SE X10 mini: true story of creation
Users of high-tech devices rarely become aware of the history of the creation of a product. Only Eldar Murtazin sometimes writes an exciting story about the creation of the Motorola V3i or one of the Vertu.
I suggest everyone to get acquainted with the semi-daily form of the history of the creation of the SE X10 mini, taken from the engineer staring at the summer starry night. You will learn about the "popular" communicator, which did not become such, without blame for the blame for the Sony Ericsson Pureness and Vertu, the world influence of Ukrainian customs.
In the spring of 2009, Sony Ericsson is faced with an awareness of major issues. An incredible amount of funds invested in the promotion of Xperia X1, which is finally for sale, but as it turned out, a little more than not at all. Among the rest of the range there is not a single sign model. Any model of the company is selling poorly, and among the sales networks even sad jokes have begun to go that the SE phones are now being distributed only by being presented as a gift to a flash drive by the store buyer. There is no such hunt for any SE device as for any generation of iPhones or (most annoyingly) Samsung Star.
Top management of the company is aware of the need for change. New products with high margins are required, but there is no time to develop. In addition, the SE recently ordered a rebranding, the total amount of space. Unfortunately, the company's reckoning that the new logo will cause a new interest in the products has failed. And the management is aware: there are no products to confirm the new logo, there are no products to pay for the new logo, there are no products to house the new logo.
')
Most of all, by the vanity of the company, the huge profits made by semi-legal (in the world) Chinese manufacturers. It turns out to be a paradoxical situation: in China they make a lot of imitations for iPhone and other phones and spread it all over the world. Without any recognizable brand and other attributes of the “Big Brand”, such manufacturers receive significant profits and are popular.
In April, a batch with secret product samples of competitors was delivered to the central office of the company. It is no secret that all manufacturers vigilantly monitor the planned products of other companies. It is necessary for survival. There is no need to go far for examples from the recent past: the threat posed by Apple in the form of an iPhone that was developed in 2005 cost the company lagging behind its competitors for at least 2 years and now the situation is only getting worse. For some time, special attention has been paid to industrial manufacturers of espionage by Chinese manufacturers - both Sony Ericsson and other major players feel the still elusive, but inevitable threat from this side.
But this time something unusual happened. Among the product samples, marketers of the company saw salvation. Looking at the piles of imitations under the iPhone, my eyes fell on the Sciphone N19.
An amazing thing, but the company saw a huge potential in N19. It turned out that in China in retail the phone is already for sale and costs $ 95-130. The cost of such a device should be close to $ 60. And Sony Ericsson decides to take an unprecedented step - to steal the idea and scheme of the device from the Chinese manufacturer. The company is aware of an incredible risk, but if successful, the game is worth the candle. At the general meeting, the idea of ​​creating an affordable communicator was approved. The task was simplified by the fact that the plans of the future apparatus were already on hand: the industrial espionage department already had all the documentation for the Sciphone N19, it remained only to change the body. The head of the mobile phone unit reluctantly and under the condition of high secrecy gives the go-ahead to the development of the project. The image of a company is on the scales - in the case of publicity, the status of an A-brand and a high-tech company is instantly lost.
The following specifications are approved:
Display 2.8 inches, 320x240, touch
2 megapixel camera
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
OS Android 1.5
RAM / ROM: 128/128 MB
Retail price € 100
The project is called "LKD"
These characteristics are destined to be adjusted many times.
Engineers have begun to create a body-appearance must necessarily be Sony Style.
Designers in India ordered the creation of new icons for the interface.
At the insistence of the marketing department, specifications are made to the specification. In the new product, not just a non-standard connector was used to connect to a PC (and users negatively relate to the standard for the FastPort company), but in general a new one for the company, inherited from the original. It is recommended to use miniUSB. A 3.5 jack plug should also be provided. Surprisingly, the use of microSD-cards in Sciphone N19 turned out to be on the hand of SE: users have a negative attitude to the standard for the company MemoryStick.
It turned out to be possible to introduce a 3.5 mm jack, but due to the peculiarities of the extra-budgetary constructive of the original, the headset microphone will be connected to individual contacts - this is the design of the printed circuit board.
