New Delhi: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, sat on a panel with Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun at the Chinese smartphone maker's Beijing headquarters and put his support behind the Chinese smartphone manufacturer, saying its phones are "good enough" for a crossover into the United States, according to Tech In Asia.
"Xiaomi has excellent products. They're good enough to break the American market," said Wozniak, who apparently uses a Xiaomi Mi3 smartphone.
Unsurprisingly, it's not the first time that Wozniak has praised products from Apple rivals. Earlier too, he has said that Samsung makes great products, and that he wished the iPhone could do some of the things Android could do. Wozniak also clarified that he evidently wasn't paid for his endorsement for the Chinese company.
Woz said he likes the Xiaomi Mi3 smartphone so far and will tell the world if he witness any problem with the handset.
Xiaomi is best known for its Android smartphones but it also sells smart TVs and is developing a Wi-Fi router. In the future it aims to create "smart" household devices that are controlled via smartphone. In China, Xiaomi handsets have quickly become popular, with their shipments at times surpassing those of the iPhone. A major reason for its high growth is because the company uses high-end components and offers them at relatively low prices.
Xiaomi's phenomenal rise has earned it comparison with Apple. The company also hogged the headlines when it hired former Google executive Hugo Barra to lead its international expansion.
Xiaomi has earlier said it plans to sell 40 million handsets in 2014, more than double the number it sold in 2013, reinforcing the company's ambitions to outsell more expensive offerings from Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. The company is also said to be working on a $50 smartphone to sell in Japan. In 2013, Xiaomi sold 19 million smartphones.
