To Xiaomi: Blessings and disasters lie somewhere in between

In the mobile phone industry, Xiaomi is a special existence. In four years, its growth is amazing. It has brought the Internet thinking and fan economy to the forefront, and has been imitated by many domestic companies. Recently, it has become the world's third largest smartphone manufacturer. Xiaomi seems to have become the representative of Chinese mobile phone innovation. Whether it is the front page headlines or after-dinner talk, it is always there. It is very popular for a while. But as the saying goes, blessings and disasters go hand in hand. In a prosperous era, there are hidden worries. I personally think that there are many obstacles that restrict Xiaomi's development. Let me talk about my personal shallow views below.

1. Price, a hurdle that cannot be overcome

Before writing this article, I asked many friends who use Xiaomi why they bought Xiaomi. The answer was almost unanimous: it's cheap. Indeed, in this era of soaring prices, where you have to lick the bottle cap to drink yogurt, price is always the most powerful weapon. Even if Lei Jun talks about triathlon as wonderfully as possible, it is far less affordable than price. Look at every Xiaomi press conference, Xiaomi fans always have the highest G-spot on price. Cheap seems to have become the synonym of Xiaomi. The so-called success and failure are both price. A few years ago, Xiaomi captured a large number of users with a bloody price, but as time goes by, the price has no advantage for Xiaomi. Look at this year's Xiaomi 4 at 1999 and Meizu MX4 at 1799, and you will find that in front of the price, the so-called Mi fans are not so loyal. There are also many deserters. There is a call for 1799, although Xiaomi said it was the work of Meizu's water army, and it even set off a "sweep pornography and destroy chapters" war. But no one can say that there is no sincere call from Mi fans in this. Price is a hurdle that Xiaomi cannot overcome. Even if Xiaomi has the ability to enter the high-end market of over 3,000 yuan, it dare not set the price at this level. Will Xiaomi users agree to this price? Will there be another rush to buy Xiaomi?

2. Configuration is a thing of the past

Personally, I think Xiaomi's success is due to its early high-end configuration and low price. In 2011, Xiaomi's top configuration and the really incredible low price made users scream. After Xiaomi's continuous education of users that Xiaomi's configuration is the top configuration, Xiaomi users have the perception that Xiaomi's configuration is the top. However, as time goes by, the relationship between Xiaomi and Qualcomm seems to be no longer as good as it was in the past. Qualcomm's latest processor did not appear on Xiaomi 4. Although in this era of serious oversupply of configuration processors and Qualcomm processors that have long been everywhere in the streets and alleys, I personally think that it is meaningless to compete on configuration, but for the general public, they don't think so. So for Xiaomi, which can't get Qualcomm's latest products, how can it make up for the "unconvinced running points" it has dug? What should Xiaomi do if it can't compete on configuration?

3. Marketing and fans

Another weapon of Xiaomi is marketing and fans. Whether it is creating topics on social networks or buying online, Xiaomi has always wanted to show its style and prosperity. Whether it is the early Xiaomi mobile phone taking pictures of the moon or the admiration of people on the Spring Festival train, it is undeniable that Xiaomi's marketing is extremely smart, but perhaps it is too smart, which makes people disgusted and many become laughing stocks. The marketing is too strong, making people take Xiaomi more seriously instead of winning or losing. As a result, there are things like audience data fraud, which makes me doubt whether many things are true? Xiaomi's Mi fans are highly active on social networks. Xiaomi itself promotes them as having extremely high stickiness. In every offensive war of Xiaomi, they are often seen busy and have made great contributions to Xiaomi. But how high can the loyalty of Mi fans be? Is it so high that they will choose Xiaomi when there is an equally good and lower-priced product in front of them? Judging from the recent 1799 offensive war between Xiaomi and Meizu, I doubt the loyalty of Xiaomi fans.

4. Design

The design of a mobile phone is like a person's appearance. We all hope to be beautiful and recognized by the public. However, due to genetic differences, there are naturally fat, thin, beautiful and ugly people. However, we all yearn for beauty, so the "plastic surgery" industry was born in human society, and imitation and plagiarism were born in mobile phones.

Do Xiaomi products have designs? Lei Jun's answer is: "No design is the best design", but from the perspective of Xiaomi 3 and Xiaomi 4, it is obvious that other people's designs are the best designs. Xiaomi 3 is very similar to Lumia, and Xiaomi 4 is very similar to iPhone 5s. For this reason, Apple's design director Jonathan Ive clearly stated that this behavior is not a compliment but laziness and a thief. Although Xiaomi executives frequently speak out to show that Xiaomi did not copy Apple, but only borrowed from it, and also said that there is no manufacturer that did not borrow from Apple's design (Hugo Barra, please go and see Nokia N9 or Lumia), it is taken for granted. However, as a top three smartphone manufacturer in the world, it actually took other people's designs as its own, and made such shameless sophistry. No matter from which angle, it is ironic. And starting this year, it is obvious that all manufacturers have begun to pay attention to design and emphasize craftsmanship, from the art journey of steel plates to aviation-grade aluminum alloys. Xiaomi is still taking other people's designs. Where should it go in the future? Xiaomi also asks Xiaomi to remember how Apple treats Samsung's imitation behavior.

5. Domestic pursuit and interception and weak patents

Competition in the smartphone market has never been so fierce. Xiaomi's smooth sailing in the past few years does not mean that it will be the same in the next few years. China has never lacked imitation, so that domestic Internet mobile phone manufacturers have sprung up like mushrooms after you. Honor, OnePlus, ZTE, OPPO, vivo and others have all been chasing and blocking Xiaomi, and Xiaomi's survival will become increasingly difficult. Xiaomi mobile phones are actively exploring overseas emerging markets such as India and Brazil. Everyone has seen this and wants to get a piece of the pie. The fierce competition can be imagined. When the products, services and prices that can be provided are similar, what can be used to build a barrier to keep opponents away? Obviously, a patent war is the best choice. But what is Xiaomi's current patent accumulation? Compared with Apple, Samsung and others, it is not at the same level. If these manufacturers launch a patent war against Xiaomi in the overseas market, how should Xiaomi respond? Xiaomi, which does not have enough patent accumulation, can refer to HTC's experience in the US market and HTC's transformation after the encounter.

Xiaomi is such a special existence. It took advantage of the situation, and under the banner of the Internet, it cut a bloody path with the price knife, and has been so prosperous until today. But it is always accompanied by controversy, with mixed praise and criticism. It is loved by those who love it, and hated by those who hate it. From Lei Jun's wide layout, Lei Jun's faction has become a major faction after China's BTA, which will provide strong support for Xiaomi, and Xiaomi's future can bring a lot of imagination. But Xiaomi, which has succeeded in price-performance ratio, may also jump into its own pit and cannot get out in four years. Will Xiaomi be like Bird ten years ago? I think the power of the future is in his own hands.

PS: As an observer, I still hope that Xiaomi can have its own independent character and design, no matter it is beautiful or ugly. It can imitate less and be more original, and create truly innovative intelligent manufacturing in China.

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.