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[longdi]

We used to see China electronics as super cheap KIRFs, but what if they decide to use their cheap manufacturing advantage, copy some tech IP that were passed through Chinese plants, and now add some gloss and quality to their products!

GAF will know One+ One well, but it looks like the others are rising up to this challenge. I think not even Samsung can hold back this wave in the next 3-4 years. All the more Sony should quit their TV business...

Today Xiaomi introduced its first tablet: the MiPad. The tablet bears similarity to both Apple’s iPad Mini and iPhone 5c. On the front of the tablet we have a 7.9” 2048x1536 IPS display (sourced from both Sharp and AUO Optronics) which is surrounded by an asymmetrical bezel. On the back we have a plastic shell of multiple different colors which Xiaomi itself states is made with the same injection molding technology as the iPhone 5c. There is also an 8MP Sony camera on the back with an F/2.0 aperture, and a 5MP camera on the front. The most interesting part of the Mi Pad is not on the outside, it's on the inside. The MiPad is the first consumer device to be announced that is powered by NVIDIA's Tegra K1 SoC.

Today Xiaomi introduced its first tablet: the MiPad. The tablet bears similarity to both Apple’s iPad Mini and iPhone 5c. On the front of the tablet we have a 7.9” 2048x1536 IPS display (sourced from both Sharp and AUO Optronics) which is surrounded by an asymmetrical bezel. On the back we have a plastic shell of multiple different colors which Xiaomi itself states is made with the same injection molding technology as the iPhone 5c. There is also an 8MP Sony camera on the back with an F/2.0 aperture, and a 5MP camera on the front. The most interesting part of the Mi Pad is not on the outside, it's on the inside. The MiPad is the first consumer device to be announced that is powered by NVIDIA's Tegra K1 SoC.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8022/xiaomi-announces-the-mipad-the-first-tegra-k1-device

A 49-inch, 4K TV set (supports passive 3D too, using an LG/CSOT-made panel), the MIUI TV-powered (based on Android, obviously) Mi TV 2 sports a MediaTek MStar 6A918 SoC (quad-core Cortex-A9 CPU running at 1.45GHz, Mali-450 MP4 GPU), 2GB RAM, and 8GB internal eMMC storage (expandable via microSD). It also supports dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, USB 3.0, and Bluetooth 4.0. Since the remote is now controlled over Bluetooth LE (instead of IR), line of sight isn’t required. Furthermore, if the remote is misplaced, one can just walk up to the TV, press a button, and the remote will beep to announce its location.

The Mi TV 2 package (including the soundbar and subwoofer) is priced at 3,999 Yuan (slightly over S$800 based on current exchange rate) and will be sold in China starting from May 27. Xiaomi has told us that it intends to eventually bring the Mi TV 2 to Singapore, but this may take a while due to the lack of a content partner at the moment.

Source: http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/tech...tv-costs-just-s800-itll-take-while-reach-here

 

[Big-E]

Heard nothing but good things about Xiaomi and I will probably pick up one of their phones before I leave China for good.

 

[wanders]

Is there a phone version of that tablet

 

[sarcastor]

you forgot this:

 

[chickdigger802]

Is there a phone version of that tablet

dont know about this specific, but xiaomi is known for their cheap quality smartphones

 

[Chichikov]

Is there a phone version of that tablet

It's a version of that tablet the same way that iPhone is a version of the iPad, but yeah, they make phones which are pretty damn legit and have amazing value.
Their top of the line (at least it was last time I checked) the mi3 it's about 270 USD in China, no contract, unlocked, like everything here and it's really really nice.

 

[hateradio]

you forgot this:

What was the reception on that?

 

[EGM92]

What was the reception on that?

Not out yet but it's the best bang for your buck smart phone that's coming to the market within the next month

 

[Madness]

It's inevitable. One of the biggest problems with US foreign investment in China is that they often force US corporations and companies to share technology and secrets or manufacture mostly in China. This allows the Chinese to gain valuable technological knowledge and shows them what's required to build their own. It's something many countries are wary of. Russia once supplied fighter Jets and designs to the Chinese, they made a cheaper carbon copy design that they actually then started to sell to Pakistan etc.

In the future, it's inevitable as Chinese manufacturing completely takes over that quality will improve and they'll have a stranglehold on the market. Furthermore, it's not just official products. A lot of Chinese manufacturers also supply official products or share secrets with those who run counterfeit factories and you've started to see sophisticated knockoffs as well, anything from Football jerseys which use official stolen patches, to batteries and memory cards etc.

 

[Slayer-33]

China ain't playing

 

[WoodWERD]

you forgot this:

2nd sentence in the OP

 

[HyperionX]

It's inevitable. One of the biggest problems with US foreign investment in China is that they often force US corporations and companies to share technology and secrets or manufacture mostly in China. This allows the Chinese to gain valuable technological knowledge and shows them what's required to build their own. It's something many countries are wary of. Russia once supplied fighter Jets and designs to the Chinese, they made a cheaper carbon copy design that they actually then started to sell to Pakistan etc.

In the future, it's inevitable as Chinese manufacturing completely takes over that quality will improve and they'll have a stranglehold on the market. Furthermore, it's not just official products. A lot of Chinese manufacturers also supply official products or share secrets with those who run counterfeit factories and you've started to see sophisticated knockoffs as well, anything from Football jerseys which use official stolen patches, to batteries and memory cards etc.

