Chapter 720 Losing money and making money

Chapter 721

In the office, Rebs was introducing the Xiaomi system to Li Weidong.

The speed of research and development of the mobile phone operating system has exceeded Li Weidong's expectations. He thought that the development of the operating system would take a lot of work, and it would take two or three years to complete it. He didn't expect Rebus to come up with it in a few months. up.

Li Weidong took the system prototype and operated it. Although it is still very crude, and the interface and operation need to be optimized, all the basic functions are used.

Mr. Lei, your efficiency is high enough. I thought it would take at least two years to take down the operating system! Li Weidong said.

Isn't it just a million lines of code? How can it take two years to recruit more programmers and work overtime, then it will be taken! Rebs said.

I can feel how many hairs of programmers have been sacrificed behind this system! Li Weidong sighed.

The primary operating system does not use much code, and may be less than the code of many applications in later generations.

For example, the Linux kernel code has only more than 2 million lines, compared with 4.5 million lines of code for Photoshop, and 6.7 million lines of code for Google Chrome, both of which are much more than Linux.

The Hongmeng OS 1.0 developed by later generations of Huawei has 6.4 million lines of code, and the Hongmeng OS 2.0 has more than 8 million lines of code, while the contemporary Android system has almost 15 million lines of code.

The 8 million-line Hongmeng system is already the fourth largest mobile operating system with the most codes in human history. The top three are Android, Apple, and Symbian. Considering that no one uses Symbian, Hongmeng can be ranked third in the world.

But these are the number of codes for mobile operations in the 5G era, and the mobile phones in the 5G era will have more functions! In the era when 3G is not yet popular, the original system operating system with 1 million codes can already meet the basic needs.

Programmers in China are also ruthless people in the daily 996. They struggled to lose their hair and become bald. In a few months, they not only finished typing millions of lines of code, but also took out the finished product.

It's just that Rebs' high efficiency caught Li Weidong a little off guard.

In Li Weidong's original plan, it took two years to make the operating system of the mobile phone. After two years, the supply chain of smartphone components will be mature, and Xiaomi phones can be produced directly.

Now Rebs has created the operating system in a few months,

But the supply chain of components for smartphones does not even have a shadow.

Before 2010, the domestic smart phone component supply chain was almost zero.

Even in 2011, despite the earthquake and nuclear radiation, Rebs personally went to Japan to discuss the supply of parts for Xiaomi mobile phones. That is to say, in that era, the domestic smartphone supply chain was not sound.

If you have an operating system but no mobile phone, then the operating system is useless.

It seems that we still have to rely on other manufacturers. Li Weidong sighed lightly, and then asked, Mr. Lei, do you have any acquaintances at HTC? It would be best if you can speak in front of Chairman Wang of HTC.

Are you planning to go to HTC to promote our mobile phone system? Rebus instantly understood Li Weidong's intention, and he continued: Mr. Lin, the husband of HTC Chairman Wang, was also a celebrity in Silicon Valley back then. There must be some partners who are familiar with him. It should not be difficult to contact HTC.

But it is not an easy task to convince HTC to use our system. As far as I know, HTC's previous smartphones all use Microsoft's Windows Mobile system, which is currently the mainstream mobile operating system. Compared with Microsoft, we really don't like it enough!

Li Weidong immediately replied: The Windows Mobile system is not specially developed for smartphones. It may be no problem to use it on handheld computers, but it may not be easy to use on smartphones. Our system is specially developed for smartphones. Yes, at least it will be better in terms of user experience.”

The Windows Mobile system is an operating system developed by Microsoft for mobile devices. When this system first appeared, there were no smartphones, so the purpose of Microsoft's development of this system is mainly to allow users to experience computer-like experience in mobile systems. operate.

Therefore, the Windows Mobile system contains a large number of computer operating system elements, and Microsoft also integrates its own IE browser, MSN and other applications into this system.

