January 24, 2013 at 08:58Tin Mok about the past, present and future Meizu
In November, Beijing hosted the presentation of the new Meizu MX2 smartphone, and a day later we were able to interview one of the key employees of the company. The vice president of sales and marketing, Tin Mok, agreed to answer our questions. Ting has been working for the company for a long time, he is personally acquainted with its founder and is actively involved in many aspects of Meizu's development.
Tin, hello, tell us a little about the history of the company. How did you get the idea to create your own brand? Who was the founder of the company? What inspired him? What products were originally produced?
The founder of the company was Jack Wong. Mr. Wong was originally engaged in the production and sale of OEM products, but even when selling OEM devices, he tried to make them look individual, adding some kind of their own “tricks” related to design or performance.
After some time, Mr. Wong realized that you couldn’t go far for the sale of OEM devices, besides, they did not allow him to reveal his full potential as a developer and designer, so he decided to establish his own company. The word "Meizu" consists of two Chinese words, Mei - a person who is "in trend", interested in new technologies, Zu - a group of people. In fact, literally Meizu can be translated as "a group of geeks."
Mr. Wong was not only a developer, but also a designer, so even such things as a logo were given maximum attention. First, look at how Meizu is spelled in Chinese:
And here is a picture of the logo designed by Wong:
As you can see, Wong “converted” the usual hieroglyphs into a fancy drawing.
The first model released under its own brand was an mp3 player - Meizu ME. After it there was a whole scattering of players from Meizu: E2, X2, E5, X6, E3, MiniPlayer.
But the company gained real fame in the Russian market thanks to the Meizu MusicCard player. We sold it under the brand Ritmix (RF-7400). Thanks to this model, at one time Ritmix players were considered high-quality in terms of sound.
After some time, Mr. Wong realized that the market for mp3 players is gradually decreasing, in their place are multifunctional "combines" - smartphones. Therefore, Meizu decided to refocus on the release of smartphones. (The first model released was Meizu M8, which hit users with its well-thought-out shell, against the background of stock Windows CE 6.0).
It is important to note here that most of the models at that time worked on Windows Mobile, and Windows CE was installed mainly in all kinds of navigators or players (for example, Cowon Q5W).
The difference between Windows Mobile and Windows CE is best represented by the following example: Windows CE is a kind of toolkit from which a developer can “assemble” his own OS, and Windows Mobile is a “prefabricated” product already created from Windows CE.
Let me remind you that the Meizu M8 had its own shell, which can most likely be called almost its own OS, because literally everything was worked out in it: from the desktop to all the settings menu items. All that was in M8 from Windows CE was software support for this OS. Otherwise, it was a unique shell, made at the level of modern HTC Sense and MIUI.
Why did you stop releasing players after the start of smartphone sales?
Firstly, smartphones began to gradually supplant players, and secondly, Mr. Wong believes that you need to concentrate on one direction, and not spray on several niches.
When and why did the company decide to make the Russian market one of the key? As far as I know, you even came to Russia yourself to get to know the partners who represent your company here more closely?
Yes, we did come to Russia for this purpose. We understand that the Russian market gives the company tremendous potential. In addition, we know that Russian users are interested in our products, and at one time we even ordered them from China. Also, the Russian market allows us to show that we are interested in developing the brand not only in China.
Whose merit is this?
Interest Ask. A huge role in establishing relations with the company was played by Vadim (Vadim Koliukh). In addition to negotiating with us and introducing Meizu in Russia, we are pleased to do business with Vadim also because he clearly understands the philosophy of our brand, due to which he can correctly position Meizu in the Russian market.
Do you plan to release tablets as well?
Let me ask you a question: Do you have a tablet? Do you use it often? (Yes, there is, I use it from an hour to two a day) . What about a smartphone? - added Tin Mok with a smile.
The essence of this issue was that we use a smartphone many times more often than a tablet, therefore it is more profitable and more perspective to produce smartphones. I believe that over time they will be able to completely replace the functionality of tablets, Galaxy Note is only the first sign in this direction.
Does the company plan to release a device like the Galaxy Note?
Not at the moment. But no one excludes such plans in the future.
... in continuation of the issue of tablets ..
In my opinion, the best tablets now are the iPad. This is largely due to the quality of materials, design and of course the amount of software. Currently, the Android tablet is losing to iOS. We would not want to provide our users with a raw product.
I know that for Meizu MX there were test firmware on stock Android, do you plan to release alternative firmware in the future without Flyme?
In our opinion, stock Android is currently imperfect. Take at least their lock screen or on-screen buttons. That is why we adapt it so that users get the most positive experience. Therefore - no, we do not plan to release firmware on Android without our shell.
