“[The] iPhone is still the best smartphone on the market” is a phrase Android enthusiast are probably tired of hearing by now. But it has a bit more sting when it comes from a more credible source, like Lei Jun, the CEO of the increasingly popular Chinese Android phone company Xiaomi. “For Xiaomi, there is a lot of space for learning and talent” he continued when asked to compare his phones to Apple’s new additions in an interview with the Beijing Times via unwiredview.com.
It seems more than a little bizarre to hear a company’s CEO not only praise what is presumably his competition, but also actually imply that it is a superior product to his own. It certainly raised some eyebrows but for those that have been following Xiaomi for a while it is perhaps less of a surprise than one might think.
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Xiaomi, in addition to its range of Android phones is also known for the custom ROM it installs on its devices and makes available to the public called MIUI. MIUI is a highly modified Android skin that, to put it kindly, draws a lot of inspiration from iOS. Additionally, Lei Jun appears to get his wardrobe from Steve Jobs.
Should we really be surprised that a businessman trying to emulate Apple would attempt to talk up Apple, even at the expense of his own product?