Chapter 1119: An epoch-making piece of technology has been developed!

'Chairman, we're here, this is the place!'

Lu Chao said as he opened the door to a large building.

Xia Yu looked at the sign on the door and saw that it really said 'Walkman Lab'.

After opening the door, the layout of the interior came into view.

In fact, this door was the outermost one, and the space inside was very spacious. Apart from a large hall in the centre, there were also many individual cubicles. In the hall, there was a circle of counters with many instruments on top, and five or six people were busy working.

'Chairman, they are currently doing experiments according to their respective divisions of labour.'

'The second generation of Walkman products is inside, please follow me!'

Then the group entered another laboratory. After entering, Xia Yu ignored the experimenter inside and fixed his gaze on a glass cabinet.

Approaching, he saw five colours of Walkman quietly lying in the glass cabinet.

Lu Chao opened the glass cabinet, took them all out, and began to introduce them.

'Chairman, this portable player is the second generation of portable players we developed, model SP-S2. These five are just different colours. We tested more than 20 colours before settling on these five, which scored higher in the end.'

'For the specifications, please see the manual!'

'For a more visual reference, you can also look at this manual, which lists the specifications of the SP-S1 portable player.'

With that, Lu Chao handed Xia Yu two product manuals.

Xia Yu took the two product manuals and carefully read the small print.

After comparing the two, Xia Yu found that the specifications of the Tiangong SP-S2 portable player had been optimised.

For example, the size and weight of the body.

The dimensions of the SP-S1 model were 80x115x29mm, and the weight of the body was 270g.

The dimensions of the SP-S2 model were 75x110x26mm, and the weight of the body was 220g.

Both models have been improved to a certain extent. The weight reduction is mainly due to the use of lighter materials. Due to the size of the cassette tape, it is difficult to further reduce the dimensions of the Walkman. If it is still wanted to be made smaller, then the thickness can be further reduced.

In terms of functions, the SP-S2 model retains the excellent functions of the SP-S1 model, such as the touch-sensitive button system, FM recording function and playback function.

On top of this, it also has an automatic tape-rewinding function, repeat playback technology and improved noise reduction technology. It also uses the latest generation of Dolby sound effects for better sound quality.

The weight of the headphones has also been reduced from 20g to 18g.

It is available in five colours: black, starry blue, bright yellow, bright silver and pink.

After reading through the specifications, Xia Yu had the feeling that the functions of a mature Walkman from a previous life had already been equipped for the most part!

After putting the product manual down, Xia Yu picked up a starry-blue Walkman and asked, 'Do you have any cassettes here?'

'Yes!'

Lu Chao said, taking a cassette out of the box next to him and handing it to Xia Yu.

Xia Yu put the cassette in, put on the headphones, and then pressed play.

After a familiar prelude, Ye Liyi's unrestrained singing began.

'...waves rushing, waves flowing, the mighty Yangtze never stops...'

'It has washed away all the world's affairs, mixing them together in a mighty current.'

'Is it joy or sorrow?'

'...'

As he listened, Xia Yu's mouth unconsciously curled up into a smile. He suddenly remembered that when 'Going to the Beach in Shanghai' caused a craze before, Universal Music had sold ten million copies of the album featuring Ye Liyi's song 'Going to the Beach in Shanghai', that is, three hundred thousand copies!

A classic song is truly a classic song, and no matter when you listen to it, it always sounds good.

Of course, in terms of sound quality, Xia Yu could still hear some hiss.

He pointed this out: 'Dr. Lu, when I listen to the cassette, it seems that I can still hear some hissing. There is still room for improvement in sound quality. This is not a problem with vinyl tapes, is it?'

Seeing Lu Bo's ashamed expression, Huo Jianning stepped forward to explain: 'Chairman, this problem was also discovered by Dr Lu and me. This is the sound of the tape when it is being read, and it is a common problem with all the Walkmans on the market right now. Compared to the products on the market, ours has already achieved a very good sound quality.'