Who is engaged in adapting the firmware for Russian users?
Our official partners in Russia.
Why did you decide to abandon the memory card slot?
This initiative comes from Google, and we support it. If you pay attention, the entire Nexus series does not have a slot for memory cards, in addition, this has a positive effect on power consumption.
The most popular question from our readers concerns the price, why is there such a big difference between the price in Russia and in China?
Many factors play a role here. Firstly, China has high competition, so we put a minimum margin for our Chinese users. Secondly, here we have our own sales channels, we sell our smartphones ourselves, and not through intermediaries, this also explains the low price. Thirdly, you must understand that the delivery of smartphones to Russia is also not free, plus VAT, because we trade officially, plus after-sales service, all this affects the price.
Many of our readers write that it is better they order a smartphone from China and save.
Of course, they can do it, but, firstly, they will have to wait for his arrival, and secondly, not the fact that the smartphone will reach them. In addition, if something happens with their phone, they will not be able to contact the service center for free diagnostics and repair in Russia, but will be forced to repair it for money or send it for service to the country (the store) where they purchased .
What determines the choice of Samsung processors for your smartphones?
Let's take a look at the processor market as a whole: MTKs are cheap processors that we cannot use in our flagship. Qualcomm is certainly good, but only when it comes to supporting various communication standards. NVIDIA Tegra - no thanks. At the moment, Samsung is a leader in the production of processors, let's not forget that until recently, even Apple products used Samsung processors, which is very significant.
Recently, more and more smartphones have appeared, the main feature of which is FullHD-resolution, do the company plan to release such smartphones?
We are thinking about it. While we can not give any comments.
Do you plan to install more capacious batteries in your devices?
The main problem with power consumption is associated with the operating system, and not with the mAh capacity, which is why we focus on technologies related to optimizing battery life. This direction is also important for us. In the future, when using new processors, the situation will improve even more.
What is the reason for adding support for FLAC format? Will the difference between FLAC and MP3 be heard in conventional headphones?
Do not forget that we were originally engaged in players, and part of our audience (albeit small) are people who use high-quality headphones and hear the difference between MP3 and FLAC. Despite the fact that there are few such people, they are also our loyal users, so FLAC support was made just for them. Of course, a regular user listening to music on headphones for $ 20 is unlikely to hear the difference between FLAC and MP3.
Tin, our interview has come to an end, maybe you want to say a few words to our readers?
We are glad that our Russian users are not indifferent to the fate of Meizu and they ask questions. The official entry into the Russian market is an important achievement for us. Thank you for your interest in our company!
Tin, hello, tell us a little about the history of the company. How did you get the idea to create your own brand? Who was the founder of the company? What inspired him? What products were originally produced?
The founder of the company was Jack Wong. Mr. Wong was originally engaged in the production and sale of OEM products, but even when selling OEM devices, he tried to make them look individual, adding some kind of their own “tricks” related to design or performance.
After some time, Mr. Wong realized that you couldn’t go far for the sale of OEM devices, besides, they did not allow him to reveal his full potential as a developer and designer, so he decided to establish his own company. The word "Meizu" consists of two Chinese words, Mei - a person who is "in trend", interested in new technologies, Zu - a group of people. In fact, literally Meizu can be translated as "a group of geeks."
Mr. Wong was not only a developer, but also a designer, so even such things as a logo were given maximum attention. First, look at how Meizu is spelled in Chinese:
And here is a picture of the logo designed by Wong:
As you can see, Wong “converted” the usual hieroglyphs into a fancy drawing.
The first model released under its own brand was an mp3 player - Meizu ME. After it there was a whole scattering of players from Meizu: E2, X2, E5, X6, E3, MiniPlayer.
But the company gained real fame in the Russian market thanks to the Meizu MusicCard player. We sold it under the brand Ritmix (RF-7400). Thanks to this model, at one time Ritmix players were considered high-quality in terms of sound.
After some time, Mr. Wong realized that the market for mp3 players is gradually decreasing, in their place are multifunctional "combines" - smartphones. Therefore, Meizu decided to refocus on the release of smartphones. (The first model released was Meizu M8, which hit users with its well-thought-out shell, against the background of stock Windows CE 6.0).
It is important to note here that most of the models at that time worked on Windows Mobile, and Windows CE was installed mainly in all kinds of navigators or players (for example, Cowon Q5W).
The difference between Windows Mobile and Windows CE is best represented by the following example: Windows CE is a kind of toolkit from which a developer can “assemble” his own OS, and Windows Mobile is a “prefabricated” product already created from Windows CE.
