The car giant started by marrying the daughter of the king

Along with the new breakthroughs in Lingnan semiconductor technology, Zhujiang Technology also launched new products simultaneously.

Zhujiang Technology has always produced desktop computers and has not entered the laptop market.

However, this market share is not to be underestimated, especially given its great potential for growth.

Liu Donghui was definitely reluctant to give up.

"Mr. Jiang, this is our first laptop, NOTE1."

"Compared with Toshiba and IBM products, we don't have any significant advantages in terms of performance in all aspects."

"But the difference isn't that big."

"Our biggest advantage is cost. With a price of only 9999 yuan, it is more than half the price of Toshiba and IBM."

Liu Donghui didn't expect to make laptops the world's number one from the very beginning.

That's simply unrealistic.

Before the Pearl River NOTE1, no company in China had mass-produced laptops.

Having already achieved a breakthrough from zero is already a very significant achievement.

"I will arrange for BMW Group and Lingnan Semiconductor to purchase tens of thousands of units later."

"There is no need to worry about not being able to utilize the initial production capacity."

"Once there are no major problems with its use within our group, we can further promote it to companies in the supply chain."

Laptops are definitely high-end products in this era.

Ordinary people can't afford it; the main market is corporate procurement.

Therefore, Jiang Hui plans to start with the group's own needs and then extend the program to the industry.

The entire BMW Group employs more than 30 people, including tens of thousands of management and technical personnel.

Consuming tens of thousands of laptops is absolutely no problem.

These computers are, in a way, a living advertisement.

It's very convenient for employees to bring their laptops when communicating with customers.

"If the group could help us purchase a large quantity, that would be ideal."

"Our first notebook production line was prepared with an annual production capacity of 12 units, and it was more of an experimental production line."

"Once market demand picks up, we can quickly increase production."

Liu Donghui came to see Jiang Hui today not only to report on his work, but also because he hoped Jiang Hui could help promote NOTE1.

Sometimes, a single sentence from Jiang Hui can be more effective than all their efforts.

"Laptops account for approximately 15%-20% of the global PC market."

"The growth rate has been very fast in recent years, and this year it should exceed 1000 million units."

"This market is mainly in North America, but Europe is also growing very fast."

"It is estimated that it will take several more years for us to see explosive growth in China."

"Therefore, NOTE1's export business should also be started in a timely manner."

For high-tech products, the main market is still Europe and the United States, and this cannot be changed so quickly.

After all, the current environment is quite different from that of 2025.

"Yes, we are already preparing for the overseas sales of NOTE1."

"Over the next three years, our notebook computer business will primarily focus on overseas markets."

"With our unique cost advantage, our sales volume is still promising."

Liu Donghui naturally understood that Jiang Hui's words made a lot of sense.

For Pearl River Technology to grow and expand, it will still need to rely on the international market in the short term.

Being able to gain a foothold in the international market will also make it easier to expand the domestic market.

After all, Chinese consumers in this era still have a relatively high level of recognition for major international brands.

This is why imported goods are so popular.

If Zhujiang Technology can make a name for itself in the international market, it will enjoy additional prestige.

Narrowing the gap between ourselves and international brands in the eyes of consumers.

"We also need to put more effort into the localization of key components."

"Zhujiang Investment has made an additional investment in a battery company called BYD. You might consider cooperating with them on laptop batteries."

Although lithium batteries represent the future, their current price is too high.

Only some high-end laptops use them; most still use nickel-cadmium batteries.

Zhujiang Technology's laptops are currently targeting the mid-to-low-end market, so naturally they are starting with nickel-cadmium batteries.

After a year or two, when there are some breakthroughs in lithium batteries, we will consider launching laptops equipped with lithium batteries.

"Currently, more than half of the parts for NOTE1 still need to be imported from abroad, which is indeed not good enough."

"We strive to achieve the localization of more than 80% of the parts within the next three years."

"Regarding LCD screens, we have already been looking for manufacturers in the country to cooperate with."

"Regarding CPUs, Lingnan Semiconductor is expected to begin officially producing CPUs independently the year after next."

"There will also be various breakthroughs in other parts."

Liu Donghui is now also feeling the pressure.

Jiang Hui has high expectations for Zhujiang Technology; it's not enough for them to just develop a product.

We also need to see what the product actually looks like.

Unlike some companies that can accept importing major components from abroad, this is different.

For Zhujiang Technology, their development has driven the development of the entire industry chain.

This is the most meaningful thing for the development of China.

……

"Mr. Liu, Zhujiang Technology has officially launched its laptops."

"Should we also set up a team to develop laptops?"

As the second largest computer manufacturer in China, Lenovo has naturally been paying close attention to the developments of Pearl River Technology.

Their goal is to surpass Pearl River Technology and become the number one in China.

As the sales manager, Wang Zenghe naturally assigned many people to inquire about the activities of Zhujiang Technology.

"The assembly of a laptop is much more difficult than that of a desktop computer."

"And our main clients now are government procurement."

"In the short term, their main demand will be desktop computers, not laptops."

Wang Zenghe naturally understood what Liu Chuanqi meant when he said that.

"That's true. Laptops are too expensive and their performance is far inferior to desktops. Relevant departments don't have enough budget to use laptops."

"Continuing to develop our desktop computer business in the short term is the most cost-effective option for us."

Lenovo will arrange its work based on how to make the most money from product development in the short term.

As for whether this is the best way to develop in the long run, they don't care about that at all.

Clearly, developing a laptop computer requires a significant investment of research and development resources.

The final product is still unknown to who it will be sold to.

Lenovo doesn't want to do something like that.

"Although we don't plan to launch the notebook business immediately, we will definitely be involved in it in the future."

"You can have someone keep an eye on Pearl River Technology's activities and see how their laptop business is developing."

