"Nvidia is also useless. The so-called quad-core processor is so well advertised, but as soon as it gets hot, it locks the core and reduces the frequency, causing serious overturning. It is not as good as Qualcomm's previous generation dual-core processor!"
Wang Hong, chairman of HTC, gets angrier as she thinks about it: "Before, when the weather was cold, it was better. When I got hot, I could use it as a hand warmer. But now in the summer, when I get hot again, it's so scary that it burns my hands."
The subordinate nodded: "Isn't that right? There were complaints from users two days ago, saying that when playing games with HTC one x, their hands were scalded and blistered, and we are responsible for that!"
"..." The corner of Wang Hong's mouth twitched: "Made, Nvidia is obviously responsible for this. Trash Nvidia, if you continue to believe Lao Huang's lies, my surname will not be Wang."
The subordinate said: "With the same Tegra 3 processor, Xingyi Technology's Xphone 1pro and Xingyi Tablet X1pro, there is no problem at all. I have studied it carefully and found that in addition to developing professional cooling modules, they also have algorithm optimization, and
The exclusive tuning of tegra 3 enables tegra 3 to show powerful performance on Xphone 1pro and Xingyi tablet. It is incredible.”
Wang Hong nodded: "Yes, Xingyi Technology is so good at it that we can't learn it even if we want to. Their cooling modules are all registered patents, and they are components developed and produced by Xingyi Technology themselves. We want to
You can't even buy it. Unless we, HTC, also develop a set of cooling technology from scratch and produce a set of cooling modules ourselves. But this is very troublesome and difficult. More importantly, it is the optimization algorithm of Xingyi Technology, which is
You can’t even copy it. Even if you copy it, it’s useless, you have to have one mobile phone and one algorithm!”
The subordinates agreed very much: "I suspect that Nvidia's algorithm tuning for Tegra 3 is not as good as Xingyi Technology!"
"Definitely not as good. Look at the training plan that Lao Huang gave us. It's just like a pile of X. It's so hot that it peels off in the summer. Look at Xingyi Technology's Tegra 3, but it's terrifyingly calm. It doesn't look like the same processor at all!
"
Wang Hong was very speechless: "Old Huang is quite cowardly. His own products are not as well optimized and tuned as Xingyi Technology!"
"Haha, it's actually no wonder. After all, Xingyi Technology uses NVIDIA Tegra 3 in all its systems from mobile phones to tablets and TVs. It has long been familiar with the various performances and parameters of Tegra 3 and has polished it to the extreme. There is nothing wrong with that. What's more, Xingyi Technology
Yi Technology also has a chip department and a professional chip design team. After optimizing Tegra 3, it will be even more convenient."
Like HTC, Huawei is in the same situation now.
Xingyi Technology's heat dissipation technology and chip tuning algorithm are things they cannot learn.
After all, the cooling modules are independently developed and produced by Xingyi Technology.
To this end, Wang Yi also set up a cooling laboratory to develop various cooling technologies.
The cooling modules were pioneered by Xingyi Technology, and there were no ready-made suppliers. Wang Yi directly used the previously acquired accessories factory to mass-produce cooling modules suitable for Xingyi mobile phones!
This makes friends and businessmen uncomfortable.
Everyone assembles mobile phones and buys whatever they need. However, Xingyi Technology has developed and produced some of its modules in-house, so it won’t be possible to learn them in the short term.
As for the algorithm tuning of the chip, it is even more difficult. Different mobile phones, different configurations, and different algorithms are useless.
Xingyi Technology has been in contact with Nvidia Tegra 3 for a long time. Wang Yi knew that Tegra 3 was not as good as Qualcomm dual-core, so he established an algorithm optimization team from the beginning to conduct all-round training and polishing of Tegra 3.
After several months of training, we finally made a lot of breakthroughs in the algorithm.
Coupled with the blessing of the cooling module, this makes the tegra 3 on the Xphone 1pro and Xingyi Tablet X1pro extremely cool and powerful.
However, Huawei, HTC and other friendly companies do not have such arrangements, nor do they have such training capabilities.
At this time, Huawei HiSilicon is not a core department, it can only be regarded as a general department.
The R&D investment in K3v2 is also very small, so its performance is overturned.
In the previous life, after the fiasco of k3v2, Huawei learned from the painful experience, improved the strategic position of its semiconductor department, and increased its R&D investment in the HiSilicon department. Only a year and a half later, the Kirin 910 was launched!
HiSilicon has a new future.
