Chapter 84 Order Explosion
Chapter 84 Order Explosion (Twelfth Update)
Zhiyun Technology's mobile phones are high-end and priced high. Even though they use expensive components and complex processes, they can still maintain very good hardware profits.
But it is not the case for Wecoo Electronics... Therefore, for Wecoo Electronics, the biggest trouble in the research and development process is not what function to achieve, but how to reduce costs!
This is actually very difficult... For example, the screen will not be 3.5 inches, but 3.2 inches, and the resolution is only 320*480.
The camera doesn't need to have 500 pixels, 2 or 3 million pixels will be enough.
The overall hardware level has dropped a level...especially in the configuration of many invisible and seemingly inconspicuous parts, which are simplified as much as possible. For example, for the motor that provides the vibration function, why do you need a big brand from a world-class international manufacturer? Just find a domestic product that is about the same.
Then the speakers, microphones, matching headphones, chargers...these can actually be purchased domestically at a lower cost, and ordinary people generally can't feel the difference.
However, for the more core SOC chip, in order to maintain efficient and smooth operating speed, Weiku Electronics is still conscientiously preparing to use the 7200A chip... Although this chip will actually be outdated by the time the mobile phone is actually released in the fall, the cost will also be greatly reduced.
In the past six months, with the explosion of the smartphone market, mobile phone chips have also been rapidly updated... When Zhiyun Technology first started making mobile phones last year, the 7200A was still considered a bottom-tier, second-tier top chip.
But by this fall, this thing will be reduced to a third-rate chip...
What’s even more interesting is that according to some intelligence currently obtained by Zhiyun Technology from friendly competitors, a large number of mobile phone manufacturers are still developing smartphones that use the 7200A chip.
why?
It’s not that they are deliberately deceiving consumers, but most of their R&D plans were launched last year, and when choosing chips, they will naturally choose this chip or one of the same level.
But if the R&D plan is delayed a little bit... Well, by this fall, the chips installed in their mobile phones will become third-rate chips.
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After autumn, the performance of 7200A will drop from last year's first-rate level to third-rate level.
This is also why Zhiyun Technology plans to upgrade and replace the chip for the C1 phone at the autumn press conference, and then launch the so-called upgraded C2 phone...
If it is not replaced, the nominally mid-to-high-end Zhiyun C1 mobile phone will have to use the same chip as a bunch of mid-to-low-end mobile phones.
This is a huge blow to the brand... Without the class, what else can you brag about?
It would be better to replace the new 7227 chip, change the name and create a so-called C2, although there will be no obvious changes in other aspects!
At the same time, C1 will not be discontinued, but will continue to reduce prices and increase sales... The prices of 7200A and other materials are also continuing to fall. By autumn, the hardware cost of the C1 mobile phone will be significantly reduced, and the price will be reduced by a few hundred yuan at that time, bringing the price of the 8GB version to about 2500 yuan, and C1 Pro will be discontinued at the same time.
This thing is too high-end. Lowering the price will hurt the brand, and if the price is not lowered, it won’t be sold and will conflict with C2 Pro... It’s better to just stop production.
The upgraded C2 replaces the previous C1's niche, with 8GB and 16GB, continuing to focus on the 2800-3200 niche, while the C2 Pro continues to be priced at yuan.
As for more than four thousand...that is the territory of future flagship models!
There are actually some rumors circulating about Zhiyun's future flagship phone. After all, some indirect information cannot be concealed, such as Zhiyun Technology contacting Qualcomm to purchase 8250/8650 series chips.
Anyone who knows a little bit about the subject can tell from just one look at this chip that the price of Zhiyun Mobile's future flagship phone will definitely be over four thousand.
Even if you don't know much about it, just take a look at the Toshiba TG01, which also uses this chip and has been making a lot of noise recently, and you will know that this thing is not cheap... Because the price of Toshiba TG01 is probably around four or five thousand.
Therefore, Zhiyun Technology’s future flagship phone will definitely not be cheap!
It is no secret in the industry that Zhiyun Technology is going to develop a top-level flagship, but what Zhiyun Technology's top-level flagship model will look like and what design concept it plans to adopt are still secrets... The outside world basically has no idea about it.
Well, actually many people at Zhiyun Technology don’t know either.
The confidentiality level of this project is very high. Only senior executives in the company's R&D department know the full picture of the project. Ordinary R&D personnel actually don't know what kind of mobile phone they are going to make.
