There have been a few companies in the past that have attempted to make a ‘fan-defined’ phone. OnePlus comes to mind also; the company asked its ‘fans’ what they wanted to see on the OnePlus One back in early 2014.
The trend seems to have caught up with Chinese manufacturer UMi, who’re now attempting to have a fan-phone of their own. They’re calling it the UMi Apollo.
According to UMi, the Apollo will be ‘the world’s first user-defined smartphone’, and will be made as per their fans’ recommendations.
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Assuming you’re a fan and want to play a part in deciding the Apollo’s spec sheet, you’ll have to create an account on the company’s forums and let them know what you want to see on the phone.
Besides that, UMi is also accepting donations of $1 for the phone. UMi promise to give ‘backers’ (i.e., people who donate) a discount (amount unspecified) when the phone goes on sale eventually.
The project starts January 2016.
More and more Chinese companies are taking to non-conventional ways of marketing, and this seems to be UMi’s take on that. Nonetheless, this is something that could bear fruit — both for UMi and for its buyers — but that will require some meticulous planning and execution.