Wang Zenghe found it perfectly normal for Liu Chuanqi to give such an instruction.

First, keep an eye on the opponent's movements. If a suitable opportunity arises, then follow up. If not, just observe for now.

……

"Lin, Zhujiang Technology became the first manufacturer in China to develop a laptop computer."

"I think we could consider developing a laptop in line with their pace."

"Applying for funding for this project shouldn't be too difficult."

The Shanghai Computer Research Institute was once a leading research institution in China's computer industry.

However, in recent years it has gradually fallen behind.

As the chief engineer, Lin Furong was also getting a little anxious.

"The layout of the laptop takes into account the size and compatibility of each component. Are we confident that we can produce results in a relatively short time?"

Wang Xiaobin, however, did not object to the project being approved for a laptop computer.

However, before initiating a project, it is definitely necessary to consider what results should be produced.

We can't start a project that doesn't produce any results, otherwise it will be difficult to clean up the mess.

"You've asked a very good question; this is a crucial point."

"However, laptops vary in weight and size."

“We don’t necessarily have to go for the smallest size and lightest weight right from the start.”

"Anyway, we're just going to get a laptop out first. If we choose a different screen size than Pearl River Technology, we can advertise ourselves as the first institution in China to develop a laptop with a XX size."

"Maybe we can use this project to apply for some awards later."

Upon hearing Lin Furong's words, Wang Xiaobin immediately became interested.

It sounds like this is entirely feasible.

After all, Zhujiang Technology has only launched the NOTE1 laptop so far.

Although they are eyeing the title of "Number One in China," if they add one more qualifier, Shanghai's computer industry can also claim the title of "Number One in China."

No matter what it is, once it becomes number one in China, it is definitely a research achievement that is very impressive.

"Have someone discuss this and prepare the project proposal as soon as possible."

"We're aiming to get this project done by next year, otherwise, with so many companies making laptops, our results won't be as noticeable."

Wang Xiaobin immediately began arranging the work.

Since we think this project is feasible, we should get it started as soon as possible.

These are all achievements.

……

"Xiao Chen, you don't need to mention the laptop anymore."

"Our company's future development direction is to strive towards servers and desktop computers with special functions."

Great Wall Computer can be considered one of the first computer companies in China.

General Manager Wang Zhi has excellent technical and management skills.

However, their market-oriented perspective is somewhat lacking.

However, considering Great Wall Computer's special background and the market application scenarios of servers and special-function computers, his choice cannot be said to be wrong.

After all, although this market is not particularly large, the competition is not very intense.

Computers used by special departments, for example, need to have a high degree of security.

A computer like this certainly can't be bought directly from the market.

If Great Wall Computer were to provide related products, there would be virtually no competition from them.

And these products can be priced even higher.

For example, if a desktop computer is priced at 6000 yuan, a desktop computer with special features, which may seem to have no difference in performance, can be sold for 1 yuan.

In this way, even if the number of orders is not particularly impressive, Great Wall Computer can still make a decent living.

"Mr. Wang, regarding the server business, could we also consider expanding into the private sector?"

"For example, I heard that Zhujiang Online has a huge demand for servers."

"It is estimated that many similar companies will have this need in the future."

As the sales manager, Chen Chaoxiong is quite sensitive to market changes.

He felt that the directions he had chosen were all very promising.

"That's something we can give a try, but Zhujiang Online will definitely prioritize Zhujiang Technology's products."

"Other companies don't have a huge demand for this kind of service yet."

"Our main clients are state-owned enterprises, research institutions, and even relevant departments."

Although Wang Zhi did not directly reject Chen Chaoxiong's suggestion, his meaning was quite clear.

If you live off the land, and there's a perfectly good market to squander, then there's no need to go through all that trouble.

Chen Chaoxiong could understand this, but he felt somewhat resentful.

What a great opportunity to expand the market!

Although Zhujiang Technology has a slight lead, it is not particularly significant.

The key is that the Chinese market has great potential and it certainly cannot be swallowed up by Zhujiang Technology alone in the future.

However, since the boss had already said that, Chen Chaoxiong had no choice but to implement it in this way.

The gradual disappearance of Great Wall Computers from the sight of ordinary consumers is clearly related to these decisions.

……

"President Jiang, at the BMW R&D Center, our technicians have different computer needs when drawing blueprints and when doing daily office work."

"I'm thinking of equipping everyone with two computers in the future, one of which is a high-end desktop computer for drawing blueprints."

"Another type is laptops used for daily office work."

For most companies, having one computer per employee is a luxury.

As a result, the R&D center needs to provide each person with two computers.

The key point is that it's not just one or two people doing this, but tens of thousands of people doing it.

This will directly incur additional procurement costs of tens of millions of yuan.

That's why Hou Guoming specifically consulted Jiang Hui.

"No problem. You should choose a larger screen for drawing, otherwise it will be very difficult to use."

Jiang Hui agreed without any hesitation.

In many companies in later generations, it was quite normal for one person to have two computers.

Since the R&D center has a need, we should fulfill it.

Anyway, since the companies within the group can produce computers, the profits will stay with the group.

The entire BMW Group includes not only Nanshan Software, which develops various software programs, but also Zhujiang Technology, which manufactures hardware.

Furthermore, companies like Lingnan Semiconductor produce components, gradually forming a closed loop.

This advantage will definitely come into play gradually.

Jiang Hui is very much looking forward to this.

The outcome of a fight between one person and a fight between a group of people is definitely completely different.

Once a systematic advantage is established, it won't be so easy for other competitors to suppress it.

It's safe to say that the tide has turned.

Even if the core automotive business suffers setbacks in the future, it won't be crippling.

The strategy of diversifying operations gradually proved successful. (End of Chapter)