The only news that is relatively clear is that the new phone will definitely use the 8250/8650 chip, and the mobile version will use the OMAP3640 chip...both are the top mobile phone chips of the time!
The fact that these two chips appear in Zhiyun Technology's supplier list at the same time also means that Zhiyun Technology has barely escaped the embarrassing and dangerous situation of being a single supplier of SOC chips.
This is critical to the security of the supply chain!
Not only SOC chips, but also communication basebands have also gotten rid of the situation of Qualcomm's sole supplier. In addition to Qualcomm's communication basebands, Zhiyun Technology and Weiku Electronics have also signed a communication baseband cooperation agreement with Infineon, purchasing 3G basebands from them for subsequent low-end models that use non-Qualcomm SOC solutions. The more unique TD baseband uses domestic Spreadtrum basebands and Leadcore.
Basically, there are at least two or even three suppliers for each core component.
Zhiyun Technology did this mainly to implement the 80/20 rule, that is, for a certain type of spare parts, no matter how good the main supplier is, it can only get 80% of the orders; the remaining 20% of the orders go to the secondary suppliers...
Once the main supplier encounters a problem, the secondary supplier will immediately take over.
This is a common practice to ensure the security of the supply chain... Unless they have no choice, most manufacturers will choose to implement this procurement principle. Of course, the specific proportions vary.
This not only ensures safety, but also promotes competition among suppliers, helps control procurement costs and promotes suppliers' enthusiasm for research and development.
In addition to chips, Zhiyun Technology also uses the same method for screens, batteries, memory, storage and other components.
For example, the screen is quite important. Although the C1 mobile phone currently uses the LG screen, Zhiyun Technology and Weiku Electronics are currently negotiating with manufacturers such as Sixin and Sharp.
Weiku Electronics even looked for domestic suppliers, but unfortunately, the capacitive screen technology of domestic suppliers is still a little poor and not very usable...
However, in order to ensure the security of the supply chain and avoid being strangled in the future, Xu Shenxue still instructed Wecoo Electronics to continue to contact domestic screen manufacturers. Just because the technology is not available now does not mean it will not be available in the future.
Just because high-end mobile phones cannot be used doesn’t mean that mid- and low-end mobile phones cannot be used either!
For example, Weiku Electronics’ mid- and low-end models can completely use low-priced domestic screens, which can not only significantly reduce costs but also ensure a healthier supply chain.
At the same time, it also provides a living space for the infancy of domestic mobile phone screen manufacturers.
Nothing is better than order!
Only with orders can a virtuous circle be entered. Screen manufacturers will have revenue, which will allow them to recover some of their investment and have funds to continue research and development.
No orders, no revenue...you can't survive in the high-cost screen industry.
In addition to screens, Zhiyun Technology and Weiku Electronics are also trying their best to find domestic suppliers for other spare parts. For the time being, there is no certain degree of cooperation and support.
For example, in the case of touch IC, Xu Shenxue has sent people to hold multiple rounds of talks with Qianding Technology to push Qianding Technology to complete the research and development of touch IC as soon as possible. Otherwise, it would be too dangerous to have only one touch IC supplier, Synopsys.
In short, the goal is to cultivate a complete domestic smartphone supply chain as much as possible.
This is not only to avoid being strangled, but also to reduce costs...imported goods are very expensive.
And this...will inevitably greatly promote the development of the domestic smartphone supply chain, ultimately creating a large number of jobs and tax benefits.
While Xu Shenxue was busy promoting supply chain construction and supporting domestic suppliers, he also continued to steadily advance the research and development of the autumn flagship model and the C1 successor model.
At the same time, Zhiyun C1 is still selling well!
Especially after BYD's OEM factories entered the large-scale mass production stage, with the overall increase in production capacity, sales also increased significantly.
At the same time, the huge orders from operators and first-tier channel dealers at home and abroad have enabled Zhiyun Technology to increase its purchase orders from third-party channels alone, in addition to sales through its own channels, to exceed one million units, of which more than 300,000 units were exported.
On March 1, Zhiyun Technology, which likes to hold press conferences and create all kinds of shocking news, once again held a press conference. At the press conference, Ji Chenghe officially announced: Zhiyun C's third-party orders reached an astonishing one million units, of which export orders exceeded units.
After this news was announced, public opinion was first shocked, then silent, and finally with a bang, it completely exploded!
No domestic mobile phone manufacturer has ever been able to make high-end mobile phones to this level... never!
I have finished all the drafts and will continue tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)