said.

The company has sold 110 million units of Redmi smartphones since the
brand was set up in August 2013 and could be labeled as a "national"
smartphone, Lei Jun said at the launch ceremony.
"To put it another way, we sold 1.2 unit of Redmi smartphone in a second,"
Lei said.
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 Learn and Talk III – Lesson 35

The Redmi Pro, priced from 1,499 yuan to 1,999 yuan, will be available
starting from August 6 on Mi.com, Xiaomi's own retail stores Mi Home
and 2,149 stores.
"This is our response to criticism that Xiaomi products are hard to get
and we want our Mi fans to see that we are making progress, " Lei, also
CEO of Xiaomi, who took over smartphone R&D and supply chain
businesses starting May 18, said.
Lei announced in February that the company will build 200 to 300
retail stores.

Xiaomi also teamed up with China Unicom to sell its custom-made smartphone
Redmi 3X in the latter's 30,000 offline stores and more than 230,000 bricks-
and-mortar retail partners.
"To win back market share, vendors need to roll out products with better
performance and key technologies and also need to have the capacity of
placing all-around sales channels," IDC's Jin said.
"Celebrity endorsements, which are valued by offline channel sellers, will
definitely boost sales but the positive influence depends on who speaks for the
brand and whether these spokesmen match target customers.
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 Learn and Talk III – Lesson 35

Discussion

1. What brand of cellphone do you use? Do you like it?

2. What do you usually consider when choosing a cellphone?
3. How often do you take photos with your cellphone?

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 Learn and Talk III – Lesson 35

Further Reading

Gionee launches new handsets for business market

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/tech/2016-07/27/content_26235238.htm

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