It’s been confirmed that Xiaomi will launch its first laptop in early 2016 by none other than the company which has been commissioned to build it. Chairman of Taiwan-based manufacturer Inventec, Richard Lee, says the notebook will start shipping out to buyers in the first half of next year. Rumors run wild about this device being designed to rival Apple’s MacBook Air.
Xiaomi already boasts of having more than 200 million registered smartphone users and recently rolled out Mi Mobile. Additionally, it grabbed the crown from Apple as the top selling handset company in China earlier in 2015. It’s still to be seen how much of an impact the new iPhone 6S will make in this market. Now it looks like Xiaomi is getting ready to storm the laptop segment too.
The photo above which has been doing the rounds of the internet for some time, is just a mockup of the much-talked-about Xiaomi laptop. The device is expected to be released in the first or second quarter of 2016, according to Taipei Times. With regards to attracting customers for the portable PC, Lee claims the company may use the same business strategy it employs for its smartphones.
No details on the specifications have been mentioned. Previous reports have speculated about Xiaomi knocking on Samsung’s doors for the memory chips and possibly even the displays. There’s no confirmation on that, as of now. Inventec’s subsidiary arm which assembles phones for Xiaomi, will also be involved in the design and manufacturing processes. The laptop will be made in China.
What’s interesting is that Xiaomi will be entering the laptop market at a time when PC makers across the globe are bemoaning decrease in consumer demand for them. Industry experts predict the situation will remain bleak until 2017.