Just like Japanese manufacturers did to American manufacturers, and then Korean/Taiwanese manufacturers to Japanese manufacturers, and now Chinese manufacturers. It's a huge cycle and it is simply continuing in its natural course.

 

[Bboy AJ]

Will the MiPad run stock Android? I may get one if so, though I'd prefer an official Nexus. Based 4:3 screen ratio. Sick of my 16:10 Nexus 10. It's completely unusable in portrait.

 

[Somnid]

It's inevitable. One of the biggest problems with US foreign investment in China is that they often force US corporations and companies to share technology and secrets or manufacture mostly in China. This allows the Chinese to gain valuable technological knowledge and shows them what's required to build their own. It's something many countries are wary of. Russia once supplied fighter Jets and designs to the Chinese, they made a cheaper carbon copy design that they actually then started to sell to Pakistan etc.

In the future, it's inevitable as Chinese manufacturing completely takes over that quality will improve and they'll have a stranglehold on the market. Furthermore, it's not just official products. A lot of Chinese manufacturers also supply official products or share secrets with those who run counterfeit factories and you've started to see sophisticated knockoffs as well, anything from Football jerseys which use official stolen patches, to batteries and memory cards etc.

It's not even that, most phones and tablets are off-the-shelf parts. Sharp makes the screen, qualcomm makes the chip, broadcom makes the radio. It's not hard to get these parts but you have to pay for them. China used to obsess over just price but increasingly I think with tablets people are really starting to drop the shitty knockoffs (in China as well) so companies are adapting to changes. The best thing to do that is to play the spec comparison game like all Android OEMs do and make your cuts elsewhere. Also Xiaomi is king of paper launches.

 

[Zeppeli]

I'm buying that tablet when it gets custom roms, damn

 

[Chichikov]

Will the MiPad run stock Android? I may get one if so, though I'd prefer an official Nexus. Based 4:3 screen ratio. Sick of my 16:10 Nexus 10. It's completely unusable in portrait.

Their phones run a heavily modified version, but it's easy to install stock android on them.
My guess is that the tablet will be the same.

 

[Fusebox]

What are working conditions like at the factories where these are made? Couldn't be good, right?

 

[sfedai0]

What are working conditions like at the factories where these are made? Couldn't be good, right?

That depends. Are you willing to pay a substantially higher price on your tech so these workers have better wages, benefits, and working conditions?

 

[Keirnoth]

What are working conditions like at the factories where these are made? Couldn't be good, right?

Yeah, that's something that's been bugging me in the back of my mind. I can only imagine we're getting these cheap quality phones because cuts are being made *somewhere* down the line.

That depends. Are you willing to pay a substantially higher price on your tech so these workers have better wages, benefits, and working conditions?

Something something Apple something something perceived quality & price.

 

[Chichikov]

What are working conditions like at the factories where these are made? Couldn't be good, right?

Their phones are assembled by Foxconn, so about the same as with your iPhone, XBOX, Playstation, Kindle etc.

And since their individual components are pretty standard (NVIDIA processor, Sony camera, Sharp screen) I'd say on the whole, they're about on par as you'd expect from a mobile phone these day - probably not so great, but could be worse.
Welcome to the global economy.

 

[shira]

I think not even Samsung can hold back this wave in the next 3-4 years.

Apple can not fail in America. Too much riding on them.

Hell Samsung/LG can not fail in Korea. That's like their entire economy.

 

[sfedai0]

Something something Apple something something perceived quality & price.

Apple is smart about marketing and keeping margins. All big tech companies use the same contractors. Now these companies realize they already have the know how and manufacturing capability to make these smartphones. All they need to do is market it and not even Samsung, with its 100 phone lineup can compete.

 

[Valhelm]

It's the future until China suffers a population crash and massive labor pool shortage.

 

[Shun]

How's the quality control?

Specs sound nice when you don't put in build, ergonomics, reliability, lasting life, etc. into account.

 

[20cent]

What are working conditions like at the factories where these are made? Couldn't be good, right?

About the same as any other factories in China. The country has a lot of labor laws, they don't joke with them and they keep improving year after year. It is not 1980 since 30 years.

 

[numble]

Their phones are assembled by Foxconn, so about the same as with your iPhone, XBOX, Playstation, Kindle etc.

And since their individual components are pretty standard (NVIDIA processor, Sony camera, Sharp screen) I'd say on the whole, they're about on par as you'd expect from a mobile phone these day - probably not so great, but could be worse.
Welcome to the global economy.

Different Foxconn plants, even different manufacturing lines within a factory usually have different standards. I know someone who's been to a Foxconn plant and talked to workers, and they've said the iPhone lines get better salaries.

This seems to be confirmed in a CLW report:

Moreover, according to workers, in the entire Foxconn campus, only workers producing merchandises for Apple are offered a stool to sit while working.

http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/pro/proshow-127.html

 

[Whitechocolatekrispies]

Since the remote is now controlled over Bluetooth LE (instead of IR), line of sight isn’t required. Furthermore, if the remote is misplaced, one can just walk up to the TV, press a button, and the remote will beep to announce its location.

In my veins pleeassseeee.

 

[longdi]

About the same as any other factories in China. The country has a lot of labor laws, they don't joke with them and they keep improving year after year. It is not 1980 since 30 years.

Right, in addition to their cheap non-existence labor laws, these Chinese companies dont need to advertise heavily, instead relying on word of mouth and internet viral marketing!

 

[solarus]

you forgot this:

Read the OP