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Jon Russell
Jon Russell was Asia Editor for The Next Web from 2011 to 2014. Originally from the UK, he lives in Bangkok, Thailand. You can find him on T Jon Russell was Asia Editor for The Next Web from 2011 to 2014. Originally from the UK, he lives in Bangkok, Thailand. You can find him on Twitter, Angel List, LinkedIn.
Red hot Chinese smartphone-maker Xiaomi has announced a major upgrade to its MIUI Android software. MIUI 6, which will come to the company’s devices soon, bears more than a passing resemblance to iOS. It is certainly more Apple-like than the Google Android that we know, as Liliputing notes.
MIUI is four years old, and Xiaomi says that it has 70 million users worldwide. In addition to being pre-loaded on Xiaomi’s smartphones — like the recently announced Mi 4 — MIUI can be downloaded to some Android devices from other companies.
Xiaomi Global VP Hugo Barra has spoken out to deny that the company is copying Apple. While Barra admits the US company is an inspiration, the further iOS-ification of MIUI is likely to be more fuel for Xiaomi critics, like Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber.
Update: It is worth noting that MIUI 5, which arrived before iOS 7, first sported many of the designs present in this new update, per the video below. (Thanks @arnoudwokkeand and @sirsteven for pointing that out.)
➤ Xiaomi MIUI 6 | Via Liliputing
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