East meets West as Uber offers smartphone delivery
Would you buy an Android smartphone if it were Ubered to you?听
That鈥檚 what Xiaomi, China's largest smartphone maker, is hoping. The electronics giant launched a partnership Thursday with popular ride-hailing app Uber that will allow consumers to purchase the Mi Note smartphone 鈥渨ithin a few minutes,鈥� according to a statement from Xiaomi.
The couriering will begin on Monday in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Currently, the companies don鈥檛 have plans to expand this service to other cities.
鈥淥rdering a Mi Note follows the exact same process as calling for an Uber 鈥� users simply open the Uber app, use the slider at the bottom of the screen to select 鈥榅iaomi,鈥欌�� the statement reads. 鈥淧ayment will be charged directly to the credit card tied to a rider鈥檚 Uber account and a Mi Note will be delivered to the user within a few minutes.鈥�
Uber users will also be able to order the Mi Note in a 鈥渇lash sale鈥� 24 hours before the service's launch on the company鈥檚 official website.听
Xiaomi and Uber are both wildly popular tech companies on opposite sides of the world, making for an alluring partnership.
Uber is one of the world鈥檚 trendiest and most valuable startups, with an estimated听 A report released by the company in December said that it had more than 162,000 鈥渁ctive drivers,鈥� and the number of new driver sign-ups had 听over the past two years.
As Uber upends traditional hackney business models, the company continues to face resistance听. Uber is now looking to establish a market in China, particularly with the help of politically connected partners, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Xiaomi, a brand still relatively unknown outside of Asia, is valued at $46 billion and has grown at a formidable rate since launching just five years ago. A report released Thursday by the International Data Corporation put Xiaomi in among the world鈥檚 largest smartphone manufacturers, and the company鈥檚 leader has his sights set on further international expansion, including to the US and Brazil.
鈥淴iaomi鈥檚 mission is to change the world鈥檚 view of Chinese products,鈥� CEO Lei Jun told . 鈥淚 had a dream when I was young to found a global, first-rate company.鈥�
Whether this new partnership will contribute to his goals remains to be seen. Progress of Uber鈥檚 other delivery ventures has been disappointing.听Earlier in the year, the company , an add-on service that delivered household items to users in DC. Last month, the Journal reported that a food delivery service launched last year called UberEats like the Postmates app, with drivers sometimes having 鈥渟o few customers that drivers have to throw away food at day鈥檚 end."
But some say Xiaomi鈥檚 tie to Uber could go a long way in building brand recognition for them both.
鈥淪ure, it鈥檚 a publicity stunt,鈥� Eva Dou. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 a clever one, and an exercise in testing the limits of convenience.鈥澨�
