Gu Jia: Can the hammer phone really final?

May 20, 2014, Hammer Technology founder Luo with his hammer phone at the Beijing National Convention Center, like the world tells a craftsman about feelings, about the dream story.

The story was wonderful, the people who were there and many of the friends who later watched the video were deeply moved, including me, a loyal fan of old Luo.

I even wrote on the second day of the conference: "As president of the former English school, the controversy is conceivable when Mr Lo takes on an electronic consumer product with the role of CEO of a technology company." But despite being ridiculed and kept low, I have always thought that this spirit of craftsmanship, of dreams, of feeling and of not winning and losing, is admirable, a tribute to the hammer, and a tribute to the paranoid old. I will stand up for the old man and his hammer phone. ”

In the past less than two months, I think not only I, there are many touched by the hammer powder are excited, nervously waiting for the hammer phone official delivery, this is no more than the "fruit powder" expectations weak.

However, the worrying thing happened. July 5, the Lao Luo in micro-blog revealed that Hammer mobile phone Smartisan T1 on the first day of shipments will not exceed 1000, restricting the early shipments of the reason is "the current production line on the low yield." Iron Magnetic hammer powder since needless to say, everyone will forgive the old man's perfectionism. But this is not a commercial experiment, is really a real market fight, low supply capacity can really get everyone's understanding? I doubt it myself.

After a very painful but sensible thought, I would like to say two pertinent but not very pleasant words to the hammer cell phone and the old Luo:

1. Hammer cell phone is a good mobile phone, but not necessarily a good sell mobile phone.

Apple designers to join to let T1 "born noble", those intimate, meticulous, intriguing elegant design can indeed let people see the idealism of the Lao Luo thick sincerity, such as the exquisite dazzling UI and interactive, highly symmetrical product appearance, consider the use of the hands of the people's habits ... As a product appearance association with functional obsessive-compulsive disorder patients, it can be said that the "heart" of the product to my lethality is very large.

However, does Mr Lo really have the confidence that everyone can pay for this "feeling"?

I can't help but to make a comparative analysis of millet and hammer. Seriously analysis, the success of millet really such as Lei tell the story: "Focus, Ultimate, word-of-mouth and fast"? In fact, millet just caught the user pursuit of "cost-effective" psychology, let the Apple, Samsung male high-end market, into the midrange market, through the price and fan story constantly let all buyers feel that support millet is a correct decision.

Hammer T1 once launched immediately become "topic King", this aspect with the old "natural inspirational" speech talent, on the other hand presumably from the T1 "tall" pricing strategy. 16GB version of the Smartisan T1 Price is 3000 yuan, 32GB version price 3150 Yuan, and support 4G network T1 price is 3500 yuan (16GB) and 3650 Yuan (32GB), will be listed before the end of the year. More than 3,000 yuan price has become the biggest "slot point" of the hammer mobile phone, many netizens laugh to say "hammer mobile phone so expensive, I buy a hammer!" "Unless it is a one-time, this price is really hard to say is" the conscience of the industry.

In addition to the high price, the hammer phone another puzzling decision is for the 4G follow-up strategy, the old Luo said at the press conference: 4G In addition to watching the video does not have a significant advantage, but also causes the fuselage fever problem ... See here I have to say: Old Luo Ah, you really should do good homework! Domestic mobile market competition continues to intensify, China Mobile has been increasing 4G network construction promotion, many customers after a period of wait and see, have chosen a lower price, faster, better terminal 4G Network, a clear evidence is this May, China Mobile new users a solo show, China Unicom, China Telecom's mobile users continue to show a year-on-year slowdown, in particular, China Telecom net increase in the number of users is negative, the 3G half-life is approaching and 4G is rapidly expanding, and hammer phone must be all the treasure on the Unicom 3G above, the current three operators have received 4G license, and "China cool Joint" Mobile phone manufacturers continue to launch price is very competitive terminal products, China Mobile even launched the price of thousands of dollars in the five-mode smartphone, which can not help but make people hammer pinch a sweat.

