Xiaomi to enter US market in cooperation with Google
The Chinese company will launch a TV gadget into North America.
Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi will further expand in the US market — in cooperation with Google — when it releases a new TV set-top box in the country, according to the company.
“This is a significant milestone for Xiaomi and I am really excited to be working closely with Google,” Hugo Barra, vice president of Xiaomi said in a statement on Wednesday after the product was launched at Google I/O, the search giant’s annual announcement event.
The Mi box will be the first Android device in the US ever sold by Xiaomi, whose online store in the country only sells accessories at the moment.
It also makes Xiaomi a closer partner with Google as the Mi box will be the second set-top box that supports Google’s own TV operating system — Android TV — after the SHIELD from graphic processor giant NVIDIA.
Faced with slowing demand for smartphones worldwide and fierce competition from other Chinese brands, Xiaomi is turning to international markets and new products for future growth.
According to research firm IDC, vendors shipped 334.9 million units during the first quarter this year which represents 0.18 per cent growth from the same period in 2015 and Xiaomi, the fifth largest global player last year, was bettered by domestic rivals OPPO and vivo.
