Jobs' creativity reminded Zhou Xin of the later generations of Apple phones that took the lead in removing the 3.5 mm headphone jack. Later, major mobile phone manufacturers followed suit, and most mainstream smartphones gradually removed the headphone jack within those two years.
The disappearance of the headphone jack has caused mobile phone Bluetooth headsets to become mainstream, giving rise to the so-called true wireless TWS headsets. Except for Sony, whose latest flagship phones will still have a 3.5mm headphone jack until 2023, it seems that Sony is not a mainstream smartphone manufacturer.
Zhou Xin later found it interesting when he saw the two partners Xinxin was looking for. One was the first manufacturer to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack, and the other was a manufacturer that always insisted on having a headphone jack. Sony Ericsson was later wholly owned by Sony, and later renamed Sony, and the original Sony company was renamed Sony Group.
When Zhou Xin stands as a consumer, he hates the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack by manufacturers, which causes him great inconvenience. To use wired headphones through a mobile phone, he needs to buy a special adapter.
When he becomes a business manager, he will think it is a good idea to remove the headphone jack. This will force consumers to consider Bluetooth headsets, and the demand for Bluetooth chips will explode.
Zhou Xin's proposal made Jobs think. As a senior practitioner in the consumer electronics industry, Jobs naturally knew that wireless charging technology had become mature.
As early as 1978, Amerikan's inventors began to try wireless charging for electric vehicles. Later, in 1993, Neon Enterprise developed the first wireless charging system. In 1994, this technology had gradually matured.
In 2009, the Palm mobile phone was released. As mentioned earlier, Palm was the first company to make handheld computers. The Palm released in 2009 was the world's first mobile phone to support wireless charging.
From a technical perspective, the main problem with wireless charging is that the charging power is too low, which can only be 5w at the moment. But for the iPod, this is not a problem, because the iPod itself does not have much power, and the 5W charging power is a bit small, but it is enough.
As for the high cost, this is not a problem for Apple. They already have the ability to sell products at high prices, so Zhou Xin's suggestion was that after Jobs thought about it for a while, he thought it was okay.
"Newman, this is simply a perfect product. The MP3 player without any interface is as delicate as a gem in your hand. We have launched two new colors, blue and pink, at the same time. These two colors will make this The iPod shines like a gem.”
After the iPod prototype without any interface was built, Jobs was very excited. This was his ideal product, extremely simple. From his personal point of view, Steve Jobs would like to have only silver color.
From a business perspective, launching a few more colors will always attract more users to pay.
After Jobs handed the iPod Zero to Zhou Xin, Zhou Xin rubbed the entire surface of the iPod Zero with his hands. Jobs said in a regretful tone: "The only problem is that we try to make the Bluetooth headset without an interface and support wireless charging. , but in this case, it will be slightly larger and less in line with the industrial aesthetic."
"But I think that's enough. Newman, what do you want to call this generation of iPod?"
When Zhou Xin saw this thing, he thought of Meizu Zero, a concept phone that Meizu had released but was not mass-produced, so he said, "Why don't we just call it iPod Zero? Zero means that it has no interfaces in the whole body, and it also means the beginning of everything."
Back at the press conference, after the announcement of iPod Zero, the consumer representatives in the audience cheered and even shouted Apple's name to the beat.
Jobs was also very proud. He had a hunch that iPod Zero would be the representative work of his Apple career, comparable to the 1984 Macintosh computer.
"The last thing is the pricing. iPod Zero plus headphones cost $899. I know this price is a bit high, but iPod Zero is equipped with a lot of advanced technologies. Even if we try our best to control costs, its price cannot be kept down.
But don’t worry, we will also launch iPod 2 at the same time, which is an upgrade based on iPod 1 and is also equipped with Xinxin Technology’s Bluetooth technology. The price of that iPod 2 will be much lower.
Ipod2 is also excellent. Although it cannot be compared with iPod Zero, it is still a good enough product. It is better than any music player you can see on the market. This is what I think. You can have it. own opinion. "
After Xinxin Technology's press conference was held, it quickly caused an uproar in the industry. The members of the Bluetooth Alliance are all large companies, and everyone is aware of the importance of Bluetooth technology. However, it was a Chinese company that took the lead in achieving technological breakthroughs.
