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A tour of Xiaomi's headquarters and Mi Home store
Xiaomi was quite a different company when I first visited its headquarters back in August 2011: It only occupied three floors in a small building, the cubicles were tight, security was loose (I literally just walked in almost every time) and people were working crazy long hours almost seven days a week. That was right after the company launched its first device, the original Xiaomi Phone, which set a new bar for affordable flagship smartphones in China. Fast forward to today and you'll find yourself looking at a global brand that has gone well beyond mobile and online, while its latest smartphones -- namely the Mi Note 2 and Mi MIX -- are looking better than ever. To see for yourself, check out our photo tour around Xiaomi's latest headquarters and a strangely familiar-looking Mi Home store nearby.
Xiaomi hopes to open 1,000 stores by 2020
To date, Xiaomi has focused overwhelmingly on internet sales of its smartphones and media devices in order to keep costs down. Even its tiny retail footprint has largely been limited to service centers and "experiences." However, that's all going to change in the next few years. Xiaomi has revealed that it plans to open 1,000 honest-to-goodness retail stores by 2020. It'll make sure that customers can "touch and test" Xiaomi's technology, CEO Lei Jun says. He hasn't said where those stores will be, but it's reasonable to expect most or all of them to be located in greater China.
MIUI reaches Google Play as MiHome Launcher, gives that Xiaomi look
Xiaomi's MIUI interface for Android has been available to load up for some time, but unless you were willing to flash your firmware, you might as well have just imported one of the company's phones instead. Now, however, getting much of that heavily customized (if slightly familiar) layer is as quick as heading over to Google Play. Dedicated versions are available both for Android 2.3 and 4.0 that provide the same core navigation as well MIUI Locker to replace the current lock screen. It won't quite replicate the experience of the real deal, but it will certainly be the most trouble-free.
