Apple bitchslaps iPhone rival Xiaomi: World No 1? That's BIG TALK

Apple has declared war on its Chinese smartphone rival Xiaomi after execs from the two firms locked horns during a public event.

Bruce Sewell, Apple's general counsel and senior vice president of legal and government affairs, appeared alongside Xiaomi founder Lei Jun at the World Internet Conference.

The Apple exec might have been forgiven for feeling a little nervous, as the tech get-together took place on Xiaomi's home soil.

But he immediately went for the jugular after being asked about Xiaomi's chances of becoming top dog in the global smartphone market.

Sewell said that reaching the number one spot is "easy to say, it is more difficult to do".

He also reminded Apple's Chinese rival that there are "many competitive" phones in the People's Republic.

But the Xiaomi boss wasn't having any of Apple's cheek. "In this magic land, we produced not only a company like Alibaba, but a small miracle like Xiaomi," he hit back.

Unfortunately for Apple, Xiaomi is now nipping at its heels.

Despite selling more mobes in the last quarter than ever before, Apple is just the second most successful smartphone manufacturer in the world, according to IDC, with Xiaomi a close third.

Sadly for both squabbling mobe-makers, Samsung is still the king of the castle when it comes to smartphone shipments. But for how long? ®