COPYCAT: Is Apple copying Xiaomi now?

Apple held their keynote event at the WWDC this week. Amidst the unveiling of a few products, they announced the next version of iOS 10, the mobile operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod. Though the new features in the iOS are something that iPhone users would be happy about, MIUI fans around the world were quietly smirking at Apple. Features that Apple is now putting on the iOS 10 are already existing and running well on Xiaomi’s MIUI operating system.

For instance, unlocking the MacBook using the Apple Watch is nothing new—Android devices can unlock the phones using Bluetooth Trusted Devices and MIUI already sported this earlier by using the Mi Band to unlock the phones. Then the iOS HomeKit application is also closely inspired by the Xiaomi Mi Home, which is around a year old already. Then there is the feature that Apple announced about the Photos app which will use the face recognition algorithm to club photos with people together, which MIUI already sports in their present OS versions. iOS detecting scam and spam messages were already in existence. And lastly, ability of widgets on the lock screen and swiping to get quick access to calendar events, news, weather forecasts and a few are not new features for Xiaomi users.

The industry has always been comparing Xiaomi with Apple and claims that the former is copying Apple in almost every product. Many of Xiaomi’s products look (and probably are) inspired by Apple—especially in the design and build area, and hence, probably, and no wonder, Xiaomi is known as the ‘Apple of China’. However, as for the features on the operating system front, MIUI seems to be way ahead than most of the mobile operating systems out there—be it Android, Windows or iOS.

Xiaomi’s MIUI operating system is a custom operating system and is based on Google’s Android mobile operating system. The MIUI OS is heavily tweaked with features and addons to make the smartphone user friendly as well as to tap the most out of a smartphone. MIUI operating system is installed on every smartphone and tablet by Xiaomi and is also available for many other smartphone brands.