Who is the successor to the iPhone?

The iPhone is not the first mobile phone to use a touch screen, but it has created a new era of touch screen mobile phones. It was crowned as "God's mobile phone" and it is not perfect. Every time a new product is launched, even if it is just a system update, it will cause constant controversy, but this does not affect the growth of the iPhone's charm, just like its creator Steve Jobs.

Interactive topic: Beyond the iphone, where to start?

Looking back at the six years since the iPhone was introduced, it was like an activist accelerating a revolution and quickly taking the lead. The former opponents are dying, and the latecomers are still growing. Is there no more extreme experience outside the iPhone? Why haven't we seen God's "new phone" yet?

The death of Steve Jobs, the declining trend of shipment growth, and the flat design style of both praise and criticism have put a big question mark on the future of Apple's mobile phones. Can the former God mobile phone be surpassed? What are the real shortcomings of major brands? Is it a technical bottleneck? Or the lack of innovators? Perhaps the successor of the iPhone has already quietly stepped on the stage...

The shadow of the sword under the technology curtain

Apple's technological lead is self-evident, but the latecomers are closely pressing, There is even a tendency to surpass. Samsung, as Apple's nemesis, the relationship between the two is more like a pair of happy enemies.

Under the background of the global division of labor, the iPhone has not been able to draw a clear line with Samsung, although it has worked hard to get rid of its technological dependence on the latter. Samsung used to be the screen supplier for Apple's series of products. After the two patent disputes went to court, Apple realized the danger of close combat and decided to abandon the Samsung screen, although this technology has been accepted by the industry and the public. Approved. And another dramatic thing makes Apple uncomfortable - Apple can bypass Samsung in screen technology, but it is difficult to find such a good partner in the face of the core microprocessor. Although TSMC began to contact Apple very early, the cooperation process was blocked in subtle links, and Apple's strictness in details highlighted Samsung's advantages.

Products created by powerful technology are bound to be competitive. Samsung mobile phones take advantage of the situation to occupy the largest market share, but cannot dominate the high-end smartphone field. How to change its strong technological advantages For a competitive advantage? Samsung has been looking for that key breakthrough...

Huawei, which started out in telecommunications, has a solid technical background. For a long time, the mobile phone business has not been the main line of Huawei. In the eyes of ordinary consumers, this is a manufacturer that cooperates deeply with operators and mainly produces customized models. The smartphone market was surging, and Huawei suddenly realized that it had overlooked an important potential market. In mid-June, a mobile phone called Ascend P6 held a mobile phone launch conference at Round House in London. This is the first time Huawei has held an independent global launch for a mobile phone, and the expectations for the product to be a hit can be seen. One spot. The main selling point of Ascend P6 is "the world's thinnest", and the official explanation of its name means "because it can 'PK iPhone6'". It is undeniable that the iPhone generation is thinner and lighter than the previous generation. This is a product development trend. "Whether the next generation iPhone will be thinner than the Ascend P6" has no way of knowing, but only from the appearance, Huawei seems to have a long way to go to beat its opponents. .

The Magic of Marketing

The iPhone's success attracts not just followers, but imitators. If it is said that most of the manufacturers who learn from the iPhone are in the opposite direction and get nowhere, then Xiaomi is an exception.

Every time a new product is launched, fruit fans from all over the world will set up tents in front of Apple's retail stores a few days in advance, and line up all night to buy a new generation of iPhone for the first time. The strategy of limited supply will bring hunger marketing to the extreme. .

In China, a Xiaomi that started with the MIUI operating system and used the marketing model as the cutout created a sales myth. The press conference, the big screen, and even the solid color T-shirt and jeans on Lei Jun all revealed a feeling of deja vu. Although Xiaomi has not surpassed the iPhone, as a new generation who started everything from scratch, it has successfully created a new marketing model of its own, and presented a transcript of over 10 billion in half a year, which is enough to make the predecessors ashamed. It is also hunger marketing. Xiaomi moved its sales venues online, igniting an e-commerce bomb. The long queue in front of the Apple store has become an appointment number for Xiaomi. Once the product is online, as long as you have a computer connected to the Internet, you will have a chance to “snatch” it. The hot sales performance itself has become a hot topic, paving the way for the next round of marketing.

Xiaomi wins in micro-innovation, not in starvation marketing. Lei Jun quickly started the development of peripheral products, a field that Jobs did not set foot in, and the high profits were reserved for those with vision. Fan economy, social marketing... Xiaomi has embarked on its own path of innovation, steadfast and firm.

There is no shortage of losers on the road to marketing. HTC, the first mobile phone brand to use the Android operating system, has taken this bold attempt to become the second-largest brand in the smartphone market. However, the advantages of the operating system have disappeared after the user's eyes are bright, and it has become an impossible task to capture users only by a single selling point. HTC's market brand positioning is unclear, and its product line is long enough that it is difficult for users to find a representative and attractive flagship model. Has HTC, which once rose up because it dared to be the first in the world, has a deeper understanding of innovation?

User experience: The most obvious shortcoming is the most difficult to fix

Where does the iPhone win? The technology is good and the system is strong, and it is ultimately reflected in the user experience. To surpass it, you must understand this.

As an iPhone-only operating system, iOS provides users with an extraordinary user experience, every update is breathtaking, and the number of users of the open-source operating system Android continues to grow. Will Android be a hero in breaking the iPhone fortress? With the continuous expansion of Android's installed base, its weaknesses have also been exposed. The compatibility and stability of the system cannot meet the requirements of enthusiastic users. What major brands can do is to continuously optimize it in depth.

The future

In the mobile phone market where brands win, there are many brave pioneers. The "hammer" mobile phone that is good at attracting attention, the "morality" mobile phone in the name of nonsensical... Maybe they can't shake the status of the iPhone, but they let us see the hope of continuous exploration in user needs.

When the market behind mobile is infinitely enlarged, mobile phones are not the only choice. Wearable devices can't wait to break into the market, the controversial Google glasses, SmartWatch with a small viewing range, iWatch... Will mobile phones be replaced? Demanding business opportunities are driving innovative thinking forward step by step.

No problem can be solved with technology. In this era where users are king, whoever meets the needs of users will have the upper hand, and the ultimate victory belongs to the pioneers who create user needs, not the followers. Why hasn't there been a mobile phone beyond the iPhone? This is not a technical issue.