Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 156 Orange 2 Engineering Prototype
Orange Technology Headquarters, Meeting Room 2.

The slight warmth from the air conditioner couldn't dispel the anticipation and tension that permeated the air.

Jiang Yu, the deputy head of the technical department, lifted a scar on his right eyebrow and carefully placed a tray covered with black velvet in the center of the conference table.

His movements carried an almost reverent solemnity, the result of the entire technical department working overtime for more than half a month.

"Mr. Chen, everyone!"

Jiang Yu's voice held a hint of excitement that he himself was unaware of, radiating the high spirits of a middle-aged man experiencing a second spring in his career.

"The engineering prototype of Orange 2 is complete."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo, who was sitting in the main seat, leaned forward slightly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and looked around at the people around the conference table.

Zhao Tiezhu from the Marketing Department spread out his notebook, his eyes revealing a scrutinizing look, wanting to see the capabilities of Jiang Gong, this "regular army".

This guy only admires people with real skills. No matter how much you brag, if you can't produce convincing results, he won't tolerate you!
Gong Yun from the Logistics Department lowered her eyes and smiled gently, her fingertips lightly tapping on the laptop she had brought, making a temporary meeting note.

Lin Junfeng from the Legal Department, who was always impeccably dressed in a suit, took off his frameless glasses, breathed on them, wiped them with a handkerchief from his pocket, and then waited for the answer to be revealed.

Of course, Wang Teng, the technical director who was temporarily dragged down from Chengbao Company upstairs by Zhao Tiezhu, also attended the meeting. He had dark circles under his eyes, but his face was full of anticipation.

"Now that everyone's here, let's begin!"

Chen Mo's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the conference room, "Engineer Jiang, show us our new product!"

Jiang Yu took a deep breath and unveiled the velvet cloth.

In an instant, it was as if four quiet and dazzling stars appeared in the conference room.

Four engineering prototypes lay quietly on the velvet of the tray.

The Orange 2 continues to use the classic three colors of the Orange 1: vibrant orange, calm black, and pure white, which are as eye-catching as ever.

But the most dazzling was the fourth engineering prototype, a deep, flowing blue that seemed to freeze the starry sky, with light flowing across its surface, shimmering with tiny, star-like halos.

“Starry Sky Blue!” Jiang Yu introduced, his tone filled with pride: “It’s a unique color scheme achieved through the macromolecular polymer oxidation process of gaseous lithium batteries!”

Chen Mo's gaze was immediately drawn to that starry blue.

He had considered this orange-colored phone back when he was at the Faraway Lab, but due to time and cost constraints, the Orange 1 was not used.

But now, Orange has both money and time.

The Orange 2 finally uses this unique and highly symbolic "starry blue" color scheme.

Chen Mo reached out and ran his fingertips across the cold fuselage.

The high screen-to-body ratio design makes the front almost entirely occupied by the screen, creating a strong visual impact.

The symmetrical layout of a wide forehead and narrow chin not only ensures sufficient space for the front-facing camera and sensors but also presents a subtle sense of balanced aesthetics.

The most ingenious part is the trapezoidal bevel treatment at the edge of the screen. The moment your finger touches it, it feels smooth and comfortable, without any sharpness. It's as if the screen naturally "flows" towards the frame, making it look thinner and more three-dimensional.

This has a completely different feel from the smooth, painted plastic of the Orange 1.

The polycarbonate frame is coated with a metallic-like finish, which has a delicate touch and a subtle luster, complementing the glass on the front.

"Pretty!"

That's the first impression it gives – a regular army is definitely different.

At least the Orange 1 was just a knock-off of Old Wang's "Orange 4" from his previous life, while the Orange 2 was a proper industrial product designed by a legitimate company.

Chen Mo sincerely praised him, a satisfied smile curving his lips.

"The texture and grip are so much better than the Orange 1!"

He picked up the starry blue Orange 2 engineering prototype and carefully examined the simplicity and harmony of its front, side, and back.

"Jiang Gong, thank you for your hard work, your technical team!"

Seeing that the prototype of Orange 2 had been approved by General Manager Chen, Jiang Yu's face lit up with a rosy glow.