Also decided to use a non-removable battery; This will allow to hide the chip markings and the board under the eyes of users.
Meanwhile, the company has good news. As a result of the inventory, a large batch of unused 5 megapixel camera modules was found at the BMC factory. These modules were once purchased for the G900. At one time, this phone became famous as the owner of the most poor-quality 5-megapixel camera. It is easy to guess that they were not worth much and therefore will not significantly affect the cost. It was decided to install them in LKD.
In July , the development of SE Pureness is completed. This model is worth playing a role in setting the price for X10 mini.
In August, the LKD project overtakes the first problems. An incredible flood occurred in the main management building of the company. It is still unclear why the sewers broke through in several places at once. But the fact remains that in the rooms of all the directors, the mahogany parquet jarred and the oak tables swelled. To restore the prestige of the company and the purchase of tables, fireplaces and pens thrown huge funds. It was decided to compensate expenses by increasing the prices for the future X10 mini due to its availability and budget. Price rises to € 135.
Meanwhile, the developers of the case decide to leave only 3 buttons on the front panel and slightly reassign the functions to create more Sony Style. The fourth button will remain hidden under the plastic.
August 28 - great news from India from the icon-making bureau. It turns out that the design bureau did not just develop new icons. By an incredible mistake for the company, a new interface of the device was drawn. But the good news fade into the background: the phone is undergoing a second serious modification. The marketing director decides and strictly confidentially informs: a cheap communicator exists for the poor to buy. For better-off buyers, there are other models are expensive. A 2.6-inch screen (but capacitive) should be installed to prevent competition with prestigious models.
However, this is only the beginning of a string of bad news.
November 13, 2009 The head of the Sony Ericsson mobile phone development department gives his wife a wedding anniversary with Sony Ericsson Pureness. Because of the gift in his family there is a huge scandal. Spouse flatly refuses to use SE Pureness and faces divorce. The way out is to give Signature Kissho to his wife at the cost of $ 215,720. Cost compensation is borne by future X10 mini buyers - there are a lot of benefits.
Incredibly good news - enthusiasts for the Sciphone N19 adapted Android OS 1.6. SE immediately transferred the future device to a new version. The estimated importance of such an update allows the device to raise the price to € 160.
January 19, 2010. The first closed presentation of the product is held. The company gathers the most free-thinking, unbiased and independent journalists. Despite all the efforts, good reviews can not be achieved, all experts as one speak about the archaic nature of the device. Nevertheless, unofficial versions of such a reluctance to cover the product, they say, show up, Samsung feeds better, entertains more interesting and encourages more. Of course, this version is untrue and only blackens journalists.
January 24, 2010. The company makes the decision to give a fair journalist a little more time to get acquainted with the device and therefore gives each one an incorruptible phone. This not only allows you to get a lot of independent positive feedback, but also, given the large number of expensive presentations, makes you raise the retail price to € 220
February 2010. Unbelievable, but it is a fact. Ukrainian customs has played a role in the formation of the world price of devices. So it turned out that due to the eruption of a volcano in Iceland, it was impossible to make deliveries by air. The main batch of phones followed the transit of vehicles through Ukraine to Europe. At the customs, the chief specialist Lyudmila Fyodorovna refused to let the goods go further, arguing that the documents indicated lower prices. The representatives of the SE, not accustomed to such a celebration of the Law and justice of the Constitution, decided to challenge the decisions of Lyudmila Fyodorovna - after all, in the rest of the world (apparently much less civilized than Ukraine), there were no questions to the documents. Unfortunately, the staff - Grigory Yakovlevich, Victor Fillipov, Anatoly Bondarenko and other specialists in their work supported the team. It is because of this that the price of X10 mini went up to the current one, and Lyudmila Fyodorovna finally completed the second floor of the dacha, Grigory Yakovlevich paid for her daughter's education at the university, and other servants of the Law on Customs suddenly became happier.
A happy ending. By the summer of 2010, we have a lot of positive reviews about the X10 mini and as many negative reviews about the N19, sometimes on the same site. We have a price on the N19 $ 110 and X10 mini in the amount of $ 370 (that is, N19 + N19 + N19). And we have a reason to think.
