Reinventing the Millennium

At the President Office of Hang Lung 23, Yike’s contact with OPPO was interrupted by unexpected circumstances.

Chen Mingyong drank tea while observing Mr. Fang's expression.

I don’t know why, although Mr. Fang’s brows were furrowed, there was something strange on his face.

Chen Mingyong wondered if there were any changes in the mobile phone business, right?

He drank half a cup of tea quietly, and his thoughts returned to his own affairs.

This trip to Yike to visit Mr. Fang actually made me feel a little uneasy.

In today's domestic market, or in other words, the global market, Android is an extremely popular and rapidly developing intelligent system.

Although OPPO nominally came here to say hello and discuss whether to make a mobile phone equipped with Android system, in fact, it started intensive research and development in March, and strengthened its determination after the release of Hanwang and Meizu mobile phones.

This Android phone is a must-have!

In the mid-to-high end, Yike has established a brand image that can compete with Nokia and Samsung internationally. This has brought awareness to domestic consumers of the invisible brand tone of Android, and has also brought about entry-level mid- to low-end Android phones. Comes considerable convenience.

Also, OPPO conducted research in China and found that Yike had started the domestic training process of part of the supply chain a year or two ago. Until now, many domestic manufacturers have failed to become suppliers of Yike and have instead become Hanwang and suppliers of brands such as Meizu.

For example, Yike's glass cover is still the Schott Glass Factory in Germany, but Lens Technology, which it invested and provided loans to in 2007, also produced glass cover.

In order to verify, Chen Mingyong went to Germany and learned that aluminosilicate glass was used there, and he heard from Lens Technology that aluminosilicate glass was used here. It is said that the most obvious difference between the two sides is There is a relatively large difference in the aluminum content and, more professionally, in the interdiffusion coefficient.

The difference in use is reflected in the resistance to falling and scratching.

The quotation Chen Mingyong got from Schott in Germany was US$22.50, while the price of domestic Lens was 45 Chinese coins. Compared with Schott’s 153 Chinese coins, Lens saved 108 yuan in cost alone.

Moreover, Chen Mingyong asked the company to conduct an investigation, and almost no consumers of Hanwang and Meizu talked about the difference in glass covers.

Does this still require selection?

There is no doubt that OPPO uses Lens Technology as a parts supplier.

However, at this moment, Chen Mingyong is sitting opposite the head of Yike. Thinking of the efforts that the other party has spent on the domestic supply chain, it is inevitable that he is confused. You don't use it, and the advantages have fallen to other manufacturers. What are you trying to do?

To be honest, it can be roughly understood that it is for the implementation and development of the Android system.

But... I still feel a little thankless for my efforts.

Chen Mingyong has traveled through all aspects of the mobile phone supply chain, and has also conducted an in-depth internal analysis of the suppliers of Yike mobile phones. To be honest, OPPO is currently positioning itself as an entry-level model, and it is indeed neither willing to buy nor able to buy products such as Qualcomm and Xiaomi. Products from premium suppliers.

However, according to the laws of market development, these will be available sooner or later, and they will form direct competition with Yike sooner or later.

The systems are all the same, and the parts are all the same. It’s just that the tuning is different. Well, you tuned it well and optimized it well. I sell it 3,500 less than you. How can no one pay the bill?

Based on this situation, Chen Mingyong believes that Yike’s actions to speed up the domestic supply chain will do more harm than good.

Of course, from OPPO’s standpoint, he welcomes Yike to continue to carry forward its spirit.

"Sorry, Mr. Chen, it's a small matter." Fang Zhuo put down the phone, replied a text message and then sat in front of Chen Mingyong again, "I know that OPPO has doubts about the mobile phone system. Maybe some domestic manufacturers have such doubts. However, you must rest assured that Android’s open source will not change. Both I and Google firmly believe and insist on this. Only by continuing to cooperate can we make the cake bigger.”

Chen Mingyong nodded and said a few words of praise for the Android system.

Before Android, mainstream systems such as Symbian and WM had problems of one kind or another. Such open source initiatives indeed promoted upstream and downstream development, and this led to the transformation of Yike.

OPPO has transitioned from music players to mobile phones, and so has Meizu. However, the most successful one is Yike. The image that has transformed from the inside out and then back inside has become the undisputed No. 1 mobile phone brand in China.

OPPO admires its overall strategy and determination for transformation. Last year, it took advantage of the popularity of the Olympic Games to launch a pilot project. That is... an incomparable method.

Chen Mingyong also thought about the differences between domestic and foreign markets last year, and maybe he and Yike will be on the same starting line for 3G implementation.

