Why do mobile phone manufacturers cross-border computers
Our reporter Huang Xin
Huawei recently released more than 10 new smart office products including notebook computers and commercial desktops.
Prior to this, the smart phone brand realme also released its first laptop, officially entering the laptop market.
It is not new for mobile phone manufacturers to make computers. From overseas Apple and Samsung to domestic Huawei and Xiaomi, they have already launched laptops.
Why do mobile phone manufacturers like to cross-border computers?
What do traditional computer manufacturers think?
With these questions, the Economic Daily reporter interviewed many experts.
Enhance brand stickiness
"Mobile phone manufacturers will make computers as standard equipment in the future. This is just like the introduction of other electronic products such as headsets by mobile phone manufacturers. At present, well-known mobile phone manufacturers basically have a layout in the computer industry." iiMedia Consulting Group CEO and Chief Analyst Teacher Zhang Yi said in an interview with reporters.
Mobile phone manufacturers are willing to cross-border computers, and the attractive "big cake" in the computer industry is obviously an important reason.
Affected by the epidemic, personal computers have returned to the center of digital life.
The latest data from market research organization IDC shows that China’s PC market in the first quarter of this year has grown by 49.7% year-on-year, and small and medium-sized cities below the third tier have shown greater market demand.
IDC also predicts that the personal computer update cycle is shortening, the penetration rate continues to increase, the total market will maintain at least the current scale by 2025, and the demand for higher-value commercial customers is rapidly recovering.
On the one hand, the mobile phone industry has limited profits and needs to expand into new tracks.
Wang Liping, a senior consultant at Zhongcheng Think Tank, told reporters that the overall "core shortage" of the industry chain has led to slow shipments of mobile phones and a decline in the realization speed of the mobile phone industry.
The mobile phone market is close to the ceiling of growth, and the profitability of the market is limited. New industries are needed to support the survival and future development of enterprises.
On the other hand, “laptops can be bundled with their own mobile phones to increase the sales of mobile phones while cultivating users with strong brand stickiness.” Wang Liping said, this is a move by mobile phone manufacturers to extend their product industry chain and expand their product ecology. Mobile phone manufacturers embrace the strategic layout of the "Internet of Everything" era and meet the development needs of the times.
"In the current sales channels of mobile phone manufacturers, offline stores are still the absolute main sales channels, and these offline stores are often in prosperous areas, and store rental costs are high. Selling computers helps to share the cost of operating channels and is also conducive to One-stop experience for consumers. In addition, the epidemic has promoted the development of online office, online education, and online entertainment. As a result, the computer industry has developed rapidly. Naturally, mobile phone manufacturers cannot let go of this market opportunity." Zhang Yi said.
Xu Qi, vice president of realme and president of China, told reporters that mobile phones are the core of the terminals used by users, and mobile phone brands have gradually brought some subversion in other areas, such as bracelets, watches, and headphones.
The computer industry has a certain degree of particularity. Traditional brands have been in a relatively clear leadership position after they have been cultivated for a long time. It is difficult for mobile phone brands to enter the PC industry to subvert the entire industry at once.
However, in recent years, mobile phone brands such as Huawei have also been relatively successful in entering the computer industry.
With the development of the mobile Internet, other mobile phone manufacturers may also enter this track and bring new changes to the PC landscape.
Unique advantages
Do mobile phone manufacturers have advantages in doing computers?
"The advantages can be said to be unique. The industrial design of mobile phones is more difficult and the degree of competition is greater than that of computers. From the perspective of production and sales channels, mobile phone manufacturers do computers by accident." Zhang Yi said.
Wang Liping analyzed that mobile phones and laptops are mobile Internet terminal devices, and it is easy to leverage the popularity of existing mobile phone brands; from the perspective of the manufacturing process, the manufacturing processes of the two are roughly the same and easy to learn; there is a mature industrial chain, You can quickly find notebook computer accessories suppliers and realize cross-border development faster; mobile phone manufacturers rely on existing offline stores to deploy notebook computers, which can also allow consumers to understand and purchase new notebook computer products faster; mobile phone manufacturers have a large number of mobile phone users. Traditional computer manufacturers cannot do it.
