Xiaomi’s growing IoT ecosystem could soon include smart bicycles, with a $3,000 variant followed by a cheaper mass market smart variant later.
While smartphones remain the primary focus for Xiaomi, the Chinese company has been steadily expanding its Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem as well. After launching the Ninebot mini last year, the company now seems to expanding into the bicycle space. Xiaomi will be launching an expensive smart bike, as well as, a budget-friendly electric bicycle.
IRiding, a startup Xiaomi has invested in, will be launching a “smart bicycle” this week in China. This bike is built using carbon fiber that keeps the weight down to 7kg, and is also loaded with sensors that will monitor different aspects of the rider. The bike is targeted at professionals, and will be priced around $3,000 (Rs 201,900 approximately), WSJ reports.
This bicycle is clearly not for everyone, but Xiaomi is also said to be planning on launching a budget-friendly electric bicycle. This hybrid bike will boast a battery component that will be complement pedal power. This bike is said to be similar to the e-bikes that are famous around Europe. These essentially feature a small battery-operated motor that assist pedaling. According to the report, Xiaomi’s electric bike will be priced somewhere between $450-$550 (Rs 30,200-Rs 37,000 approximately).
With a highly saturated Chinese smartphone market, Xiaomi has been focusing on creating an ecosystem of Internet-connected devices. Last year in an interview with WSJ, Xiaomi’s President Bin Lin talked about the company’s ambitions that stretch beyond smartphones. “We’d rather be called an Internet company. We sell all these products online directly to consumers. And we are focusing on building out smartphones as the center of all these devices that we launch,” Lin said.
Xiaomi has been investing in various startups that are behind some of its recent launches like Mi Band, Mi Air Purifier, Mi Smart Scale, Mi Yeelight, and the recently launched Ninebot mini to name a few.
Source: bgr.in
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