Cook smiled slightly:
"As long as Xingyi Phone doesn't go overseas and isn't sold globally, what if we let it grow in the China market? The global mobile phone market is still ours, Apple's!"
"Chairman is brilliant!"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much better.
The basic market is still Apple's!
Cook then changed the subject:
"It's just that Xingyi Tablet's direct globalization poses a great threat to our iPad."
The vice president agreed:
"With Xingyi Tablet, it will be difficult for iPad sales to surge this year, but maintaining existing volume is not a big problem, as our ecosystem and brand are very successful."
"Right, our iPad 3rd generation has significant upgrades. Even with the impact of Xingyi Tablet, sales will surpass last year's 2nd generation!"
Cook, however, waved his hand:
"There's an old saying in the East: sailing against the current, if you don't advance, you fall back. Even if the sales of the 3rd generation can surpass the 2nd generation, its market share will significantly decrease, and Xingyi Tablet will seize a lot of the market!"
"Currently, the global tablet market is in an era of rapid growth. If iPad's growth is small, it's already a regression!"
"This..."
Everyone fell silent, but thinking about it, it made sense.
In 2010, global tablet sales were only 15 million units, with iPad global sales at 11 million units, accounting for 74.1%.
By 2011, global tablet sales surged to over 62 million units, with iPad global sales at 41 million units, an increase of nearly four times, but its market share was only 66%, a decrease of 8.1%!
This year, global tablet sales will continue to increase, with great hope of exceeding 100 million!
Even if iPad sales grow by half, reaching 60 million, its market share will only be 60%, decreasing again.
Moreover, with the aggressive emergence of Xingyi Tablet, it's impossible for iPad sales to grow by 50% this year; even a 25% growth would be considered good.
Other shareholders didn't understand these principles, but Cook, who was skilled in operations, knew them clearly.
The biggest difference between him and Jobs was that Jobs was good at product development, while Cook excelled at operations.
Before Cook, Apple had a good reputation, but its sales and profits were very low.
Later, Jobs, against all odds, invited Cook to join, implemented drastic reforms, shut down Apple's global factories, and switched to Foxconn for manufacturing.
This led to lower costs, soaring profits, and rapid expansion for Apple!
It can be said that Jobs was an outstanding product manager, while Cook was an excellent operations manager!
Cook sighed, his expression becoming serious:
"Launching a patent war against HTC and banning the sale of HTC One x will prevent iPhone 4s's global sales from looking too bad."
"But if Xingyi Tablet's globalization cannot be curbed, then iPad's market share might become very unsightly."
"What methods do you have to curb Xingyi Tablet's globalization? Are patent lawsuits not feasible?"
The vice president shook his head:
"It's difficult, very difficult. Xingyi Tablet only supports Wi-Fi and not 3G, so it doesn't involve Apple's communication patents. Xingyi Tablet has largely bypassed Apple's other patents; even if there are a few minor patents not bypassed, it's meaningless, because Xingyi Tech has also bought many 4G patents and other core patents. If we sue them for their tablet, they can countersue us for our iPhone and iPad!"
Cook's mouth twitched:
"So, launching a patent war against Xingyi Tablet would result in greater losses for us? More harm than good?"
"That's right."
"Sigh!" Cook sighed, "No wonder Xingyi Tablet dared to go international directly; they had already prepared a fallback!"
"Indeed, Wang Yi is not old, but he is steady in his actions."
Cook then said:
"What about starting with the supply chain?"
The vice president shook his head:
"That's also difficult. We tried last time, and those supply chains are all united with Xingyi Tech. Not only did they decisively refuse us, but they also turned around and sold us out!"
The vice president was speechless.
Cook's face was livid: "..."
"Moreover, this time Xingyi Tech has made changes, such as with processors. There's Qualcomm and Nvidia, forming a check and balance, making them even less likely to betray Xingyi Tech. After all, if one side dares to cut off supply, the other side will immediately step in and take all of Xingyi Tech's orders!"
Cook took a deep breath:
"True, Wang Yi's strategy is absolutely watertight. It's really tough!"
"Forget it, if Xingyi Tech cannot be touched, then let's go after HTC first to secure the mobile phone market. Prepare a patent lawsuit, demanding a ban on HTC One x sales! As for Xingyi Tablet, we'll figure out a way slowly."