Xinxin Technology is headquartered in China, so it is certainly considered a Chinese company, and the actual controller behind it is also Chinese.
Moreover, the new generation of Bluetooth technology launched by Xinxin Technology is not leading by one or two points, but is leading qualitatively. All of their previous technologies have been swept into the garbage heap.
The release of iPod Zero caused a carnival among consumers. On the second day of the press conference, iPod Zero prototypes were placed in Apple stores.
"Do you know what I thought of when I saw this scene?" A somewhat elderly white middle-aged man in the Apple store asked his colleagues around him.
"Remember what?"
"About 20 years ago, when Apple released the Macintosh computer, I was like now, watching customers queuing up in Apple stores before the stores opened. I hadn't seen anything like this in a long time."
Apple has launched two products at the same time, ipod zero and ipod2. The cost-effectiveness of ipod2 is undoubtedly much higher. It also supports New Core Technology’s Bluetooth technology. The price is only $150 higher than that of ipod1. You must know that the $150 increase The price in US dollars is after adding the complimentary Bluetooth headset.
You can buy both an iPod 2 and a Bluetooth headset for the equivalent of US$449, which is half the price of the iPod Zero.
As a mature entrepreneur, Jobs would naturally not put all his chips on iPod Zero because it was too expensive. Even Amerikan, Jobs believed that few people could accept this price.
Therefore, they only stocked 100,000 iPod Zero units. This was because Zhou Xin strongly suggested that they stock 100,000 units. Originally, they only planned to stock 50,000 units. A full 1 million units of iPod2 are prepared.
Apple's strategy is to make consumers want to buy iPod Zero, then the high price will deter them, and then store employees will market iPod 2 to consumers.
Ipod zero is a natural advertisement right there.
After Apple's offline stores opened, as Apple expected, all consumers' attention was focused on iPod Zero.
"What's the price of iPod Zero?" Consumers feel like they can't put it down for their iPod Zero.
"Hello, iPod Zero needs to be purchased with Bluetooth headsets. The price is US$899. If you think the price is high, you can take a look at our iPod 2, which is also equipped with it."
Before the clerk could finish what he said, the consumer directly interrupted: "It's not expensive. Can you get one for me? How do I pay for it?"
The clerk's expression froze. Is it really not high?
"Sorry, there are only prototypes in the store at the moment. You have to wait until a week later to sell them. After a week, you can purchase them in the store or online."
"Can I buy a prototype?" the consumer asked.
The clerk pointed to the people queuing up outside with a grimace on his face: "Sorry, I think the people outside are waiting to see iPod Zero. If I sell it to you, the people queuing up outside will probably tell our store It was torn down.
You can take a look at iPod 2. iPod 2 is now in stock and can be purchased immediately. "
After briefly viewing the product, the consumer left disappointed. The iPod 2 was very good, but after seeing the iPod Zero, he still wanted to buy the iPod Zero even if it was twice as expensive.
This phenomenon does not only appear to one consumer, but to many consumers.
For Apple fans, they are willing to bear this price. You must know that without Zhou Xin, the original iPod was priced at US$399. More than 300,000 units could be sold at such a high price, which shows the strength of Apple fans.
After the release of the $249 iPod mini, 60 million units were sold in two years.
Not to mention the iPod Zero launched this time, which not only does not have any interface but uses the latest Bluetooth technology and wireless charging technology, it is also equipped with a small screen that can display song information.
Compared with the first-generation iPod, there are too many technical iterations and upgrades, and this price even feels cheap in the hearts of Apple fans.
They think the price should be $999 to be reasonable.
Therefore, after the official release of iPod Zero, the stock of 100,000 units was far from enough. There were not many units available every day, which even led to long queues at Apple offline stores. Some people queued for three days just to buy an iPod Zero.
"I want to know that Xinxin Technology is a company owned by Newman, and Matrix is also a company owned by Newman. Why does Mphone not support the latest Bluetooth function?"
