Xiaomi has said that the availability of fake products is impacting its sales, despite the strong growth the company has seen in recent years, Bloomberg reported.

The comments, made by Lei Jun, CEO, at a press conference, sparked schadenfreude in some observers, following previous accusations that it is Xiaomi that is the copycat, with similarities between its products and those of Apple.

According to Bloomberg, sales of Xiaomi’s Mi Power Bank battery pack for smartphones hit 14.6 million units last year, less than half of the expected total.

“What is the biggest problem? There are many fakes. If there were no counterfeits, our sales would be double or triple,” the Xiaomi head noted.

Last year, Jonathan Ive, SVP of design at Apple, addressed the issue of vendors aping the company’s design, having been specifically asked about Xiaomi. “I don’t see it as flattery. I actually see it as theft,” he said.

Bloomberg also noted criticism that Xiaomi had lost focus, investing in a number of start-ups in the technology sector – including the manufacturer of Mi Power Bank.

“Xiaomi has three products, and these three products are the mobile phone, TV and router. These three products are our main business”, Lei said.