"How to make an issue out of it?" Cook became interested. "If the Xingyi tablet sells well globally, the iPad will suffer heavy losses. Absolutely unacceptable!"
Jesse said sinisterly,
"As long as we do this... and this... the Xingyi tablet will never sell well!"
The more Cook listened, the brighter the smile on his face:
"Excellent, let's do as you say! This way, we can not only suppress the quad-core Xingyi X1 pro, but also the quad-core xphone 1pro, and other Nvidia quad-core phones and tablets!"
"Well done! Jesse, if this succeeds, you will be the top contributor. Go do it immediately."
"Yes, Chairman!"
Jesse was in a great mood.
He had to execute this beautifully.
Whether he could be promoted from supervisor to manager depended on whether he could decisively defeat the Xingyi X1 pro tablet and the xphone 1pro!
Such opportunities were rare, so he had to seize it, decisively form a special team, and arrange this matter.
The day after tomorrow, the iPad 3 would be released.
He had to prepare this sharp sword for Apple before the iPad launch, a sword that would definitively defeat the Xingyi X1 pro tablet!
With the announcement of the Xingyi tablet's sales, which broke the iPad's sales record multiple times over, overseas media rushed to report on it.
All of a sudden, Xingyi Technology became a global sensation, and the popularity of Xingyi phones and Xingyi tablets soared rapidly.
Many foreigners who had never heard of Xingyi Technology now knew that a company even more impressive than Apple had emerged in Xia State.
It launched a series of products better than the iPad and iPhone, selling hot worldwide.
So they rushed to nearby Xingyi flagship stores, Meiyou, Zhenyou flagship stores, and specialty stores to buy.
Only to find that they were already sold out!
However, this out-of-stock situation further stimulated consumers' enthusiasm, leading them to pre-order with full payment.
Why did Xiaomi adopt hunger marketing in its previous life and sell so well?
It's because consumers fall for this trick.
The more readily available a product is, the more consumers feel it's not selling well and don't want to buy it.
The more a product sells out, the more consumers perceive it as popular and follow suit to buy it.
This is exactly how herd mentality works.
Moreover, the sales of Xingyi X1 tablet and Xingyi X1 pro tablet were truly astonishing, selling over three to four million units, and their product power was genuinely strong.
The stores in the mall were not far apart.
Looking at Apple's iPad next door, and then at the Xingyi tablet's ultra-narrow bezels, stunning appearance, and high-end configuration, consumers' eyes widened in awe.
It wasn't a design of the same era; its mere aesthetic appeal could easily outperform the iPad.
As for the system?
No matter how good Apple's system was, it didn't have as much impact on users as multi-tasking split-screen or beauty algorithms.
These features would become standard years later and wouldn't be worth mentioning.
But in 2012, they were game-changers, completely obliterating the iOS system's advantages.
Moreover, iOS 4 in 2012 was actually quite ordinary, offering little advantage over the newly released Android 4.0.
Even the upcoming iOS 5.0 didn't have a very obvious advantage over Android 4.0.
It was completely inferior to XUI 3.0's terrifying multi-tasking split-screen + beauty camera!
Especially for female users, as long as they saw the Xingyi tablet's exterior design, they already wanted to buy it.
And after experiencing the Xingyi tablet's beauty features in the store, it became a must-buy!
Even if out of stock, they would pre-order with full payment.
Regarding the magic of beauty cameras, not only female users couldn't resist, but many male users couldn't either.
Many men also use beauty filters when taking photos; everyone has a desire for beauty.
In addition, most male users are tech enthusiasts, sensitive to specifications and configurations, and many enjoy gaming.
Factors such as the Xingyi tablet's large RAM, high configuration, high pixel count, anti-freeze battery, and true background processes made them determined to abandon the iPad and choose the Xingyi tablet.
For a time, although the Xingyi X1 tablet and Xingyi X1 pro tablet were sold out, full-payment pre-orders surged rapidly.
In just one day, both skyrocketed by over a million.
Xingyi X1 tablet: sales + full-payment pre-orders exceeded 4 million units.
Xingyi X1 pro tablet: sales + full-payment pre-orders exceeded 5 million units!
This greatly surprised Wang Yi.
He could only say that the iron triangle of ultra-high product power + epoch-making design + trending topic promotion was truly invincible.
And Wang Yi maximized all these points!
