Reinventing the Millennium

When people come to Barcelona, ​​they are filled with emotion when they meet old friends again.

Especially since I couldn't see Schmidt this time, I felt even more overwhelmed.

The last time I met Lao Shi, he was still the president of Google. This time I could only hear traces of him from the mouth of the new president Larry.

However, Fang Zhuo did not expect that so many people came to greet him. Larry was an old friend who had known each other for a long time. HTC’s Wang Xuehong had a small impact and contact. Samsung’s medicine jar Lee Jae-yong also made sense. There is still technical cooperation despite competition, and others like Intel Senior Vice President Anand, Motorola President Sanjay and others are quite lucky.

On the evening of February 13, the Yike team arrived at the hotel.

Fang Zhuo originally didn't make any arrangements. He just planned for everyone to have a casual dinner to relieve jet lag. However, the people here were more enthusiastic, so he had to hold a dinner and invited many friends and upstream and downstream manufacturers to participate.

The global smartphone market has exploded in the past two years, and the entire industry chain has benefited from it. As one of the representative brands of the Android camp, Yiko is in the same boat with everyone. Although some do not cooperate directly, they have made some progress. comminicate.

Although Fang Zhuo had been on a plane for more than ten hours, he had just defeated the Penguins in China this time. He was in a particularly refreshing mood and was in great shape. He was chatting and laughing with many old and new friends without showing any sign of fatigue.

Halfway through the banquet, Jacob, the head of Qualcomm, also arrived.

The current relationship between Yike and Qualcomm is... awkward. On the one hand, the Selfy series products, which still use Qualcomm chips, are selling well. On the other hand, with the popularity of Mars 4, the competition between the two is also relatively serious.

Samsung may have considered this factor this year and did not install mature mobile phone chips like Apple and Yike this year.

Jacob and Fang Zhuo exchanged a few pleasantries, and then, with a tacit understanding, they avoided everyone's ears and talked about their relationship seriously.

Qualcomm has a contract with Yike, but... just like Qualcomm canceled some orders for ice cores, the contract cannot restrain the conflict of interests between the two companies.

"I heard that Yike's entire series will use ZR chips next year?" Jacob directly asked a question that Qualcomm is very concerned about. It has been decided this year, and Selfy will still use Qualcomm's chips.

In view of Selfy's good market reputation, Qualcomm is unwilling to push orders out unless it is forced to do so. It is always good to make money, but we must also consider whether it will enrich its competitors.

Just before flying to Barcelona this time, Jacob also listened to a special analysis meeting at the company. The current situation is that Yike will definitely not give up the design and iteration of Zhurong chips unless it encounters a particularly big product setback.

Based on this premise, what kind of Yi Ke is acceptable?

If the cooperation with Selfy is interrupted, Yike will definitely take advantage of the situation and put its own Zhurong chip on Selfy, which will not affect Selfy's market competitiveness.

Then... Yike, which does not sell Zhurong chips to the outside world, may be able to reluctantly accept it.

However, communication with Yike is one aspect. Qualcomm is also an important bargaining chip for the baseband chips provided by Yike. Jacobs knows that Yike has acquired the baseband chip team from Infineon, but he does not think it can achieve a breakthrough in a short time. As Qualcomm chips further occupy the market, it is foreseeable that the technical advantages in this area will further increase.

Jacob had talked about this matter with Yu Hong, co-founder of Yike, in the United States. At that time, Yu Hong’s excuse for talking about Zhurong chips was production capacity, which meant that the ice core production capacity was only enough for her own company.

But production capacity can be increased, and he hopes to have a tacit gentleman's agreement with Fang Zhuo, the head of Yike.

"Full series of products for next year? Who passed it on? It can't be from Samsung." Fang Zhuo knew roughly what they would talk about when he saw Jacob. He also knew that there was competition in the cooperation between the two companies. Hearing this, he smiled He mentioned another opponent who likes to stir things up.

Jacob did not laugh: "Many media are saying this. I want to hear the accurate answer from Mr. Fang."

