Top of the big era

"And blackberries."

"ah?"

"In addition to Apple, Microsoft, Symbian and Android, there should also be BlackBerry systems. BlackBerry sales are mediocre in other countries, but they are very popular in the United States. In the third quarter of the U.S. mobile phone sales rankings, Apple ranked first and Nokia ranked second. Two, BlackBerry third.”

Lu Qi added to Zhou Buqi's words.

Zhou Buqi had a headache, "There are so many systems, so unfriendly to developers!"

We are now in the early days of the mobile Internet. This is an empty desert that requires explorers to dig mountains and pave roads, reclaim wasteland and cultivate fields to build homes from scratch.

This is much more difficult than building a house in the city.

In a few years, it will be very easy to develop an APP, and there will even be many fixed templates. The fixed template means a fixed quotation and fixed functions. It is a very mature code source. It took 3 days and 5,000 yuan to buy it and modify it slightly, and it was done! (Fixed templates are not open source products, they are packaged codes, which cost money to purchase. Open source products can be downloaded and used for free)

Lu Qi is leading the American team to develop the ios version of Helo, which is expected to be launched at the end of January or early February next year.

He gave a brief introduction to the development team.

1 product manager, 9 client engineers, 2 back-end engineers, 2 UI designers, and 3 artists, a total of 17 people in the team.

The development of Apple system products mainly uses Objective-C, C, Java, shell, Python, UIKit and other languages. The main standard language is Objective-C. This is a very old and unpopular language, which is very troublesome.

Luqi is currently making a junior version of Helo, which currently only has several functions such as registration, login, instant messaging, and reading the address book information built into the user's mobile phone and adding friends.

But even so, it still requires a development team of 17 people, and the monthly salary expenditure exceeds 700,000 US dollars. In the future, there will be more and more functions, the number of product functions that need to be maintained will also gradually increase, and the team size will become larger and larger.

This is just an Apple system.

There are several other systems, and the number of people is too large, and the development costs are also too high. The main reason is that there are too many mobile phone systems. Even the wealthy Microsoft and their mobile MSN cannot cover all systems.

Can Ziweixing also adopt Microsoft's model and only focus on key issues? The future will be dominated by Apple and Android. Is it okay to only develop these two versions?

Zhou Buqi considered it, but he rejected it.

Even if you have foresight, you can’t be too confident!

Don’t squander this opportunity in the early days of the mobile Internet. You must use a method with the highest probability of success, even if this method seems stupid and costly!

We need to develop a Helo for several important mobile phone systems!

Only in this way is the chance of winning the best.

Helo will be the world's first chat software truly developed for mobile phones and deeply compatible with it. For example, when registering and logging in, you can directly enter your mobile phone number and receive a SMS verification code. It is simple and efficient. For example, when adding friends, the App will automatically read the mobile address book and rely on the address book for viral promotion.

These are innovations that have never happened before.

Once you don't seize the opportunity, you will definitely be copied.

Take the Symbian system for example. If Ziweixing doesn't do it and there is no Helo in Symbian, there will inevitably be small start-up companies that find opportunities and imitate Helo to develop such a product for Symbian, and they will be robbed of the market.

In the future, Symbian will gradually withdraw from the stage of history, and users will switch to Apple and Android...but user habits have been formed. After changing the system, they may still use past products instead of Helo.

So it must be fully covered.

When three people walk together, there must be one teacher. Zhou Buqi learned this product strategy from Yu Yongfu.

In the field of mobile browsers, Opera is the king in the world, and UC is the only one in the domestic market. As UC enters Japan, opera's share is gradually taken away by UC.

Opera has better technology and is more consistent with browser protocols. Why can't it beat UC?

Because Yu Yongfu used the stupidest method - full coverage.

There are six or seven smart phone systems on the market, but there are many more embedded systems for feature phones and multimedia phones. Especially different models of mobile phones, even the same embedded system, require different product designs, and details must be adjusted for the screen and keyboard.

At most, UC Group operated 17 various versions of UC Browser at the same time.

Opera won't work.

This is a European company with limited manpower, high development costs, and lack of financial resources to cover all aspects, so it can only develop versions for a few systems with large market shares.

This leaves a large blank market and gives UC the opportunity to grab territory.

If a user is using a Bird mobile phone and the mobile phone is not suitable for Opera's browser, the user can only use UC Browser. The next year, he changed his phone to a Nokia. Nokia mobile phones can adapt to excellent browsers like Opera, but users' habits have been formed and they will still choose UC.