Left with no choice, Wang Yi could only call BYD's Manager Wang again:
"Chairman Wang, orders are surging again, we need to add more!"
Manager Wang chuckled,
"This is good news. BYD welcomes it wholeheartedly. I'll arrange it immediately."
"Okay, then produce as much as possible. This month, produce five million Xingyi X1 tablets and six million Xingyi X1 pro tablets."
Five million Xingyi X1 tablets, plus the two million in stock from last month, total seven million, which should be enough for global sales this month.
Next month, continue producing five million Xingyi X1 tablets, which will also be enough to sell.
Production will have to be cut in May.
And six million Xingyi X1 pro tablets, plus the previous three million in stock, a total of nine million, will also be enough to sell this month!
Sales will drop to around six million next month.
Whether it's phones or tablets, updates are quick.
The first month always sees the highest popularity and sales.
The second month will see a one-third reduction, the third month a halving, and then it will only continue to decrease.
Of course, this is all based on open supply.
If it's hunger marketing, missing the golden period of the first two months, then even if production capacity increases in the third or fourth month, the hype would have died down, rendering it useless.
Meizu in its previous life was like this: the MX, MX2, and MX3 were very popular and sold well in the first two months after launch, but there was no stock.
By the third month, when stock was available, the hype had diminished, and they couldn't sell them.
Similarly, Wang Yi was unsure how long this wave of popularity for the Xingyi tablet would last.
Wang Yi also didn't know how much impact subsequent iPads would have.
What he could do was to open full-payment pre-orders before the iPad launch, lock in as many orders as possible, and simultaneously ramp up production to ship as many units as possible!
Maximize profits by achieving the highest sales before the hype fades.
This way, even if the Xingyi tablet's popularity wanes a few months later, and global sales drop from nine million or seven million units per month to five million or three million, it wouldn't matter.
By then, tens of millions of Xingyi tablets would have been sold, and the money would have been made!
Furthermore, Wang Yi dared not underestimate the learning ability of competitors.
The main reason for the Xingyi tablet's strong sales was Wang Yi's strategic lead: quad-core processor, dual 8-megapixel front and rear cameras, 2GB large RAM, anti-freeze large battery, ultra-narrow bezels, beauty algorithms, multi-tasking split-screen...
These were all advanced configurations ahead of their time.
But unfortunately, the barriers for these things were not high.
For companies like Samsung and Apple, learning these wasn't difficult, and launching products of the same caliber was only a matter of time.
As Nvidia's quad-core processor production ramped up, dozens of Nvidia quad-core phones and tablets would soon be released.
Similarly, competitors could also copy dual 8-megapixel camera modules, 2GB large RAM, ultra-narrow bezels, and so on.
Even multi-tasking split-screen could be developed by competitors in one or two months.
The only somewhat challenging aspect was the beauty algorithm, but that too was only a matter of time.
For companies like Samsung and Apple, developing beauty algorithms by concentrating their elite teams would only take a few months.
Adding the redesign time, slower brands could catch up next year.
But fast movers like Samsung, Apple, and HTC could catch up in the second half of this year.
As for the arrogant Nokia, Wang Yi wasn't worried at all.
Nokia was still living in its own world, abandoning Android and following Microsoft down a dark path with no future.
But once all of Apple and Samsung's new products caught up and benchmarked against Xingyi Technology, that would be the time of disaster for Xingyi tablets and Xingyi phones.
Wang Yi could only take advantage of these more than six months while competitors were catching up to ship aggressively and quickly capture market share.
At the same time, he initiated next-generation R&D, ensuring that as soon as competitors copied the first-generation product, Wang Yi could launch an even more advanced second-generation product, thereby maintaining an absolute advantage and consistently staying far ahead!
Only in this way could the Xingyi tablet and Xingyi phone guarantee their dominant position and core competitiveness, and lead industry trends.
Only then could Xingyi Technology be built into a truly high-end brand, one that could rival Apple and Samsung in the future, or even surpass them!
Thinking this, Wang Yi headed straight to the phone department:
"Changlin, the xphone 1pro, Xingyi X1 tablet, and Xingyi X1 pro tablet have all been very successful. You've done a great job!"
"It's all thanks to the Chairman's excellent leadership. If it weren't for your epoch-making ideas, the products we made would be garbage like those of our competitors."