The vice president nodded:
"Okay."
...
HTC was unaware of Apple's moves.
Just looking at public opinion online, Chairman Wang Hong was filled with mixed emotions.
The sorrowful part, of course, was the flood of praise for xphone 1pro and the denigration of HTC One x.
People said HTC One x was completely inferior to xphone 1pro, just a foil.
The joyful part was that many people were fiercely criticizing the iPhone 4s.
They said that although HTC One x was not as good as xphone 1pro, it had higher specifications than the iPhone 4s!
"Alright, if we can't beat xphone 1pro, then so be it, since Xingyi Phone can't globalize anyway. As long as we can beat iPhone 4s, our HTC One x wins!"
Wang Hong sighed, broadening her perspective.
Her subordinate decisively echoed:
"Yes, Chairman, grabbing iPhone 4s's market share is enough. So, how should we set our estimated sales and production volume..."
Wang Hong took a deep breath:
"iPhone 4s sold 4 million units in its first week of launch, with estimated annual sales of over 60 million. Our HTC One x has stronger specifications than the iPhone 4s, so it will definitely sell well too. Let's do this: estimate annual sales at 30 million, and order 10 million for the first batch, to be produced!"
"Yes!"
The subordinate was excited.
Last year, HTC's sales exceeded 40 million.
This year, with HTC One x selling out, they could advance further.
Wang Hong then changed the subject, sneering:
"As for xphone 1pro, it has higher specifications and better reputation. If it could be sold globally, it might break through 50 million units for a single model! What a pity, they can't leave China, so their final sales will at most reach 20 million, which is still not as good as our HTC One x. Heh heh."
Her subordinate strongly agreed:
"That's right, xphone 1pro is destined to be all talk and no action, only able to play a supporting role to our HTC One x."
But what the two didn't know was that Xingyi xphone 1pro indeed could not leave China.
However, although their HTC One x was out, its future was also concerning!
Patents are a Sword of Damocles, attacking indiscriminately.
Only with a sufficient patent moat can one withstand it!
February 27th, the first day of the Global Mobile Communications Congress.
Major brands had all prepared exhibition halls to showcase their products.
Apple, for example, displayed products like the iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPad 1st generation, and iPad 2nd generation all at once.
But unfortunately, not many people paid attention.
These were all old products released half a year or even a year ago, and recently they had been continuously hammered by Xingyi Tech and HTC, so they really didn't have much appeal.
Equally deserted was the LG exhibition hall opposite.
It also showcased its new phone, but unfortunately, it also garnered little attention.
However, a few people gathered around Samsung's exhibition hall, looking at a new tablet that hadn't been released yet: "Galaxy Note!"
Seeing that people were interested, Samsung's sales manager Park Joon-ki was in a great mood and decisively stepped forward to personally explain:
"Welcome to Samsung Galaxy Note. This is our flagship tablet to be launched this year, featuring a 10.1-inch screen, Samsung Exynos 4412 quad-core processor, and 1GB of RAM."
"Ah? Only 1GB?"
A gentleman couldn't help but ask.
"Uh... 1GB is just for the demo unit. We will launch the official version with 2GB of RAM later!"
Samsung sales manager Park Joon-ki's mouth twitched, but he cursed inwardly:
"It's all Xingyi Tech's fault for messing around, otherwise 1GB would be completely sufficient, after all, Apple only has 512MB!"
He then continued explaining:
"Galaxy Note features a 1.9-megapixel front camera and a 5-megapixel rear camera..."
"Ah, that little?"
Park Joon-ki: "..."
"Exactly, combined they don't even have as many megapixels as a single camera on the Xingyi Tablet X1 and Xingyi Tablet X1pro!"
Park Joon-ki was speechless: "..."
The RAM would likely be increased to 2GB by headquarters, and it was easy to operate, so he could say it offhand.
But the camera was a different story.
Changing the lens would require not only replacing the entire lens module but also re-optimizing algorithms, adapting them, and even adjusting the body thickness.
That was not just ordinary trouble.
The Galaxy Note would most likely not upgrade its cameras but maintain the current 1.9-megapixel and 5-megapixel ones!
Helplessly, Park Joon-ki picked up the stylus to divert everyone's attention:
"Look at our S Pen, specially designed for Samsung tablets, used together to give you a better writing experience, as smooth as on paper."
