Hugo Barra, VP of International Operations in Xiaomi
IN PHOTO: Brazil's Hugo Barra, vice president of international operations for Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, attends a news conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 30, 2015. Reuters/Paulo Whitaker

Xiaomi will venture into the high-risk laptop business and is said to be developing a device that looks a lot like Apple’s MacBook Air.

It appears Xiaomi took a page from Apple's playbook in developing its new laptop, according to Android Community. A leaked image seems to confirm the device will look a lot like Apple's MacBook Air. At this point, it remains unknown whether the device will be more of a Chromebook or a Windows-powered laptop. It is certain the Xiaomi laptop will indeed feature an all-metal build.

This isn’t the first time Apple's rivals developed a device that’s a spitting image of an Apple product. After all, Samsung's Chromebook 2, ASUS' C200 and C300 and Toshiba's Chromebook 2 all seem to have the same design. Xiaomi just might decide to target more budget-conscious consumers with its new Apple lookalike laptop, according to Gizmo China.

This MacBook Air-like laptop from Xiaomi is expected to have either a 12.5-inch or a 13.3-inch display that will run a Linus OS. This spec can still change, however. But Xiaomi will be able to sell to a wider audience if it opts to market a Chrome OS-powered laptop.

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