iPhone SE and iPhone 6S are easy to refurbish: Apple needs to reflect

Hong Kong media recently pointed out that many stores in Shenzhen Huaqiangbei refurbish old iPhone 5s models according to customer needs and disguise them as iPhone SE, and the cost is cheap. Many communication cities or shopping malls in Shenzhen Huaqiangbei claim to buy old iPhone 5 and 5s models at high prices. Some of the iPhone 5s may be used as raw materials for refurbishing fake iPhone SE.

According to data, there are at least tens of thousands of people engaged in mobile phone refurbishment in Shenzhen, and refurbished iPhones are undoubtedly the most popular among them. Their specific method is to first separate the screen and body of the recycled second-hand Apple, then clean the motherboard, remove dust, replace parts, spray oil, replace the shell, and then add accessories, packaging, add imitation manuals, make labels, and finally make an iPhone that looks almost exactly like the original phone.

The reason why iPhone SE has become a hot item for refurbishment in Huaqiangbei is that, if you look at its configuration, it has a very high cost-effectiveness, but in terms of appearance, more people think it is just an "upgraded version of iPhone 5s." Previously, someone abroad used an iPhone 5s as an iPhone SE for street testing, and 80% of people believed that it was an "iPhone SE." Therefore, refurbishment does not require too much technical content, which provides extremely convenient conditions for Huaqiangbei's copycat manufacturers to transform old models.

We know that the same thing happened to iPhone 6s. As early as last year, before the iPhone 6s was launched on the market, in major communication markets in Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen, as soon as the iPhone 6s came out, many rose gold iPhone cases for refurbishing the iPhone 6s had already been wholesaled to the counters of merchants.

Secondly, the refurbishment cost is low. According to Hong Kong media observations, when a customer asks a store to refurbish an iPhone, the store only needs to use an iPhone 5/5s as the body and use laser technology to engrave the word SE on the shell of a brand new copycat phone. The processing fee is only about 60 yuan, and a brand new "iPhone SE" is ready.

In fact, there are many subtle differences between iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5/5s and iPhone SE, such as the edges of the body, hardware configuration and serial number query, but it is difficult for ordinary people to distinguish them. For high-quality imitation iPhones, the easiest way to verify the authenticity is to check the iPhone's mobile phone serial number, that is, the IMEI code on the back of the iPhone. This identification information is the identity information of the phone, but this mobile phone ID card can also be forged. In Shenzhen Huaqiangbei, many merchants have prepared such templates for Apple's new products in advance and can be coded at any time. This undoubtedly makes it more difficult for users to identify refurbished phones.

We know that the refurbishment of old Apple phones by refurbishment manufacturers not only involves the appearance, but also the internal accessories, such as batteries, screens, brackets, cables, back covers, etc. In Shenzhen, the refurbishment of these parts and accessories is almost an assembly line production.

According to an industry insider, this type of refurbishment is nothing more than grinding away the data storage kit on the motherboard with a machine, welding back the normally usable kit, replacing some of the more worn parts, refurbishing it, and then selling it again.

Judging from the process of producing refurbished phones, Apple should reflect on its own software and hardware innovation mechanisms, accessory authentication mechanisms, channel control mechanisms for selling used phones, and appearance innovation methods.

As we know, Apple launched a project called MFi ("Made for iOS") as early as 2011, which means that manufacturers must obtain MFi certification authorization before they can produce accessories, and accessory manufacturers that have not obtained Apple certification will be restricted by the certification chip. Third-party accessory manufacturers must join Apple's MFi project, sign an agreement and pay the MFi licensing fee, and Apple has also obtained a high profit share (20%~25%).

Apple will assign a specific serial number to these accessory manufacturers, which includes a specific authentication chip. But at the same time, the authentication chip can be copied, but once copied, Apple will be able to disable unauthorized accessory products through software updates.

But if we use our imaginations a little, can this idea of ​​authorized accessories certification mechanism also be used to deal with a large number of high-end imitation and refurbished machines?

This kind of refurbished machine may cause many components on the motherboard to be damaged or cause cold solder joints due to high temperature welding, which also leads to unstable performance, which is a great harm to the interests of users. Therefore, Apple's subsequent prevention mechanism for refurbished machines can start with the welding and disassembly of parts and launch a certification mechanism, which is undoubtedly an idea.

For example, if we can match a set of technical authentication mechanisms through technological innovation and optimization of software and hardware, such as implementing a chip authentication mechanism for the disassembly and re-soldering of key iPhone components, once the internal components are disassembled and re-soldered, the phone may become unusable. If it needs to be cracked, the owner's fingerprint authentication is required or the authentication authorization must be resubmitted through Apple's iOS-related channels before the software can be used again or updated.

In addition, refurbished phones are all activated, and the official website will have activation records. Can Apple set up an official certification mechanism for secondary sales of activated phones? Of course, it is difficult to say whether these innovative mechanisms can be realized in terms of technology and feasibility, but Apple should carry out software and hardware integration innovation and institutional innovation based on the idea of ​​ensuring user interests and safety. These are Apple's selling points for improving its brand and security.

