Hello to all friends, as you well know yesterday 24 May was a memorable day for all of us Mi Fans. In fact, starting from 17.00 hours at the location located in Milan (SuperStudioPiù, Via Tortona 27) Xiaomi has formalized his landing in Italy. I can not hide that participating in that event has thrilled me to such an extent that the adrenaline in body for joy did not make me sleep at night, and writing today is very tiring, but the passion and the desire to share with all of you these emotions are undoubtedly stronger than anything else. Before leaving, however, below I leave you the link to the live broadcast that was sent yesterday afternoon both on the Facebook page and on the Youtube channel of Xiaomi Italia.
Watching the stage and telling us the background of the coming of Xiaomi in Italy, were Mr. Xiang Wang and Mr. Donovan Sung, of which we now give you a little hint about the roles of both.
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- Donovan Sung
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- Wang Xiang
Donovan is the head of Xiaomi's Global Product Management and Marketing Team in all markets outside of Mainland China. Prior to joining Xiaomi in 2014, Donovan worked in Spotify's New York Product Management team, where he also held the role of Product Manager. Prior to joining Spotify, Donovan served as Partner Product Manager for YouTube and Google in the Bay Area. Donovan is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, with excellent results with a master's degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences.
Wang Xiang joined Xiaomi in 2015 and currently holds the position of Senior Vice President. He previously worked with Qualcomm for 13 years and has over 20 years of experience in the semiconductor and communications industry. He led the business operations as Qualcomm's Senior VP and President of Greater China, helping the company quickly expand and deepen its relationships in China. He also held senior management positions in sales and marketing at leading companies including Motorola and Lucent / Agere. Wang Xiang graduated from Beijing University of Technology with a bachelor's degree in electronic engineering.
Well now that we know our two friends better let's see what the topics were covered during the event. Xiaomi was born as a simple startup by visionary entrepreneur Lei Jun and a group of established engineers and designers, who believed that high-quality and well-designed technological products and services should be accessible to the whole world. Since then the steps taken by the company have been enormous, generating an amount of turnover that no other company in the world in the short time we are talking about has succeeded. Just think that the rival Apple took 20 years to get to the same result obtained by Xiaomi. Currently Xiaomi has managed to reach about 70 markets around the world, but not only thanks to the excellent smartphones that it produces with all the passion and love that a mother puts in bringing her children into the world, but also thanks to a series of products and gadgets, most of which belong to the IoT (Internet of Things) sector, of which Xiaomi is a world leader boasting the largest IoT platform on a global scale.
The strength of this company is based on offering exceptional quality products available at affordable and honest prices while the business model, "Triathlon" as defined by Xiaomi, is based on three elements, such as hardware, internet services and new retail. And after a series of exciting videos, we are revealed that the company has great ambitions for the Italian market, in fact there have also been close partnerships with large GDO brands such as Esselunga, Mediaworld, Carrefour, Coop, Iper, Iperal, Auchan, Panorama and Trony, but also with the mobile phone operators TIM, Wind and Tre, where we will find IoT products later in the various stores. However, we remind you that Xiaomi has been collaborating with the giant Amazon for some time, while the official distribution of all Xiaomi products will be entrusted to the companies Datamatic SpA, GIVI Distribuzione SpA and Italy Wing srl which should also provide the support service, but of course it will be It will soon be possible to make purchases directly on the company website mi.com/it.
Before passing the word to Donovan Sung on stage, Enrico Salvatori, Senior Vice President and President of Qualcomm EMEA also intervened, who congratulated Xiaomi on his entry into Italy:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is very pleased to collaborate with Xiaomi upon joining Italy with Mi MIX 2S and Redmi Note 5. It was a pleasure to witness his success in Spain at the end of last year. Based on the Qualcomm® Snapdragon ™ 845 mobile platform with X20 LTE, Mi MIX 2S supports advanced connectivity and immersive experiences, all with an elegant frameless design. " (Enrico Salvatori)
And the entry in Italy Xiaomi does it with high head proposing as highlights three very fantastic products: Mi Mix 2S, Redmi Note 5 and Mi Scooter Electric, three products that reflect the whole company philosophy and that will be presented on the Italian market at prices decidedly honest. Mi Mix 2S, a technological work of art, with high performance processor like the Snapdragon 845, dual camera with Sony IMX 363 sensor with stabilized optics on four axes and dual pixel focusing and much more enclosed in a completely realized body ceramic, will be offered at the launch price of 499,90 euro, in the variant 6 / 64 GB while the 6 / 128 GB will be offered to 599,90 euro, in black and white, over half compared to iPhone X. This beautiful product is flanked the wireless charging base that is always Xiaomi branded up to 7,5W and that will be offered at the amazing price of 19,9 euro.
But if Mi Mix 2S can be considered a true flagship killer, the Redmi Note 5 can boast the nickname of King of the mid-market. Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, top-of-the-range photo capabilities and AI intelligence for 199,90 euro only at launch for 3 / 32 GB version as we go up 249,90 for 4 / 64 GB variant in Blue Lake, Gold and Black. Xiaomi allows really to all its users to enjoy the opportunity to use a full smartphone, with exceptional photographic output at an unbeatable price.
In addition to the two smartphones, a gadget has been presented that will make the happiness of adults and children, that is the electric scooter that has won numerous design awards. We have appreciated and we have also proposed a guide on how to make it even faster, and then what better opportunity to try it considering that it will debut on the Italian scene at a price of 349,90 euro and for the first 400 customers who make the purchase near the Mi Store, Xiaomi will propose the Mi Electric Scooter at the price of 299,90 euro. Autonomy for 30 km with a single charge, a take of only 12,5 kg, brushless motor and braking system with energy recovery and many other goodies make this gadget a real ally for the fun of all.
Finally, it was confirmed that the first Italian Mi Store will rise in Arese at the IL CENTRO shopping center and the 26 in May at the 11.30 will be inaugurated with the usual and traditional ribbon cutting. We will be there and we will not fail to tell you everything in detail, but we anticipate that yesterday afternoon we had the pleasure of enjoying a sort of small preview of what will be the store and get to know the staff that composes it. People very nice, qualified and prepared that for sure will do their job well as sponsorship of the brand in Italy.
I admit, in this article maybe I was a little too "journalistic", but we are preparing a tasty video in which we will retrace the day just passed, so do not miss the appointment.
