April 1st, April Fool's Day.
At nine o 'clock in the morning, Distance didn't advertise it widely. Instead, it quietly launched a new app called "WeChat" on its pea pod.
Although Pea Pod had the same name as in his previous life, it was completely different now. It was more like the Tencent app from his previous life.
Almost all the smartphones released in China used Pea Pod as their application platform.
Because of Li Dong's early planning, Pea Pod had become the official app download platform for Android smartphones.
The popular Apple App Store in his previous life did not achieve the desired results due to the iPhone 3G's collaboration with Unicom. Until now, the iPhone 3G had not been officially released in Hua Xia. Other than a few people who brought back iPhones from overseas, there were not many users in China.
So far away, the WeChat version was not released on the Apple App Store either.
Pea Pod covered almost all smartphone users, including those who were still using the Symbian system.
Smartphones did not only consist of Android and iOS. In fact, both iOS and Android had not been around for a long time.
If it was not for Li Dong pushing for the adoption of the Android system on OPPO phones, the Android system would not have been popular in China. At least, there was no hope of it becoming the mainstream smartphone operating system in Hua Xia.
So far, among the smartphone operating systems in the world, the Symbian system was still the king.
Li Dong did not release the iOS version, but the Symbian version must be released.
Other than OPPO smartphones, many smartphone manufacturers in China were still using the Symbian system, unless Li Dong wanted to give up on these users.
Obviously, Li Dong would not do such a stupid thing.
…
Far away, Building.
9: 10 am, 10 minutes after the WeChat was released.
Data control center.
Zhang Xiaolong was sweating profusely. Liu Hong's face was also pale. After a while, he said, "10 minutes, 280 downloads, 247 registered users."
Three digit numbers. So far away, this was the worst number for a product release in the past few years.
Previously, even the Logistics Butler had more than 1,000 downloads in 10 minutes!
As for Weibo and other similar applications, because of the large amount of advertising in the early stages, all of them had more than 10,000 or even 100,000 views the moment they were released!
Only Wechat, which Li Dong had high hopes for, had been downloaded less than 300 times in ten minutes!
Tragic, too tragic to look at!
Even the developer, Zhang Xiaolong, was pale and sweating profusely.
He was not afraid that Li Dong would be angry, nor was he afraid that Li Dong would vent his anger on him because he had become the CEO of the group.
It was because he had doubts about the product and his own confidence was shaken!
Ten minutes. Even if there was no promotion, the pea pod was the best promotion. However, such numbers were too dismal.
Far away, other products had tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of downloads. WeChat seemed so pathetic.
After a long time, Zhang Xiaolong said dejectedly, "Chairman, I …"
He wanted to say something but hesitated. It was difficult for him to speak.
He really wanted to tell Li Dong to give up on this version and update it to a new version with voice chat.
To Zhang Xiaolong, voice was the core competitiveness of WeChat.
Since it had already been developed, they might as well release it.
Far away had a large number of users and it would not be a problem to increase the promotion and attract tens of millions of users.
Once they had tens of millions of users among the smartphone users, even if Tencent responded, they might not be a match for Far away.
Even if Tencent followed suit, based on Zhang Xiaolong's understanding of Tencent, they would not be able to develop a similar product in less than 20 days.
Even if they worked overtime, half a month was the limit. Any faster and the user experience would be terrible.
He wanted to say it, but Li Dong had said that there was no rush. The new version would only be released in May. This made him not know what to suggest.
Just as they were feeling extremely disappointed, Li Dong chuckled and said, "What's the rush?
Nearly 300 downloads in ten minutes. That's not bad.
After all, they had just appeared. The most difficult part of these communication apps was the beginning.
The later it was, the easier it was. It was like a rolling snowball, getting bigger and bigger.
300 people. As long as 100 people could persevere, he could bring the people around him to join. Relatives, friends, colleagues, and even their PP friends.
Everyone was a chain of relationships. He could bring thousands of people to join.
So I'm not in a hurry. I'll take it slow.
Good things had to be released bit by bit.
If you released the best in one go, then everyone's appetite would be big. It would be even more awkward if they could not keep up with the updates.
Version 1.0 could only import friends from the address book.
Three days later, the version would be updated and the function of importing PP friends would be added.
In another week, the function of adding friends would be expanded. Weibo friends, people nearby, and Shake Shake could all be online.
We'll give Tencent time to develop it.
When they finish developing it and go online, it would be around May. At that time, we'll release the killer weapon. The voice version will be released!
We'll be ready to fully promote it nationwide!
On May 1st, I'll let everyone in the country see the WeChat advertisement and know the functions of WeChat. At that time, WeChat should have a fixed user base.
The user base accumulated this month will become the link and pioneer of our promotion!
