Apple designer Ive: smartphone maker Xiaomi steals from us

Apple’s chief designer Jony Ive finds the devices of the Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi ‘theft’. He believes that Xiaomi’s smartphones are too similar to Apple’s and sees stealing design elements as ‘lazy’.

Ive was asked whether he sees it as flattering that Xiaomi is adopting many of Apple’s design elements during an interview at a conference of US magazine Vanity Fair. thereupon replied he “When you first do something you don’t know if it will work. I have to be honest, the last thing I think (when I see products from Xiaomi, ed.) is: that’s flattering. I had all those weekends together to spend with my family.”

It is the first time that an Apple CEO has spoken out about the Chinese smartphone maker, which has now entered the top five best-selling smartphone makers in the world. This summer, shortly after the presentation of his Mi 4 smartphone, Xiaomi CEO Hugo Barra already denied such an allegation. “If you have equally talented designers, it is not surprising that they come to the same conclusions.”

There are several products that Ive can refer to with his comments: for example, Miui, like iOS, does not have a main menu, but all apps are side by side on home screens, while many iOS themes have also been made for Miui by third parties. In addition, Xiaomi’s tablet Mi Pad has a screen that matches the iPad mini and is made of materials reminiscent of the iPhone 5c. The latest smartphone Mi 4 has a metal edge with beveled edges, just like the iPhone 5 series and recent Galaxy devices from Samsung. In addition, the company made a mini-router that is reminiscent of Apple’s Magic Trackpad.