2. Hammer phone carrying the craftsman's feelings and dreams, but can really "stand to make money" ability.

Whether it was a hammer ROM conference more than a year ago or a two-month-old hammer-phone launch, the word "feelings" always appeared in our sights. For a time, the industry on the "feelings" of the discussion. With heartfelt blessings, ignorant name-calling, contemptuous irony and sincere persuasion, it is hard to imagine how much pressure the old man has to bear.

But that's the way the world is. Don't pay for your dreams, nor do you feel sorry for your fledgling feelings. After all, this is a business in itself, and not much noble, nor much humble. Since it is a business, then please put away the poet that set of spring, take out "stand to make money" will and action.

The first question: Who else can speak for a hammer besides Lao Luo?

This seems to be a pseudo proposition, but it is also a real problem. As the founder of the hammer phone, Mr Lo is certainly a qualified spokesperson. Although he is so proud, but has a natural distortion of the position, in the domestic product launch, the good gag and occasionally flashes the "human light" of middle-aged men's unique speech style to ensure that the unique hammer phone has the first group of loyal fans, It is this group of people may be able to help hammer the first batch of mobile phones to ship smoothly, but then? After all, this is not one-time, users need not only a mobile phone, but also a good story to say. The old man's "feelings" label for the hammer phone was a success, but he had only one voice, and how to ensure that the sound had a wider coverage and a stronger penetration might be a problem. This need not only the old one, but also need to mobilize the strength of the vast number of fans, and even the organization to launch the "I for the hammer endorsement" activities, forming a resultant force, and then into the city.

The second question: Can the website order really meet the needs of all users? Who controls the sales channels?

From the channel to see, hammer Phone no millet snapped up, there is no seconds to kill such gimmicks, the official website is the only way to book the purchase, the author after the actual operation, to book a hammer phone still need to advance 300 yuan deposit, how to protect the popularity and sales is indeed a test. Although the old repeatedly stressed that the hammer does not sell cost-effective, "uncompromising" nature is an attitude, but the market is brutal, as a consumer electronics, the importance of the channel is self-evident. Even if the short-term can meet the needs of some hardcore fans, but in the long run, a single channel will become a key bottleneck in hammer sales. To high sales, in addition to targeted development of channel partners, and operators to cooperate is also a good choice. At present, three operators are in the period of the great development of 4G, with a high-end terminal products open the situation is very reliable, five-mode ten-frequency 4G terminals, the lack of a variety of high-end products, this is precisely an opportunity, the hammer should follow up as soon as possible, lest by other manufacturers accounted for the first step.

The third question: How to protect the after-sales service of hammer phone?

Despite the very intimate preparation of the shell insurance for the hammer powder, Lao Luo but the problem of smartphone players is not only "broken" this kind of situation, as the first generation of products, no matter what kind of perfectionism will inevitably face all kinds of strange after-sale problems, and playing "feelings" brand of the old man has kidnapped himself "must be perfect" On the moral cross, even the "brain residue" is able to tolerate the imperfections of its first generation of hammers, and it does not guarantee that all users will be able to turn a blind eye to all problems, including accessories and software. Or the words, cooperation is the proper path. As an "industry conscience" of the English language training community, the outstanding performance of the English language organization in the area of customer service is beyond doubt, but in distributed systems, hammer technology is clearly unable to provide users with localized services in the short term. Therefore, find a reliable partner (with a wide range of channels and mobile phone sales experience, etc.) is the current hammer more reliable choice, the low price of millet at least to its defects left behind, and 3000 Yuan + hammer phone will not have the opportunity to be forgiven.

As a middle-aged man who flashes the light of human nature, he is certainly quite successful. From old sayings to Bullog nets, from English schools to hammer phones, the old man played his charisma to the extreme, and so he had a lot of fans.

As one of the main "feelings" of the entrepreneur, Lao Luo again appear some "untimely". Huang Taigi, Ma Jiajia, carving ye brisket ... Mobile internet age, sentiment consumption has already become the mainstream, the first can be unconventional, the second can be the pursuit of innovation, can be the third four, feelings may become the street casually "weigh two pounds" things.

Finally, as a "Luo powder", I still have to say: like the old Luo such obsession with the product is not much, whether the hammer phone can be successful, no matter how many people ridicule the idealism of old, this "I am not to win or lose, I am serious" the strength is worthy of respect.

Bless Lao Luo, bless hammer phone!

Let's wait and see.