When can intelligent hardware fire up?

Ji Jiapeng newspaper reporter Shenzhen, Beijing

When can intelligent hardware fire up? This is probably the most difficult question for IT industry right now.

Recently, millet launched 79 yuan smart bracelet, and Lenovo also launched the Internet business platform and released the platform "hatch" the first three innovative products: smart glasses, smart router and smart air purifier. Into the giant, a time the concept of intelligent hardware was pushed to the top of the heat wave again.

The rise of the last wave of mobile Internet, entrepreneurial environment is also constantly improving, all companies want to follow this wave of waves, with a "card bit" and capture the psychological hot spots, one after another to kill. A lot of real money pound down, but no matter for investors or entrepreneurs, the so-called "explosion" when can appear, when the market can mature, we do not mind the bottom.

CEO named Zhang You, an intelligent hardware distribution platform CEO, told 21st Century Business Herald last year that there were about 200 smart hardware products on the platform last year, only half of this year. This number has increased by 5-6 times.

Intelligent hardware will be the next wave, but why the current domestic has not yet really touched the hearts of the product? According to a survey by 21st Century Economic Reporter, the industry chain is not yet ripe, and the contradictions between entrepreneurs and the supply chain are all outstanding issues nowadays. .

At present, Shenzhen and Beijing are staging smart city's "Twins". Entrepreneurs in these two places have different knowledge backgrounds, different strengths and different problems encountered, but who can win the first place in the end?

The entire market, it seems, is still waiting for the maturity of the industrial chain, but also waiting for a real explosion point.

Brutal industrial chain period

In Huaqiang North, the smelly size sellers are already selling smart hardware, including smartwatches, wristbands and other products that measure various signs of data. Huaqiang North SEDA electronics market even opened a "wearable equipment zone", is currently attracting investment, and introduced the "first three months free rent" benefits.

However, according to a 21st-century economic report on-the-spot survey found that this area has about 20 counters, but settled only five or six vendors, the entire area of ​​the door. The overall product is very rough, the electronics market is still mainly selling mobile phone and tablet PC, when asked whether there is a smart watch for sale, the seller took out the product from the warehouse.

"Few people ask, it is difficult to sell, so the cupboard or put a cell phone." Some sellers told reporters that some colleagues will boast that every day to sell hundreds of smart watches, or foreigners came big book, but in fact, basically Are bragging.

As a Huaqiang North channel merchant who touches consumers every day, to some extent they reflect the market's reaction and demand. There are a lot of reports on smart hardware online right now, but they are still reluctant to invest. Most are just a few small attempts to chase the tide, or because of the business dealings with original foundries, Show at the counter

There are many original foundries in Shenzhen have been moved to Dongguan, these factories are basically the original production of mobile phones or tablet, and they also received a small number of smart hardware orders. "This part of the list of the overall share of the total can basically be ignored." A founding manager told reporters that if the market did not see a lot of fly products, in fact, reflects the industry chain problems.

Since the rise of smartphones, the entire industry chain is changing. In the past, traditional hardware devices were manufactured. From the beginning of the chip to the large-scale Design House, the basic hardware and software solutions were realized. Then OEMs and ODMs manufactured the products and finally sold the products to consumers More strong involvement of vendors.

"And now intelligent hardware is the stage of flourishing, powerful manufacturers relatively less access, and intelligent hardware is a variety of things intelligent, doing things may be tens of thousands, making the current business venture Who flowering everywhere. "The foundry responsible person told reporters, unless you see the product may be sold to the possibility, or will not casually orders. "If this time the product came out, but can not sell, foundries will be at risk."

Throughout the current "Hundred Flowers" intelligent hardware products can be broadly divided into four kinds: one is in the traditional home appliances or electronic products to improve the product, such as smart audio, smart router, etc .; the second is based on the handset industry chain Improve, do mobile phone terminal extension, including smart bracelets, smart watches, some smart watches with relative independence; third is by virtue of their own hardware technology, independent development of hardware products, and often this type of product market On the fourth is based on the needs of users creatively introduced a product concept, but still in the concept stage.

This industry chain, it seems, has not yet met the development needs of this industry.

Complex upstream supply chain

In July of this year, hammer cell phone founder Law Wing-ho published a "tearful" announcement that he had encountered supply chain problems, including "product line run-in," "unskilled workers working on new model assembly operations," and "initial supply of materials Unstable "," quality control standards are not completely unified "and other complicated factors.

This situation is almost commonplace in the smart hardware industry. The end of last year, the production of smart watches TURMAN also encountered the issue of product bouncing. TURMAN watches claimed 18,998 bookings in 14 hours, originally scheduled for November 11, but due to supply chain problems, TURMUM issued the first 500 test programs until December 22 machine.

