I am not sure I see the differentiation in design that is highlighted so much in this website. The phone looks pretty similar to Nokia (now Microsoft) Lumia's, and the UI doesn't look much more fancier either. Am I missing something? And why is "Designed in San Francisco" such a huge thing?
> And why is "Designed in San Francisco" such a huge thing?
It gives them something to put on the box in addition to what they're required to say, "Made in China" (which doesn't differentiate them from any other consumer electronics product).
> And though other companies—such as Xiaomi—sell models at the similarly aggressive price points, Obi aims to offer a better phone for the price.
> ...
> The hardest part of the design was not coming up with cool-looking designs," Sculley says. "It was sweating the details over in the Chinese factories, who just were not accustomed to having this quality of finish, all of these little details that make a beautiful design. We had teams over in China, working for months on the floor every day. We intend to continue that process and have budgeted accordingly.
So, how long do you think it will take the other (Chinese) companies to reach the same level, given that you teach them?
People do not necessarily want android phones. They do not want overhyped linux phones either (jolla).
People want polished supported products. An innovative system that just works, the preinstalled apps are the best of what you can get (and not a crapware you want to uninstall).
People want the features they do not have to learn about and how to use them.
They want to experience them.
The other people you have to attract are the developers. Create an attractive environment. Create a tools and docu for them. Tell them how many users are using your product. How many want this and that app. How many are willing to pay.
Then you can build the brand and start selling phones with higher margins.
Otherwise you are just another android phone hw maker.
It is no longer about the hw you produce but the sw matters. And it always will.
Yes, I found the name Obi for a world phone an odd pick. OBI is a strong brand in Germany and has also presence other European countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, etc.).
When I think of "Obi" and phones, I think of this VOIP hardware company that has been around for several years.[0] This new venture really didn't do their due diligence on the name.
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[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 50.0 ms ] threadAlso, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10127139.
Instant brand equity in some markets.
It gives them something to put on the box in addition to what they're required to say, "Made in China" (which doesn't differentiate them from any other consumer electronics product).
I've read a German translation with a totally different title, but I think it is "Odyssey: Pepsi to Apple".
> ...
> The hardest part of the design was not coming up with cool-looking designs," Sculley says. "It was sweating the details over in the Chinese factories, who just were not accustomed to having this quality of finish, all of these little details that make a beautiful design. We had teams over in China, working for months on the floor every day. We intend to continue that process and have budgeted accordingly.
So, how long do you think it will take the other (Chinese) companies to reach the same level, given that you teach them?
People do not necessarily want android phones. They do not want overhyped linux phones either (jolla).
People want polished supported products. An innovative system that just works, the preinstalled apps are the best of what you can get (and not a crapware you want to uninstall). People want the features they do not have to learn about and how to use them.
They want to experience them.
The other people you have to attract are the developers. Create an attractive environment. Create a tools and docu for them. Tell them how many users are using your product. How many want this and that app. How many are willing to pay.
Then you can build the brand and start selling phones with higher margins.
Otherwise you are just another android phone hw maker. It is no longer about the hw you produce but the sw matters. And it always will.
And have fun in Germany with obi.com. They are in a different sector but are such a strong brand over here, they might litigate.
[0] http://www.obihai.com/
There is so much to love about what these folks are doing.