Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi will be holding a press event in San Francisco on Thursday, Feb. 12.
According to analysts, it seems that the company, whose phones are making waves in China and the rest of Asia, is already planning to expand to the United States.
Xiaomi's president Lin Bin and vice president of international operations Hugo Barra have confirmed attendance to the said press event.
According to a company representative, Xiaomi would not be launching any new product, but would take the event as an opportunity to introduce their brand and products to the U.S. market.
During the event, Xiaomi would make prospective consumers know more about the company, since as it currently stands, it is better known as Apple's "best copier." The company would also encourage discussion among telecom carriers, retailers and other partners in this event to guide the company's entrance to the U.S. market.
Xiaomi's global expansion for the past few years, starting April 2013, turned out to be a lucrative endeavor. It had seen its sales grow in emerging markets, particularly in India. More than 500,000 smartphones were shipped out through India's large online retailer Flipkart.com when it entered the market in July 2014.
Further, in the United States, it is expected that the company might follow Amazon's business model and create its own online sales platform to cater to consumer demands.
The decision to enter the U.S. market took some time. The four-year-old company was once said unable to enter the more developed markets of U.S. and Europe because patent protection policies hindered its progress.