From knock-off old-man's electric vehicles to industrial giant

Chapter 320 Ecological Impact and Sales
The price announcement caused quite a stir.

Aside from those who were egging them on, most people subconsciously frowned.

This pricing is beyond their expectations!

It's worth noting that the starting price of the Apple Watch Series 3 last year was 2588 yuan, while the initial price of the Samsung Gear S3 in China was 2799 yuan.

Even the more expensive domestic brand, the Huawei Watch 2 Bluetooth version, is priced at 1688.

The pricing of the Polestar Watch1 has deterred at least half of the interested parties.

In the public eye, Starry Sky is, after all, a car manufacturer, and when it comes to smartwatches, their functions can't possibly be better than those of other companies.

"This pricing is outrageous!"

"Why is a domestically made smartwatch so expensive?"

"They're selling to Starlight owners who can afford cars worth two or three hundred thousand yuan. They don't care about a thousand or two yuan. As long as they can show off, that's enough."

"It's too expensive. The ability to remotely control the car is a good gimmick, but it's not appealing to people who don't own a car."

"Go away, we car owners think it's cheap enough. Isn't it enough that this watch can perfectly replace the car key? The functions are also cool. Do you know how much an original Audi digital key can sell for?"

……

Discussions are polarized: some people think the car has run out of stock, while others are making mindless reservations.

For a domestically produced smartwatch, this price is quite hesitant.

But in the eyes of Starlight car owners, isn't this just the ultimate plus version of the digital car key?!

It can unlock accurately, control with gestures, and also comes with other smartwatch functions. As long as the functions are decent, it's great value for money!
"The Polestar Watch1 is priced lower than similar products, making it a truly innovative product. It's not only suitable for owners of Starship cars, but also for users who love digital wearable devices. An online live-streamed launch event will be held in three days, so act fast!"

Li Nan then posted a Weibo post along with a promotional image of the Polestar Watch 1.

He has amassed a considerable following in the digital world, and his promotional style is more aggressive and daring.

Digital products aren't afraid of being overhyped; they're afraid of being mishyped.

The news of Meizu's three key figures switching to Xingchenzao mobile phone has been gradually revealed recently, generating considerable discussion.

"Haha, their stance has changed so quickly. They even changed their Weibo verification. It's been two months. Has Meizu's CEO Li become someone who works for Starry Sky's publicity? They're really two-faced."

"Meizu's Blue Charm is gone already? You're a rip-off! What a terrible phone, a terrible brand, terrible after-sales service!!"

can be seen.

Li Nan's public announcement has attracted considerable hatred.

On one hand, there were the problems that had accumulated in Meizu, and on the other hand, there were the questions about his character brought about by his sudden job change.

Li Nan didn't take it to heart. When she saw the number of clicks and reposts soaring, she knew she had made the right decision.

Forget what everyone's criticizing, just tell me if there's any traffic!
He responded simply: "The past is the past. No matter where I work, my goal will always be to bring better products to everyone."

"Whether we turn the page or not is another matter, but the Polestar Watch 1 is priced at 1899, which is almost the price of a mid-range smartphone. Why wouldn't I buy an Apple Watch with that money?"

A comment quickly rose to the top, expressing the doubts that most people had.

At this price, you could easily buy an Apple Watch with a little more money. Even if other popular mobile phone manufacturers launched a watch like this, it wouldn't be very competitive, let alone a manufacturer that hasn't even made a phone yet.

In people's minds, the Apple Watch is the best.

"The Polestar Watch will be even more amazing than the Apple Watch. If this product doesn't sell more than 50,000 units in its first week, I'll personally give away 500 Polestar Watches in the comments section. Whoever criticizes it the loudest gets the prize." Li Nan even directly engaged with the comments section, replying with a barrage of inflammatory remarks.

This caused the onlookers, who were still angrily criticizing, to pause for a moment.

Sales exceeded 50,000 units in the first week?

Based on the price of 1899, 50,000 units would generate over 100 million in revenue.

"Li Nan went crazy after leaving Meizu."

Related comments spread rapidly.

……

the other side.

Star Group and Decawave Group from Ireland have been in intermittent contact for about half a year.

The initial UWB solution was also based on an improved design of this company's DW1000 chip module.

Both parties can be said to have gotten what they needed. Xingchen Group needs a positioning protocol with higher accuracy than Bluetooth, and an ecosystem protocol with higher security limits and autonomy.

Decawave needs to expand rapidly to recover its losses, and opening up the Chinese domestic market presents a good opportunity.

Given that Decawave had just completed a new round of financing in 18 and was in an expansion phase, the transaction was valued at "equity + strategic implementation + procurement and engineering commitments"—ultimately, a 30% stake was acquired through a $3200 million installment payment.

