{"id":167317,"date":"2014-01-05T17:48:46","date_gmt":"2014-01-06T01:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=167317"},"modified":"2014-01-05T17:48:46","modified_gmt":"2014-01-06T01:48:46","slug":"xiaomi-sales-doubled-2013-still-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2014\/01\/xiaomi-sales-doubled-2013-still-enough\/","title":{"rendered":"Xiaomi Sets Sights Higher After Sales Soar in 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Wall Street Journal reports that Xiaomi’s sales more than doubled in 2013 but that the smartphone maker stopped short of its target goals<\/strong>:<\/a><\/p>\n Fast-growing\u00a0Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi<\/a>\u00a0Inc. sold nearly 19 million phones last year. That was enough for it to more than double up on 2012\u2019s figure and beat a target it had set in early in 2013.<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t quite enough to beat the expectations of the Beijing-based company\u2019s founder and leader.<\/p>\n That founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Lei Jun, on Thursday said on his verified Sina Weibo microblog account that the upstart sold 18.7 million phones last year. That compares with 7 million in 2012 and comes as the company ratchets up competition with Chinese market heavyweights\u00a0Samsung Electronics\u00a0Co.\u00a0and\u00a0Apple\u00a0Inc.\u00a0AAPL\u00a0and\u00a0expands to Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n For 2014, he said, Xiaomi hopes to sell at least 40 million phones.[Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Meanwhile, Rachel Luk (also via The Wall Street Journal) notes that China Mobile may have struck a deal with Apple to sell iPhones but that “it\u2019s looking like a costly partnership at least in the near term”<\/a><\/strong>:<\/p>\n Since Apple confirmed the deal with China Mobile,<\/a>\u00a0brokerages have been swiftly reducing their earnings forecast for the world\u2019s largest carrier by subscribers \u00a0because of steep capital outlays for a new network and anticipated handset subsidies. The carrier will also have to contend with lower interconnection fees from rivals as of Jan. 1 as part of the Chinese government\u2019s latest effort to promote competition.[Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n