However, this is not a system specially developed for smartphones after all. Facts have also proved that the operating system of a computer cannot be copied to a mobile phone. So when Apple released the iPhone, the uniqueness, innovation and user experience of the IOS system completely beat the Windows Mobile system.

In the end, on the basis of the Windows Mobile system, Microsoft made a Windows Phone system for smartphones, and then announced the termination of technical support for the Windows Mobile system, which is tantamount to executing the death penalty for this system.

HTC started out as a handheld computer, and their smart phone technology is also derived from handheld computers, so they also use Microsoft's Windows Mobile system. In terms of user experience, it is definitely not as good as the later Android, let alone Apple's IOS, and of course it is not as good as the newly developed one. Xiaomi system.

Rebs pondered for a moment, and then said: When it comes to systems specifically for smartphones, apart from Apple, Google's Android system may become HTC's first choice.

Two years ago, Google established the Open Handset Alliance to develop an open source mobile system, which is the Android system. As far as I know, HTC is also a member of the Open Handset Alliance, and they have already obtained the authorization of the Android system.

We can also open source! Li Weidong smiled slightly, and continued; For smartphone manufacturers, it should be a good thing to have more operating systems to choose from. A monopoly.

...

When the name HTC is mentioned, many people may be stunned for a few seconds. But when it comes to HTC's English name HTC, I believe everyone knows it, and many people call it ham sausage affectionately.

Ham sausage first started as a PDA OEM, and HP and Dell were once HTC's largest customers.

The so-called PDA is translated as a handheld computer on the other side, but in fact there is no clear definition. Barcode scanners in supermarkets, PQS machines for swiping credit cards, business communication, learning machines, etc. can all be counted as handheld computers. .

After that, Ham Sausage began to enter the mobile phone industry, and launched the world's first 3G mobile phone in 2005. At that time, it was built on the Windows Mobile system, but strictly speaking, this should be a handheld computer that can make mobile calls.

In 2007, four months after Apple released the first-generation iPhone, HTC launched the HTC Touch. This phone also uses a touch screen and can operate the interface with fingers, but it does not have the function of square pictures.

And HTC Touch is a slider phone, equipped with Jiugongge buttons, which can be regarded as a combination of touch screen and buttons.

In 2008, Apple launched a 3G mobile phone, which meant that smartphones had truly entered the stage of practicality, and just six days after the Apple conference ended, Ham Sausage also released Touch Diamond, which began to be hard steel with Apple.

In the early days of smartphones, Ham Sausage was indeed the only smartphone maker that could compete with Apple.

In the past two years, 2010 and 2011, the smart phone of sausage was popular all over the world. Even the iPhone 4, which is hailed as the classic production of Jobs, could not resist the sharpness of sausage. With the sales of mobile phones, Ham Sausage also reached its peak in 2011. The market value surpassed Blackberry and Nokia, becoming the No. 2 in the mobile phone industry.

In this era, other brands do not yet have smartphones. Li Weidong wanted to find a smartphone to be equipped with Xiaomi's system, so he had no choice but ham sausage.

And before 2010, there was no such thing as an Android camp.

It was not until September 2008, several months after the release of Apple's iPhone 3G, that Ham Sausage launched the world's first Android phone, the HTC G1, which marked the beginning of the first year of Android.

In addition to the touch screen and the Home button, this phone also has a physical keyboard with 26 subtitles, which means that the first generation of Android phones is a combination of a touch screen and physical buttons.

During the same period of time, the XperiaX1, a smartphone manufactured by Ham Sausage for Sony Ericsson, still uses the Windows Mobile system instead of Android.

After that, Ham Sausage successively launched two Android phones, HTC Dream and HTC Magic, which were recognized by the market. At this time, the Android system was considered to have a firm foothold.

But at this time, Android is still not the only choice for smartphones. In August 2009, Ham Sausage launched the G3 on the Android system, and launched the D2 on the Windows Mobile system in September. It can be seen that at this time, Ham Sausage is still struggling with which operating system to use.