Through them, we can quickly reap the fruits of our labor. Tencent will not have time to deal with it. Do you understand? "
Hearing this, the people in the control center heaved a sigh of relief. Then, Liu Hong frowned and said, "General Manager Li, why don't you just release the voice version …"
Li Dong rolled his eyes and said angrily, "Are you stupid or am I stupid?
How many smartphone users are there now?
Less than 30 million!
But now, there are a lot of smartphone users every day. Do you know how many users we can add in a month?
OPPO is taking advantage of the opportunity of home appliances going to the countryside to ship more than 3 million units a month!
The other manufacturers are not bad either. They can add close to 10 million users in a month. Do you understand?
OPPO's exclusive devices will be released in May. They can start pre-ordering them online now. When that time comes, it's possible to ship more than 3 million units in a day!
If 30 million units can be sold in a month, do you know what that means?
It means that the number of smartphone users can reach more than 70 million. Do you understand?
Of course, this is the best case scenario. In reality, it won't be that fast. But I think 60 million and above is still possible.
The number of users had doubled. At that time, I released the new version to grab these new users.
When Tencent follows suit, I will cover more than half of the 60 million users. No matter how much they jump, they will die.
But it's different now. If we release it now, it's equivalent to giving them an extra month. They might not be able to cover the old users, but they can cover the new users.
When the number of smartphone users reaches 60 million, it should enter a bottleneck period.
This number will not increase indefinitely. Hua Xia has more than 700 million mobile phone users. In my opinion, when smartphone users reach 10%, it will enter a short-term bottleneck period.
So before the bottleneck period, we will cover these users. During the next explosion period, we can just sit back and wait to reap the fruits of our labor.
We can't rush to release our killer move before we reach 5% of the total users. This way, it will be difficult to cover all users in the future. "
The few of them nodded. Indeed, the restriction Far away is not Tencent following suit or any other problems.
The key lies in the number of users!
If the number of users is too small, even if you cover all of them, when the number of users increases in the future, Tencent might ignore the customer base you have accumulated in the early stages.
But once the number of users reaches more than 50 million, it will be difficult to occupy the market no matter how hard you try.
Just like Wan Toon Far away. Previously, when they launched the QR code scanning function, they did occupy most of the users in the early stages. In the beginning, they even occupied more than 90% of the market in the mobile industry.
But when the number of users increases, Ali is also working hard. At that time, their old users will choose to return.
Currently, in the mobile market, although Wan Toon still occupies about 60% of the market, Alipay's market share has reached about 30%. From the previous ten times gap, it has shrunk to the current two times. The key lies in the choice of the new user base.
These people do not care which one to choose. Some old users will subconsciously choose Alipay. After all, they have used it before.
But if Far away did not launch Wan Toon and chose to launch it now, the effect would be completely different.
Of course, Li Dong did not choose to launch it at that time because he was stupid.
Software like WeChat actually does not matter. It will only pry open the market of the telecom operators.
But Alipay and Wan Toon, these Internet payment software, pry open the market several times or even dozens of times bigger than WeChat.
Moreover, this is related to Internet finance. If Li Dong really wanted to monopolize it, he did not have such a big appetite, nor did he have such a big ability.
Even if he wanted to, the government will not agree.
…
While Li Dong and the rest were talking.
Shenzhen.
Tencent headquarters.
Ma Huateng, a few senior vice presidents, and some product managers were staring at the big screen in the conference room.
On the big screen, it was displaying the WeChat software, including some professional analysis.
A senior product manager of Tencent stood on the stage and said in a clear voice, "WeChat is actually not much different from the current IM software. Its functions are very simple, and the user experience is very rough.
Of course, WeChat is not useless.
It simplifies the bloated system of the current IM software, and the communication function is maximized.
It can be said that it is a pure IM tool.
And there is another difference between it and QQ and PP, and that is its weak relationship chain.
In my opinion, WeChat is not a software that was launched for large-scale use. Its purpose is to connect with the social circle around you, to narrow the social circle of IM users, and to make it more life-like.
In this aspect, there was still something to be desired.
Looking at the friend import system of WeChat, it's relationship chain is established on the mobile phone's address book. The scope is reduced a lot, and the purpose is to accurately push.
To be honest, I think it is a bit similar to mobile SMS.
Its target group is also the people around you, and the group that is related to you.
According to the six-degree separation theory, the connection of this relationship chain through acquaintances, through the people around you, will be more solid and more active.
But … "
The product manager did not completely reject WeChat. Everything has its merits.
But he still continued, "But in my opinion, this kind of social software is a bit unnecessary.
Far away does not need to develop a new software at all. They can completely import the address book friend system on the basis of the original PP.
This way, it will also enrich the functions of PP.
Now that it's like this, I think it's a bit of a waste to separate it.
Of course, maybe Far away's purpose is to simplify the communication function, so that PP does not look bloated.
After all, the current mobile phones are limited. There are too many functions, too much content, and it's easy to have some problems that are difficult to solve, and the user experience is not very good.