Turumman VP in charge of supply chain Blue Xiaodan told reporters that before the reason Tuomai bounce tickets want to make a perfect surface of the watch, but encountered some specific problems. "First of all, the screen and the bezel need to be bent from a flat surface. The plastic bezel will make a rebound. If the metal does not match the design we want, the quality of the product satisfaction."

In fact, there are two kinds of domestic smart hardware developers, one is the background of Internet companies have a good idea to get involved in intelligent hardware; the other is a hardware company background, in accordance with the reality of their own hardware technology Out to do the product. "Based on the geographical background of the two places in Beijing and Shenzhen, the two developers basically each share half," Zhang said to reporters.

And for the developers of Internet companies, the biggest headache now is the opaque supply chain.

A domestic developer once gave the product to Foxconn foundry, but finally encountered the problem of capacity bouncing. "Foxconn has accepted a project, in fact, the high level will be highly valued, also said they will use their most stringent standards and processes to do." The developers said the problem is that the underlying executives do not think so, they just get paid On the line, it is difficult to do the most stringent standards of products.

"There are a lot of developers who think I'm going to Foxconn and they are all going to help me, in fact, not at all." The above-mentioned entrepreneurs say how often the grass-roots workers are inert.

For example, there are many standards for the manufacturing of the electronics industry. If the customer does not have a contractual limit, the foundry will naturally produce it according to the simplest criteria. "For example, a USB port, if I did not ask the foundry how many times this interface should be plugged in, the foundry would use the lowest standards," the developer complained.

"For foundries, they make a small profit primarily from manufacturing, and they've invested a lot of mold and other costs to make it hard for them to be as innovative as the Internet." Zhu Jizhi, 3db's hardware founder, said that for those who have Venture capital into the Internet business, innovation failed to have money burning, but for the foundry, let them easily modify the basic equipment impossible, unless there is such a big Apple orders.

In particular, large foundries such as Foxconn, all of which are built on Apple, Samsung and former Nokia, are not necessarily small factories, and the system may react more slowly. Zhu Jizhi said that this phenomenon is actually a matter of manpower management.

In addition, entrepreneurs and suppliers will have many problems docking. This reporter learned that, sometimes some of the bottom of the major suppliers have rent-seeking potential, the key components often appear because of some factors out of stock, so that developers are greatly hindered.

And if the components bought fake or have quality problems, small entrepreneurs can only think bad luck, suppliers will have staff costs and communication costs, it is difficult to directly help some small entrepreneurs to solve specific problems. "And these problems can not be solved without money."

Some developers said that many domestic mobile phone manufacturers will use the shell of a certain brand manufacturers, but because of the supply chain experience so they circumvent the brand. "Because of the constant turmoil at the top of the brand, they have supply problems, and from this example, you can see how complex the supply chain industry itself is."

"Lab Products"

However, in the eyes of upstream supply chain practitioners, they are only responsible for manufacturing and have no responsibility and cost to undertake all kinds of "weird" needs of entrepreneurs.

The head of the foundry in Dongguan told 21st Century Business Herald reporters that they often receive orders from some companies and demand the production of "laboratory products."

"There was a government agency that found us wanting to make a product that would function to monitor some suspects in the size of a button battery and be hard to find and easy to recycle," said the source, though the price Talking, but refused to go to this product with the average skill level of the current industry.

Viano, another foundry in Dongguan, has now received a list of smartwatches from a subsidiary of a carrier. However, the manufacturing costs are very high due to the low yield of the first version of their product from their factory.

Takamatsu, vice president of Viano said Viano, the production process, the layout of a standard production line, then the second copy of the third production line, the general will encounter problems. "Now that the second version of this product, at the beginning of the design, the factory and the customer started the technical exchange and the product was in production."

Cogobuy director of city development Zhu Dan Kwai on the 21st Century Business Herald reporter said he had come into contact with many entrepreneurs who will encounter supply chain problems. For example, an entrepreneur producing smart audio, docking with the supply chain when a variety of conditions.

"Sound is actually a relatively simple product, after all, the original industry has been relatively mature, developers think they only make the software is easy, and audio manufacturers are also very happy to receive this list." Zhu Dan Kwai said that because the audio manufacturers do not Had done this kind of hardware, therefore started to receive about 100,000 development expenses.

In fact, Internet entrepreneurs in the Internet product development that set of ideas is not suitable for hardware: Internet products are generally the first to have an idea, as the industry changes in the evolution of ideas on the Internet products only need to iteratively upgrade the version , And sometimes the pursuit of fast, because if this product is not novel enough, it is difficult for consumers to pay. But in the hardware, this kind of thinking does not apply.

"Developers who receive different kinds of information from the market or prospective customers think that some functions are not sold at all and that functions such as voice control can be more than just software changes." Zhutang Kwai said the startup team looked for audio manufacturers Exchange, but manufacturers need to modify the product mold and recruit new engineers need development costs, time and again this exchange, manufacturers simply do not do it.