However, it was the HTC D2 mobile phone that made Ham sausage decide to completely invest in the Android camp. Because the D2 mobile phone has a nickname, it is called the king of brushing machine.

The reason is that Ham sausage unintentionally disclosed the underlying driver of the D2 mobile phone, which made it much easier for developers to write the driver for the D2 mobile phone, and the D2 was unlocked by foreign masters, so that the D2 can be flashed in various ways.

With the efforts of various masters, various operating systems have been moved into the HTC D2 mobile phone, including Ubntu system, Linux system, Firefox system, MeeGo system, and some people even flashed the Windows XP of the PC into the D2 mobile phone.

Except for Apple's IOS, all operating systems have been flashed, but in the end, the masters of flashing machines found that the best one among them is the Android system.

There is no harm if there is no comparison. The same mobile phone is installed with different systems, and finally Android wins, which also makes Android the first choice of major smartphone manufacturers.

...

Within a few days, HTC gave Li Weidong a reply.

HTC rejected us. Rebs continued helplessly: I personally talked to Chairman Wang of HTC. She thinks Android is a very good operating system. Although there is still a big gap compared to Apple, but She believes that after optimization, the user experience of the Android system will be greatly improved. Compared with us, she believes in Google.

Understandable, Google is an Internet giant after all, and we are just a small unknown company. Li Weidong smiled calmly, and then said: Since HTC is unwilling to use our system, then we can change it to another one. The best way is to find them to manufacture mobile phones directly!

Consignment? Rebs was taken aback for a while, but he didn't react for a while.

Li Weidong went on to say: Doesn't HTC have a mobile phone OEM business? Let HTC manufacture a batch of mobile phones for us, and let them do everything from design to production. Anyway, they also have this technology and strength. As long as we use our Xiaomi system Just do it.

You mean, let HTC do OEM for us? That's really a good idea. Rebus already understood.

If it's just OEM production, how should the sales channel be solved? Li Weidong continued to ask.

Puppy appliances can be sold to countries all over the world, so I still worry about sales channels! Rebs said with a smile.

Our puppies sell small appliances, kitchen appliances and beauty products, not mobile phones. Let's not talk about anything else. Would you buy mobile phones from a place that sells hair dryers? So those channels of our puppies group are useful in mobile phone sales. Not much. Li Weidong said.

It's true. Many people buy mobile phones at mobile phone stores, or China Mobile and China Unicom. Rebus frowned slightly: I work in software, and I'm really not familiar with the sales channels of mobile communications.

So we need HTC, not only OEM, but also their sales channels. As far as I know, HTC has business relations with many mobile communication companies, and their sales channels are not inferior to big brands like Nokia and Motorola. .” Li Weidong explained.

HTC has its own mobile phone business, so it's unlikely that they will give us the sales channel! Rebs said.

Then we can only continue to make profits, so that HTC can make money. Li Weidong sighed lightly, and then said: If HTC is willing to give us sales channels, I don't need the sales profits of the products. All the money earned will go to HTC. As long as you can get your cost back.

What? As long as the cost is not profit? Then our work is not in vain! Rebus said immediately.

Li Weidong went on to say: If HTC still doesn't agree to this, then let's give in one more step. After the product is launched on the market, the profits will be theirs, and the losses will be ours.

This is equivalent to us paying the capital to do business with HTC, right? No way! We will definitely lose money if we do this. Rebus shook his head immediately.

It's worth making a profit, as long as our system can gain market share, it's worth it. Li Weidong lowered his voice and continued, I still learned this trick from 360!

When 360 was mentioned, Rebs couldn't help showing a gloomy expression.

At that time, all the antivirus systems were charged, and the price was not cheap. It cost a few hundred dollars a set. 360 directly made a free antivirus. Branded antivirus software was abandoned by consumers overnight. 360 has become a domestic Internet giant in just a few years, and can even challenge Tencent.

The Kingsoft company that Rebs works for also has an antivirus software called Kingsoft Antivirus, which is not expensive and sells well, but after being messed up by 360, it is also half-dead, and it seems that it can't continue to do it.