Who knows, Yike suddenly ran away for half a year...

The golden time of these six months is no longer a matter of one position and two positions.

"Mr. Fang, OPPO is very willing to achieve mutual success with Android, and I am particularly grateful to Yike for promoting the development of the domestic mobile phone market. Yike has allowed us to see the strength that can rival foreign brands." Chen Mingyong expressed his thanks, "To be honest, OPPO uses Yike as the driving force for progress."

Fang Zhuo laughed: "Mr. Chen is too praised. Yike is only responsible for his own business. The domestic market is huge. I hope to see more and more friendly businessmen engaging in healthy competition."

Chen Mingyong nodded repeatedly and praised Yike's pursuit of Nokia.

Then, he finally talked about something he was not sure about: "Mr. Fang, there is one more thing. Because OPPO has been developing independently from the beginning, and now it wants to release products quickly to seize the market, it may not be able to support Yike YMS for the time being. "

Fang Zhuo said with a smile: "Mr. Chen, Yike YMS has already cooperated very smoothly with companies such as Hanwang, Meizu, Kesheng, etc. The experience in this area is not bad, and it will not delay OPPO's time too much."

"Mr. Fang, the main reason is the lack of our technical team. There is currently a serious shortage of manpower in this area." Chen Mingyong said awkwardly, "So, I want to polish it on the next generation of products."

Fang Zhuo pondered and talked about a key point of communication that has just started recently: "Mr. Chen, some domestic manufacturers have concerns about the YMS that Yike is doing. In fact, I think everyone already knows our intention. The biggest purpose is to give consumers the best The user experience is something that our Android system has verified abroad, but Google’s situation in China is not good, so Yike will do this.”

Chen Mingyong listened attentively. He knew YMS's motivation for promoting manufacturers, but just like some domestic supply chains, do users really care? You Yike doesn't need MediaTek or Lens, but Hanwang uses both, and you can still win a piece of the market.

Similarly, if OPPO does not join YMS and the related software store and other profits are kept in their own pockets, will consumers care about this?

Chen Mingyong also believes in the affordable price and concrete benefits of the company at this stage.

Yike may have a reasonable consideration, but this may not necessarily apply to OPPO.

"YMS has finalized cooperation with Sogou Engine, Amap and other companies, and will provide more and more consumers with a full range of mobile services." Fang Zhuo introduced the plan seriously, "Because YMS is something that everyone is doing together , we will distribute the income in this area according to a certain proportion in the future to create a virtuous cycle."

The first is the user experience, and the second is... we don’t tie up your manufacturers in vain, and we can share the money together in the future.

This is the promise of Fang Zhuo and Yike.

Chen Mingyong thought it was good and said: "Mr. Fang, the management really believes that YMS can bring a better user experience and is willing to strengthen cooperation in this area in the future."

It’s a good idea to split the money, I’ll definitely do it next time.

To what extent will YMS start sharing money in the future? In what proportion is the money divided? Can you treat competitors equally?

Chen Mingyong had many problems when he thought about it. He could believe Mr. Fang's promise, but it was not necessary.

Fang Zhuo raised his hand to add more tea to Mr. Chen, took a few sips himself, nodded and said, "Okay."

"That's it, Mr. Fang, our current most...most..." Chen Mingyong suddenly froze for a moment before finishing his words, "The biggest goal is to make an Android phone that satisfies consumers. All our energy is focused on This comes first.”

"Indeed, different companies have different development stages and goals, I understand." Fang Zhuo looked at the head of OPPO in front of him and said with a smile, "You don't have to feel pressure, YMS welcomes all collaborators, but it will not force what for."

Chen Mingyong suddenly became wary, who is Mr. Fang?

Fang is always the kind of person who is famous even though he has never been seen.

He said cautiously: "Mr. Fang, it's not that OPPO doesn't believe in Yike and YMS, it's that it wants to test the smartphone market first before making the next decision."

"I understand, that's how everyone came here, no problem, Mr. Chen." Fang Zhuo could see the determination on the other side, and he didn't want to waste any more words on this. What the company should say has already been said.

Chen Mingyong pursed his lips, how about giving in to Fang today?

No, no, OPPO needs to have its own development path and cannot be constrained by Yike like this.

"Mr. Fang, thank you very much for your understanding. The domestic business community needs Mr. Fang to have a high position. I, Chen Mingyong, only admire two people in my life. One is our Mr. Duan, and the other is Mr. Fang." Chen Mingyong somehow managed to say this. Sometimes it’s a bit tough.