I suggest everyone to get acquainted with the semi-daily form of the history of the creation of the SE X10 mini, taken from the engineer staring at the summer starry night. You will learn about the "popular" communicator, which did not become such, without blame for the blame for the Sony Ericsson Pureness and Vertu, the world influence of Ukrainian customs.
In the spring of 2009, Sony Ericsson is faced with an awareness of major issues. An incredible amount of funds invested in the promotion of Xperia X1, which is finally for sale, but as it turned out, a little more than not at all. Among the rest of the range there is not a single sign model. Any model of the company is selling poorly, and among the sales networks even sad jokes have begun to go that the SE phones are now being distributed only by being presented as a gift to a flash drive by the store buyer. There is no such hunt for any SE device as for any generation of iPhones or (most annoyingly) Samsung Star.
Top management of the company is aware of the need for change. New products with high margins are required, but there is no time to develop. In addition, the SE recently ordered a rebranding, the total amount of space. Unfortunately, the company's reckoning that the new logo will cause a new interest in the products has failed. And the management is aware: there are no products to confirm the new logo, there are no products to pay for the new logo, there are no products to house the new logo.
')
Most of all, by the vanity of the company, the huge profits made by semi-legal (in the world) Chinese manufacturers. It turns out to be a paradoxical situation: in China they make a lot of imitations for iPhone and other phones and spread it all over the world. Without any recognizable brand and other attributes of the “Big Brand”, such manufacturers receive significant profits and are popular.
In April, a batch with secret product samples of competitors was delivered to the central office of the company. It is no secret that all manufacturers vigilantly monitor the planned products of other companies. It is necessary for survival. There is no need to go far for examples from the recent past: the threat posed by Apple in the form of an iPhone that was developed in 2005 cost the company lagging behind its competitors for at least 2 years and now the situation is only getting worse. For some time, special attention has been paid to industrial manufacturers of espionage by Chinese manufacturers - both Sony Ericsson and other major players feel the still elusive, but inevitable threat from this side.
But this time something unusual happened. Among the product samples, marketers of the company saw salvation. Looking at the piles of imitations under the iPhone, my eyes fell on the Sciphone N19.
An amazing thing, but the company saw a huge potential in N19. It turned out that in China in retail the phone is already for sale and costs $ 95-130. The cost of such a device should be close to $ 60. And Sony Ericsson decides to take an unprecedented step - to steal the idea and scheme of the device from the Chinese manufacturer. The company is aware of an incredible risk, but if successful, the game is worth the candle. At the general meeting, the idea of ​​creating an affordable communicator was approved. The task was simplified by the fact that the plans of the future apparatus were already on hand: the industrial espionage department already had all the documentation for the Sciphone N19, it remained only to change the body. The head of the mobile phone unit reluctantly and under the condition of high secrecy gives the go-ahead to the development of the project. The image of a company is on the scales - in the case of publicity, the status of an A-brand and a high-tech company is instantly lost.
The following specifications are approved:
Display 2.8 inches, 320x240, touch
2 megapixel camera
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
OS Android 1.5
RAM / ROM: 128/128 MB
Retail price € 100
The project is called "LKD"
These characteristics are destined to be adjusted many times.
Engineers have begun to create a body-appearance must necessarily be Sony Style.
Designers in India ordered the creation of new icons for the interface.
At the insistence of the marketing department, specifications are made to the specification. In the new product, not just a non-standard connector was used to connect to a PC (and users negatively relate to the standard for the FastPort company), but in general a new one for the company, inherited from the original. It is recommended to use miniUSB. A 3.5 jack plug should also be provided. Surprisingly, the use of microSD-cards in Sciphone N19 turned out to be on the hand of SE: users have a negative attitude to the standard for the company MemoryStick.
It turned out to be possible to introduce a 3.5 mm jack, but due to the peculiarities of the extra-budgetary constructive of the original, the headset microphone will be connected to individual contacts - this is the design of the printed circuit board.
Also decided to use a non-removable battery; This will allow to hide the chip markings and the board under the eyes of users.