Several attendees became interested, and one of them even nodded:
"This is good, I can buy one for my Xingyi Tablet X1!"
The smile on Park Joon-ki's face completely froze, and he felt utterly dismayed: "!!!"
They finally praised a Samsung product, only for it to be bought for use with a Xingyi Tablet!
Is that something a human would do?
It was a major blow!
But before Park Joon-ki could recover, the few people shook their heads:
"Not interesting, nothing new. Let's go see Xingyi Tech's exhibition hall."
"Right, when it comes to innovation, Apple and Samsung are both trash. You have to look at Xingyi Tech!"
"Look at Xingyi Tech's tablet, it's truly amazing. Then look at Samsung's tablet, it really doesn't seem like a product of the same era, with such thick bezels, you could run a train on them."
Park Joon-ki's mouth twitched: "..."
"What a pity, Xingyi Phone can't be launched overseas, otherwise I'd really want to buy one, it's so good-looking."
"Forget xphone 1pro, even xphone 1 is very attractive. I'm going to buy a gray market one."
"I'll also buy a gray market xphone 1 to use first, then buy an xphone 1pro gray market one when available."
"Next month, I'm planning to ask a friend to purchase an xphone 1pro from China. It's the world's first quad-core flagship, worth buying!"
The few people chatted and laughed as they left Samsung's exhibition hall, heading straight for Xingyi Tech's exhibition hall.
At this, Park Joon-ki wanted to cry but had no tears: "..."
His heart was filled with a mixture of emotions.
At the original Global Mobile Communications Congress, Samsung was always the darling, the focus of attention from all sides.
But now, Xingyi Tech was the darling!
All the attendees gathered around Xingyi Tech's exhibition hall, and all the media were shooting photos and videos of Xingyi Tech's xphone 1pro and Xingyi Tablet X1pro!
This made all the Samsung staff feel very uneasy.
However, looking at the "brothers in distress" like Apple, LG, and Sony, Park Joon-ki felt relieved instead.
HTC's side had a bit more people; public attention for the newly released second quad-core phone globally was quite good.
As for Samsung's quad-core phone, they would have to wait, wait for Samsung's own quad-core processor!
The several exhibition halls became very interesting.
Apple, Samsung, and LG's exhibition halls were deserted.
HTC had some popularity, but not much.
Xingyi Tech's exhibition hall, however, was packed with people!
Looking up, the exhibition hall was crowded with people of various skin tones and complexions.
At the entrance, Xiao Li Zi was holding an advertisement for Xingyi Tablet X1pro, very conspicuous.
Several foreigners who had never heard of Xingyi Tech couldn't help but walk over, looking puzzled by the crowd:
"Xingyi Tech? Never heard of that brand, and they actually hired Xiao Li Zi as an endorser!"
Xingyi Tech was already well-known in China, but its recognition was not high overseas.
At this time, Xiao Li Zi's endorsement effect became evident.
Few foreigners knew Xingyi Tech, but countless foreigners knew Xiao Li Zi.
Another person said:
"To be able to hire Xiao Li Zi as an endorser, this Xingyi Tech must be something special."
"Indeed, small businesses can't afford Xiao Li Zi."
"And this Xingyi Tablet X1 Pro? Such narrow bezels? Such a beautiful design? Is it a rendering?"
"Definitely, Bob, I bet the physical product's bezels will be very thick!"
"That's right, I think so too."
Xingyi Tech's service staff Lu Qunqun, seeing this, spoke fluent English and went up to greet them with a smile:
"Hello everyone, the billboards show actual product photos, and there are physical products on display inside. You are welcome to come in and take a look."
"Physical product? Such narrow bezels?"
Bob was clearly unconvinced.
"Of course, all our Xingyi Tech products feature narrow bezels. Please follow me,"
Lu Qunqun said with a smile.
"Okay, thank you."
The foreigners became interested and followed her in.
Upon seeing the actual devices in the exhibition hall, they were instantly astonished:
"Oh my god! They actually made it so narrow!"
Lu Qunqun nodded:
"This isn't difficult for Xingyi Tech. Our xphone 1 phone, released last year, already had ultra-narrow bezels."