Chen Mo lightly pressed the power button with his thumb.

A slight vibration, like a "hum", came from the fuselage.

The screen lights up, and the startup effects have been updated!

The originally simple "CZ" letters unfold and transform into a plump half-orange, with 54 tiny "fruit pieces" inside the orange shimmering and glowing as if breathing, lively and full of life.

However, the small print "power by Andraid" at the bottom of the Orange OS 2.0 system boot screen is still glaringly obvious.

"Orange OS has a long way to go!" Chen Mo thought to himself as he swiped his finger to unlock the screen.

The default desktop wallpaper is no longer the glaring high-contrast blue of Orange 1, but instead a gradient color with higher saturation and softer hue.

The icons have sharp edges and natural color transitions, giving the entire UI a warm and comfortable feel.

"This UI," Chen Mo swiped the screen, the smoothness far exceeding his expectations: "Wang Teng, the OS 2.0 that your Orange Treasure made, the optimization is amazing!"

He tapped the multitasking mode and switched between application interfaces.

"It's not only pleasing to the eye, but also comfortable to use."

Wang Teng scratched his head and smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "Mr. Chen, you flatter me! The UI/UX part was mainly optimized by Sister Li next door!"

Although Li Qiaoli ignored He Jian, that two-faced old schemer, she was still very loyal to Wang Teng, her old friend who had tipped her off in a crisis.

"We also added a little touch: a virtual battery indicator: four bars are green, three bars or two bars are yellow, and one bar turns red, so users can see the remaining battery level at a glance."

As Chen Mo operated the device, he discovered that some interactive details coincided with certain "future" optimization ideas he remembered, which stirred something within him.

"Sister Li? I remember you were in contact with Orange Treasure, right? Why did you go to the hair dryer shop next door?"

Wang Teng's smile froze, and he stammered, "Uh, there's a little misunderstanding between Sister Li and Brother Jian!"

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, his gaze lingering on Wang Teng's face for a moment, but he didn't ask any further questions. He simply nodded and said, "Okay, everyone, continue to experience the engineering prototype!"

He opened the pre-installed "Orange Racing" and "Orange Run" to experience Orange 2's main feature: the motion control system.

The Orange 2, equipped with a MYT-2 gyroscope and a MYW-1 micro-motor eccentric motor, has an astonishingly sensitive motion response.

When the race car is cornering, the gyroscope accurately captures the tilt angle of the phone, providing intuitive feedback in the game. When the running character jumps and lands, the vibration feedback from the eccentric motor is clear, powerful, and layered, going directly from the fingertips to the palm.

"Holy crap, this game is awesome!" Zhao Tiezhu couldn't help but exclaim. He was drifting his car, and the haptic feedback was exhilarating. "It would be great if it were an online multiplayer game!"

Chen Mo chuckled: "I'm telling you, Mr. Zhao, you've really struck it rich. If this game really becomes an online multiplayer game, you'll probably have to sell your house to Yu Dong!"

It's important to know that the current Wi-Fi standard in China is restricted to one account per device, meaning that most mobile phones don't support it. Meanwhile, China is still promoting the outdated WIPI!
Of course, due to cost considerations, the Orange 2 does not support either WIFI or WIPI functions. Chen Mo will only enable WIFI in the Orange phone once China opens up the WIFI standard.

Nowadays, smartphones can only connect to the internet via 3G/4G data. So here's the problem: 5 yuan for 30MB, how many rounds of online racing games can you play?

Therefore, most mobile games in China are still single-player games. At most, they might give you a leaderboard of a few hundred KB or an in-app purchase feature of a few tens of KB.

Otherwise, given the current price of data traffic, domestic smartphone users would absolutely not dare to let you play your online mobile games.

The legend that someone lost a house because they left their mobile data on all night originated from this period.

Gong Yun is a terrible gamer; she always crashes into the edge of the track in racing games, making a loud "thump" sound. Surprisingly, the vibration rhythm of her phone changes with the speed and angle of the car.

Orange has really put a lot of effort into hardware compatibility for games. As the only woman present, she raised an eyebrow, clearly quite surprised by the delicate effect of the continuous vibration on the Orange 2 phone.