But the current k3v2 has limited funds and limited manpower. It can only be said to be a trial product created by some people, and the optimization is also a mess.
Unlike Xingyi Technology, it regarded the semiconductor department as an S-class core department from the beginning, invested directly and endlessly, spent huge sums of money to recruit top engineers from Texas Instruments, and poached the top talents in the industry.
One effort and one gain.
At present, if HiSilicon wants to develop rapidly, it also needs decision-making support from Huawei's top management.
As "HiSilicon quad-core and HTC quad-core are not as good as Xingyi dual-core phones", the Xphone 1, which has been on the market for almost a year, has once again experienced a wave of hot sales.
After all, the price is 2999, but it still tastes really good.
In comparison, Huawei's quad-core costs 2699, but the actual experience is not as good as Xphone 1.
In addition, the appearance, reputation, system, etc. are not as good as the Xphone 1. On the contrary, consumers are crazy about buying Xphone 1, causing the sales of Xphone 1 to surge wildly.
Seeing this scene, Wang Yi was confused:
"So, the Xphone 1, which we are almost discontinuing, is coming back for the second time?"
The second generation of quad-core mobile phones is about to be released, and the dual-core Xphone 1 has indeed reached the end of its life cycle.
Originally, Wang Yi did not plan to significantly reduce the price, and just sold the products naturally until the inventory was sold out and production was gradually discontinued.
Unexpectedly, the overturn of Huawei's new phone and the overturn of HTC made Xphone 1 popular again.
Wang Yi was very speechless.
Zhu Changlin nodded: "That's right. It seems that the Xphone 1 discontinuation plan will have to be later."
"Okay, then let's inform Qualcomm and order another batch of dual-core processors. They're pretty cheap now anyway."
"good!"
After receiving a call from Zhu Changlin, Qualcomm Chairman Jacobs was also confused:
"Would you like to place an additional order for a dual-core processor? That's great. There happens to be a lot of inventory left, so I'll package it up and send it to you. As for the price? They are all beautiful prices, cabbage prices!"
Jacob was also confused. He didn't expect that even with the 28nm quad-core era coming, there would still be people wanting 40nm dual-core processors!
You know, Qualcomm's dual-core 8660 processor is only a little better than the upcoming Snapdragon 200, but far inferior to the Snapdragon 400, which is a proper low-end processor.
Next year’s Snapdragon 400 will all be 28nm quad-core!
No way, the 8660 was a flagship processor in 2011, but it was a mid-range processor in 2012, and it will be a low-end processor next year.
But if someone sends money, it won't be a problem. Logistics will be arranged immediately and everything will be sent to Xingyi Technology's factory.
Wang Yi had no objection to this either.
The selling price of this batch of chips plus baseband has also dropped from the initial price of about 200 yuan to about 70 yuan, which is a reasonable price.
If Xingyi Technology develops and produces a dual-core processor + baseband by itself, the diluted cost will be around 60.
But this is obviously unrealistic.
Xingyi Semiconductor does not have the energy to develop and produce an outdated dual-core chip on its own, so it is more cost-effective to buy Qualcomm dual-core at the bottom.
In addition, Xphone 1 is Xingyi Technology's first mobile phone, Wang Yi also hopes that its life cycle will be longer and its sales volume will be higher.
Many years later, there will be an additional sentence on the milestone of Xingyi mobile phone: "In December 2011, Xphone 1 was born, selling one million units on the first day, and the total sales exceeded X 50 million, or even 70 million... breaking many
A record..."
More importantly, in the future, the price of Xphone 1pro/Xphone 2 will be around 5,000. Once the Xphone 1 is discontinued, the price of 3,000 will be vacant.
This is not a good thing.
And with Qualcomm’s batch of cheap chips, the Xphone 1 can last a long time, and it continues to be the sales champion in 3,000 categories, which is also a good thing.
Zhu Changlin also understood Wang Yi's arrangement and took it into consideration:
"Chairman, taking advantage of this wave of public opinion that the quad-core of our friends is not as good as the dual-core of Xingyi Technology, should we lower the price of Xphone 1 and take advantage of the opportunity to cause a wave? After all, after the release of Xphone 2, the price of Xphone 1pro will have to be lowered, and the price of Xphone 1 will also have to be lowered.
.”
Wang Yi thought about it and realized that this is the truth.
The price of Xphone 1 has almost never been reduced since its release. It’s just that the original price of 3,299 comes with dual membership, but now the price of 2,999 does not come with dual membership.
