2014MWC: Cheap smart machines are the main characters

The mobile phone industry is at the crossroads of development and faces many problems, but the immediate question is how to persuade the remaining billions of of users living in India, Indonesia, Africa and South America to upgrade to smartphones. As smartphones become cheaper, everyone sees these emerging markets as a huge potential for development. On this basis, the real protagonist of the World Mobile Communications Conference (Congress), which opened in Sunday, will be the cheap smartphone product. In addition to Apple's mobile phone manufacturers in the introduction of Low-cost smartphones, although the previous Apple iphone 5C has been predicted by many people will be a product for the low-end market, but the end result is hard to conceal disappointment. The World Conference on Mobile communications has not always been Apple's favorite stage, and this year, as usual, Apple will not exhibit. Apple's absence will not dim the show, as evidenced by the announcement by Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. In his speech, Zuckerberg will certainly talk a lot about how Facebook attaches importance to the mobile side and advocates itself as a mobile priority company. How to win the emerging world mobile market will probably be Mr Zuckerberg's most asked question at this show, when the WhatsApp topic has yet to cool. Zuckerberg may mention Internet.org, which is dedicated to promoting the spread of the internet around the world. WhatsApp says it has 500 million users, but most of them are in North America. In the coming years, the prospect of a smartphone boom in emerging markets is a great opportunity for Facebook, and perhaps Zuckerberg will give Facebook a chance to make a crime. In addition, smart phones in the development of emerging markets will also encounter the problem of tariffs. Facebook may also be able to help with this. Facebook has reached a deal with wireless carriers to ensure that users are able to spend at low cost or free access to their services. This type of agreement may be further promoted, perhaps in the future WhatsApp will be able to enjoy the same treatment. On the hardware front, handset makers have been offering low-cost products to cater to emerging markets in recent years. However, this time it may be truly effective. The so-called high-end market development has now stalled, it is difficult to further. In addition, the high-end Android smart machine innovation is not very much the same version. The focus on low-end smartphones is now unprecedented. Lenovo has announced the acquisition of Motorola, but the two companies that have not yet been integrated will still offer different products to attract consumers. At the same time, Huawei, ZTE, LG and Nokia will each showcase their upcoming global launch of Low-cost handsets. Chasing low end markets is good for some products but bad for some products. Large-screen mobile phones may encounter development bottlenecks. Last year, the development of large-screen mobile phones exploded and was favored by consumers, but the increase in the display willThe cost increases and the likelihood of damage is increasing. This is not attractive to emerging markets. Although the development of the super big screen handset will slow down, but other type handset will usher in the development opportunity. Silent Circle and Geeksphone have teamed up to launch a new mobile phone called "Blackphone", claiming to have more privacy and security than other similar products, as fears about being monitored by agencies such as the NSA are growing. Although the phone can ensure the security of information, and whether this is a sensational marketing tool, it is not yet conclusive. However, you can be sure that phone security performance will be a necessary feature of future mobile phone products. The World Conference on Mobile communications may give an answer in the next few days as to when consumers of functional mobile phones can be upgraded to smartphones. One thing is for sure, though, is that Apple is not doing anything to help.