"What Mr. Yu said is accurate." Fang Zhuo first mentioned the previous communication, and then said with certainty, "Since you asked today, we can indeed talk about this more directly. Yike distinguishes the ZR chip as the flagship Advantages: In the next two to three years, competition in the entire smartphone market will definitely become more intense. Do you think Apple will sell their A chips?"

Production capacity is an objective issue, as are competitive considerations.

Jacob pointedly said: "Yike has made so many moves in China, including YMS and the acquisition of Morningstar Semiconductor. I don't know about Apple. It seems that Yike is going to eat up the entire Eastern market."

"Hahaha, Jacob, you are thinking too much. How can you eat this? How about this, we eat the big portion and you eat the small portion and try not to let the apple eat?" Fang Zhuo said with a smile.

Jacob was serious: "Mr. Fang's appetite is just so big."

"Okay, okay, then you eat the big portion and we eat the small portion." Fang Zhuo was very non-serious, "YMS is what we use to compete with Apple. Morningstar Semiconductor only makes low-end chips. You Qualcomm don't have to do that." nervous."

Jacob said: "What about Infineon's baseband department? What about Yike leading Apple and Samsung to do baseband research and development?"

"Jacob, first of all, whether it is within Yike or the entire market, I believe that competition will lead to better development. Secondly, Qualcomm should speak for itself with its products instead of using your 'unhappiness' to try to interfere with us. decision." Fang Zhuo became serious, "Before you ask me, why don't you ask Apple? Don't ask Samsung?"

Jacob was extremely serious: "How do you know I didn't ask about Apple and Samsung?"

Fang Zhuo stared at Jacob and asked, "Did you ask?"

Jacob did not avoid his eyes, and smiled after a moment: "Well, I didn't ask."

Fang Zhuo couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Apple will develop whatever it likes, and Samsung will develop whatever it likes. In the same way, Qualcomm can be unhappy, and can weigh the pros and cons and then use products to fight back, but since it has not made such a decision, it is destined to be unable to shake everyone's minds. .

It was impossible for Fang Zhuo to change the research and development plan after hearing Jacob's tough words.

Jacob then agreed with Mr. Qi Fang’s statement: “We have to let our products speak for themselves. We have strong confidence in our technology and patents. If Yike wants to bring ZR chips to the market in the future, we will be happy to do so.” Compare.”

Fang Zhuo smiled slightly: "I don't really hope that day will come. When that day comes, the market will change from incremental to stock."

When the market is rising, Yike can hold on to its own chips and optimizations to maximize benefits. If the market becomes a stock, Yike's chip solutions can be released in rolls.

Jacob still heard what he wanted to hear. Regardless of Yike's reasons, Apple and Yike do not export to the high-end chip market. This is a pretty good situation.

He continued chatting for a few more words, and finally asked about the new products that Yike would come up with this time.

Fang Zhuo had nothing to hide about the product that would be put out tomorrow. He directly told the head of Qualcomm that Yike's new product was a "unparalleled" tablet equipped with a Zhurong dual-core processor.

Jacob's mood that had just turned from cloudy to sunny has turned to cloudy again. Qualcomm did not present a dual-core processor at this mobile communication conference. It will have to wait for another two months to come out with the finished product. This year's market is still quite nervous. .

Fang Zhuo saw Jacob's mood changes and did not provide any other stimulation. Qualcomm was already very sensitive to these, so he just let him observe the situation by himself.

After the exchange between the two ended, Yu Hong, who was paying attention to her boss's updates, came over and asked about the situation.

Fang Zhuo said nonchalantly: "It's just a polite little blackmail attempt, it won't have any impact."

Yu Hong frowned and said: "Qualcomm has communicated with us several times in the United States, but the attitude is not so polite."

Fang Zhuo smiled and said: "Maybe the kid down there is not very polite. I think Jacob is a pretty good person. He deserves to be one of our iron triangle."

Yu Hong was noncommittal about this evaluation.