Relying on this strategic thinking, UC Browser firmly dominates the domestic market. When venturing into overseas markets, Opera can be beaten away wherever it goes.

Before Google, the mobile browser agreement was formulated with Opera's participation, and... Opera came first, and then the agreement, which was completely based on the industry rules formulated by its own products. From a technical point of view, opera completely beats UC, being smoother and providing a better product experience.

But the level of technology has never been the key to business success.

The most important thing is strategy.

In terms of strategic design, UC led by Yu Yongfu completely defeated Opera from the European team.

Ziweixing cannot make opera’s mistakes!

In the field of smartphone chat software, Helo has similar advantages. Ziweixing is the first to go, and Ziweixing is not a small start-up company that is weak and can be easily manipulated by giants. Ziweixing already has the strength of giants! Under such background conditions, Ziweixing should not leave any chance to its opponents!

Helo must be developed for more than 90% of the systems in the smartphone market, making Helo the world's first cross-platform mobile communication application tailored for smartphones!

Fu Hongliang said excitedly: "The field of instant messaging is a winner-take-all market. Users will invite friends and family to use an application together, which can quickly form a powerful social network effect. This method of reading mobile phone address books The design is deeply consistent with the concept of instant messaging! Instant messaging software seems to be born for mobile phones!”

His level is a bit low and the angle is a bit off.

Guo Pengfei pointed out to him, "This is not a creative meeting, but a product strategy meeting. Helo is almost online in the United States."

Zhou Buqi said: "Not only the United States, but also Japan. The cost of development abroad is too high. My idea is, is it possible to send a team from China to travel to the United States and Japan?"

"Yes, I welcome Japan's technological poverty alleviation with both hands!" Tang Binchen joked, and then became helpless, "The United States is easy to handle, with a lot of talents, and at most the salary is high, so spend more money. In Japan, Relevant talents are too scarce. You all don’t know that computer science departments in Japanese universities don’t pay much attention to it at all. Uh... they pay attention to computer hardware, robots and the like.”

Zhang Yiming said: "There will be no obstacles in sending teams to the United States and Japan for business trips, and registration will be very enthusiastic."

It is not easy for Chinese people to go abroad. Young people like to go out and see the world.

In later generations, many domestic Internet companies began to expand overseas markets and send business teams abroad. It was like a battlefield, and employees were panicked.

Because those companies have no confidence, they are developing markets in non-mainstream countries, such as India, Vietnam, Cambodia, or Africa, the Middle East and Russia, and the conditions are much worse than in China. If they are some powerful large companies, such as China Mobile, PetroChina, Haier, Gree, Lenovo, Xiaomi, Huawei, Alibaba, Byte, etc., and they have the strength to develop markets in mainstream developed countries, they will be very popular among employees. Seize every opportunity to go on a business trip.

From the perspective of business operations, sending technical teams to Japan and the United States for business trips not only has no obstacles, but also receives support.

Zhou Buqi looks at the problem from a higher perspective, "Going to Japan is indeed about technical poverty alleviation, but going to the United States is still focused on learning. The mobile Internet in the United States and Japan has already taken off, at least 2 years ahead of the domestic one. Domestically, Make preparations first, don’t rush to start, foreign countries should take the lead in development. We will use these two years to send 200-300 outstanding employees to the United States and Japan for business trips."

Guo Pengfei agreed: "Well, it can not only help the development of Ziweixing's overseas business, but also accumulate relevant development and operation experience to create a mature mobile Internet-oriented team. Two years later, the domestic curtain will really open. . Other domestic companies are still slowly groping from scratch, but we already have regular troops that can be invincible."

Lu Qi is still concerned about the cost issue, saying: "Helo is now developing the Apple version. The development team is 17 people, but this is far from enough. One version requires a development team of at least 40 people. To make 5 versions, this is 200 people. If these people were recruited from the United States, it would cost $100 million per year.”

Xu Liangjie said: "This is only a small aspect, and it also affects efficiency. In the early stage of the product, you will definitely encounter a lot of bugs, which need to be solved in time. But the overtime pay in the United States is too high, and employees are not willing to work overtime, so they will Affecting product updates. If a technical team is sent on a business trip from home, this problem can be solved."

Zhou Buqi said firmly: "If there are the same opportunities and choices, we must spend money on the Chinese people and provide jobs to our compatriots. The business trip strategy is not a one-time thing, nor is it set for Helo. This idea must be long-term." We must implement and implement it in a practical manner. If the same work can be done by Chinese people and foreigners can do it, we must leave the work to our own people."

