fictionpage Chapter 88 The Digital Frontier in 2004
Chapter 88 The Digital Frontier in 2004
That night, Wu Wenjie booked a hotel for Lin Feng that was better than the guesthouse they stayed at last time.
The next morning, Wu Wenjie waited for him downstairs at the hotel. Lin Feng had breakfast at the hotel, and the two took a taxi to the city center.
The taxi navigated the ever-changing streets of Shenzhen, eventually stopping in front of the China World Trade Center. Completed in 1985, the 53-story China World Trade Center was once the tallest building in China.
Wu Wenjie led Lin Feng up to the eighth floor, where they arrived at a company called "Chuangxing Industrial Design".
"This company specializes in exterior and structural design for electronics factories. They make MP3 players, repeaters, and small appliances. Their level is quite good," Wu Wenjie said, greeting the receptionist familiarly as he introduced the company.
They were greeted by the design director, surnamed Li, who was in his thirties, wore black-rimmed glasses, and looked shrewd and capable.
After sitting down in the conference room, Lin Feng explained his ideas in detail.
"Director Li, the overall look I want is cute and approachable, similar to the clever and playful feeling of Jerry in 'Tom and Jerry,' but it can't be too cartoonish or childish."
The target audience is students and young women, so the lines should be smooth and rounded, and the feel should be pleasant to the touch. The colors should be bright and vibrant, such as pure white, light blue, pale yellow, and light purple.
In addition, functionality cannot be compromised; buttons must be ergonomically designed; the placement of USB ports and headphone jacks must be logical; and the internal structure must facilitate assembly and production by the manufacturer.
Director Li then asked several questions about size, material preferences, and cost budget, in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of Lin Feng's needs.
"Mr. Lin's idea is very clear. It's about a cute style, with a touch of IP derivatives, but without infringing on copyrights. We can develop several versions in this direction. As for materials, ABS engineering plastic with UV coating is currently popular, as it has a good feel and vibrant colors. Alternatively, we could consider using some silicone material to increase its friendliness and anti-slip properties."
"Silicone?" Lin Feng hadn't expected this stuff to be used as an MP3 material. "It could be considered for use in ears or certain areas to increase tactile interest. But the main structure still needs to be sturdy."
"No problem. We'll provide three sketch options. Once you choose one, we'll refine the model and create the renderings. It should take about three to five days."
"Sure, the sooner the better. How much does it cost?"
Having agreed on the design fees and timeline, Lin Feng felt much more at ease. Leaving professional tasks to professionals certainly ensured high efficiency.
Lin Feng didn't have any free time in the following days either.
Wu Wenjie made full use of his advantage of being at the forefront of Shenzhen, taking Lin Feng to almost the entire Huaqiangbei area to see the latest digital products.
Huaqiangbei is practically a sea of electronic products. The counters are filled with all sorts of MP3 players, USB drives, digital cameras, webcams, and other novel gadgets.
Inside the digital mall, the air was filled with the sounds of people haggling, testing products, and demonstrations.
Wu Wenjie led Lin Feng through the various stalls with practiced ease, introducing them as if they were his own treasures.
"Brother Lin, look over here, MP3 players are really flourishing now." He pointed to a row of counters.
"These are some of the latest mainstream models. This Aigo model has seven-color backlighting, can record audio, and has an FM radio; it's selling quite well right now. The Meizu model is smaller and uses a Philips chip; everyone says it has good sound quality, but the price is also high."
And then there are all these different brands, with largely similar functions; the main competition is on price and appearance.
Lin Feng looked at them carefully, picked up a few and weighed them in his hands, listened to the sound quality, and asked about the price.
256MB capacity is currently the mainstream on the market, with price differences depending on brand, chip, workmanship, and additional features. 128MB is also available, but these are mostly low-end or older models and are even cheaper.
"Where's the screen? I see some of them have color screens?" Lin Feng noticed several machines with noticeably different screen colors.
