Qihoo 360 Ning: Router "has been stopped" system misreading

Recently there was a message to the effect that Zhou in a public situation, "the router product is not done, the project is going to stop." "But the truth may not be so.

Ning, the head of the 360 router, talked about the topic, apparently he was a little agitated and thought it was misread. So we talked about the progress and consideration of their project.

1, is it misinformation?

Ning said Zhou said for misinformation, mentioned two keywords, "sense of crisis" and "severity amplification." That is, Zhou is in an Internet product officer sharing activities, referred to the router this project, and magnified the project is now developing a sense of crisis and the seriousness of the problem, let people think that 360 to stop the router this project.

After understanding the following, I get the message that this misinformation is mainly 2 points:

First, Zhou that the router this product, if not up to the established strategic objectives, will consider to stop, rather than has stopped or immediately stopped.

Two, 360 routers now this is the first generation of products, there are some deficiencies in product planning, may stop the product, push the second generation of products, rather than stop the router this plan.

2. Problems and Solutions

Clearly, Zhou is currently dissatisfied with the progress of the 360 router project. What's the problem? Finally, Zhou that the router's team is still making hardware from the logic of traditional Internet software products.

Software is available to users free of charge and constantly iterative improvement, the cost of late upgrade is very low. But do hardware, many aspects of the front if not considered well, the cost of later improvements will be very high, such as in the end to retain a few LAN network port, modify a hardware mold may be 2-3 months past.

The solution to this, Ning think is to use some of the hardware methodology, in short is to do homework in advance, do more user research and analysis. For example, user research, product usability analysis (including the user's use of the product performance, improve efficiency, and the use of the process of emotional pleasure), satisfaction research and so on. They call it ued (user experience design).

3, 360 route will do

Now 360 of the router project is in the form of Small Business department, by Zhou Direct leadership in doing, the internal strategic position is very high, no less than the search, the team has more than 50 people.

Router This product will do, is to make a single product or platform? Ning said that the direction of the 360 router is to develop a single product platform, the core is security. First do the security of the router, and then in the entire intelligent hardware ecological chain, play the role of security escort.

Router to do the platform, the purpose is certainly in the smart home this ring, but now 360 routers in this connection is still very little, Ning think their idea is a problem solved. At present, the most fundamental thing is to solve the problem of security, intelligence is the next stage to do.

Routers need some security precautions that are necessary, such as scratch nets, but where does smart hardware need to be secure? Ning cited a typical example of a smart camera that, if controlled, would be a serious privacy leak.

4, a generation of products continue to sell

Now, 360 routers are 149 yuan in the price of sales, the beginning had a price of 99 yuan sold for a while, Zhou said the cost as high as 220 yuan, but the user is not aware of, which is also mentioned earlier in his speech to mention a point.

About sales, Ning said now is good, from May 6 to May 20, the first sale, and then made a 5~6 time to buy, the cumulative volume of shipments has nearly 100,000 units.

"Shipments if more than 1 million units, in accordance with the price of 149 yuan, can make money." Ning said, the volume sales need to the end of this year.

5, the second generation of product positioning downward

On the one hand, in the reflection of a generation of product issues, on the other hand, 360 has begun the second generation of router product development.

360 of the second generation of products will be lowered positioning, "but still a medium-high level of hardware standards." "Ning said. Obviously, on the one hand they want to take the popular route, on the other hand, they do not want to bear such pressure on the cost as a generation of products.

The first generation of products will continue to iterate over the evening and go in a more geek direction.

8, smart home How to cut

Any internet giant involved in intelligent routing has an intelligent home dream in mind. 360 Although repeatedly talking about security, the ultimate goal is inseparable from intelligent home. But now their pace is slow, in saying, first do safety, then do smart ...

How long is this safe period? Ning said, "We are rather anxious, but we can't hurry." He mentioned judging this stage, mainly to see three points:

One is the whole industry to first of their own direction to do a good job, according to Zhou, did not think clearly things, do not do first, do think clearly things. Second, the environment is mature. Third, users to upgrade, to accept intelligent home, innovative hardware products, and slowly cultivate demand.

In such cases, 360 will have some progress this year, including attempts with entrepreneurs and traditional home appliance manufacturers to choose the products they want to deploy and purchase at the lowest cost.

Epilogue: Misinformation and thinking

By discussing Zhou's view of the router project, I see more 360 of the smart router as a representative of the intelligent hardware products of some reflection. Highlights include:

• Do not use traditional Internet product thinking to do hardware, early homework to do enough.

• Smart hardware products cannot be invested too high at the beginning.

• Need to select the user deployment and purchase the lowest cost of the product cut.

• The current turmoil and bubble period, what needs to be done is to make market segments, waiting for the actual outbreak.

• Intelligent hardware and intelligent home mature is the actual users, markets, products, services are in place when the real outbreak.