Xiaomi CEO tells suppliers to prepare well, as the company aims to ship a large amount of smartphones in 2015

Xiaomi held a global supplier conference today, where CEO Lei Jun revealed the company's target for shipped smartphones this year – and it's between 80 - 100 million! Just for reference – the official data for 2014 says that Xiaomi shipped 65 million units during that year – no doubt thanks to the huge success of the Mi 3 in India and its lovelyMi 4 successor. Does a jump from 65 million to 100 million sales sound a bit far-fetched? Maybe, but let's not forget that Xiaomi has more than once stated that its willing to push out of the Asian markets and on to global distribution (you can still buy the Mi phones online, it's just that they are not easily discoverable by, or advertised to the general public) – it'd most probably aim to do so with the upcoming Xiaomi Mi Note Pro flagship.

Earlier today, we also heard that the company may be planning to launch a couple of new devices to commemorate its 5th birthday – those being a smartwatch and a midrange handset, which we've heard about as "code name Ferrari". So, if the Mi manages to come out with a stylish and beautiful timepiece at half the price of its western competitors (as it usually likes to do), we have no doubt that the watch would have the potential to become a best-seller in its category.

This isn't the first time that Mr. Jun has made such bold statements, however, the fact that he said it to Xiaomi's suppliers means that he means business... literally.