"Entrepreneur" magazine: Grand Brocade book Past Life

Wang Yu October 15 Two o'clock in the afternoon, Shanda Group's Grand Innovation Institute 4 Floor meeting Room, Kam Book Project Department's weekly meeting is underway.　　Sitting in the first row, is Bambook research and development, operation and other lines of the head. The first speaker was Cheng, the head of SDK development at the Kam Book software end. After a few minutes of reporting, a back-row member directly raised his hand and interrupted Cheng's speech, throwing a series of questions. "What interfaces does the API actually open?" How open? Is there encryption? Apparently, Cheng's report didn't satisfy him. "We have to design from the user level, not the technical level, this can not be delayed, the user is unable to afford."　　”　　...... Subsequently, the operation, data and other project team responsible for the last week of the summary.　　The participants at the Conference asked questions from time to time, nodding and even standing up for debate with the reporting people. The meeting has been on for 4 hours. Outside the window, the sky has been blacked. As an observer, the "entrepreneur" reporter couldn't help asking the big brother sitting next to him: "Is this a hardware product seminar?" How does it look like the planning of a game project? "Is there a difference?"　　The brother asked. In the eyes of the outside, Shanda group despite the creation of China's most valuable online game brand, but the hardware is the biggest heart knot. The "box" plan, which was a 2006-dollar project, wiped out 450 million of billions of dollars in investment.　　However, August 9, the grand formal launch of the "Kam Book" Electronic Reader, the beta, the market again for the sensation! Does the successful gaming company have the genes to make the hardware? Is this a premeditated project? What kind of strategy is behind it?　　A series of questions, put the Kam book to the cusp.　　The beginnings of the ebook Let's go back to the beginning of the whole story. December 2007, Shanda Group shares an original literature website: Jinjiang Original net. Jinjiang Original NET there was a product called Bleum ebook, the size of the pager, and the content of the website binding sales.　　This product features a single, the price is only 3,500 yuan, but got a good market response.　　This aroused the attention of the grand high-level. The second year of the two sessions, when the vice president of Sina Hou and Chen flyover meet Beijing, to discuss the establishment of grand literature.　　Hou clearly remember that period of "triple life Weekly" There is an Amazon E-book report, from the hardware to the model, two people for in-depth discussion, Hou Xiao Qiang vaguely feel the Chen Tianqiao hardware complex. At this time, the Royal Research Department has begun to move, they found that the market has two big problems. First of all, all e-books are the main cultural card, but the goal is the gift market, so that the product does not really serve the reader. Second, at that time all the e-books are very expensive, but the content is small, can not be networked, users can only find pirated to download.　　This formed a "buy people do not look, see people do not buy" cycle. From a foreign perspective, Amazon released its first generation of Kindle in November 2007, quickly out of stock. It has also boosted the confidence of the grand top: to make an electronicThe book "Model Products" to get through the soft, hardware, not only to read the people satisfied, but also to support the development of the grand literature. July 2008, the Grand literature was established, Hou as CEO.　　The ebook strategy was also formally presented at a high-level meeting, but no one has come up with a workable plan. Shanda Vice President Wang Jingying found the "box" project once the head of Amway Group, told her group want to do E-books, and a few words to describe the characteristics of the product.　　The Amway group then began research and soon submitted the 2008 hardware product plan, in which the group named the product "the starting book" and planned the parameters and appearance. In this but thousand words report, the beginning ebook is defined as can carry the beginning of the Chinese network library, it uses the electronic ink technology, the electronic information in people familiar with the "print" form display, the text image clearer, more suitable for the naked eye to read.　　The target cost is 1200 yuan.　　Due to the premature time, the E-book project was suspended, this situation continued until the end of 2008, the Grand Innovation Institute was established. The first prototype Grand Innovation Academy's function is to incubate new technology and new products, by Danian concurrently Dean, Amway Group and Guo Zhongxiang as Deputy Dean. The Institute of Innovation is relatively free, basically "do what you want to do".　　As a result, the stagnant E-book project was moved to the Innovation Institute, when the idea was "even if not a listed product, it is also good to play it yourself." February 2009, the success of the ebook project, began to advance in substance, Amway group full-time responsibility.　　Because there is not much hardware experience, so grand put the mature practices on the Internet moved to Kam Book, which makes Kam book from the bones into the internet gene. For example, when the ebook is still in the design frame stage, there is an interactive key, the reader Click this button, you can share the book to friends.　　Today, the interactive key evolved into a "menu key" of the book, "two children to read together" to show the interaction between people, and interaction is the basic essence of the Internet. The Amway group and her team have also created the concept of "firmware Upgrades", which is also the internet's idea of upgrading.　　