Zhu Changlin was not arrogant about his achievements.
On the contrary, the more successful Xingyi phones and Xingyi tablets became, the more he realized Wang Yi's power.
If it weren't for Wang Yi's epoch-making ideas, they wouldn't have been able to create such outstanding products.
Wang Yi smiled slightly,
"How is the R&D for Xingyi II progressing?"
This was his purpose in coming.
Without even thinking, it was clear that competitors were all studying the xphone 1 and xphone 1pro, jumping on the bandwagon with their designs, configurations, systems...
Xingyi Technology could only move faster.
Calculating the time, the iPhone 5 would be released in September this year, so Xingyi II wouldn't be too late either.
Either release it earlier, in August, to capture the back-to-school season for new students during the summer vacation.
Tens of millions of college freshmen each year need phones, and the xphone 1 and xphone 1pro are both their choices.
If the second generation were released at this time, it could also target the iPhone 5 and capture a large number of users.
Or release it after the iPhone 5, directly crushing the iPhone 5 with a dimension reduction strike.
That would definitely be a disaster for Apple.
Both options were good, especially the second one.
After all, the current xphone 1 and xphone 1pro were selling well enough to dominate the market.
Wait until the iPhone 5 is released in September, then launch Xingyi II, which would be perfect for another strike!
As for the Xingyi 2 Pro, it would be released in March next year.
This way, there would be one event in March, one in September, and a budget phone released in between.
Three phones a year were enough.
Rather than a "sea of devices" strategy, it's better to control the number of models, like the iPhone, making every model a classic and a bestseller!
For phones, the higher the sales of a single model, the lower the diluted cost, and the better the system optimization.
Like HTC, with so many models, they simply couldn't optimize or adapt them all, eventually leading to every model failing and fading into obscurity.
Zhu Changlin took out a phone,
"Chairman, the R&D for Xingyi II is progressing smoothly. Look, this is the design mold for our Xingyi II."
Wang Yi looked at it and then suggested a modification:
"Make all the corners curved. The cost might be higher, but the hand feel will be better. Sharp, square edges are uncomfortable to hold!"
"Okay!" Zhu Changlin continued, "Regarding specifications, Xingyi II will use the Qualcomm APQ8064, a 28nm quad-core processor. It will have a 4.7-inch screen, 2GB RAM, 720P resolution, dual 8-megapixel front and rear cameras, and a large 3000 mAh battery..."
Wang Yi looked at these specifications and shook his head,
"720P resolution is not good enough, it's weak. Contact Sharp and go straight to 1080P!"
"What?" Zhu Changlin was startled. "Chairman, 720P resolution is already the highest for phones this year!"
Wang Yi waved his hand,
"Xingyi Technology's symbol is X, representing leading the future and setting trends. While competitors were at 480P, our Xingyi first generation launched with 720P. Now that everyone has caught up to 720P, Xingyi II must go straight to 1080P!"
"In short, Xingyi Technology will lead the entire industry and become the benchmark for the mobile phone industry. Others, whether Apple, Samsung, Nokia, or HTC, can only follow us like learning to walk in Handan!"
"Yes!"
Zhu Changlin quickly nodded.
Wang Yi continued,
"Since the screen resolution is upgraded to 1080P, the camera must also be upgraded. The front camera will remain 8 megapixels, and the rear camera will be upgraded to 13 megapixels!"
In a word, a comprehensive upgrade.
Zhu Changlin was astonished,
"A comprehensive upgrade of the screen and camera, does it need to be this significant?"
Wang Yi nodded,
"Xingyi II cannot start at 3299 like Xingyi I. On the contrary, Xingyi II will also be positioned as high-end, starting at 4999, or even 5299!"
Xingyi I had to be sold at a low price, only 3299, to boost sales, expand scale, and gain recognition.
But with the hot sales of xphone 1 and xphone 1pro, the Xingyi phone brand has been established as high-end, and it can no longer lower its value.
On the contrary, Xingyi phones will only remain high-end in the future!
A few years later, it would be normal for the digital series to start at 5999 and the pro series to start at 9999.
As for the mid-to-low-end series, would Wang Yi abandon it?
Of course not, the mid-to-low-end series would have entirely new mid-to-low-end brands.
It's just that the names haven't been decided yet.
Qingyou phone sounds bad, and Meiyou phone is even worse, as it could easily lower Meiyou's brand image.