Saying this, Lu Qunqun pointed to the xphone 1 in the adjacent exhibition area.
"Oh, my God, this phone is so beautiful and elegant! Such a large screen, so clear, it feels even better than the iPhone 4s. How much is it? I want to buy one!"
Lu Qunqun smiled slightly:
"I apologize, but due to xphone 1's overwhelming popularity, selling 15 million units in China in three months, it can currently only be supplied in China."
Everyone fell silent: "..."
Lu Qunqun continued:
"However, our Xingyi Tablet X1 and X1pro are globally launched, also featuring ultra-narrow bezels and super powerful performance. For example, this X1 pro is not only the world's first quad-core tablet, but also the world's first tablet with 2GB of RAM, the world's first tablet with dual 8-megapixel front and rear cameras, and the world's first tablet with a 10,000 mAh anti-freeze large battery, and even the world's first tablet to support multi-tasking split-screen operation!"
Saying this, Lu Qunqun personally demonstrated the split-screen operation:
"With one-touch split-screen, we can watch videos while chatting or shopping, without delaying either."
The crowd at the scene praised:
"Perfect, too perfect. How much is it? I want to buy one!"
"The 16GB version is $599, the 32GB version is $699, and the 64GB version is $799. All the stock in the exhibition hall is currently sold out, but there's still stock at the outdoor booth, located to the right of the entrance."
"Okay, I'm going to buy it now!"
"I want one too!"
Saying this, several people rushed straight to the outdoor booth.
Lu Qunqun smiled slightly:
"Take care."
She thought to herself:
"Fortunately, another batch of goods was brought in, otherwise, wouldn't it have caused problems?"
The Global Mobile Communications Congress not only had indoor exhibition halls but also outdoor booths.
Indoor exhibition halls couldn't be restocked at any time, but outdoor booths didn't matter.
The organizers rented them to brands at high prices precisely for selling goods!
Xingyi Tech Park.
Wang Yi, who had already returned to the imperial capital, looked at the news reports and shook his head:
"Nothing new, this MWC is just so-so. Samsung's S Pen is good though, we can also make one, Xingyi Tablet needs it."
Song Sining immediately understood:
"Okay, I'll have someone find a stylus manufacturer with R&D capabilities, acquire it, then upgrade it to create our own stylus!"
Developing a stylus from scratch is too time-consuming.
Instead, directly acquiring a company with R&D capabilities, then investing funds for R&D and upgrades, would be much faster.
Xingyi Tech's strategy has always been to self-develop high-tech products like phones and tablets.
As for accessories like headphones and styluses, if they can be acquired, they will be.
If production capacity is insufficient later, contract manufacturers can be sought for OEM.
The technical content of styluses is not high.
Song Sining changed the subject:
"By the way, should we promote the sales of our new products after two days on the market?"
Wang Yi thought for a moment:
"Promote it! We must promote it! Xingyi Tech's overseas recognition is still not enough. If we don't seize the opportunity of the Global Mobile Communications Congress to promote it, it would be a waste of resources."
"Okay, I'll arrange for trending topics, global trending topics!"
Wang Yi waved his hand:
"No need, our current popularity is already quite high. Just have Xiao Li Zi send out a tweet."
"Good idea!"
Song Sining's eyes lit up.
Endorsers should be used when appropriate.
She immediately contacted Xiao Li Zi, who, upon hearing this, was in a great mood:
"No problem, I was just about to ask how much our products have sold! As an endorser, the more Xingyi Tech's new products sell, the more respected I feel."
Soon, Xiao Li Zi posted a tweet:
[Xingyi xphone 1pro pre-sales for two days, number of full-payment pre-orders in China exceeds 2 million! Thank you all for your support!]
[Xingyi Tablet X1 launched for two days, global sales exceed 1 million! Xingyi Tablet X1pro launched for two days, global sales exceed 1.5 million!]
Two simple tweets instantly went viral across the entire internet, causing a huge stir.
"Xingyi Phone? Xingyi Tablet? What are those?"
"Idiot, it's a Chinese brand endorsed by Xiao Li Zi, very excellent and full of innovation."
"Exactly, I just came back from the MWC. Xingyi Tech's phones and tablets crush Apple, Samsung, and HTC. I even bought a quad-core tablet.jpg"
"Holy crap, it's that good-looking? No, I have to buy it!"