For example, the CPU is 800MHz, and most of the products on the market are 400MHz, this for the future upgrade set up an interface, users only need to update the software part of the book, do not need to buy an upgraded version of the hardware equipment. In other respects, the Grand pass was "intact" moved to the Kam Book, the grand Literature cloud in the bookstore and the Jin book to achieve the docking. As for the Jin Book of the Beta, scheduled sales, celebrity Word-of-mouth marketing, as well as the follow-up will start the "push", are typical online game routines. "Shanda is an internet company, must be to use their most resources, to maximize their resources, which is one of our advantages."　　Wu Di, the market manager of Kam Book, explained. The project team has absorbed a lot of people who have been playing in hardware vendors. Kam Book screen in the lower right corner of aA five-way button that controls the page turn, which is a few millimeters in diameter, just to make the feeling more comfortable, the model has to go back and forth 4 times, including the upper corner is square or round, to be more prominent, with what color good-looking, "these details really quickly grinding people to death."　　"Kam Book hardware developer Zheng said. Even more let him collapse is the hardware to change later. Hardware pre-production and medium-term changes are not too big, but if the later changes will be very troublesome, because the shape of a component changes, will trigger the other parts of the shape of the adjustment, all the progress of at least one months delay. He felt strange and found Anli to say it.　　Amway Group also have no way, Kam Book is to be a boutique, to make most people satisfied, there is a bad place why not change it? Synchronized with the design, the software development of the Kam book was launched in March 2009. The project team found a factory in Tianjin to work on E-books, offering a suite of software, including the underlying hardware driver and the underlying operating system.　　Shanda executives require that e-books be based on the Internet's web OS architecture for future adjustments, so that the underlying software provided by the other side needs to be modified in many places. September 30, 2009 4 o'clock in the morning, Zheng got the first prototype of the Grand ebook. At 8 o ' Day the next morning he hurried to the Innovation Institute and handed the prototype to the Amway group. Amway Group took this prototype to participate in the October 14 opening of the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany.　　This ikan (love to see) of the Grand E-book debut immediately received high attention. But the Amway group deeply knew, this kind of prototype is far from the commercial difference, any use will step on a "mine", or simply panic. Fortunately, the prototype has a "recovery hole", similar to the computer restart key, it is not a poke. At that time, everyone in the project team had a straight paper clip ready for poking holes.　　Someone joked, said this hole can be bigger ah? After the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Grand E-book gradually switched the factory to the WA-da. With the joint efforts of both sides, the new prototype was brought in by the Anglo-Darcy in December 2009.　　After the end of 2009 years and the two rounds of trial production in March this year, the Grand ebook has solved the software and many other problems, the English name also in March according to the Orange Fruit Design company's program, identified as Bambook, Chinese name is determined as Kam book.　　No one dares to have a book?　　Kam Book seems to have everything, but there is a key problem has been lingering in the grand high-rise heart, is this hardware for who is to do, to provide partners or their own use? In fact, such a controversy in the grand high-level has lasted more than a year, Chen Flyover decided to convene a board discussion, all the grand executives to all.　　At the meeting, everyone said the reasons, the final vote, Hou and some senior executives have voted against, the discussion is still no result.　　So, Chen Tianqiao gave hou three months time, on the one hand strengthens the Brocade book Research and Development, on the one hand lets hou "oneself to do own matter". March 10, ShengThe big official release of the "One Man, one book," The Digital library strategy, everything seems to have a verdict. This is a large platform for connecting digital rights owners, E-book hardware vendors, users, and open cloud services. At the scene, Hou Qiang constantly stressed, do "one person, one book" Such a system of significance far more than to do a hardware.　　At this time of the grand mind to do for others dowry.　　At that time, the Jin book mainly shows the software and hardware, including the "overall E-book solution", Shanda hopes to provide this solution to the hardware manufacturers, so as to seamlessly integrate with the grand content.　　Hou even promised to the hardware vendors at the scene: Grand will for e-book hardware manufacturers, to provide a grand Innovation Institute with more than 1 years of research and development of the software system, to ensure that other e-book manufacturers can be different from the current, there is a solution to progress, you can comment online, the book you Buy to lend others to see and so on. At that time, Han Wang has successfully landed in the SME board, the Kindle's global sales are also soaring, which stimulated a lot of domestic hardware manufacturers are involved in the E-book industry, including the violet light so that the original is to do electronic products companies, but also in the technical force to do e-books.　　The grand congenital advantage lies in the content, especially the grand literature, which includes six original literature websites and four publishing companies, and constructs a more complete literature publishing industry chain, which will achieve complementary advantages if it can marry with hardware manufacturers.　　The vision looks so good, the reality is so cruel. After the press conference, the Grand Literary CEO Special Assistant Wang Hai personally led the country, they and almost all the domestic e-book manufacturers to negotiate, but did not expect to encounter the manufacturers of the collective cold.　　