"Yes, color screens are the trend, but they're expensive." Wu Wenjie picked up one and said, "Look at this one, a 1.5-inch CSTN color screen. It can display pictures and read e-books, but it can't play videos. The 256MB version costs over a thousand yuan."
There are even smaller color screens, which only display lyrics and basic information. If you really want to watch videos, you have to go over there.” Wu Wenjie pointed to a relatively quiet corner of the market.
The two walked over, and the counters here were obviously more high-end. There weren't many samples, but each one was "extraordinary in appearance".
"Look, this is the real MP4, also called PMP, a portable media player." Wu Wenjie pointed to a silver device with a screen that was about 2.5 to 3.5 inches, noticeably larger.
Lin Feng picked up one; it had a metal casing and felt heavy in his hand.
An MTV was playing on the screen. The picture quality was much clearer than the small color screen MP3s I had seen before. Although it was still not high definition, it was already easy to watch.
He looked at the brand: ARCHOS.
"This is an imported product, from France. It has hardware decoding, so it can actually play video files and supports more formats, but... it's incredibly expensive." Wu Wenjie held up four fingers.
"A 20GB hard drive costs at least 4,500 yuan or more, depending on the model and the channel; 5,000 or 6,000 yuan is also common. You also have to download and convert the movies yourself from your computer, which is troublesome. Generally, few individuals buy them; they are mostly audiophiles or gifts."
There's also a Japanese brand called NHJ next to it, with a more fashionable design and an equally astonishing price.
"Besides these hard drive-type ones, there are also flash memory-type ones over there, which are actually more like high-end video MP3 players." Wu Wenjie pointed to another area, "The screen is smaller, about 1.8 inches, and it uses flash memory, with a capacity of 256M or 512M."
It can also play short movie clips or music videos, but they must be converted to a specific format, which is troublesome and the picture quality is generally poor.
The advantages are that it's cheaper than a hard drive and more shock-resistant. Even so, it still costs over a thousand or two thousand yuan.
Lin Feng glanced around and asked questions whenever he found something that interested him.
Imported MP4 players appeared as early as 2004, but their exorbitant prices were equivalent to several months' wages for an average worker. Furthermore, the cumbersome process of acquiring and converting video sources, along with the limited video content, meant they remained a toy for only a very small number of people, far from becoming widespread.
Many so-called "MP4" or "video MP3" products on the market are more marketing concepts with a rough user experience.
"This thing represents the future," Wu Wenjie concluded. "But right now, MP3 players still reign supreme. Look over there."
He pointed to the most crowded area in the market, which was almost entirely filled with MP3 and USB flash drive counters, "That's where the real sales volume is."
Lin Feng nodded, understanding the situation.
He continued his in-depth investigation into the configurations and prices of mainstream MP3 players. Combining Wu Wenjie's introduction with his on-site observations, he gained a clearer understanding of the MP3 market in the first half of 2004:
Capacity: 128M will soon be completely replaced by 256M, becoming the new entry-level and mainstream standard.
512MB is the hallmark of high-end and flagship phones, and the price is significantly higher than 256MB. 1GB products have begun to emerge, but they are expensive and extremely rare.
Screen: Monochrome screens remain the absolute mainstream due to their low cost and energy efficiency. Color screens are mainly CSTN, with a few high-end models using TFT.
Color screens are starting to penetrate mid-to-high-end models, with their main selling points being image viewing, e-book reading, and a more visually appealing UI, but the video viewing experience is poor. Screen sizes are generally between 1 inch and 1.8 inches.
Features: Support for MP3/WMA playback is a basic requirement. Recording, FM radio, AB repeat, and portable storage (USB flash drive mode) are almost standard features in mid-range and higher-end models.
High-end models are starting to integrate image browsing, e-book reading, and even simple games.
The so-called "video playback" function provides a terrible experience on non-true MP4 players and is more of a gimmick.
Chip and sound quality: Sigmatel 35xx series, Telechips, and Philips PNX series are the mainstream decoding solutions.
Consumers are paying more attention to sound quality, but ordinary users are more easily attracted by appearance, brand and additional features.