So when Li Weidong mentioned 360, Rebs, the victim, was still very touched.

It's not that Rebs doesn't understand 360's business model. Now after Li Weidong's little touch, Rebs suddenly understood.

I saw Rebs nodded: Alright then, I'll contact HTC again and try to negotiate a more favorable condition for us.

...

HTC has no reason to refuse Li Weidong's condition.

There are financial owners who contribute money to do business for themselves, and those who lose money are counted as the financial owner, and the profits are their own, why don't you agree!

First of all, HTC can make a fortune through the early OEM, and then in the sales channel, HTC can make a fortune. Even if the product sales are not good, there is still Xiaomi, the gold master, to fill the hole, and HTC can make a profit.

And for HTC, the technology, supply chain, production line and sales channels are all ready-made, and HTC is equivalent to zero investment.

The only problem is that you need to use Xiaomi's system, but at that time, it was still in the era of mobile operating systems, and it didn't matter who you used!

As early as the early 21st century, HTC entered the mobile communication market. At that time, the electronic foundry industry on the other side was world-class. Ham Sausage not only made its own brand, but also did OEM for many large mobile phone manufacturers.

Therefore, HTC's sales channels in mobile communication are still very complete, and it has business contacts with mobile communication suppliers in various countries.

Borrowing HTC's existing sales channels is obviously much more convenient than Li Weidong's own sales channels.

When the Xiaomi mobile phone came out in later generations, online shopping in China had already taken off, and Xiaomi could build its initial sales function through the Internet without the need for a physical store.

Nowadays, online shopping has only just appeared. Most people shop online, only buying cheap goods such as clothes and shoes. Mobile phones, which are expensive electronic products, still have to rely on offline channels to sell them.

...

A basketball game is being held in the gymnasium of a college in the United States.

During the intermission, the audience began to move freely, and Raul also took out his newly bought sausage mobile phone, and clicked on the icon of Fruit Forbearance.

Raul's fingers kept sliding on the phone screen, quickly attracting the attention of the people around him.

Raul, what are you playing? A new game console? Someone asked.

This is a mobile game called Fruit Endurance! Raul replied.

So it's a mobile game! Fruit Endurance? It's the first time I heard it. It looks very interesting. I want to download one too! The other person said, took out his iPhone, clicked on the APP Store, and started searching.

However, after searching for a long time, I did not find this Fruit Endurance.

Raul, does this game really need Fruit Endurance? Why can't I find it in the APP Store? The other party asked immediately.

My phone is not an Apple phone, and I don't use an Apple system, so it shouldn't be in Apple's App Store. Raul said, handing the phone to his companion: You should use my phone to play!

The other party picked up the phone and played Fruit Endurance for a while, then lost interest.

Speaking of it, the game Fruit Forbearance is indeed quite boring. It is nothing more than sliding the screen with your fingers. It requires neither brains nor confrontation, and the operation is not difficult. It just makes people feel the characteristics of touch-screen phones. .

If you are a person who uses a feature phone, you will find Fruit Ninja very interesting for the first time, but if you use a smartphone frequently, that is, if you try something new, you will find it boring.

That's the case with Lauer's companion, who uses an Apple iPhone and certainly isn't obsessed with Fruit Forbearance.

Seeing that his companion lost interest, Raul then introduced: I have another game called Angry Chicken.

While talking, Raul clicked on the icon of Angry Chicken.

This game is obviously much more interesting than Fruit Forbearance. After all, it is the IP that can change the movie, which is enough to show the classic level of this game, and it is more than enough to attract ordinary people.

Sure enough, Angry Chicken instantly attracted the surrounding companions, and several people gathered together to make suggestions and discuss how to pass the level.

Seeing that everyone around was attracted by Angry Chicken, the companion with an iPhone suddenly felt that the iPhone in his hand was not good!

...

Fruit Endurance and Angry Chicken have become the biggest selling points of Xiaomi's mobile phones.