"Oh, Mr. Chen is so polite. As you said, there will be opportunities for cooperation in the future. Mr. Chen, don't worry, YMS will never close the door to cooperation." Fang Zhuo smiled and waved his hand.

Chen Mingyong thought about the situation and continued to flatter him.

In fact, it's not flattery. It's normal for the former world's richest man to give any kind of flattering words.

When Chen Mingyong walked out of Yike's president's office, he still felt that it was unexpectedly smooth. Mr. Fang just agreed like this? Or does he not care about small companies like OPPO at all?

Or does Yike have its own process for dealing with non-YMS companies?

Chen Mingyong was willing to think more about everything, but when he left Yike Company, he immediately knew what the phone call Mr. Fang received in the middle of the call might be about.

Baidu and Yike are at war?

Is this why Mr. Fang has no time to take care of OPPO?

Chen Mingyong was sitting in the car, quickly opening his laptop and calling Mr. Duan Yongping in the United States, wanting to discuss the situation with him.

…

On the way to meet with the head of OPPO in the office, Fang Zhuo had already hung up on Xiong Xiaoge twice and put his phone on silent.

After sending Chen Mingyong away, he turned on his computer and browsed the latest situation report. Within two minutes, he saw Xiong Xiaoge's number appear again on the screen of his mobile phone.

"Hey, it's not like I'm blocking you. Why don't you call Baidu? I'm not Baidu's customer service." Fang Zhuo felt helpless.

After Xiong Xiaoge experienced the initial situation, he was still quite angry: "I called their number and sent a message to Li Yanhong!"

"What did he say?" Fang Zhuo was curious.

"He didn't reply!" Xiong Xiaoge said dullly.

Xiong Xiaoge is the co-founder of Zhihu, but in fact he has almost no involvement in operations. His bigger role is as an investor.

However, he is often active on Zhihu with a certified account. Many people think that he is deeply involved in entrepreneurship and regard him as a label on Zhihu.

What made him even more depressed about this incident was that IDG had invested in Baidu. At that time, IDG partner Yang Fei had invested in Baidu, and he also made a lot of profits after going public. Even though it is not a shareholder relationship now... there is no affection at all. said?

To put it more realistically, I know that I am your customer. Are you going to attack your customer without hesitation?

Xiong Xiaoge helplessly explained the communication process, and then had to put the phone receiver away from his ears.

He heard the roar of laughter on the other end.

Xiong Xiaoge: "..."

A second injury!

So what if your IDG invested in Baidu? We are now a company with a market value of 100 billion, and we have our own logic for doing things! You, Xiong, always belong to Fang's side. When the search cooperation on Zhihu site expires, won't you immediately cooperate with Sogou?

This is a summary of Xiong Xiaoge’s feedback after in-depth communication with Baidu.

That being said, Zhihu hasn’t cooperated with Sogou yet! Isn't this a crime of seeking to inflict punishment?

"Old Xiong, oh, no, you..." Fang Zhuoxiao burst into tears, "I can only call you Little Bear from now on. Your status is really not good. Well, but Baidu is probably going to make a competing product for the Q\u0026A community. .”

Xiong Xiaoge was about to be dissatisfied when she suddenly heard Mr. Fang's serious answer and suddenly became hesitant: "You mean, it's not just Baidu's arrogance that wants to attack Zhihu?"

Zhihu’s on-site search is a collaboration between enterprises, while Baidu’s search results are for users. These are two different things.

Since Zhihu is searched a lot, it should be objectively at the top, rather than needing to top up or even being inexplicably blocked.

Therefore, Xiong Xiaoge thinks this is the other party's arrogance.

But what if... this is Baidu's competition website?

Xiong Xiaoge asked thoughtfully, "Have you received the news?"

"No, it's just intuition." Fang Zhuo replied with a smile, "Zhihu has indeed done well. The content has cultivated the habits of a considerable number of users. This is a kind of differentiation for Baidu. It is normal for similar websites."

He added: "As for how much it has to do with the competition with Sogou... I can't tell."

Maybe search competition is the main reason, maybe it's just a passing thought.

No matter what, Baidu responded to Sogou, which became independent from Sohu and received investment from Yike and Sina.

The reaction was very strange, quite a bit interested in Yike cutting off his wings.

Just at night, Fang Zhuo's intuition was verified.

At nine o'clock, Baidu launched Baidu Q\u0026A, directly targeting the domestic SNS Q\u0026A community and forming a direct competitive relationship with Zhihu.

Yike wants to challenge Baidu, and in turn, Baidu also challenges Yike.