Chen Mo put down his phone, his mind resolute.

These two games were originally designed as stepping stones for the motion control features of Orange 2.

The game's effects are absolutely beyond expectations, far surpassing any similar motion-controlled games he had played in his previous life.

"Alright, that concludes the demonstration!" Chen Mo tapped the table, silencing the conference room. "Jiang, let's get to the bottom of things. Tell us about the core configuration and cost of our Orange 2!"

Jiang Yu immediately brought up the projector in the conference room, and densely packed data tables were projected onto the screen in front of him:
Processor: HIS K3V2c, 28nm, quad-core 1.2GHz, cost 85 yuan.

Screen: Jingdongfang 4.0-inch HD IPS screen, 65 yuan.

Storage: 1GB + 4GB, 43 yuan.

Battery: Yuancheng 2nd generation gaseous lithium battery 920mAh, 62 yuan.

Sensors: MYT-2 gyroscope 8.5 yuan; MTW-1 motor 3.2 yuan.

Camera: 500MP rear + 30MP front, 20 yuan.

Outer casing: 12 yuan.

Motherboard: 35 yuan.

...

Assembly and testing: 25 yuan.

"The current BOM material cost is 378.7 yuan. In terms of the supply chain, we have signed an annual framework price lock-in agreement with Jingdongfang for the screen. In terms of functions, NFC has been cut, the system has been deeply optimized and compressed, and the packaging has been simplified."

He listed them one by one, clearly and logically.

"We have also reserved a 50 yuan buffer for price increases. The initial mass production cost is estimated at 428.7 yuan. We have alternative solutions for chips, screens, and memory."

Once these configuration cost figures were released, everyone had a clear idea of ​​the situation.

Chen Mo could calculate mentally very quickly.

The cost is 428.7 yuan, and the OEM fee is generally around 10%, so the ex-factory price is 471.5 yuan.

Pricing is based on the main strong distribution channels in North China, with channel fees around 30%, so the distributor's purchase price is 612.9 yuan.

The retail price of Orange 2 is set at 699 yuan!
Chen Mo paused, tapped the table with his index finger, and suddenly frowned slightly, his smile becoming a little stiff.

“这么说橙子2每台毛利86.1元？比橙子1的96.1还低了10块钱？”

The atmosphere in the meeting room paused subtly.

Jiang Yu quickly explained, "President Chen! The upgrade from Orange 1 to Orange 2 is too big; this money was well spent!"

Chen Mo quickly relaxed and said loudly, "Don't worry, Engineer Jiang! I'm not blaming you, it was just a bit of a surprise!"

Thinking about it carefully, Orange 2 has undergone almost a comprehensive upgrade, and it still insists on cost-effectiveness, so it's not surprising that profits have dropped.

First of all, the chip jumped from a single-core 650MHz to a quad-core 1.2GHz, more than doubling the performance!
Secondly, the screen. By switching from a substandard industrial control screen from a small factory to a mid-range IPS screen from Jingdongfang, the pixel and color reflection issues that existed in the Orange 1 will no longer exist in the Orange 2!
Finally, the memory was upgraded from the base model of 256MB + 512MB to the mainstream configuration of 1GB + 4GB!

At a price of 699, this configuration is fully comparable to mid-range models like the Dovi D1, Green Machine X8, and Chrysanthemum U8150, which were priced around 1200 yuan last year.

Of course, while the Orange 2's configuration only matches the level of last year's mid-range phones, it is actually capable of competing with this year's released mid-range models.

今年 1月国内首款中端新机魅镞 M9的配置为：512MB+8GB/16GB内存、3.54英寸屏幕、1GHz三晶芯片。

Aside from slightly inferior chip and memory combination, the Orange 2 has advantages in hardware such as screen, battery, gyroscope and motor.

Chen Mo remains confident in the Orange 2's price-performance ratio in the mid-range market, arguing that the presence of numerous competitors in this segment only serves to highlight the Orange 2's value.

His gaze swept intently over the crowd: "Orange 1 used to be a makeshift operation; three people couldn't survive by using scarcity marketing. Now, we're a professional team!"

