https://www.scmp.com/rss/501946/feed The latest news, analysis and opinion on Meitu. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Meitu, the maker of one of China’s most popular selfie apps, has struggled for years to make money despite various attempts to diversify its business, but on Thursday, the Hong Kong-listed company posted its first full-year profit since it went public in 2016, driven in part by soaring membership subscriptions. The Xiamen-based company reported a net profit of 60.9 million yuan (US$9.3 million), with revenue growing 22.1 per cent year on year to 1.19 billion yuan in 2020. It marks a major... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3127172/chinas-struggling-selfie-king-meitu-finally-has-profitable-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3127172/chinas-struggling-selfie-king-meitu-finally-has-profitable-year?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Mar 2021 21:00:17 +0000 Josh Ye,Georgina Lee Josh Ye,Georgina Lee Chinese tech company Meitu, best known for its apps that let users make themselves look slimmer or fairer in their selfies, announced on Sunday that it bought US$22.1 million worth of ether and US$17.9 million worth of bitcoin, a move that its co-founder boasted as unprecedented for a Hong Kong-listed company.  Meitu said the purchases were part of a cryptocurrency investment plan previously approved by the company’s board of directors, which allows it to make a net purchase of up to US$100... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3124506/chinas-beauty-app-maker-meitu-boasts-first-bitcoin-and-ether?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3124506/chinas-beauty-app-maker-meitu-boasts-first-bitcoin-and-ether?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Mar 2021 09:00:32 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Four Chinese video apps were recognized by Apple this year, and TikTok isn’t one of them. Apple’s Best of 2019 list for iPhone apps includes short video platform Kuaishou, Meitu’s new short video editing app WIDE and two apps from VUE. Kuaishou is China’s second most popular short video app after Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. Aside from goofy, Jackass-like stunts, it’s also famous for its farmer streaming celebrities documenting their lives in... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3040760/four-chinese-video-apps-among-best-iphone-apps-2019?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3040760/four-chinese-video-apps-among-best-iphone-apps-2019?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Dec 2019 08:09:40 +0000 Four Chinese video apps were recognized by Apple this year, and TikTok isn’t one of them. Apple’s Best of 2019 list for iPhone apps includes short video platform Kuaishou, Meitu’s new short video editing app WIDE and two apps from VUE. Kuaishou is China’s second most popular short video app after Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. Aside from goofy, Jackass-like stunts, it’s also famous for its farmer streaming celebrities documenting their lives in rural China. WIDE is a relatively new app from... https://www.scmp.com/china-tech-city/four-chinese-video-apps-among-best-iphone-apps-2019/article/3040705?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china-tech-city/four-chinese-video-apps-among-best-iphone-apps-2019/article/3040705?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Dec 2019 08:09:39 +0000 Asians love throwing up the V-sign in photos. It's also been popular with people around the world at various points in time, even getting thrown up by US presidents and adopted as a peace sign in the 1960s. But warnings about the V-sign contributing to fingerprint theft made waves on the internet recently after a Chinese cybersecurity expert told people that doing so in photos is a security threat. At a cybersecurity event in Shanghai, one booth was dedicated to warning people about the dangers... https://www.scmp.com/tech/can-you-give-away-your-fingerprints-photo/article/3027591?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/can-you-give-away-your-fingerprints-photo/article/3027591?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Sep 2019 16:44:29 +0000 Just two weeks ago, Qiaobiluo Dianxia (aka Your Highness Qiaobiluo) had tens of thousands of followers on Douyu, a live streaming platform known for gaming content and often dubbed China’s Twitch. Praised for her soft sweet voice, Your Highness Qiaobiluo was showered with generous donations and compliments even though she had never showed her face during live streams. Photos and short clips she posted on her account, however, revealed glimpses of a young woman. Then reality came knocking. During... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3021079/how-chinese-live-streamers-transform-themselves-fame-and-money?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3021079/how-chinese-live-streamers-transform-themselves-fame-and-money?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Aug 2019 03:52:10 +0000 Just two weeks ago, Qiaobiluo Dianxia (aka Your Highness Qiaobiluo) had tens of thousands of followers on Douyu, a live streaming platform known for gaming content and often dubbed China’s Twitch.   Praised for her soft sweet voice, Your Highness Qiaobiluo was showered with generous donations and compliments even though she had never showed her face during live streams. Photos and short clips she posted on her account, however, revealed glimpses of a young woman. Then reality came... https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/how-chinese-live-streamers-transform-themselves-fame-and-money/article/3020902?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/how-chinese-live-streamers-transform-themselves-fame-and-money/article/3020902?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Aug 2019 12:18:29 +0000 TikTok-creator ByteDance is now the latest software company trying to find success in hardware with its very own smartphone.    