Now that the second generation is out, the price of Xphone 1 should indeed be reduced.
Especially when the current trend is really good, you can take advantage of the opportunity to promote a wave and make a lot of money.
This kind of opportunity is rare.
After all, the 28nm quad-core era has arrived, and the 40nm dual-core is indeed somewhat outdated.
Wang Yi nodded: "It's time to take the opportunity to do some marketing, but it's not good to directly reduce the price. Let's do a wave of promotions. The price is still starting from 2999, plus a bonus of Xingyi Video and Xingyi Music bi-annual membership! Two weeks.
Those who have already purchased the phone can also get double membership!”
"Okay, Chairman, this is a good strategy. It's not a significant price reduction, but it's still profitable. Old users won't be stabbed in the back, and new users can also get dual membership blessings!"
Zhu Changlin's eyebrows were filled with joy, as he completely understood Wang Yi's routine.
Initially, 3299 was given as a bi-year membership, then 2999 was not given as a dual membership, now 2999 is given as a dual membership, and the next wave will be 2699 as a bonus...
The wave of profits seems to be full of sincerity, but in fact the knife skills are precise.
After all, Xingyi Music and Xingyi Video Membership are Xingyi Technology’s own.
They are all virtual products. To put it bluntly, it doesn’t matter whether Xingyi Technology delivers them or not.
But from the perspective of users, this is a huge benefit.
After all, Xingyi Video has a lot of high-quality dramas that many users need. The price is at a big promotion, and the annual membership is 150.
The same is true for Xingyi Music membership, which is not cheap either.
Now that it is given as a gift, there is one more reason to buy Xphone 1.
Soon, Xingyi Mobile’s official WeChat account posted several messages:
[Xingyi dual-core beats the quad-core of its friends, Xphone 1 is on sale in the summer, and there is no price increase for additional quantities. Anyone who purchases Xphone 1 will receive a two-year membership of Xingyi Music and Xingyi Video worth 360 yuan!]
[Xphone 1 2999 comes with a two-year membership worth NT$360, and the actual experience beats the quad-core of competitors!]
[Anyone who has purchased Xphone 1 within two weeks can contact customer service and receive a two-year membership as a bonus.]
As soon as the news came out, it instantly went viral on the entire Internet and caused an uproar:
“It’s so funny that a friend’s quad-core product overturned, making the dual-core Xphone 1 popular again.”
“It’s unbelievable that Xingyi Technology’s dual-core phone from last year can actually compete with this year’s new quad-core phone from a friend.”
“Add a two-year membership, this is a good promotion, buy one.”
"One of the best mobile phones that retains its value. It has been on the market for almost a year, and it has only dropped by 300 yuan."
"There is no way. Xphone 1's configuration, appearance, and system are all impeccable, and the price is reasonable. It is selling like hotcakes, so there is no reason to lower the price."
“Originally I wanted to get the Xphone 1 price cut, but now I think I’ll forget it and just go for it. It’s impossible to get the Xphone 1 price cut.”
“Now that we are offering dual memberships, is this to make way for the Xphone 2?”
"It's possible. According to rumors, Xphone 2 will be released in September and will definitely start at 5,000. Xphone 1 is more popular."
"Giving two members worth 360, which is equivalent to more than 2,600, this price is affordable."
"Even users who purchased two weeks ago can get membership. Xingyi Technology is still very conscientious."
"Yeah, unlike Apple, if you buy it the day before the price drops, you won't be refunded the price difference."
As a result, Xphone 1 sales exploded again.
Not only did sales soar on Xingyi Mall, but it also ranked among the top three in mobile phone sales on JD.com, Tmall and other platforms.
Arriving at number one soon!
Although Xphone 1pro is good, it is expensive.
Xphone 1 is 2,000 cheaper, its performance is not bad, and it is better than the quad-core of competitors. It has become the first choice of many users.
After all, these days, most people can't afford the 5,000 Xphone 1pro.
The next day, Wang Yi looked at the sales data of Xphone 1 yesterday and burst into laughter:
"It has been on the market for almost a year, and no one can still sell 500,000 units in a day!"
Zhu Changlin nodded: "Yes, it's terrible. This is the power of hot search + promotion. On JD.com, it was still the third in sales at first, but later it became the first in sales."
"Hahaha. Lian Po is old, can he still make a living?" Wang Yi smiled: "This fully shows that Xphone 1, a veteran, is strong enough and will not be a problem until next year. But in the middle and second half of next year, it will be difficult
Already."
