The New Business Rivalries

Ten of the fiercest, most unexpected business battles that are changing the future of technology, culture, and commerce.

- Photographs by Mauricio Alejo

Forget what you thought you knew about competition. Companies are no longer content to define themselves by a single market or expertise, and that means rivals are everywhere. As the rate of disruption across the globe reaches a blistering pace, rivalry is not simply a matter of assessing winners and losers. It is a prism for identifying compelling flash points in the innovation economy— from China to the EU, drones to social media, virtual reality to live news—and offers essential clues to navigating the shifting business landscape.

Apple vs. Xiaomi

FIGHTING OVER ONE OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST SMARTPHONE MARKETS— AND BEYOND

When the new iOS 9 comes out this fall, Apple’s iPhone Maps app will finally offer public transit directions. At first, the feature will hit 10 cities worldwide. Except in China, where it’s launching in 300-plus localities at once.

This is just the latest indication of how much Apple treasures China and its booming class of affluent consumers, which Tim Cook expects to become Apple’s largest market. If he’s right, it will be because the company has fended off one of the most unstoppable forces the tech industry has ever seen: Xiaomi.

Founded by serial entrepreneur Lei Jun in 2010 and based in Beijing, Xiaomi announced its first smartphone in 2011. Three years later, research frm IDC declared Xiaomi to be the industry’s third-biggest player by global unit sales, trailing only Samsung and Apple. Nearly all of the 61 million handsets it produced in 2014 were for the Chinese market.