The quality of the original earphones varies.
Battery: Low-end models still use replaceable AAA batteries to reduce costs, which is convenient but presents a trade-off between battery life and size.
Built-in lithium batteries are commonly used in mid-to-high-end models, touting ultra-thin design and long battery life, but charging convenience is slightly lacking.
Storage media: Flash memory dominated, with microdisks used in very few ultra-large capacity applications, such as early Apple iPod mini products. However, price, power consumption, and stability were issues.
Appearance and materials: There are many generic designs, but models with outstanding designs can sell at a premium.
Metal materials, especially aluminum alloy casings, are a symbol of high-end quality, while plastic casings can also achieve a good texture through processes such as spraying and coating.
Ultra-thin and irregularly shaped designs began to appear.
After several days of browsing, Lin Feng had made great progress. He now had a more precise understanding of the specifications of the "Mice Love Rice Commemorative Edition MP3 Player".
After returning, he combined market research and product positioning to finally approve the configuration plan.
Capacity: 512MB. It must boast a superior configuration to highlight the exclusivity of the "Anniversary Edition".
It meets the needs of fans who want to store a large number of songs (including the pre-installed high-quality "Mice Love Rice" and current popular online hits), setting it apart from mainstream 256M models on the market.
Screen: 1.5-inch OLED monochrome (blue) screen.
Abandoning the immature color screen, a monochrome OLED screen with clear and sharp display, high contrast and low power consumption is adopted to ensure perfect display of lyrics and information, and the blue backlight in the dark is highly technological and recognizable.
Decoding chip: The Sigmatel 3520 solution, which had a good reputation and stable performance at the time, was used to ensure solid sound quality.
Earphones: Comes with high-quality, high-fidelity stereo earbuds to enhance the first impression of the product.
Battery: Uses a removable dedicated lithium battery and comes standard with an independent charger. The rated battery life is over 35 hours, alleviating range anxiety.
Appearance and Material: A uniquely designed cute mouse shape.
The main body is made of high-quality ABS engineering plastic, combined with a delicate UV coating and possible partial silicone material to enhance the feel and user-friendliness. The buttons have a metallic texture.
This configuration was considered to be above average in the mid-to-high-end market in the first half of 2004, especially the 512M capacity and long-lasting lithium battery, which were its core selling points.
The cost will certainly be significantly higher than the previous "Lilac Commemorative Edition", but Lin Feng is confident in the purchasing power of "Mice Love Rice" fans.
The plan is to set the retail price at around 799 yuan, which will give it a strong competitive edge in the mid-to-high-end MP3 market.
Besides MP3 players, Lin Feng also paid special attention to other trending products mentioned by Wu Wenjie.
High-capacity USB flash drives: 256MB has become mainstream, 512MB is starting to increase, and prices are dropping rapidly. They are getting smaller and smaller, with various cartoon and fashionable designs appearing.
Bluetooth headsets and adapters have begun to appear, and although they are expensive, they represent the trend towards wireless connectivity.
Digital cameras: 300-megapixel and 400-megapixel cameras have become the mainstream in the consumer market, and compact cameras are highly favored. Sony, Canon, and Kodak are the main players at the counters.
Camera phones: This is a "major trend" that Wu Wenjie has repeatedly emphasized.
Brands such as Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson have significantly increased the number of mobile phone models equipped with 30 or even 100 million pixel cameras.
Despite its mediocre image quality, the convenience of "taking photos anytime, anywhere" is a huge draw.
Wu Wenjie pointed at the camera and asserted, "I dare say that in another year or two, a camera will be a standard feature on mobile phones!"
Lin Feng nodded; of course he understood.
In the past few days, Lin Feng has witnessed firsthand the booming vitality and rapid iteration of the digital consumer electronics market.
MP3s are currently very popular, MP4s are already showing their potential, camera phones are poised for release, and storage device capacity is surging... The wave of technological change is surging forward.
He became even more convinced that Windspeed Digital could not be satisfied with its current success and had to keep up with and even anticipate these changes.