At that time, even Apple's APP Store had just come out, and various mobile phone applications had not yet been developed, and consumers' demand for smartphones was limited to mobile communication and photography.

There was no WeChat circle of friends to like, no mobile version of shopping websites, no mobile payment tools, and no various small videos to swipe. At that time, the functions of smartphones were similar to those of feature phones.

Since the functions are the same, why do consumers still buy smartphones?

Naturally, it is because smartphones are cooler, more trendy, more distinctive, and more face-saving when they are taken out.

So how can it reflect the difference of smart phones? If it's just a phone call, what's the difference with a feature phone? What else is there to show off?

Fruit Forbearance and Angry Chicken satisfy the needs of consumers to show off. Because feature phones can't play these two games.

In the era when smartphones were not yet popular, if you took public transportation, you would often see people swipe around with their mobile phones, and the sound effects of cutting fruit were not small.

Do you think they are really addicted to boring games like Fruit Forbearance? of course not. They're telling you he's holding a smartphone!

Where there is demand, there is a market. Just like in history, these two small games quickly became popular.

However, the difference from history is that these two mini-games are both developed by Xishanju, and they are only provided for Xiaomi's system, and they are not available for other mobile phone systems.

Xishanju has not developed corresponding versions for IOS and Android, so if you want to experience these two games, you can only buy a mobile phone with Xiaomi system.

...

California, Apple headquarters.

Cook knocked on the door and walked into Jobs' office.

Due to illness, Jobs has lost a lot of weight recently. At this time, he is leaning on a chair, holding a mobile phone in his hand, and he is working hard.

Steve, what are you playing? Cook asked.

A small game for smartphones called Angry Chicken. Jobs put down his phone, and then said: HTC has released a new type of smartphone, and it runs on a brand new system called MI. There are two games in the MI system, which is quite interesting.

Cook nodded: I have also heard about it. This MI system is also an open source system. I heard that it is relatively simple, with only more than one million lines of code, and its functions and fluency are not as good as ours. It should not pose a threat to us. .”

But their small games are really interesting, and they can reflect the difference between smartphones and feature phones. Jobs continued: I am very optimistic about the future of this MI system. It is simple, smooth, and not fancy. The key is to have Some novelties, I can feel that they did not completely imitate us, but have their own innovations.

Cook was taken aback for a moment, and then he said, You can say the word 'innovation' out of your mouth! I really didn't expect that you would give this MI system such a high evaluation. It seems that I have to study them seriously.

...

At this time, Li Weidong found Rebus with several game planning cases.

Mr. Li, we are in the business of systems, not games. Rebs sighed, and continued: Now our system still has many deficiencies that need to be improved and many new functions need to be added. , you are better off, let the system not be optimized, and keep stuffing games into it.

Li Weidong chuckled and said, In terms of performance and functions, we are definitely not as good as Apple's IOS. Compared to the depth of system development, Android is also ahead of us. If we want to win market share, we can only find another way. Performance can be optimized, functions It can be added, but if the market share is lost, it will be difficult to get it back!

Okay, what kind of game are you going to play this time? Rebs reluctantly took Li Weidong's plan and read it hastily.

Temple Run, Fishing Master, Plants vs. Zombies? In the end, is this a game similar to Resident Evil? Rebus asked subconsciously.

No, this is a tower defense game. The background of the game is that a group of zombies appeared in your backyard, and you need to plant plants for defense. Li Weidong explained.

It's interesting. Rebus looked at the game settings carefully, and then asked: There are different types of zombies, such as iron bucket zombies, pole vault zombies, and iron gate zombies. What is this big wave of zombies?

It's a very fierce zombie. Li Weidong smiled slightly, and then said: We can't lie to people when we play games. If we say that there are a large wave of zombies, there will be a large wave of zombies!

The book is almost finished, and the boss who likes it gives a full order, which can be regarded as a kind of affirmation and encouragement for passing the test. Passing the test, I sincerely thank you for your support.