"I'll buy one too, where can I find it?"
"Xingyi Tech Flagship Store, Meiyou, Zhenyou flagship stores, exclusive stores, and Meiyou International Mall all have it!"
"Amazon has it too, I just bought one!"
"I'll go too!"
"Such a great product, and endorsed by Xiao Li Zi, I must buy it!"
...
For a time, sales of Xingyi Tablet X1 and X1pro once again exploded.
HTC Headquarters.
Wang Hong and the executives were in high spirits, just about to expand and strengthen when the secretary rushed in frantically.
Wang Hong's eyebrows slightly furrowed:
"Something wrong?"
The secretary nodded:
"Chairman, Xingyi Tech just announced the pre-sales volume for xphone 1pro's first two days."
"Oh? How much did it pre-sell?" Wang Hong became interested, "It's only launching next month, currently just pre-sales. Maybe a bit more for the first two days, 400,000 units? Or 500,000 units?"
Other executives also grew interested, speaking up one after another:
"At most 400,000 units, after all, it's just pre-sales."
"If it were like xphone 1, selling for just over three thousand, it might pre-sell over 500,000. But xphone 1pro starts at five thousand, so sales won't be high!"
"I estimate only 300,000 units, after all, it's full-payment pre-orders and only launching next month. Plus, it's only sold in China."
"About that, it won't be higher."
Listening to everyone's words, Wang Hong nodded and looked at the secretary:
"What was the full-payment pre-sales volume for Xingyi xphone 1pro on its first day?"
The secretary opened her mouth but did not speak directly.
She felt that if she said it, her job would be over.
Wang Hong frowned slightly:
"Just say it!"
"Yes!" The secretary quickly said, "xphone 1pro launched for two days, and its full-payment pre-sales volume exceeded 2 million!"
Wang Hong: "..."
Vice president: "..."
Other HTC executives: "..."
Silence, deadly silence.
For a moment, the entire HTC headquarters was eerily quiet.
Sweat beads appeared on the secretary's forehead, cold sweat, but she dared not say anything more.
When leaders suffer a setback, their favorite thing to do is to take out their anger on subordinates.
The secretary was very worried that this news had slapped the faces of everyone at HTC, from the chairman down to all executives, and her job might be over.
After a long while, she said:
"Chairman, I..."
Wang Hong came back to her senses, opened her mouth:
"You can go now, I understand."
But the secretary still didn't move; instead, she said:
"Chairman, there are two more pieces of news... about Xingyi Tablet."
"Speak!"
The secretary quickly said:
"Xingyi Tablet X1 launched for two days, global sales exceeded 1 million units. Xingyi Tablet X1pro launched for two days, global sales exceeded 1.5 million units!"
"Damn, the tablets sold so much too!"
Wang Hong's initial mix of shock and anger now had an added touch of jealousy!
Too damn jealous!
Seeing this, the secretary quickly excused herself.
Unexpectedly, Wang Hong and the others at this moment had no time to pay attention to her.
"Two days after release, xphone 1pro full-payment pre-sales reached two million! Crazy, truly crazy!"
"The two tablets combined also sold 2.5 million!"
"Xingyi Tech is really amazing! If phones can't go out, they just sell tablets globally!"
"Alright, really impressive!"
Wang Hong was filled with emotion, truly envious, jealous, and hateful.
"Tablets are not HTC's main business, so whether they sell well or poorly, we can ignore that. But the phones selling so well is truly enviable."
"And it's just the China market, just an unreleased model, to have such a high volume of full-payment pre-orders, it's incredible!"
"When can our HTC achieve such results?"
The room full of executives looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
Comparing oneself to others can make one furious!
Finally, the vice president spoke to comfort her:
"Chairman, xphone 1pro's exceptionally high sales indicate extremely high public demand for quad-core phones. Since Xingyi Tech can do full-payment pre-sales, our HTC One x can also do full-payment pre-sales!"
"We'll also do full-payment pre-sales?"
Wang Hong was stunned, can it be done this way?
The vice president nodded:
"Of course. Moreover, xphone 1pro is only pre-sold in China, while our HTC One x is pre-sold globally. So our pre-sales volume will definitely be higher than xphone 1pro, completely crushing xphone 1pro!"
(End of Chapter)