Fang Zhuo did not take Qualcomm's attitude too seriously and continued: "No matter how competitive we are, we at Yike will still make a lot of friends internationally."

Yu Hong said "Yeah" and said, "The better our response in the market, the more friends we can make."

She was about to continue talking, but seeing that Mr. Fang was not interested in talking about this today, she changed the topic and said, "I heard that Apple's Steve Jobs has been in poor health recently."

Last year, Jobs handed over the company's affairs to Cook due to his physical condition. Later, he was successfully treated and returned to take charge of the company. However, similar news spread again this year as his appearance decreased.

This has caused widespread concern among the media and investors.

Fang Zhuo nodded slightly and did not comment on the news. He just took a glass of wine and clinked it with Mr. Yu, saying nothing.

Yu Hong was drinking, but she didn't feel the boss's feelings very deeply.

She turned sideways, glanced at the concerned eyes of the people around her for her boss, and asked: "After this trip to Barcelona, ​​will you attend the new phone launch conference in the United States this year?"

Fang Zhuo thought for a while and replied: "You did a good job at the new phone launch conference. If I came to the United States not necessarily because of this, I might as well do a guide for good friends."

He continued: "This year's domestic fundamentals will depend on the further formation of the YMS ecosystem, as well as the digestion of the R\u0026D systems in Silicon Valley and Shanghai. Let's see which side needs me more. Hey, it's just a waste of time. I won't be able to do it without me." Turns the same."

Yu Hong teased: "Yes, yes, Yike can do whatever he wants, but Bingxin can't live without you, right?"

Fang Zhuo smiled and said, "You know me."

Yu Hong ended the topic of Yike being unpopular and handed over the boss to Google's Larry and others. Larry seemed to have a much better relationship with the boss than Schmidt.

There were not many official exchanges at the mysterious man's reception dinner. In addition to respecting Yike's position in today's smartphone market, many people took the opportunity to satisfy each other's general curiosity... and respect.

Fang Zhuo also enjoyed the dinner very happily. No matter what, it is better to go out in a lively and lively place than in a deserted place.

On the morning of the 14th, Yike officially launched its first tablet product at MWC2011, the Zhurong 02 equipped with a dual-core processor, lowering the frequency and balancing performance and energy consumption as much as possible.

The tablet market seems to have become a new market that can be vigorously explored after Apple launched the iPad. This time, not only Yike, but also many manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung have launched new tablet products.

There were many onlookers and media standing next to Yike's booth. Everyone was very concerned about this long-delayed "unparalleled" tablet. Regardless of other things, the performance of this dual-core processor is extremely powerful.

Fang Zhuo did not introduce it to everyone at the booth. Instead, Yu Hong and Pan Ben hosted today's new product meeting.

At ten o'clock in the morning, he met an old friend here again - Stringer, the head of Sony.

Fang Zhuo smiled as soon as he saw Stringer. The old jazz man's elegant demeanor was so wonderful.

As the long-known head of an international giant, Stringer's appearance also attracted attention and media pursuit. He waited until he got rid of the interview before approaching Fang Zhuo.

The first thing Fang Zhuo said when he saw the old knight was: "How is the financial report?"

The smile on Stringer's face froze, and he felt that it was somewhat unseemly to ask this question, but he quickly adjusted his attitude and lowered his voice and said: "It's a small loss."

A small loss is not a loss.

This means that Sony's 2010 financial report can pass smoothly.

Fang Zhuo gave a heartfelt thumbs up. He could deal with such a big hole. The professional manager of Old Jazz was getting better and better in at least two aspects. One was to whitewash financial reports, and the other was to deepen internal reforms.

As for how long it can be whitewashed and whether the reforms are effective...

Oh yes, I seem to have helped a little bit with the whitewashing.

After Fang Zhuo praised it, he said worriedly: "Last year there was no problem, but if this continues, I'm afraid there will be a lot of pressure this year."

For an outside director like him who knows the inside story, it would be disingenuous to just boast that he has no worries.