The company announced the phone on Monday, but the device had been rumored for a while. ByteDance bought patents this year from troubled smartphone maker Smartisan, whose fridge-smashing founder famously boasted of making the best smartphones in the world. But ByteDance's idea is hardly original. Remember Amazon’s Fire Phone? If not, don’t worry. Amazon would probably... https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/can-tiktoks-maker-succeed-where-facebook-and-amazon-failed/article/3020585?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/can-tiktoks-maker-succeed-where-facebook-and-amazon-failed/article/3020585?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jul 2019 14:08:29 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS TikTok-creator ByteDance is now the latest software company trying to find success in hardware with its very own smartphone.  China’s viral king ByteDance is the first major Chinese tech player that made a mark on the world The company announced the phone on Monday, but the device had been rumored for a while. ByteDance bought patents this year from troubled smartphone maker Smartisan, whose fridge-smashing founder famously boasted of making the best... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3029509/can-tiktoks-maker-succeed-where-facebook-and-amazon-failed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3029509/can-tiktoks-maker-succeed-where-facebook-and-amazon-failed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jul 2019 14:08:29 +0000 One of Xiaomi’s latest smartphones isn’t exactly subtle about its target audience. It comes in a light pink and blue color described as “dreamy, soft and beautiful” and is nicknamed Little Fairy… and it’s targeted directly at young female consumers. It’s a marketing tactic that might seem anachronistic in 2019. But with competition in China’s saturated smartphone market fiercer than ever, brands are returning to gender targeting… and they’re stepping on each other’s turf.  Xiaomi, a brand... https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/can-pink-smartphone-help-xiaomi-succeed-women/article/3017221?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/can-pink-smartphone-help-xiaomi-succeed-women/article/3017221?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jul 2019 15:36:55 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS One of Xiaomi’s latest smartphones isn’t exactly subtle about its target audience. It comes in a light pink and blue color described as “dreamy, soft and beautiful” and is nicknamed Little Fairy… and it’s targeted directly at young female consumers. It’s a marketing tactic that might seem anachronistic in 2019. But with competition in China’s saturated smartphone market fiercer than ever, brands are returning to gender targeting… and they’re stepping on... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3029460/xiaomi-thinks-it-can-appeal-women-pink-smartphones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3029460/xiaomi-thinks-it-can-appeal-women-pink-smartphones?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jul 2019 15:36:55 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Remember that selfie app called Meitu that went viral in the US two years ago and turned everyone from Barack Obama and Donald Trump into airbrushed anime characters? The Chinese company behind it now wants to take care of your skin in real life, too. Meitu, China’s selfie king Meitu unveiled the MeituSpa facial cleansing device this week, and it bears a striking resemblance to facial massagers from Sweden’s Foreo. Just like Foreo’s LUNA, Meitu’s... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3029289/selfie-enhancing-app-maker-wants-take-care-your-skin-real-life-too?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3029289/selfie-enhancing-app-maker-wants-take-care-your-skin-real-life-too?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Apr 2019 14:26:17 +0000 Remember that selfie app called Meitu that went viral in the US two years ago and turned everyone from Barack Obama and Donald Trump into airbrushed anime characters? The Chinese company behind it now wants to take care of your skin in real life, too.   Meitu unveiled the MeituSpa facial cleansing device this week, and it bears a striking resemblance to facial massagers from Sweden’s Foreo. Just like Foreo’s LUNA, Meitu’s electronic brush promises to deliver thousands of sonic pulsations a... https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/selfie-enhancing-app-maker-wants-take-care-your-skin-real-life-too/article/3006549?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/selfie-enhancing-app-maker-wants-take-care-your-skin-real-life-too/article/3006549?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Apr 2019 14:26:17 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Meitu is best known for its selfie apps. They’re so ingrained in the company’s identity, you’d be forgiven for not knowing it also makes smartphones -- which tells you how few units they sell. So perhaps it comes as no surprise that they’re handing this part of the business to a company more well-known for selling handsets: Xiaomi. Under the 30-year deal announced this week, Xiaomi has the right to produce Meitu-branded smartphones. Xiaomi will bear the... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3028986/why-it-makes-sense-xiaomi-take-selfie-king-meitus-smartphones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3028986/why-it-makes-sense-xiaomi-take-selfie-king-meitus-smartphones?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Nov 2018 12:15:45 +0000 Meitu is best known for its selfie apps. They’re so ingrained in the company’s identity, you’d be forgiven for not knowing it also makes smartphones -- which tells you how few units they sell. So perhaps it comes as no surprise that they’re handing this part of the business to a company more well-known for selling handsets: Xiaomi. Under the 30-year deal announced this week, Xiaomi has the right to produce Meitu-branded smartphones. Xiaomi will bear the costs of hardware and system development,... https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/why-it-makes-sense-xiaomi-take-selfie-king-meitus-smartphones/article/2174137?