It can also be seen that Apple has not done enough to control the strength and flow of e-commerce channels and second-hand iPhone recycling channels. We know that Apple will officially recycle its own mobile phones. According to data, after old iPhones are recycled through legitimate channels, 20% will be bought by insurance companies in the United States, and the remaining 80% will flow into Hong Kong for auction.

The source of refurbished phones is usually American, Hong Kong or Japanese versions, and many of the buyers who bid for them from Hong Kong auction houses are from the mainland, and most of the mainland buyers come from Huaqiangbei. After these buyers ship the second-hand phones back to Shenzhen in batches, they reprocess them in their own small workshops and sell them as new phones. In addition to flowing into offline channels, a batch of these refurbished phones also enter e-commerce channels. After a round of twists and turns, refurbished phones are ultimately paid for by mainland consumers.

Of course, the biggest victims are users and Apple itself. How to strengthen control and channel construction in second-hand iPhone recycling channels and how to formulate strategies to combat this are obviously directions that Apple needs to reflect on.

In addition, Apple needs to strengthen its control over accessory manufacturers. For example, it needs to have a general grasp of the whereabouts of relevant Apple accessories and the production and circulation of accessories by accessory manufacturers. Generally speaking, if there is large-scale production and circulation of accessories for old Apple models in a specific market under the condition of limited demand for purchasing devices, Apple should be alert and strengthen restrictions on accessory manufacturers through the implementation of early warning mechanisms or institutional innovations.

Of course, when it comes to the iPhone SE itself, the most criticized thing by users is undoubtedly that its appearance is exactly the same as the iPhone 5s. To deal with the refurbishment and high imitation in the copycat market, software, hardware and appearance innovation is undoubtedly the best way to deal with it. For the upgrade of the S series, it is best to adjust and change the appearance and size. If the appearance is changed, it will be more difficult to imitate it.

For example, we have seen that iPhone 5s was refurbished by many Huaqiangbei merchants using iPhone 5c. iPhone 6s was quickly refurbished by merchants using iPhone 6, and the refurbishment methods are almost the same. The motherboard, screen, and cable inside the phone are all previous generation products, and laymen can't tell at all. However, there are relatively few refurbished or high-end imitation iPhone 6s.

The reason is that the iPhone 6 has changed in appearance, size and internal component configuration compared to its predecessor. After the new product was launched, there was a lack of second-hand shells and screens of corresponding sizes on the market, making refurbishment more difficult. As mentioned earlier, the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE have almost no changes in appearance compared to their predecessors. This is undoubtedly a major benefit for mobile phone refurbishment businesses, because refurbishing an iPhone 6 into an iPhone 6s and an iPhone 5s into an iPhone SE eliminates the need for re-soldering of internal parts and motherboards, and all you need to do is change the shell and put a logo on it.

During Nokia's most glorious era, when hardware innovation hit a bottleneck, Nokia responded to consumers' aesthetic fatigue through a variety of appearance innovations. Although Nokia was ridiculed at the time for "technology based on changing shells", it met the personalized needs of consumers at different levels through different appearance design styles, thus delaying users' aesthetic fatigue.

But now Apple has even skipped the step of appearance innovation. Of course, it is obvious that as a supply chain master, Cook naturally knows how to control costs. Since the appearance and configuration of the iPhone SE are basically from the previous generation, there is no need to reopen a new production line, and the previous production line can be directly reused, which can greatly reduce costs and does not need to run in the hardware and software adaptation and yield rate issues of the industry chain suppliers, greatly improving efficiency. But this also reflects Apple's dominant thinking based on profit and sales, and its laziness in appearance innovation has brought good opportunities to the underground high-imitation market.

For the high-end imitation market, the new iPhone is undoubtedly a hot item, and imitation is the most profitable. What is important is that the difficulty of high-end imitation determines the cost and motivation of refurbishment. When the appearance and configuration are almost identical to the previous generation of products, the difficulty of refurbishment is greatly reduced. Manufacturers directly purchase old mobile phones from the second-hand market, and even the welding work is saved, which obviously helps the "refurbishment manufacturers" a lot.

We know that in the past two years, Apple's growth rate has begun to decline globally. To reverse the downward trend, Apple actually has a lot of work to do. Refurbished machines are also an important factor in the decline of Apple's reputation due to various faults and problems. In any case, if the starting point of any product is based on the relationship between cost and profit, rather than adapting from a market perspective, this is a lazy political thinking, which is obviously not conducive to the maintenance of Apple's brand premium in the future.

In order to prevent Apple's sales and reputation from getting worse and its brand profile from continuing to decline, it is very important to control the recycling trend and accessories industry chain of second-hand iPhones and to stop the trend of refurbished machines from flooding through software and hardware innovation methods such as authentication mechanisms or activation mechanisms. When reaching a bottleneck, using appropriate innovative appearance methods to slow down the decline is also a method. This is actually an important aspect for Apple to maintain its brand profile in the future.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.