In fact, our QQ3G has already simplified some of its functions … "
The product manager continued. When he finished, Ma Huateng said in a deep voice, "How big a threat do you think this software is to QQ?"
Everyone was silent for a moment, and after a while, someone said, "Actually, in my opinion, WeChat is currently not enough to pose any threat to us.
Looking at the current number of downloads, you can see that this software has not caused any sensation or impact.
Of course, this is also related to Far away not promoting it on a large scale.
Its only innovation is actually the introduction of the address book system. As for abandoning the other bloated functions, in my opinion, there are good and bad.
Just like Far away, unless we develop a new software now, QQ cannot completely abandon the previous functions. If we really abandon it, then it will not be QQ.
Also, WeChat's profit methods are also limited.
Abandoning other functions to allow customers to get a simpler and more extreme experience is very good. But in reality, which IM software at the beginning is not like this?
Why add new functions later on?
The key is to introduce value-added services to increase our source of income. Just like the current WeChat, where is its source of profit?
Value-added services?
Advertising income?
Traffic income?
Or something else?
In my opinion, WeChat is not even as good as QQ. Of course, the user interface and login method of WeChat is much simpler than QQ. This is still a good point.
Far away's product gives me the greatest feeling of simplicity and convenience.
According to Li Dong, it is an idiotic operation that even illiterate people can use.
WeChat is like this. I think their position is not necessarily in text communication, but their image communication is clear … If this … "
The senior vice president said and could not help but touch his chin, "I seemed to have thought of something just now. It flashed by and I forgot about it."
Many times, when there is no precedent, when there is a flash of thought in your mind, it is difficult to clearly remember what the thought was.
Just now, the vice president thought of the voice call function.
But at this time, voice calls are still the patent of telecom operators at home and abroad.
VoIP has appeared, but VoIP is actually also charged.
WeChat's voice call function is actually a variant of VoIP, but WeChat converted this voice call fee into data fee.
This is also the reason why Li Dong insisted on reducing the data fee with the operator.
Otherwise, the data fee formed by each voice is even higher than the call fee. Then the introduction of the voice chat function at this time seems a bit useless.
The flash of inspiration made the vice president fall into a dilemma, and he did not continue to speak for a while.
The others waited for a moment, seeing that he was still deep in thought, Ma Huateng could only say, "No matter what, Far away generally does not do useless work.
The more low-key Li Dong is, the more dangerous it is.
Although WeChat looks simple, we have not tested this model, nor have we used it in practice.
We don't know what kind of impact it will have, and how much of an impact it will have on us.
And the unknown is the scariest.
Wireless department, immediately start tracking this project, and we will also start to develop this weak chain of IM software.
We have people, we have people, and this is the root of our invincibility.
We can prevent the other party from suddenly making it big, and we cannot keep up, causing major losses. "
Everyone nodded in agreement. In any case, if an ordinary person introduced such a product, they may not care too much.
But since it is Li Dong's side, they have to pay attention to the rubbish software.
Based on the current situation, WeChat does not seem to have any impact on QQ.
But Ma Huateng always felt that Li Dong's target this year was Tencent. Now that the other party introduced a software related to IM, he had to pay attention to it.
…
After everyone left the conference room, Ma Huateng lit a cigarette and started smoking.
After a while, Ma Huateng took out his phone and made a call.
It was not for Li Dong, but for Ma Yun.
The moment the call connected, Ma Huateng said in a deep voice, "What do you think he is trying to do?"
Ma Yun, who was on the other end of the phone, was also a little exhausted. He lightly sighed and said, "It's hard to say. Anyway, it's either you or me. But don't worry too much, there is no need to scare ourselves.
Maybe this guy is just waiting for us to mess up on our own.
Once we mess up, it will give him a chance.
Right now, we have to stabilize our situation first. As long as we stabilize our situation, will Li Dong really be invincible? "
I don't believe in invincibility. Everyone has a weakness. As long as we grasp his weakness, we will give him a fatal blow sooner or later!
Let him be arrogant for a while, then we will teach him a lesson! "
Ma Yun said this through gritted teeth. Ma Huateng said helplessly, "I also believe that everyone has a weakness, but his weakness is fleeting. This opportunity is not so easy to grasp."
"Then we wait! If one year is not enough, we will wait for two years. If two years is not enough, we will wait for three years. We have come this far, do we not even have this little bit of patience? "
"That's true. The key is …"
Ma Huateng did not continue. The key is, can we really wait that long?
He wasn't too sure about this now.
In fact, this group of people did not lack confidence. However, compared to Ma Yun, Ma Huateng's sense of crisis was a little heavier.
No matter how difficult Ali was, Ma Yun had never thought of compromising and admitting defeat. When Tencent encountered a crisis a few years ago, Ma Huateng had the idea of packing up and selling it.
Humans were humans, after all. No matter how successful they were, they could not be completely unmoved by everything.
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