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/why-it-makes-sense-xiaomi-take-selfie-king-meitus-smartphones/article/2174137?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Nov 2018 12:15:45 +0000 Forget slapping filters on selfies or reshaping your face. Chinese selfie giant Meitu had a plan: Analyze photos to work out someone’s skin condition, and then sell products for that type of skin. Genius, right? Er, maybe not. Meitu is shutting down that app at the end of this month.   “Ecommerce is one of our attempts at commercialization,” the company’s COO said in an internal letter reported by Chinese media. “But after two years of exploration, we finally decided to shut down Meitu Beauty’s... https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/chinas-selfie-king-had-plan-make-money-selling-makeup-it-didnt-work/article/2173342?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/chinas-selfie-king-had-plan-make-money-selling-makeup-it-didnt-work/article/2173342?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Nov 2018 14:00:30 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Forget slapping filters on selfies or reshaping your face. Chinese selfie giant Meitu had a plan: Analyze photos to work out someone’s skin condition, and then sell products for that type of skin. Genius, right? Er, maybe not. Meitu is shutting down that app at the end of this month. Meitu, China’s selfie king “Ecommerce is one of our attempts at commercialization,” the company’s COO said in an internal letter reported by Chinese media. “But after two... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3028978/chinas-selfie-king-had-plan-make-money-selling-makeup-it-didnt-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3028978/chinas-selfie-king-had-plan-make-money-selling-makeup-it-didnt-work?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Nov 2018 14:00:30 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS China loves selfies. That’s why selfie-beautifying apps like Meitu are so big in the country. But right now, after selfie lovers edit their faces with Meitu, they leave the app to post their photos on WeChat or Weibo. That is something the app’s maker badly wants to change. Meitu, China’s selfie king Last week, China’s go-to selfie-altering app Meitu completed what the CEO says was “the biggest revamp in ten years”, putting a new photo-sharing section... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3028837/selfie-app-meitu-wants-be-social-platform-users-just-want-nice-selfies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3028837/selfie-app-meitu-wants-be-social-platform-users-just-want-nice-selfies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Sep 2018 12:48:25 +0000 China loves selfies. That’s why selfie-beautifying apps like Meitu are so big in the country. But right now, after selfie lovers edit their faces with Meitu, they leave the app to post their photos on WeChat or Weibo. That is something the app’s maker badly wants to change.   Last week, China’s go-to selfie-altering app Meitu completed what the CEO says was “the biggest revamp in ten years”, putting a new photo-sharing section on the front page together with its beloved editing tools. It’s part... https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/selfie-app-meitu-wants-be-social-platform-users-just-want-nice-selfies/article/2165505?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/selfie-app-meitu-wants-be-social-platform-users-just-want-nice-selfies/article/2165505?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Sep 2018 12:48:25 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS If there’s one thing China loves more than taking selfies, it’s looking good in selfies. And Meitu is all about that. Meitu is a big reason China fell in love with taking selfies: It offers a wide range of tools to touch up your selfies. From slapping virtual makeup on your face to removing wrinkles and blemishes, to even changing the shape of your features: Meitu can even enlarge your eyes or make your whole head slimmer. In 2017, it even became a... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/who-what/what/article/3028232/meitu-chinas-selfie-king?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/who-what/what/article/3028232/meitu-chinas-selfie-king?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Sep 2018 12:46:34 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS While most smartphone makers are trying to make the bezels smaller on their devices, Meitu insists on defying the trend by making them as big as possible. The Chinese company, best known for its viral selfie app, launched a new handset that preserves its characteristically huge borders on the top and bottom. Now before you dismiss this as a backwards product destined to be forgotten, let’s remember what Meitu is all about. Its stated mission is to “let... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3028587/chinas-selfie-king-meitu-has-new-phone-thatll-turn-you-supermodel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3028587/chinas-selfie-king-meitu-has-new-phone-thatll-turn-you-supermodel?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Jun 2018 10:29:45 +0000 While most smartphone makers are trying to make the bezels smaller on their devices, Meitu insists on defying the trend by making them as big as possible. The Chinese company, best known for its viral selfie app, launched a new handset that preserves its characteristically huge borders on the top and bottom. Now before you dismiss this as a backwards product destined to be forgotten, let’s remember what Meitu is all about. Its stated mission is to “let more people become beautiful” and its goal... https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/chinas-selfie-king-meitu-has-new-phone-thatll-turn-you-supermodel/article/2152902?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/chinas-selfie-king-meitu-has-new-phone-thatll-turn-you-supermodel/article/2152902?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Jun 2018 10:29:45 +0000