Meanwhile, the company has good news. As a result of the inventory, a large batch of unused 5 megapixel camera modules was found at the BMC factory. These modules were once purchased for the G900. At one time, this phone became famous as the owner of the most poor-quality 5-megapixel camera. It is easy to guess that they were not worth much and therefore will not significantly affect the cost. It was decided to install them in LKD.
In July , the development of SE Pureness is completed. This model is worth playing a role in setting the price for X10 mini.
In August, the LKD project overtakes the first problems. An incredible flood occurred in the main management building of the company. It is still unclear why the sewers broke through in several places at once. But the fact remains that in the rooms of all the directors, the mahogany parquet jarred and the oak tables swelled. To restore the prestige of the company and the purchase of tables, fireplaces and pens thrown huge funds. It was decided to compensate expenses by increasing the prices for the future X10 mini due to its availability and budget. Price rises to € 135.
Meanwhile, the developers of the case decide to leave only 3 buttons on the front panel and slightly reassign the functions to create more Sony Style. The fourth button will remain hidden under the plastic.
August 28 - great news from India from the icon-making bureau. It turns out that the design bureau did not just develop new icons. By an incredible mistake for the company, a new interface of the device was drawn. But the good news fade into the background: the phone is undergoing a second serious modification. The marketing director decides and strictly confidentially informs: a cheap communicator exists for the poor to buy. For better-off buyers, there are other models are expensive. A 2.6-inch screen (but capacitive) should be installed to prevent competition with prestigious models.
However, this is only the beginning of a string of bad news.
November 13, 2009 The head of the Sony Ericsson mobile phone development department gives his wife a wedding anniversary with Sony Ericsson Pureness. Because of the gift in his family there is a huge scandal. Spouse flatly refuses to use SE Pureness and faces divorce. The way out is to give Signature Kissho to his wife at the cost of $ 215,720. Cost compensation is borne by future X10 mini buyers - there are a lot of benefits.
Incredibly good news - enthusiasts for the Sciphone N19 adapted Android OS 1.6. SE immediately transferred the future device to a new version. The estimated importance of such an update allows the device to raise the price to € 160.
January 19, 2010. The first closed presentation of the product is held. The company gathers the most free-thinking, unbiased and independent journalists. Despite all the efforts, good reviews can not be achieved, all experts as one speak about the archaic nature of the device. Nevertheless, unofficial versions of such a reluctance to cover the product, they say, show up, Samsung feeds better, entertains more interesting and encourages more. Of course, this version is untrue and only blackens journalists.
January 24, 2010. The company makes the decision to give a fair journalist a little more time to get acquainted with the device and therefore gives each one an incorruptible phone. This not only allows you to get a lot of independent positive feedback, but also, given the large number of expensive presentations, makes you raise the retail price to € 220
February 2010. Unbelievable, but it is a fact. Ukrainian customs has played a role in the formation of the world price of devices. So it turned out that due to the eruption of a volcano in Iceland, it was impossible to make deliveries by air. The main batch of phones followed the transit of vehicles through Ukraine to Europe. At the customs, the chief specialist Lyudmila Fyodorovna refused to let the goods go further, arguing that the documents indicated lower prices. The representatives of the SE, not accustomed to such a celebration of the Law and justice of the Constitution, decided to challenge the decisions of Lyudmila Fyodorovna - after all, in the rest of the world (apparently much less civilized than Ukraine), there were no questions to the documents. Unfortunately, the staff - Grigory Yakovlevich, Victor Fillipov, Anatoly Bondarenko and other specialists in their work supported the team. It is because of this that the price of X10 mini went up to the current one, and Lyudmila Fyodorovna finally completed the second floor of the dacha, Grigory Yakovlevich paid for her daughter's education at the university, and other servants of the Law on Customs suddenly became happier.
A happy ending. By the summer of 2010, we have a lot of positive reviews about the X10 mini and as many negative reviews about the N19, sometimes on the same site. We have a price on the N19 $ 110 and X10 mini in the amount of $ 370 (that is, N19 + N19 + N19). And we have a reason to think.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/102071/
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