Stringer heard an even more unseemly question. He didn't even smile this time. However, he still gave a true answer: "It depends on whether consumer electronics can pick up this year. We also brought out Android this time. product of the system.”

If Sony's consumer electronics can grow again and drive the group's semiconductor business, this year's financial report may be able to cope with it. Otherwise, the bubble may have to be popped.

Fang Zhuo nodded cautiously and joked again: "If it still doesn't work, you can consider me for the remaining buildings and sensors."

Stringer listened to this and looked at the smile on Mr. Fang's face, knowing that the core of this joke was serious and greedy.

He shook his head slightly and said: "Sensors are one of Sony's core businesses focusing on the future and cannot be moved any further."

Fang Zhuo nodded repeatedly and did not respond to this sentence.

Seeing Mr. Fang like this, Stringer felt that he couldn't find dignity among his old friends. He could only chat a few words about his views on the booming development of consumer electronics, and then continued to visit the exhibition as the head of a giant.

Fang Zhuo did not return to his company's booth. He also took his work and safety assistants to take a look at the products presented by various companies at this communications conference.

Unlike Yiko, which only brought one product this time, or more importantly, a dual-core processor, HTC released three smartphones and a tablet, while Samsung launched five models covering low, medium and High-end smartphones, as well as tablets, which were launched just 10 years ago, are also replacing them at an extremely fast speed.

Fang Zhuo walked around the exhibition and did not hesitate to praise him. Some of the products on display were conceptual and indeed quite novel.

When he was about to return to his booth, a reporter couldn't help but put the microphone over again. This time the question was more unexpected than Fang Zhuo's, asking about the news about Jobs.

"Mr. Fang, what do you think of Mr. Jobs' current physical condition?"

Fang Zhuo really didn't know why this reporter's question was so rude. What could he have thought?

He said in astonishment: "I vaguely heard some news about Steve Jobs. Do you have any specific information now?"

The reporter said vaguely: "I heard that Mr. Cook will once again take charge of Apple's affairs. What do you expect from him?"

"I have no expectations for Cook. I just hope that Steve Jobs can come back healthy. Everyone knows that although Steve Jobs and I compete, we also respect each other." Fang Zhuo said seriously, "I took him with me when he went to Shanghai before. Wandered around there.”

He continued: "When I arrive in New York, I will definitely visit Steve Jobs and hope to chat with him about the competition and development of our two companies. Regarding the ecological construction of Apple and Yike, I believe we have common topics."

After Fang Zhuo answered this question, he waved his hand, unwilling to be interviewed by this reporter again.

However, this answer was quickly published online by reporters.

At night, Fang Zhuo did not expect that he would receive a call from the client.

"Hi, Fang Zhuo, I heard that you are coming to the United States?" Jobs's voice sounded relatively normal, "We can talk about the ecosystem of the mobile phone system."

Fang Zhuo was caught off guard and replied after a few seconds: "Yes, I have plans to go to Silicon Valley in the first half of the year. If possible, of course I am willing to chat with you."

Jobs smiled and said, "Nothing is wrong. I'm happy to talk about this. We'll see you then."

Fang Zhuo put down his phone and felt that he sounded pretty good on the phone.

He thought again and again and said to Yu Hong: "Is Cook really in charge of Apple's work?"

Yu Hong nodded and asked, "Who do you want to see?"

"Jobs." Fang Zhuo replied thoughtfully.

Yu Hong was dumbfounded. The exchange under such circumstances...did they really become old friends?

Fang Zhuo blinked and suddenly said: "When you return to New York this time, ask Siri about the situation. The cooperation project between it and Nuance still has prospects."

Yike asked Siri twice, but the acquisition intention was declined. It believes that once the projects it can create are successful, it can get a higher price.

As the market rebounded this year, Yike's stock price soared, and its market value continued to rise. Fang Zhuo felt that even a premium would not be a big problem now.

Yu Hong nodded, vaguely feeling that the boss's expression was that... that familiar expression.