In fact, the supply chain problem solving, the human factor is more prominent. "Later, the team found someone who knew the hardware, and finally solved the problem," said Zhu Dan-kui.

Even large companies such as Apple will encounter supply chain problems, the key is the ability of entrepreneurs to solve problems, and these problems can not be solved by a formula. For Internet entrepreneurs, the lack of hardware industry background is its biggest shortcomings, such as mobile phones, the normal industry yield is normal, but three thousandths of companies do not understand the supply chain standards and even signed with the factory to allow 1% Rate list, this time they are not aware of the problem.

Lan Xiaodian told reporters that after the earthman bouncing part of the reason is the supply chain management deficiencies, she believes that all companies should have their own professional supply chain evaluation and control, and later Tu Man learn from, to understand the supply chain Professionals to manage all the standards of foundry products.

"It is best for entrepreneurs not to pin their hopes on any innovation in the industry chain, which is the safest to use a standard, cheap and mature supply chain and a factory with sufficient capacity," Zhu Jizhi told reporters. However, some Entrepreneurship team, professionals need to understand the hardware before we know whether the required components have been mass production, whether through simple channels to buy. Without this type of talent, it is difficult to get this information.

Wang Chih-tsung, general manager of Intel's China business unit, believes that innovation can not be too far focused on the supply chain partners' ability to work at the border because you are small in size and not a multi-billion-dollar company that can develop a single product. "If it were not for such a company, you might have to choose a partner in the supply chain as it already has, guaranteeing what you're demonstrating with this innovative capability."

Technology budding period

Lack of control over the supply chain and understanding of the hardware, the problem occurs in Internet companies generally; and entrepreneurs in Shenzhen, many are from some Design House or foundry out of people, have the technology or production capacity, although they are in supply Chain management less problems, but the product is difficult to make people shines. Such as the reporter saw the smart watch in Huaqiang North, a lot of product design and electronic design 20 years ago in Japan is not much difference.

Takamatsu told reporters in the 21st Century Business Herald that at present many smart watches bracelets are just a decoration, no way to become a necessity on the life. They receive an order from an operator's subsidiary because the company first positioned itself as an anti-loss feature for the elderly and children, and sold through the channel at the operator's store, predicting the future after it was put into operation.

In fact, the current hardware level can not even fully meet the "smartness" of many smart hardware products, so it is far from satisfying the needs of users.

There are two main factors that determine the functional direction of smart hardware: the chip and the operating system. Currently in the choice of chips, many smart hardware vendors chose Beijing Jun Zheng, as well as MediaTek's MTK2502, and Intel and Qualcomm chips in this area are in preparation for the market stage. If there is no great demand for power consumption, such as smart home products, there is still room for choice, but the wearable device requires very low power consumption and small size, this chip is still very small.

The operating system level, although Google introduced the Google Wear system, but at present there is no open. General manufacturers are using Android operating system to do their own optimization, such as without the camera on the operating system cut off this part of the module.

In addition, Song Jiqiang, director of Intel Intelligent Internet Innovation Research Center, believes that the chip manufacturers can not cover the functions in many fields from the beginning, and the middle one needs to add a layer of module design suppliers. However, large Design House will not do too many types of modules, some small and medium enterprises need to design different types of modules to adapt to a particular application function. However, these small and medium-sized companies are still few and need more to meet different product needs.

However, even if some companies want to understand the needs of users, but why do we never see the outbreak? Wangzhi Cong believes that from the hardware technology point of view, the most important issue is the sensor is too single.

Wang Chih-tsung said that, for example, in the field of medical sensors, the body without any trauma, the body surface measurement signal is very weak, the sensor requires a very precise interpolation circuit, the noise in the circuit filter out, and then turn After the digital signal processing, the cost of this sensor is relatively high. "Before this type of sensor is mainly provided to the hospital to do the instrument, this magnitude does not come, not as ordinary consumer electronics." Wang Zhicong told reporters.

According to the reporter's personal experience, many smart pedometers, smart blood pressure meter, there is also the problem of measurement accuracy is not accurate enough.

Zhu Jizhi said that the user experience involves human perception, and the accuracy of the data is only a reliable value-added service. "This is like operators need to make voice calls in order to provide other value-added services."

Wangzhi Cong said that in addition to sensors, there are many things that smart hardware needs to break through, such as the system's industrial design, functional design and so on. "Consumers have a strong emotional appearance of the product, I think the traditional hardware design engineers must be integrated with a product design and functionality of the appearance of a combination of companies, so as to be able to present a real Charming product. "

In addition, the reporter learned that the current battery, screen and other upstream hardware technology breakthrough is still in the experimental stage, yet not fully meet the intelligent hardware endurance and a variety of appearance design.

(Reporter sliding Mingfei also contributed to this article)