'But you're right, there is indeed room for improvement, and it is already in the process of being developed.'

Xia Yu thoughtfully said: 'Since this is a common situation and we are still at the leading level, it doesn't matter for the time being, and we can release it.'

'When is this product going to be launched?'

'What is the cost and pricing?'

Lu Chao has nothing to do with matters involving the production and sale of goods.

Fok Kin-ning volunteered to step forward and said, 'Chairman, the Tiangong SP-S1 was launched on 1 September last year, and this second product is also ready to be launched on 1 September, which is the first anniversary.'

'Because the sales of the Tiangong SP-S1 model have now reached 1.78 million units, it will be sold for another three months, and it is expected to sell more than 2 million units.'

'And our Tiangong SP-S2 model has the best features on the market, and it has the reputation established by the previous model, so we estimate that the annual sales of the Tiangong SP-S2 model will be 2 million units.'

'Based on this quantity, the cost is calculated at 44 US dollars per unit, the ex-factory price is 178 US dollars, and the suggested retail price is 235 US dollars.'

'Both the ex-factory price and the suggested retail price have increased by 7 US dollars compared to the previous generation model. This price, combined with our features, is also very competitive.'

Xia Yu nodded slightly: 'As long as you have a plan.'

He believed that Fok Kin-ning was a reasonable person and would not do anything he was not sure about. Since he said it was competitive, Xia Yu believed it was competitive. Whether it was true or not would be clear from the financial report at the end of the year.

As for the cost of the hardware, it was only about two levels of the MSRP, which was normal because it did not include the cost of technology research and development and subsequent marketing costs. These two costs were destined to be lower for Tiangong Electronics than for Sony. After all, the former had Xia Yu to do strategic research and development related functions, while the latter had the entire consortium with media and offline resources.

Tiangong Electronics is able to achieve such a high gross profit, something that Sony definitely cannot do!

Just as the future Apple Corporation looked down on the world, relying on its advantages in various barriers, didn't it sell mobile phones for a thousand dollars for five or six thousand dollars?

You don't even need to deliberately inquire about trade secrets to see this. You can just look at Apple's annual financial reports.

Now it's Xia Yu's turn to make money!

If he can't make more money than Sony despite all these tricks, then what's the point of playing?

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of the bright silver Walkman in front of him, and a flash of inspiration came to mind. He said, 'When it's released, we can make some special collector's edition Walkmans for marketing purposes.'

Fok Kin-ning frowned slightly, asking in puzzlement, 'Please instruct me!'

Xia Yu smiled faintly and said, 'For example, we can collaborate with Eternal Jewellery to release a hundred or two Walkman models with gold and silver shells, one with a solid gold body and the other with a solid silver body. There are certainly no shortage of eccentric local tyrants in the world, especially those in the Middle East who make money out of nowhere.

'You can also create the world's only Walkman, and let the rich compete for it. These are all gimmicks that will greatly enhance your reputation.'

Fok Kin-ning's eyes lit up, and he nodded happily, saying, 'Chairman, I understand. I will do as you say.'

'Hm!'

Xia Yu nodded slightly, and looked again at the Tiangong SP-S2 Walkman in front of him.

He casually asked, 'By the way, is this the only model to be launched this year?'

Unexpectedly, the casual inquiry received an unexpected answer.

Lu Chao shook his head and said with slight excitement, "No, Chairman, we have also developed a portable player. This model is fundamentally different from the Tiangong SP-S2. It uses a CD disc, not a magnetic tape record!'

Xia Yu's eyes lit up, and he asked somewhat surprised, "The laser disc I told you about last time has been developed so quickly?'

Xia Yu was not concerned about the second portable player, he cared about the CD disc!

This is epoch-making technology!

He talked a lot to Lu Chao last time, and he never expected that he would actually come up with it, and that he was so efficient!

This surprise came too suddenly!