For Dekaway Electronics, this provides immediate funding and guarantees for domestic market channels and production capacity; for StarChip, this move also secures exclusive licensing of the uwb patent, while allowing the Irish team to continue to work closely with StarChip to assist in the development of the next generation of uwb chips.

As the vice president of Dekaway Electronics, Xilaner also proposed a small performance-based condition when the two parties signed the contract: if the cumulative purchase volume in the China region is less than 150 million sets of modules within three years, Dekaway will repurchase 30% of this purchase.

It is clear that Dekawi has high expectations for ultra-wideband chip technology, and would not want to sell its shares unless it is in dire need of funds.

Xu Yi did a quick mental calculation.

UWB has enormous potential in consumer mobile phones, car keys, smart homes, and even industrial RTLS and automation. If smartphones and cars continue to standardize their access, UWB will transform from a "point-based application" into a "basic positioning layer," eventually becoming an entry point comparable to protocols such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

However, to promote the implementation of the ecosystem, it requires the efforts of Apple, the automotive industry chain, and multiple manufacturers in the Android camp.

Even if the Dekaway Group developed the technology, it would only be a matter of waiting for a high price to sell it, just like when it was acquired by Qorvo for $400 million 20 years later.

It's not that we don't want to sell, but that we want to maximize our profits.

He then added another condition: if more than 300 million units are purchased within three years, the buyer of Xingchen has the right to purchase an additional 25% equity stake, up to and including controlling interest, based on a pre-agreed valuation formula.

At the same time, Xu Yi also smiled and introduced the market prospects of the Polestar Watch1 to his collaborators.

The reforms brought about by ultra-wideband technology will inevitably begin in the fields of smart cars and consumer electronics.

Xingchen Group has already led the trend of new energy vehicles, and once it achieves success in the digital electronics market, it will be equivalent to having two major players.

Xi Lan'er looked at the smartwatch in front of him. He couldn't tell much from its appearance. At this moment, he was more concerned about the prospects of his company's products in China's new energy vehicle market: "Does President Xu think that ultra-wideband technology will sweep across the entire Chinese automotive industry in the future?"

"Change is inevitable. For example, all of Xingchen's electric vehicles will adopt ultra-wideband technology for high-precision positioning in the future, providing a deeper experience for unlocking and encryption. The industry will also develop in a more convenient and advanced direction. I believe that as long as we do it, that day will be closer." Xu Yi looked at the other person for a while and smiled.

A counterintuitive common sense.

Technology is never driven by the masses, but by a small group of people, and the same is true for industry standards.

If Xingchen takes the lead in intensifying competition, the pace of the industry will indeed accelerate significantly, which is obvious to all.

"Then your proposal to acquire based on the original valuation formula seems too low a standard," Xi Lan'er couldn't help but say.

“You can’t say that. If you want to apply ultra-broadband technology to the automotive market on a large scale, can you find a more suitable partner than Xingchen Group? If the ecosystem is fully developed, even the remaining shares will be worth much more than they are now.” Xu Yi spread his hands.

"Or you could go to Tesla and see if they're willing to add a UWB (Ultra-Wideband) module that only improves accuracy, given the pressure of full localization and widespread cost reduction. Maybe BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) would be a good choice..."

Xu Yi's tone showed no sign of panic.

Xilan'er was also taken aback and almost rolled her eyes.

These two suggestions are even more ridiculous!

Tesla has optimized the traditional car keys, retaining only NFC and Bluetooth keys, so it's impossible for them to adopt the UWB solution.

As for BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi), they have even less motivation to reform. Their original Bluetooth keys can sell for several thousand Chinese yuan, and they don't even have widespread NFC support yet. What's the point of launching an even more expensive UWB key?

Thinking about it this way, Xingchen Group is indeed irreplaceable.

At least they are willing to fully accept ultra-broadband technology, even if it means taking shares and technology patents/IP. As long as the market is opened up and big money is made, it will meet their expectations.

"Mr. Xu, you're joking. I was just mentioning it casually. The technical team is here today, so we can discuss the technical improvements to the next-generation solution." Xi Lan'er felt that no matter how much they negotiated, the initiative was still in the hands of Xingchen Group, since ultra-broadband technology was currently too niche.

Even Apple's products featuring the UWB solution were not released until the end of 2019.

So he simply went along with it. This time, Xilaner brought a technical team of more than a dozen people, led by a bald, bearded man named McLaugh, who was the chief designer in charge of the DW1000 RF communication chip.

"Mr. Xu, we have received Xingchen Group's requirements for chips. To be frank, this is a challenge, and we may need more funds and a longer period of time to complete it."

The engineer, McRae, spoke in somewhat broken Chinese, but it was just enough to communicate.