“It is understandable that Mphone does not support the latest Bluetooth function. After all, this was a product two years ago, and the latest Bluetooth technology had not been developed two years ago.
What I think is outrageous is that Mphone does not have a decoding chip. Without a decoding chip, you can only use the A1E chip to simulate the audio decoding chip to achieve the purpose of music playback. This is really outrageous. "
The decoder chip mainly converts digital signals into analog signals. Without it, there would be no sound. Fortunately, the chip function can be defined, and the mobile phone chip can be used to simulate the decoding chip to achieve the purpose of playing sound.
After the first Mphone Developer Conference, many Internet companies uploaded applications. One of them found that there was no player on the Mphone. Then they built a player and put it on. After putting it on, they found that it still didn't work and could only play. The screen cannot play sound.
So they made a lot of attempts to use Mphone's existing chip to simulate the decoding chip to achieve the function of playing sound.
This player with its own chip simulation function has become the favorite of many users. After all, not everyone is a geek and can solve this problem on their own from a technical level.
But the annoying thing is that the Mphone does not have a headphone jack. You have to find a company to modify it and add a headphone jack. This design involves moving the chip, so not all consumers can accept it.
Either use a Bluetooth headset. Mphone supports Bluetooth function. After simulating the decoding chip, you can hear the sound with a Bluetooth headset. Of course, there are problems, such as the battery is less durable, the sound quality is too poor, and the signal fluctuates slightly. Trills and more.
"ipod zero is perfect except for the price. I think the price is acceptable for this product. I am hesitant whether to buy ipod zero because I don't know when the new generation of Mphone will be released.
If the new generation of Mphone is released this year, I will bear with it, because I estimate that the new generation of Mphone will also be equipped with the latest Bluetooth function and support Bluetooth headsets. "
"I also want to know when the new generation of Mphone will be released? Is there anyone on Weibo who participated in this Mphone Developer Conference? Can you disclose the details?"
Not long after the New Core Technology press conference, there was the Mphone Developer Conference. This Mphone Developer Conference was extremely mysterious and required all participants to sign an extremely strict confidentiality agreement.
If the situation of Mphone 2 is leaked, it will need to pay US$10 million in compensation. The confidentiality agreement did not disclose the contents of the confidentiality agreement itself, so the confidentiality agreement was hyped by the media for a while.
Practitioners and media who have participated in the Mphone Developer Conference also have various negative opinions.
Restricted by the confidentiality agreement, everyone's desire to express their feelings cannot be turned into a complete article and published in a paper magazine or blog.
At this time, places like Weibo and Quora are good places to complain.
"At the Mphone Developer Conference, Newman showed us the prototype of the next-generation Mphone. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was even more perfect than iPod Zero."
"No, in terms of perfection, the next generation of Mphone and iPod Zero should be on the same level. However, considering that the functions that mobile phones need to support and the complexity of components are far greater than those of music players, I think the next generation of Mphone is much harder to come by. many."
"I can't sleep anymore. When will the next generation of iPhone come out? I can't wait to replace the iPhone I have."
"It is that kind of product that is different from current and previous mobile phones. It has so many innovations. I want to tell you, but I can't afford the price."
The editor-in-chief of Silicon Valley Wired Magazine could not hide his excitement after attending the Mphone Developer Conference and posted several Weibo posts in succession.
Not only him, but also everyone who attended the Mphone Developer Conference said so.
When he said it, he was amazed, incredible, epoch-making, and impatient. Netizens asked him on Weibo that he couldn't afford the price because he couldn't talk about the confidentiality agreement.
This has aroused the curiosity of consumers to the extreme, because iPod Zero is amazing enough, and no consumer who has touched the actual product in an Apple store is dissatisfied.
The price may not be so satisfactory.
The new generation of Mphone can be comparable to iPod Zero, how perfect does it have to be?
And it’s a mobile phone, which is hard for them to imagine.
"Is it possible that a Mphone can not have an interface? Can it rely entirely on wireless charging and Bluetooth functions?"
There should probably be more at night.
(End of chapter)
