Huawei preps new mobes to overhaul Apple
60 million sales the target with innovation to trump sinister reputation
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Huawei says it’s on track to almost double its smartphone sales this year with a target of 60 million units shifted, as it looks to peg back “superheroes” Samsung and Apple, but admitted its brand image is still holding it back from world domination.
Speaking to media at the firm’s annual global analyst event in Shenzhen on Tuesday, CMO of devices, Shao Yang, said Huawei would release a new high-end smartphone with the “best hardware and design” later this year, although he didn’t elaborate further on the planned specs.
The Chinese tech giant already lays claim to the world’s fastest mobe – the Ascend P2 – and although its progress in the smartphone market has been rapid, propelling it into the top three vendors at the end of last year, it remains some distance behind Samsung and Apple which between them have nearly half the global market.
Huawei is nothing if not ambitious.
Shao claimed it wants to be the “most loved consumer brand in the world”, but admitted that "the big doubt is not from the products, but from the brand".
The Chinese smartphone maker’s answer to its brand woes is to innovate its way to the top and continue to push its “customer first” message, which Shao is hoping will differentiate the firm at least from its rather more autocratic fruit-themed rival.
“Only innovation can let people know Huawei,” he said. “If we can't bring the best innovation to the customer, we will fail."
All of this is a far cry from the dark days of 2011-12 when Huawei was shifting from ODM to OEM. Its telecom operator partners at the time did not react well to the move, with over 90 per cent dropping the company completely, Shao said.
As far as roadmaps go, this year will see Huawei aim to push out “the best hardware and designs”, while 2014-15 the device team will be focused on finessing the user interface, and beyond that the rather more generic “future innovation”.
China is still the number one market for the firm, which is pretty understandable seeing as it’s the biggest in the world. Western Europe is being targeted as a way for Huawei to influence other regions of the world thanks to the range of languages within its borders. Japan is also key for the firm as a “test place for quality”, Shao said.
Huawei will be opening up over 30 boutique and high end stores in China as well as 100 franchised outlets this year as part of its retail push. ®
COMMENTS
Highly Rated
Agreed Magnus
I am on my second G300 (first MIA after I was mowed down by a minicab) and once all the vodafone shitware is cleared off and Cyanogen slapped on, it should be alright.
Just waiting on a replacement screen after my butterfingers let it faceplant on some concrete. How much for a new screen? A mere £11 from China via fleabay!
Re: Price?
That's why the G300 has done so well, at least in some circles - it does 80-90% of what most people need in a smartphone for £100, very much as the ZTE Blade (Orange San Francisco) did a couple of years ago. That's cheaper than your sweet spot, but fits well into my sweet spot!
I've said it before, but I still think it's funny
Their biggest problem in the Uk is their name. It sounds like a Geordie vomiting
Looks like I might be almost right
For a good while now, I have forecast that Apple/Samsung spat will look like two kids having a playground pissing contest when Huawei gets going properly.
The only part of that prediction I want to change is that it will happen sooner.
Huawei has two hurdles to get over: technical ability to generate product - which they seem to have licked and building a brand that is strong enough to overcome barriers such as xenophobia.
It was only 50 years ago that Japan was that place that made crap toys that broke the day after Christmas. Now they are the country most people associate with quality and premium electronic brands.
Twenty years ago Korea was viewed as some squalid country that couldn't make anything. Just ten years ago nobody would have suspected that a Korean brand would out-cool Apple.
Why should it be any different for China? The only difference is speed. The Chinese will do it faster.
Re: Looks like I might be almost right
A name that's obvious how to pronounce might help as well... Not that the Ascend G300 wasn't bargain of the year!