"Zhao Tiezhu from the Marketing Department, you need to quickly establish the supply chain and channels for Orange 2's pre-launch promotion, and go all out!"

Gong Yun from the Logistics Department, make sure the bonuses for the Technical Department are implemented as soon as possible, and ensure the funding for the Marketing Department is in place. Don't skimp on it!
Legal counsel, Lin Junfeng, expedite the processing of all design patents for Orange 2, as well as the MYT and MYW series patents!

"Don't worry, Mr. Chen!" Lin Junfeng adjusted his glasses. "The patents for the gyroscope and micro-motor have entered the re-examination stage, and the mechanical structure patent will be issued in six months to a year, but the protection period starts from the initial examination!"

"very good!"

Chen Mo nodded, his tone carrying a deeper meaning.

"From now on, all core patents of the Orange Group will be transferred to the parent company Orange Technology, and the subsidiaries will be exclusively authorized to use them. The contracts will be signed every three years, and 60% of the patent fees will be returned to the parent company each year."

When these words were spoken, everyone had different expressions.

Zhao Tiezhu, Gong Yun, Jiang Yu, and Lin Junfeng all wore expressions of taking it all for granted.

Only Wang Teng's lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

The core patents for Orange Treasure's "26-key full-key input" and "App Treasure" are held by its parent company, Orange!
"Meeting adjourned!" Chen Mo waved his hand dismissively.

Just as everyone stood up, Zhao Tiezhu suddenly clapped his hands.

"Oh dear! Brother Chen! I almost forgot something important! Nietzsche! The new machine plan from Nietzsche is still pending!"

Chen Mo paused, then couldn't help but smile.

"Look at my memory! I'm so busy I'm dizzy!"

He immediately turned to Jiang Yu: "Jiang, thank you for your hard work! Replace all the components in the Orange 2 configuration plan that Orange has developed itself, such as the gyroscope, motor, and battery, with commercially available alternatives. As long as the performance parameters are close, it will be fine. Make it a new 'Nietzsche 2' machine!"

Chen Mo then looked at Zhao Tiezhu and gave him some instructions.

"You remember this, kid. This time, Zeng from the Zhicheng Procurement Business Group will handle the price negotiations for the parts that Orange has unsealed. As for other common market parts, your supply chain team can handle them themselves."

Zhao Tiezhu's face immediately fell: "Brother Chen! This...this isn't price control anymore? Orange phones' battery cost advantage is gone, and our supply chain costs are going to go up!"

“Even between brothers, accounts should be settled clearly!” Chen Mo said firmly.

"Patent revenue sharing is the parent company's right. Subsidiaries can no longer use internal price control subsidies for product procurement. You can't have your cake and eat it too!"

Seeing Zhao Tiezhu's sullen expression, Chen Mo smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry! The profits from Far Orange Battery sales, after deducting the patent revenue share at the end of the year, will all flow back into our Orange pool, right?"

Zhao Tiezhu was quick-witted and immediately understood Brother Chen's intention. He nodded seriously, indicating that he would personally negotiate the price with Xu Mingyuan.

"Alright! Get moving!" Chen Mo waved his hand again, his voice filled with inspiring power: "Orange 2, this battle is our first battle as a regular army, and we must win it!"

The executives filed out, and the conference room became empty in an instant.

Chen Mo stood alone in front of the table, his fingertips unconsciously tapping on the starry blue Orange 2 engineering prototype, feeling the cool touch.

He looked out the window at the rows of tall buildings and let out a long sigh.

Nietzsche is a company in which Orange holds strategic shares. They spent over 8 million yuan of their own money and even split the funds with Lei Jun. How could they forget all of that?
Chen Mo rubbed his temples and muttered to himself.

"It seems I really need to find a reliable secretary to remind me of important matters regularly. The Orange Group is expanding so much that relying solely on my memory will inevitably lead to mistakes sooner or later."

On the table, the starry blue chassis reflected the light streaming in from the conference room window. The flowing blue remained deep and profound, as if it contained a new storm about to sweep the market.

(End of this chapter)