They found founder, the other party only sent a department manager to come out to receive; Again and again, let the Brocade book team to understand a truth: these manufacturers are in fact playing their own "small 99". "If I am bound with you, I will be contained, because the content in your hand, you can give me, you can not give me, how can you be assured?"　　"This is why Han Wang, Idiau these manufacturers are building their own bookstore." Such a result, unexpectedly, seems to be expected. "Since no one supports it, let's do it ourselves," he said.　　Chen finally made up his mind. A surprise war "low price occupy the market, content to retain users", this is the Chen to the Kam book to determine the strategic thinking. Therefore, pricing is a very central issue. Hou think should find the opponent, targeted pricing. At that time, the king of E-books priced at 3200 yuan, he proposed the use of the highest specifications of the hardware configuration of the Kam book should be lower than the same grade of products 20%.　　That period of time Chen overpass just leave, so we go down 20% this direction to do, but in the Jin book immediately announce the price, he came back, overturned the Hou proposal. At that time, the survey showed that the price of Kam book is less than 1500 yuan.acceptable. So, Hou proposed pricing 1499 yuan, did not expect Chen flyover directly "the decision" in the 998 yuan (this price for the inside price, the final sales price of 999 yuan). Newman then out of an ebook, in the CCTV advertising is 999 yuan, bridge brother's habit of shot will have shock force, so set a 998 yuan.　　"Shanda Literature project manager Zhou Yiming guesses. After the meeting, Hou Qiang still can not accept 998 yuan pricing, email to Chen, the proposal to raise to 1299 Yuan, Chen flyover did not waver.　　It turned out that the pricing was really lethal. How to build sales channels?　　Same twists. The first, Kam Book team in accordance with the traditional method of sales design a set of marketing programs, the entire target of about tens of millions of yuan, there are more than 10 4 a company bid.　　When Chen flyover returned from vacation, this road was completely discarded, "Do not go offline, all through the network direct sales." The accumulated experience of many years of operating games reflects value at this time.　　"Invitation code" and "Brush Machine" two game sales of important weapons are used to the Kam book sales. Royal official regulations, only to obtain the "invitation code" to participate in the beta, to each of the price of 998 yuan to obtain a brocade book. According to the original plan, the user application "invitation code" will continue from August 9 to August 18, planing to partner issued 1000 numbers, the official website will issue 2,500 "invitation code", the way is random extraction. But only after three days, by August 12, the number of applicants has exceeded the number of plans.　　Forced, the "invitation code" to stop the application to August 13, August 14 night 10 o'clock, all 2,500 users have been confirmed, only half of the time planned. At the same time, the Kam Book team designed the "brush machine" This unique link, the user's personal information into the Kam book, while the user in the cloud books in the city synchronization to the Brocade book.　　When the user gets the order of the Kam book, after the boot can read their own customized books, but the rules require the application users must hold a grand pass, and registration time has been full a year, in the Application day account balance shall not be less than 50 yuan. Can satisfy this kind of request only one kind of group, is the grand literature user. In addition, Kam Book and the grand Literature in the bookstore (formerly known as "Cloud Library") to achieve seamless docking, the cloud bookstore and the beginning of the Chinese web of the bookshelf is synchronized, the VIP section of the purchase is also synchronized, the user one to buy, both can be seen.　　Today, the bookstore has 162 million registered users, of which 13 million are paid users, they can easily "squeeze" 2,500 of the number of places. The user may use the Grand Top-up card to recharge the account in the Brocade book, but buys the payment content in the Brocade book, the price is slightly higher than the direct purchase on the net.　　This pricing strategy naturally prompts users to buy content on the Internet, such as the starting point, and then sync it to the Brocade book. All products, ultimately, people-oriented, Kam Book is still evolving, from August 9 to October, has solved 1509 bugs, according to user feedback to improve the order mode, to achieve on-demand subscription and other new features. During this period, the Kindle 3 was listed on August 25, selling unusually hot. The latest news is that the Kindle 3 already supports the Chinese environment and is named "Gold reading" and is preparing to sell in China.　　At the same time, many domestic e-book makers began to rethink the existing business model and focus on improving the content of the short board. "This is the time when the rain is coming," when the October 15 meeting draws to a close, danian the judgment of the industry, "The Grand Brocade book is not the spoiler, the Chinese hardware can not walk the old road of the cottage, we have to make a model out, prove that we go the path is right." "Before the end of October, all the people will move from Innovation Institute to the Peninsula Science and Technology Park, the first batch of the first hardware company Shell Electronics. It also marks the completion of the project hatch, the formal transfer to commercial operations.　　The name of the nutshell is based on a novel called "Guest" in Chinese online, which has a fictitious company called Shell Maneuver, specialized production machine A, the company president often said a word is "all products, ultimately people-oriented." In fiction, so will the shell electrons.