A new name needs to be chosen.
But it cannot be associated with Xingyi, to prevent lowering the Xingyi phone's brand image.
In the future, Xingyi phones will only have one phone in the 3,000-yuan range, which is the xphone 1; all others will start at the 5,000-yuan range!
"As for screen size and battery..." Wang Yi thought for a moment: "How about this, Xingyi II will have two models: a 4.5-inch standard version with a 3000 mAh anti-freeze battery, and a 5.0-inch Plus version with a large 3500 mAh anti-freeze battery."
"That's good, one large and one small, letting users choose."
Zhu Changlin noted each point.
Wang Yi, however, began to ponder:
"Screen upgraded to 1080P, rear camera upgraded to 13 megapixels, plus the Plus version's screen size and battery upgrade... but it's still not enough. Compared to the xphone 1pro, the upgrade is limited."
Zhu Changlin nodded,
"After all, the xphone 1pro's quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 8-megapixel front camera, split-screen, beauty algorithms, and so on, were all significant upgrades."
Wang Yi fell into thought, then continued,
"Then let's add one more thing: fast charging! Our Xingyi Semiconductor's self-developed power management chip and fast charging chip support 10W fast charging, which is twice that of our competitors. This can be a big selling point!"
Zhu Changlin's eyebrows rose in delight,
"Double the charging speed, a larger battery, saying goodbye to battery life anxiety, absolutely perfect."
Wang Yi changed the topic,
"By the way, how are the arrangements for the tape-out of those three chips coming along?"
"We contacted TSMC at the end of last month and finalized the deal for tape-out on the 8th. George has already gone to TSMC with his team."
"The 8th? The same day the iPad 3 is released?"
Wang Yi became interested:
"It's a good day. I look forward to successful tape-out. Once the tape-out is successful, the smart home SOC chip, power management chip, and fast charging chip can all enter mass production. Next-generation phones can then use Xingyi Technology's own power management and fast charging chips."
"Yes, I'm really looking forward to it!"
Zhu Changlin was incredibly excited.
What could be more exciting than using self-developed chips?
Wang Yi let out a speechless laugh,
"Look at you, being so unpromising. It's just power management and fast charging chips, not processor chips."
"Haha, we'll be using our self-developed processor chips sooner or later!"
Zhu Changlin said with a laugh.
Wang Yi nodded,
"That's true. The Xingyi 2 Pro next spring will be able to use it!"
"I'm really looking forward to it!"
Zhu Changlin was in a great mood.
Wang Yi, however, changed the topic:
"The Smart Home business unit can accelerate its development, starting with R&D. Once the smart home SOC chip tape-out is successful and mass production begins, subsequent smart home products can then be mass-produced."
Zhu Changlin nodded,
"Okay, the smart home department is already recruiting and building. But what will be the first smart product we release?"
"AI voice speakers!" Wang Yi said without hesitation, "For us, this is the easiest."
Actually, Xiaomi's Xiao Ai Speaker wasn't easy, and the user experience wasn't great.
First, Xiaomi lacked music content and had to use QQ Music's resources, essentially paying Tencent.
Second, Xiaomi's AI wasn't very good.
The answers for AI Q&A were previously technically supported by Baidu and were quite accurate, but they had to pay Baidu.
Later, the cooperation ended, and Xiao Ai became less intelligent...
Many questions that Siri or Wenxin Yiyan could answer perfectly would become "I don't know this question yet..." when asked to Xiao Ai.
Xingyi Technology, however, was completely different.
For content, there was Xingyi Music, allowing for a perfectly closed internal loop.
The emergence of Xingyi AI speakers could make Xingyi Music's membership numbers and market share skyrocket, outperforming competitors like QQ Music, NetEase Cloud Music, and Kugou.
For Q&A, there was no need to buy third-party technical services.
Xingyi Technology had Xiao i Robot, which surpassed Siri and was much more powerful than the current Baidu.
It could be said that with Xingyi Technology's existing resources, not making AI speakers would be a waste.
Wang Yi continued,
"We will develop three AI speaker models at once. A standard version for volume sales. A Pro version for the high-end market. And then a professional AI soundbar that directly links with Xingyi TV!"
"Yes!"
Zhu Changlin noted it down again.
After arranging these matters, Wang Yi left the phone department.
