Yes, I found the name Obi for a world phone an odd pick. OBI is a strong brand in Germany and has also presence other European countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, etc.).
When I think of "Obi" and phones, I think of this VOIP hardware company that has been around for several years.[0] This new venture really didn't do their due diligence on the name.
> And though other companies—such as Xiaomi—sell models at the similarly aggressive price points, Obi aims to offer a better phone for the price.
> ...
> The hardest part of the design was not coming up with cool-looking designs," Sculley says. "It was sweating the details over in the Chinese factories, who just were not accustomed to having this quality of finish, all of these little details that make a beautiful design. We had teams over in China, working for months on the floor every day. We intend to continue that process and have budgeted accordingly.
So, how long do you think it will take the other (Chinese) companies to reach the same level, given that you teach them?
I am not sure I see the differentiation in design that is highlighted so much in this website. The phone looks pretty similar to Nokia (now Microsoft) Lumia's, and the UI doesn't look much more fancier either. Am I missing something? And why is "Designed in San Francisco" such a huge thing?
> And why is "Designed in San Francisco" such a huge thing?
It gives them something to put on the box in addition to what they're required to say, "Made in China" (which doesn't differentiate them from any other consumer electronics product).
And have fun in Germany with obi.com. They are in a different sector but are such a strong brand over here, they might litigate.