06/18 2024 431
On June 15th, Ma Zhiyu, the former Lenovo laptop product manager, announced on his personal Weibo that he had joined Xiaomi. Before entering Xiaomi, Ma Zhiyu had more than a decade of work experience at Lenovo. This time entering Xiaomi, Ma Zhiyu will be responsible for Xiaomi's "All Notebook" business. Ma Zhiyu said that he will bring Xiaomi's notebook business back to the "original intention of Xiaomi's model", make friends with users, and listen to more voices from users.
It is worth mentioning that in Xiaomi's revenue map, the revenue of the notebook computer business has always had a low presence. In the eyes of industry insiders, Ma Zhiyu's joining Xiaomi this time means that Xiaomi is paying more attention to the notebook computer business. At the same time, Ma Zhiyu's joining can bring Xiaomi a deep understanding of the computer market and effective strategic guidance, which will bring new development momentum to Xiaomi's computer business.
Formally Joined Xiaomi
Currently, Ma Zhiyu's Weibo certification has been changed to Product Marketing Director of Xiaomi Communications Technology Co., Ltd.
According to Ma Zhiyu's self-introduction, he has worked at Lenovo for more than ten years, gaining a lot of experience and growth from software to hardware, from tablets to notebooks, from the Product Department to the China region. Ma Zhiyu said that he will be responsible for Xiaomi's "All Notebook" business and will bring Xiaomi's notebook business back to the "original intention of Xiaomi's model", making friends with users, listening to everyone's voices more, and also letting everyone know more about Xiaomi's notebook business situation.
Regarding the question "How is Xiaomi's notebook now?" raised by netizens in the comment section, Ma Zhiyu replied, "To put it figuratively, it's a state of running and repairing at the same time."
It is worth mentioning that many netizens wrote about the flaws of Xiaomi computers and Redmi computers in the comment section of Ma Zhiyu. Some netizens believe that Xiaomi computers are not updated in a timely manner: "Xiaomi PC Manager has been released for half a year with Xiaomi Pengpai OS, but only two old models have been adapted so far." "Let's not talk about those innovative notebooks. Our regular product lines should at least be maintained. Don't update sometimes and not update sometimes. It's quite uncomfortable for people."
Some netizens also believe that the configuration and price of Redmi laptops do not match, "I think the first thing is to maintain a stable product rhythm. I wanted to buy a Redmi gaming laptop last year, but there were only 3060/4050 versions, and they were more expensive than some second-tier and third-tier 4060 laptops. I had to buy 4060 from other brands." There are also netizens who believe that the design of Redmi laptops needs improvement, and Redmi laptops are too bulky and should be developed in a more lightweight direction.
Regarding the slow progress of computer updates, Ma Zhiyu replied in the comment section, "It is true that the update progress is slow. We have been internally urging, but there are too many categories to be adapted, and the PC priority is not enough." Ma Zhiyu also said, "There are still many problems, and there is a long way to go."
Consumer Titanium learned from Xiaomi's official mall that Xiaomi's notebook business covers Xiaomi notebooks and Redmi notebook business. Among them, Xiaomi notebooks have a total of 4 products, priced between 3799 yuan and 6299 yuan; Redmi notebooks include a total of 8 products, priced between 3299 yuan and 6399 yuan.
Not Very Present
Public information shows that on July 27, 2016, the Xiaomi Notebook Air officially debuted, and Xiaomi officially launched its notebook business. However, in Xiaomi's entire business map, the revenue of the notebook computer segment is not ideal, and its presence is relatively low.
Xiaomi's first-quarter results report for 2024 showed that during the reporting period, revenue from the IoT and consumer products segment increased by 0.1% from 20.3 billion yuan in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 20.4 billion yuan in the first quarter of 2024, mainly due to an increase in revenue from tablets in mainland China, wearable products in overseas markets, and certain consumer products. However, this was partially offset by a seasonal decrease in revenue from certain consumer products in mainland China and a decrease in revenue from smart TVs and laptops.