The rest of the matters would be handled by Zhu Changlin.
He, on the other hand, was waiting for the chip tape-out results.
Two days later, on March 8th, at 2 AM, Wang Yi was sleeping soundly, holding Lin Shu's big white rabbit.
Apple, however, held its spring new product launch event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
It unveiled "The New iPad" (a brand new tablet), which was the iPad third generation, with Cook personally hosting the event.
The venue was packed with media, and many Xia State Apple fans stayed up late to watch.
With the Xingyi X1 and X1 pro tablets already setting a high standard, everyone was very curious about what Apple's new tablet would look like.
Would it still be as terrible as the second generation, or would it be a significant upgrade, even surpassing the Xingyi tablet? This was too intriguing!
Many users had even decided to see if the iPad 3 offered any surprises.
If there weren't enough surprises, they would go straight for the Xingyi tablet!
Comparing products from three stores is always a good idea.
Cook walked onto the stage, his expression solemn:
"Thank you all for attending Apple's spring product launch. We are introducing the brand new iPad! A completely upgraded iPad!"
It was clear that Cook had been under immense pressure recently.
The iPhone 4s was repeatedly hammered by the xphone 1 and xphone 1pro in Xia State, leading to a sharp decline in sales.
The iPad 2 was then jointly crushed by the Xingyi X1 tablet and Xingyi X1 pro tablet, with both reputation and sales plummeting!
As a result, Apple's global revenue and sales experienced a significant decline, and its stock price plummeted repeatedly.
After Jobs left, Cook had just taken power when this happened.
The stock price plummeting presented a huge challenge for Cook.
Some major shareholders on the board began to have opinions about him.
If things continued like this, his dismissal would be inevitable.
After all, Old Joe, who supported him the most, had already passed away.
Whether he could turn the tide depended on today, on the new iPad!
Cook took a deep breath:
"The iPad third generation uses magnesium-aluminum alloy material, the front still features a round home button, but the screen has been fully upgraded to a 9.7-inch high-resolution display."
"2048x1536 pixel resolution, 264 pixels per inch, even higher than competitors' Xingyi tablet's 1920x1200!"
Cook made a sweeping gesture, waiting for applause.
This was one of the few areas where the iPad 3 surpassed the Xingyi tablet.
But unfortunately, Cook waited for a long time, and no applause came.
Instead, everyone stared at the iPad 3 on the big screen, frowning and looking annoyed!
Seeing everyone's expressions, Cook looked bewildered.
This wasn't right!
"Our iPad resolution even surpasses the Xingyi tablet, why aren't you applauding? Aren't you excited?"
The bullet comments became even more interesting:
"The iPad 3 still has those train-track wide bezels, so ugly, just as ugly as the second generation."
"With the wide bezels, the 9.7-inch iPad 3 is even larger than the 10.1-inch Xingyi X1 pro tablet, which is ridiculous."
"So what if the resolution is a bit higher? With such thick bezels and an ugly design, it's unbearable to look at!"
"I used to think Apple's designs were good, but ever since seeing Xingyi Technology's products, I can no longer accept Apple's large bezels, big forehead, and big chin!"
"Such an ugly design, an instant rejection. Can't they learn from Xingyi Technology?"
"I suggest Apple fire its design department and then poach people from Xingyi Technology!"
...
Cook saw that the crowd had no reaction, and was even pointing fingers, his heart sank completely, so he had to continue his monologue:
"The iPad third generation features a 0.3-megapixel front camera and a 5-megapixel rear camera..."
Before he finished speaking, the audience below was enraged:
"Garbage!"
"Still such trash cameras, are you kidding?"
"Xingyi tablets have dual 8-megapixel front and rear cameras, and yours is only 0.3-megapixel front? It's unusable!"
"It's over, no need to watch the launch event. The iPad 3 is too terrible, can't buy it."
Cook was utterly speechless and could only rush through the camera section, then continued to introduce the next item:
"All iPad models are upgraded to 1GB RAM, making them smoother!"
Cook thought, surely he wouldn't be scolded this time?
Unexpectedly, the crowd was still very speechless:
"Only 1GB, that's half of the Xingyi X1 pro tablet!"
Cook was utterly speechless: "..."
How was this different from what he imagined?
At previous Apple keynotes, everyone was so enthusiastic, never this critical!
(End of Chapter)