As the client, Xingchen Group offered many suggestions regarding improvements to the UWB communication chip, some of which even made their communication chip-specializing team sweat profusely.

Significantly optimizing power consumption and increasing supported frequency bands are just the most basic improvements.

After all, as the first-generation UWB chip, the DW1000 still consumes more power than Bluetooth, even after improvements. Expanding the frequency band of the first generation from 3.5GHz to 6.5GHz to 8GHz would be more in line with global standards.

In addition, Xingchen also required higher angle measurements and a smaller modular design...

These are all designed for mobile devices and smart homes. Once spatial recognition and point-to-point high-precision positioning functions are introduced into the smart home market, they will directly overwhelm existing Bluetooth protocols.

Xu Yi understood that they wanted both money and time, and said with amusement:
"The next-generation chip is being jointly developed by both parties. If there are any technical issues or difficulties, you can communicate with our RF R&D engineers. I will then make a decision based on internal opinions."

The engineer in charge of radio frequency communication chip development at Xingchen is named Zhang Kai. He was also promoted by Wu Zheng, the chip chief. He had contributed a lot when the previous solution was implemented, showing this group of foreign teams what "Xingchen efficiency" is.

Seeing that they couldn't negotiate a better price, the group sighed inwardly. Xingchen Group, the client, was more demanding than any other business partner they had ever met.

They don't even give us a chance to dawdle; it's outrageous!

The communications technology team from Ireland received extremely good hospitality at Star Group.

On the other hand, some Starlight car owners are also waiting for the pre-sale of the Polestar Watch1.

Wang Zitao is a Starry Night L7 owner who reserved a purchase slot as soon as the news was announced.

And the pre-order information was sent to the car owners' group.

"Once the watch arrives, I'll never have to stand in the corner with Bluetooth again, and I can even summon things with gestures... Invincible!!"

Wang Zitao is a person who pays great attention to user experience. Since most of the parking spaces are underground, the Bluetooth unlocking experience for the cars under his name is very poor.

It wasn't until he bought the Starry Night L7 and discovered that its Bluetooth sensor was the most sensitive he had ever experienced that his opinion of domestic cars changed.

Even so, the Starry Night L7 still faces the problem of slow Bluetooth sensing in rare cases. This is a common problem caused by the protocol mode. After all, Bluetooth mode senses the switch by signal strength rather than actual distance measurement.

The strength of a signal frequency band is often affected by too many external factors, and even the best efforts of Xingchen Group to optimize it cannot completely solve the problem.

For someone like Wang Zitao who has obsessive-compulsive disorder related to experiencing things, this is extremely difficult.

It feels like ants are crawling all over my body!
It was at this moment that Mr. Xu appeared with UWB communication and integrated it into the watch.

Wang Zitao was thrilled.

“People who haven’t experienced Bluetooth-enabled standing punishment won’t understand. These online trolls probably don’t even own a car, yet they’re clamoring that the price of 1899 isn’t worth it…” Wang Zitao shook his head inwardly, mocking the short-sightedness of modern trolls.

In his opinion, as long as it has the ability to accurately measure distances and unlock, it is worth spending five thousand even if it does not have any smartwatch functions!

This is something even the original crystal key from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi can't do.

At the same time.

Li Nan updated the homepage with the latest features and highlights of the Polestar Watch1, along with a series of promotional video links.

Several tech bloggers also released product preview videos at 8 PM the night before the pre-sale.

These content creators may not have the most followers in the tech and digital world, but their content and fan base are the most niche, and they have a significant impact on young viewers.

For example, the Geek Bay account has gradually expanded its influence in the tech and digital circle this year, and its number of fans has successfully exceeded one million. This time, it has taken on the business order for the Polaris Watch 1.

In the video, Yunfei, with his familiar large face, introduces to the camera: "Hello, today I'm bringing you a review of a new product. It features a brand-new communication protocol, boasts super-long battery life, and in my opinion, it even surpasses the Apple Watch in many aspects..."

When Wang Zitao saw Li Nan's homepage, he was stunned for a moment, and when he clicked on the beginning of the Geek Bay video, he was stunned again.

Suddenly, I sensed something was wrong.

He thought that Polestar Watch1 would seek out many car review bloggers for promotion, and the video content would be the UWB unlocking and gesture summoning content that car owners like him are most interested in.

But right now, several tech bloggers have popped up in front of me, and the first thing I see is Yunfei's familiar face. They immediately started to criticize the Apple Watch, which is currently recognized as the most powerful device in the industry.

Hiss—is that right?

Shouldn't this be a niche product for us Starlight car owners? An exclusive gift?

Has Xingchen Group gone astray? Is it really going to compete head-on with the giants in the digital industry?

(End of this chapter)