In comparison, Xiaomi's smartphone business and its new smart car business are showing rapid growth momentum. In the first quarter of 2024, Xiaomi's smartphone segment revenue was 46.5 billion yuan, an increase of 32.9% year-on-year; as of April 30, 2024, the cumulative number of orders locked for the Xiaomi SU7 series reached 88,063 units.
In terms of new product launches, Xiaomi's notebook computers maintain a low frequency of new product launches. Consumer Titanium learned that Xiaomi notebook computers have not launched any new products in the past two years. As of now, all Xiaomi notebook computer products on Xiaomi's official mall were launched in 2022. However, Redmi notebook computers are being launched at a high frequency. In July 2023, Xiaomi launched the Redmi Book Pro 15 Ryzen Edition; in November 2023, Xiaomi launched the Redmi Book 2024; and in March this year, Xiaomi launched the Redmi G Pro Gaming Notebook 2024.
Regarding netizens' comments that Xiaomi's notebook computers have not launched new products in two years and are declining, while Redmi notebook computers are now rising, Ma Zhiyu replied, "In fact, the Xiaomi brand is after all a brand asset for the company. For PCs, scale is very important now. Therefore, to survive, the first thing to solve is the scale issue, which is also one of the reasons why the focus is now on Redmi."
Some industry insiders pointed out that with the addition of Xiaomi's cars, Xiaomi has officially formed a complete closed loop of "people, cars, and homes." As an important part of the "people, cars, and homes" ecosystem, Xiaomi needs to do a good job of coordinating notebook computers with mobile phones, tablets, and other devices to provide users with a better user experience, thereby attracting more user groups.
Welcoming New Momentum
It is worth mentioning that Xiaomi has new expectations and plans for its notebook computer business segment.
When Xiaomi officially announced the launch of the RedmiBook Pro 2024 in February this year, Xiaomi emphasized that in the development of the RedmiBook Pro 2024, Xiaomi deeply empowered the notebook business with the industrial capabilities of Xiaomi's mobile phones and fully integrated into Xiaomi's Pengpai OS, bringing comprehensive evolution in performance, battery life, screen, and ecosystem. It is a "new chapter" in Xiaomi's notebook business.
With the launch of the RedmiBook Pro 2024, Lu Weibing, Xiaomi Group Partner, Group President, and President of the Group's International Business Department, said that this year will be a big year for Xiaomi's notebook computer business, and Xiaomi will update products across various product lines. The Redmi Book Pro 2024 is just the first of this year.
In the eyes of industry insiders, Ma Zhiyu, who has ten years of experience as a Lenovo notebook product manager, joining Xiaomi this time means that Xiaomi is paying more attention to the notebook computer business segment. At the same time, under the leadership of Ma Zhiyu, Xiaomi's notebook computer business segment is ushering in new development momentum.
It is worth mentioning that for the promotion of Xiaomi's notebook computer business, Ma Zhiyu will also gather wisdom and fully listen to user opinions. Ma Zhiyu said that in addition to products and usage, if there are opinions and suggestions regarding the promotion, sales, and purchase channels of the notebook business, consumers are welcome to communicate with him at any time.
Jiang Han, a senior researcher at Pangu Think Tank, pointed out that Ma Zhiyu has rich industry experience and professional knowledge. His joining can bring Xiaomi a deep understanding of the computer market and effective strategic guidance. Ma Zhiyu is expected to strengthen Xiaomi's communication and interaction with users, optimize product design and services through more user feedback and opinions, and improve user satisfaction and loyalty.
"Xiaomi has always focused on the cost-effectiveness of its products, providing consumers with high-quality and reasonably priced products through optimized supply chain and cost control. Although Xiaomi's computer business still needs to improve its performance in the market, with the increasing and upgrading demand for computer products from consumers, as well as Ma Zhiyu's joining and Xiaomi's emphasis on the computer business, it is believed that the future development prospects of Xiaomi's computer business will be broader." Jiang Han said.
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