By then, Qualcomm's mid- to low-end processors will all be 28nm.
The mid-range processor comes standard with Snapdragon 600.
Not as good as the dual-core Snapdragon 400, the gap is too big.
Zhu Changlin frowned slightly: "But in the future, Xingyi mobile phones will only be high-end, not low-end. After the Xphone 1 was discontinued, the 3,000-speed range was left in a vacuum!"
Wang Yi nodded: "It's okay, we will make up for it with Unbounded next year. Unbounded will launch two series, mid-range and low-end. The low-end digital series, 999-1999. The mid-range note series, 2000-3500, to fill the market gap!
"
"Okay!" Zhu Changlin responded.
Different from the joy of Xingyi Technology, HTC and other friends are in a different situation.
Seeing such terrifying sales, Wang Hong fell silent and sighed for a long time:
"A gift of two memberships will lead to a huge sales boom. It's really unethical. Xingyi Mobile is good at marketing. They have gained the most from this wave of turmoil."
Also dark and complex is Huawei Yudong:
"With Huawei's quad-core technology, Xphone 1 is really good. There's no other way, who made k3v2 overturn?"
In the second half of 2010, Yu Dong was transferred from the wireless product line to the terminal business and became the helmsman of Huawei mobile phones.
At that time, Huawei mobile phones were still OEM low-end mobile phones for operators, or feature phones.
After Yu Dong joined, he gave up the low-end OEM business and turned to Huawei's own brand to focus on the high-end.
Coupled with the self-developed and self-produced k3v2, I thought Huawei's new quad-core machine would definitely shine.
But unexpectedly it overturned!
Not only did the new quad-core phones have very few sales, but they also helped rivals with dual-core phones, making Xphone 1 sold out like crazy!
Yu Dong didn't know what to say to this.
Then he sighed: "Invite the people from the chip R&D department to me!"
Yu Dong used the word "please" very seriously.
His quad-core became the foil for others' dual-core, and it was difficult for him not to be in a hurry.
Soon, the top executives of the chip R&D department also entered the conference room.
Yu Dong said with a cold face: "Have you all seen the recent public opinion? Huawei's quad-core is not as good as Xingyi's dual-core. Haha, that's great! The new phone we just launched is not as good as the old phone launched by Xingyi Technology nearly a year ago
Sold well! Is there anything you want to say?”
Silence, the entire conference room was dead silent.
In this round, Huawei was completely defeated. It was a terrible defeat.
Its degree of rollover is no less than that of the Qualcomm 810 in its previous life!
The previous Qualcomm 810 was an eight-core flagship, but the actual experience was not as good as the previous generation's four-core flagship.
It has devastated all the friends and businesses, and some brands have even accelerated their bankruptcy because of it!
The person in charge of HiSilicon chips sighed: "Our k3v2 is indeed not mature enough. It is in the same situation as Tegra 3. It is prone to overheating and frequency reduction. The actual experience is not as good as the previous generation Qualcomm dual-core."
Yu Dong waved his hand: "Indeed, K3v2 failed, but Tegra 3 Xingyi Technology can be optimized calmly and powerfully. Why can't we optimize the K3v2 we developed ourselves well?"
The person in charge looked complicated: "Mr. Yu, there are many reasons for this. Xingyi Technology also spent several months optimizing Tegra 3, and there is also a cooling module on the hardware. Similarly, we have self-developed
The k3v2 was launched in a hurry and there was no time to slowly optimize it.”
"Okay, what you said makes sense. So, if I give you time now, how long will it take to optimize it? I don't want to mention k3v2. Consumers say it is a useless chip, not as good as the dual-core of Xingyi mobile phone!"
The person in charge thought for a while: "It will take about three months, but it can only achieve a general effect. After all, heat dissipation depends on the hardware of the heat dissipation module."
Yu Dong smiled: "Three months, winter will come in three months, and the fever is indeed much better!"
The person in charge's mouth twitched: "..."
Mad, what do I mean?
However, as the person in charge of HiSilicon chips, he is not a vegetarian:
"Mr. Yu, Huawei's quad-core mobile phones are not selling well. I can understand that you are upset, but some things have to be reasonable. We at HiSilicon make mobile phone chips. We only have so many manpower, so it will be good if we can make them. Next, we need to develop and integrate
Do you think it is realistic for the 28nm SOC chip of the baseband to optimize k3v2? It is not enough for me to split it into two people!"
"This..." Yu Dong was silent.