Let me remind you that the Meizu M8 had its own shell, which can most likely be called almost its own OS, because literally everything was worked out in it: from the desktop to all the settings menu items. All that was in M8 from Windows CE was software support for this OS. Otherwise, it was a unique shell, made at the level of modern HTC Sense and MIUI.
Why did you stop releasing players after the start of smartphone sales?
Firstly, smartphones began to gradually supplant players, and secondly, Mr. Wong believes that you need to concentrate on one direction, and not spray on several niches.
When and why did the company decide to make the Russian market one of the key? As far as I know, you even came to Russia yourself to get to know the partners who represent your company here more closely?
Yes, we did come to Russia for this purpose. We understand that the Russian market gives the company tremendous potential. In addition, we know that Russian users are interested in our products, and at one time we even ordered them from China. Also, the Russian market allows us to show that we are interested in developing the brand not only in China.
Whose merit is this?
Interest Ask. A huge role in establishing relations with the company was played by Vadim (Vadim Koliukh). In addition to negotiating with us and introducing Meizu in Russia, we are pleased to do business with Vadim also because he clearly understands the philosophy of our brand, due to which he can correctly position Meizu in the Russian market.
Do you plan to release tablets as well?
Let me ask you a question: Do you have a tablet? Do you use it often? (Yes, there is, I use it from an hour to two a day) . What about a smartphone? - added Tin Mok with a smile.
The essence of this issue was that we use a smartphone many times more often than a tablet, therefore it is more profitable and more perspective to produce smartphones. I believe that over time they will be able to completely replace the functionality of tablets, Galaxy Note is only the first sign in this direction.
Does the company plan to release a device like the Galaxy Note?
Not at the moment. But no one excludes such plans in the future.
... in continuation of the issue of tablets ..
In my opinion, the best tablets now are the iPad. This is largely due to the quality of materials, design and of course the amount of software. Currently, the Android tablet is losing to iOS. We would not want to provide our users with a raw product.
I know that for Meizu MX there were test firmware on stock Android, do you plan to release alternative firmware in the future without Flyme?
In our opinion, stock Android is currently imperfect. Take at least their lock screen or on-screen buttons. That is why we adapt it so that users get the most positive experience. Therefore - no, we do not plan to release firmware on Android without our shell.
Who is engaged in adapting the firmware for Russian users?
Our official partners in Russia.
Why did you decide to abandon the memory card slot?
This initiative comes from Google, and we support it. If you pay attention, the entire Nexus series does not have a slot for memory cards, in addition, this has a positive effect on power consumption.
The most popular question from our readers concerns the price, why is there such a big difference between the price in Russia and in China?
Many factors play a role here. Firstly, China has high competition, so we put a minimum margin for our Chinese users. Secondly, here we have our own sales channels, we sell our smartphones ourselves, and not through intermediaries, this also explains the low price. Thirdly, you must understand that the delivery of smartphones to Russia is also not free, plus VAT, because we trade officially, plus after-sales service, all this affects the price.
Many of our readers write that it is better they order a smartphone from China and save.
Of course, they can do it, but, firstly, they will have to wait for his arrival, and secondly, not the fact that the smartphone will reach them. In addition, if something happens with their phone, they will not be able to contact the service center for free diagnostics and repair in Russia, but will be forced to repair it for money or send it for service to the country (the store) where they purchased .
What determines the choice of Samsung processors for your smartphones?
Let's take a look at the processor market as a whole: MTKs are cheap processors that we cannot use in our flagship. Qualcomm is certainly good, but only when it comes to supporting various communication standards. NVIDIA Tegra - no thanks. At the moment, Samsung is a leader in the production of processors, let's not forget that until recently, even Apple products used Samsung processors, which is very significant.
Recently, more and more smartphones have appeared, the main feature of which is FullHD-resolution, do the company plan to release such smartphones?
We are thinking about it. While we can not give any comments.
Do you plan to install more capacious batteries in your devices?
The main problem with power consumption is associated with the operating system, and not with the mAh capacity, which is why we focus on technologies related to optimizing battery life. This direction is also important for us. In the future, when using new processors, the situation will improve even more.
What is the reason for adding support for FLAC format? Will the difference between FLAC and MP3 be heard in conventional headphones?
Do not forget that we were originally engaged in players, and part of our audience (albeit small) are people who use high-quality headphones and hear the difference between MP3 and FLAC. Despite the fact that there are few such people, they are also our loyal users, so FLAC support was made just for them. Of course, a regular user listening to music on headphones for $ 20 is unlikely to hear the difference between FLAC and MP3.
Tin, our interview has come to an end, maybe you want to say a few words to our readers?
We are glad that our Russian users are not indifferent to the fate of Meizu and they ask questions. The official entry into the Russian market is an important achievement for us. Thank you for your interest in our company!