Guo Pengfei frowned slightly, "Do you want to continue doing this for a long time even after the split?"

"right."

"Isn't it a bad influence?"

Xu Liangjie smiled and said, "There is nothing wrong with it. The reason is very good. Enterprises need to save costs. Arranging labor dispatch from China to work in the United States can save the company's salary costs. Reduce costs and increase profits. As profits increase, the stock price will increase. , this is what the capital society values ​​most. If the domestic labor costs are the same as those in the United States, then it would be criticized if the American branch still calls people from China to work."

Lu Qi pondered: "Don't be too careless. The proportion of this kind of business trip team dispatched cannot be too high, so as not to attract the attention of the union."

"Yes, the labor unions in the United States are very powerful." Tang Binchen was convinced. "To say that the place with the best business environment is Japan, the government can't control it, and the labor unions can't control it. When I was on a business trip at Facebook, I had an encounter with him because of working overtime. During the labor union investigation, several of us said that we could not work overtime voluntarily. Later, we could only say that we were too poor and wanted to go to the company to eat free snacks. Later, HR rewarded us with a trip to Disneyland, saying that we at least saved them money. $800,000 fine."

"Robbery!"

"Yes, Facebook had just received financing and was targeted by labor unions."

Xu Liangjie nodded, "So if you work in an American company, you won't be allowed to work overtime if you want. Many people feel that they are not competitive and want to work in the company for a while, and even say they are willing to work overtime for free, but this is simply impossible. "

Lu Qi smiled and said, "No problem in the short term. Ziweixing has just started a business in the United States and there is an economic crisis. You can send as many teams as you like on business trips. Provide enough labor dispatch fees, business trip subsidies and overtime pay, and no one will mess with it." ."

Xu Liangjie has long-term working experience in China and the United States, so he can be deeply involved in this topic. "The income of employees sent out can increase by 100% or 150%, and they are more motivated to travel. For enterprises, the cost of employment is also Reduced."

Salaries in Silicon Valley are about 4-5 times higher than in China. Even if the income of a domestic business trip team increases by 100%-150%, it is still very cost-effective for the company.

The employees are also happy. They have gone abroad to see the world and feel the culture of different countries, and their income has also increased.

Zhou Buqi said very cautiously: "Be careful when choosing a business trip team. Don't send someone out and never come back."

Xu Liangjie said: "This is different from the fresh graduates from Tsinghua University, so don't worry. Tsinghua graduates are all top students, and they are going to do high-end technical work, and they are more likely to be poached. And this kind of newly graduated college students are the best in the world." I am a proud person who thinks I am noble and prefers to venture out. Developing mobile apps is a relatively basic technical job and does not require any pride. I have also experienced the workplace and can distinguish reality. To make money in the United States and spend time back home, a business trip plan for expatriation is the best s arrangement."

There was one more thing he didn't say.

The best reality is life.

Buying a house in China, falling in love or getting married in China, or bringing your parents over... With the ties of life, the chance of leaving without coming back is greatly reduced. No different than a newly graduated college student, social life in China has not yet begun, and there is a blank piece of paper with nothing to worry about.

Zhou Buqi said: "Okay, then it's settled. Classmate Yiming, you can make arrangements and send technical teams to branches in the United States and Japan."

Zhang Yiming concluded: "The Modu branch is the international department of Ziweixing. In the short term, we will send teams to work overseas, and there is no limit on the number. When we develop in the future, there will be limits on the number. In addition to sending a small number of technical teams to study abroad, In addition, we can mainly outsource part of the overseas business to the International Department.”

Zhou Buqi cheered: "Yes! That's the idea!"

After Ziweixing is split, it will be divided into two parts: domestic and overseas.

It is easier to "entrust" high-end and cutting-edge domestic development projects that are difficult to the technical team in Silicon Valley; some basic project development can be entrusted to Ziweixing International Department, which can save costs and at the same time It is also equivalent to moving overseas business jobs back to China through "entrustment".

Xu Liangjie also concluded that overseas business should be handled with a China-Taiwan approach.

This kind of Internet products all have strong local cultural attributes. They are similar in Europe and the United States. East Asia, the Middle East, India, Africa, and South America all have local characteristics. Therefore, when presenting it in detail, the product cannot be static and must have some localized design.

That means maintaining diversity in the front office.

The frame design of the middle platform is the same.

There can be a unified large and medium-sized front desk, and various localized small front desks can be designed around the world, allowing local people to be responsible for the front-end appearance design and product function selection. This can give many countries with relatively weak IT technology opportunities for development.