But I also think what the other party said is reasonable, and output and effort are directly proportional.
HiSilicon's chip division has few people and is indeed under a lot of pressure.
If we divide our forces again, it will be even more difficult.
The person in charge continued: "Should I lead people to optimize k3v2, or should I continue to develop the next generation of chips? You make your own choice? Anyway, with this little manpower and this little investment, I don't have the ability to advance at the same time."
Hearing this, Yu Dong also fell silent. This relationship with the future of Huawei mobile phones, and even Huawei's future strategic decisions, is definitely a big deal. Once the wrong choice is made, Huawei mobile phones will be in big trouble, and he will be in big trouble.
So, Yu Dong took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart: "In your opinion, how should we proceed?"
The person in charge sighed: "To be honest, 40nm quad-core processors are prone to overturning. The same is true for NVIDIA Tegra 3, and the same is true for our k3v2. As for the good optimization of Xingyi Technology, it is all due to their perverted algorithm tuning.
Add abnormal cooling hardware.”
"If you want a calm and powerful quad-core chip, you have to go to 28nm. As for the 40nm quad-core processor, which is optimized to the extreme, it is not as good as the 28nm quad-core processor."
"It is precisely for this reason that Xingyi Technology gave up the Nvidia tegra 3 that has been polished for a long time on the Xphone 2 generation and chose Qualcomm APQ 8064."
"More importantly, Qualcomm's 28nm quad-core processor will be launched soon, and our K3v2 is one generation behind. Qualcomm's 28nm integrated baseband processor will also be launched next year, and our K3v2 is two generations behind."
The person in charge said earnestly: "Mr. Yu, do you think we should use our limited manpower to optimize a piece of garbage that is two generations behind? Or should we concentrate on developing the next generation 28nm integrated baseband flagship chip?"
"This..." Yu Dong's expression changed drastically. He had a technical background, and he understood the interests behind it in an instant.
Optimizing K3v2 is for immediate benefit, so that the Huawei quad-core products sold in the past two years will be easier to sell.
Giving up k3v2 and focusing on developing new flagship SOCs is based on the future, in order to catch up with Qualcomm and compete head-on with Qualcomm!
As the person in charge of the mobile phone business, if it were anyone else, he would definitely choose to optimize K3v2. After all, the mobile phones are not selling well. If he is dismissed, who cares whether Huawei has a future?
But as Yu Dong, he has a very strategic vision and understands that he would rather give up current interests than work hard for the future.
K3v2, which is two generations behind, is still two generations behind even if it is optimized, and the generation difference is unattainable.
What's more, Xingyi Technology gave up the 40nm quad-core and chose to embrace the 28nm Qualcomm quad-core.
This shows the considerations behind it.
Yu Dong feels that Wang Yi is a good person. When hesitating, he will definitely follow Wang Yi.
He immediately took a deep breath: "If you were asked to fully develop the next generation 28nm integrated baseband flagship SOC, how long would it take for you to complete it?"
The person in charge did not return directly, but analyzed step by step:
"28nm is a brand new challenge. CPU, GPU, and baseband must all be integrated. With our current manpower and funds, we may not have hope until 2015. If the company invests additional money and lets us recruit engineers, we can do it in 2014
come out!"
"When is 2014? If we give you the most funds and manpower!" Yu Dong asked.
The person in charge thought for a while: "If everything goes well, it will be in the spring of 2014!"
"Okay, this is what you said. I'll ask Director Ren for funds and manpower. But for the 28-nanometer high-end SOC, you must get it ready for me in the spring of 2014. If it fails, if you leave, I will leave too.
"
This time, he put his career on the line.
"Thank you, Mr. Yu, I will not let you down!"
The person in charge said solemnly, but sighed in his heart: 'K3v2 has too many problems, and optimizing it is as difficult as redesigning it.'
In fact, it was not until Kirin 910 that HiSilicon chips reached the point where they could be used normally.
As for k3v2, it’s really hard to describe.
Soon, Yu Dong took the person in charge of the chip and personally approached Director Ren to explain the stakes.
History is always surprisingly similar.
Not surprisingly, the far-sighted Director Ren directly agreed to give up optimizing the already outdated k3v2 and concentrate on developing the next generation flagship!
It also increased the strategic level and capital investment of the HiSilicon department.
"But in the next year or so, Huawei's mobile phones will have difficulty relying on K3v2."
Director Ren looked at Yu Dong: "The pressure is all on you!"
Chapter completed!