On the market logic of Nokia pushing cheap mobile phones

After Nokia's mobile phone business was acquired by Microsoft, speculation was that the product line of its functional handsets and low-end handsets would be canceled, but the speculation was inaccurate. Microsoft has recently launched a 25-dollar base handset, targeting emerging market countries such as China's rural areas. In the words of Hello, vice president of mobile phone business, there are still more than 1 billion people in the world who are not using mobile phones, and the market for cheap handsets is still very large. This reminds me of a famous child with a laptop project. As the leader of the project, Professor Negroponte of MIT came to China a while ago, and, as he walked gracefully on the podium, leisurely tunneling through the grand vision of connecting the last 1 billion Internet users, frankly, compared to the past prophet of God, Today's professor is more like a man who earns his living by selling his ideals. The last time Professor Nicholas came to China, or for one of his children, a laptop project, he argued that China, as a developing country, did not participate in the project in a somewhat inappropriate way, and that in China many rural areas were lagging behind, where children needed to get a laptop computer. Unfortunately, these rhetoric did not impress our relevant leaders, although China is rich in oil, but 100 million of dollars of support funds is not a small number. Later, Professor Nicholas went to a country in Africa with 200 notebooks supported by Microsoft, and after visiting the local countryside, things changed. Because the children there all face black muscle thin, rags, even the basic food and clothing problems are not solved, it is necessary for everyone to have a laptop? So Professor Romney decided to start with the basic needs of the children. This is the case in remote areas of China. Unfortunately, Professor Nicholas has come to China many times and has not personally run a trip to China's countryside. Say back to the phone. Now, the global smartphone market, after a round of mania, has become saturated, and even began to decline, but the basic function of the Low-cost mobile phone market has steadily risen. Most of these new users come from underdeveloped areas of the developing world, and prices are still the primary factor in deciding whether or not to buy a mobile phone. I think the handset manufacturers really should aim at this part of the market, that is, the more than 1 billion of people who do not use mobile phones. Rather than in the intelligent, high-end road farther and further away. Microsoft, or Nokia, has not given up the business of cheap basic handsets, which I think is a sensible and respectable decision. For the rest of the more than 1 billion who are still on the poverty line, the intelligence of mobile phones is not really important to them, it is important to buy a mobile phone that can meet the basic needs of the call. As for children in Africa, there is no one artifact of the laptop is really unimportant, it is important to first solve the problem of eating the last meal. In addition to the poor areas mentioned above, I think the mobile phone in the following areas there are considerable market gaps, and to fill these gaps, low-cost basic mobile phones will become the main force。 1. Spare cell phone. Although the smartphone satisfies many people's demand, but also has the shortcoming which cannot compare with the basic handset. For example, the standby time is short, the screen is fragile, the system is unstable and so on, and basic mobile phones just make up for these deficiencies. Therefore, the base phone as a smartphone standby machine is becoming a choice for many people. 2, low age crowd. Such groups include children who do not yet have the ability to use smartphones, such as kindergartens and juniors, because parents are increasingly in need of access to children at any time. It also includes minors who have the ability to operate smartphones, but are not allowed to use smartphones by the Guardian because of concerns about the impact of smartphones on their children's schooling. In addition, the main reason why younger people become the market for cheap mobile phones is that they do not have an independent source of income. 3, the elderly people. The demand for mobile internet for the elderly is not high, on the contrary, the call quality and cost-effective requirements are high, so cheap basic mobile phones will become their first choice. This is due to the elderly's eyesight and hearing and other physical causes, on the other hand, because the current elderly population majority does not have enough experience in intelligent products, operation will be difficult. For those more than 1 billion people who have not yet used their mobile phones, less is more, and the basic communication function is almost all that is needed. When we talk about how interesting a mobile app is, when all the handset makers are moving toward smart and high-end markets, there are more than 1 billion of people in the world who don't know what a phone is really sad about. The third science and technology revolution contains three times, the interconnection of people is the second time, and now not fully realized, and we have begun to openly talk about the interconnection of things and things. Professor Romney's connection to the last 1 billion Internet users Grand vision sounds good, but it just sounds, and Nokia is doing just that. The key to connecting the word is to connect it in the most basic and inexpensive way, rather than just letting these people use smartphones. If so, he was guilty of a mistake made by Professor Nicholas in a laptop project for a child. In the final analysis, the noble ideal will ultimately be achieved by grounding gas.