Xu Qi also said that in recent years, consumers have shown increasing demand for upgrades in terms of speed, thinness, and high-definition display of notebook computers; in addition, mobile phone brands have accumulated a large number of users, with sales reaching 100 million units, which is further accelerating at this turning point. The ecological layout of the artificial intelligence Internet of Things is a good time to launch laptops.
Not only that, "The seamless connection of mobile phone and computer consumption scenarios is the strength and greatest advantage for mobile phone manufacturers to make computers." Zhang Yi said.
When the first Xiaomi laptop was released, Lei Jun, Chairman and CEO of Xiaomi, said that Xiaomi's notebook computers are largely required by Mi Fans, and the fundamental reason is that users need the integration of multiple smart hardware.
Ecological integration is also a core competence in Huawei's smart office scene.
Previously, Huawei’s multi-screen collaboration function has taken the first step in the ecological integration of computers, mobile phones, and tablets. Huawei’s latest mobile application engine allows people to open computers and play mobile phones, realizing computer application ecology and mobile applications. Deep integration of ecology.
"Apple mobile phones and Apple computers can be connected through the same ID account login, which raises Apple’s ecological barriers and has always been a benchmark for domestic mobile phone manufacturers. In addition, Huawei’s success in testing laptops from mobile phones has also helped other mobile phone manufacturers. The world made a good example of laptop computers." Wang Liping said.
Industry ushered in change
How are mobile phone manufacturers doing computers across borders?
From the market point of view, in addition to Apple, Huawei and Xiaomi are also outstanding.
For example, Huawei has entered the notebook computer market since 2016. According to a market statistics report in August 2020, Huawei's notebook computer market share has accounted for the second place in China, only lagging behind Lenovo.
From the perspective of product highlights, “Huawei laptops have functions such as full screens, pop-up cameras, and multi-screen collaboration; Xiaomi laptops simplify the classification and further reduce the price of thin and light notebooks; realme is geared towards young consumer groups. Design, heat dissipation performance, new cross-screen interconnection experience and color matching are outstanding." Wang Liping analyzed.
What do traditional computer manufacturers think about these new cross-border competitors?
In the second quarter of this year, Lenovo continued to be the world's largest personal computer manufacturer.
For the new entrants, Lenovo said this confirms that the computer is still a good track for high prosperity.
At the same time, Lenovo also stated that it has been deeply involved in the PC field for more than 30 years and has accumulated deep supply chain capabilities, intelligent manufacturing capabilities and product innovation capabilities. It will continue to improve the advanced nature of its products, combining technology accumulation in fields such as artificial intelligence and 5G. , To meet the more diverse personal computing needs of users in the post-epidemic era, and to consolidate and expand the industry's leading advantage.
In the areas of virtual reality, augmented reality, and foldable devices, Lenovo is also continuing to develop core technologies, exploring customer and industry needs for new generation computing devices, and continuously strengthening the "moat" of the smart device business.
From the perspective of market data, mobile phone manufacturers' cross-border computers are still mainly concentrated in the consumer field, and the business field is still the world of traditional computer manufacturers.
In this regard, Wang Liping analyzed that mobile phones are currently the most sophisticated products in mass consumer products. If high-end mobile phones can be manufactured, they can generally be used as laptops.
However, in the field of commercial computers with higher security and stability requirements, most mobile phone manufacturers still have a long way to go.
However, after decades of development, the traditional PC industry has ushered in changes, and is about to enter the era of full-scenario smart experience of device integration, interactive integration, and ecological integration.
In the face of such changes in the times, both cross-border mobile phone manufacturers and traditional computer manufacturers should seize the trend of changes in the times and follow the trend.