1.ARM denies the cooperation with former chairman to privatize Qualcomm;
Gathering micro-message news, recently announced that former CEO of Jacob Jacobs will join hands with strategic investors such as ARM, plan to privatize listed company Qualcomm within two months by acquiring liquidity shares. Yesterday, ARM issued a statement refuting This rumors.
According to the “CNET” report, Jacob left the role of Chairman of Qualcomm after the failure of Broadcom’s acquisition last month and reported that Jacob planned to acquire Qualcomm. However, outsiders believe that Qualcomm’s chances of success are not high. Because Jacobs currently holds Qualcomm shares less than 1% (approx. $9 billion in market value) unless there are well-funded investors to help.
There are several advantages in rumored Qualcomm, such as exempting investors from the pressure of profit, which will benefit the company's reorganization and focus on R&D of the next generation of products. Another advantage is that there is no need to disclose financial information to let competitors know.
However, ARM issued a statement yesterday refuting this rumors. ARM said that there was no discussion of any potential Qualcomm acquisition between ARM and Jacobs.
On April 13, according to CNBC, informed sources disclosed that Paul Jacobs, who stepped down as Chairman of the board of directors of Qualcomm in March, is communicating with strategic investors and sovereign wealth funds, hoping to obtain full financial support. Qualcomm will be privatized in the next two months. After this, he will personally operate the company.
British chip designer ARM is one of the potential investors. Softbank spent more than US$30 billion to acquire it in 2016. Most of today’s smartphones and tablet PCs use ARM’s technical architecture, including Qualcomm.
Informed sources said that Jacob has hired two banks and lawyers to deal with the deal. After the completion of the transaction, he hopes to participate in less than 10 owners. However, economic ownership may not be consistent with the company's control.
2. Luo Yonghao: The hammer phone handset spokesperson locked Chen Guanxi to see if he can talk down;
Micronet collection reported on April 14
Luo Yonghao not only designs uniquely on mobile phone hardware and systems, but also has a completely different approach to brand promotion.
Yesterday evening, Luo Yonghao announced on Weibo that due to the lack of visibility in the offline market, especially in the offline market of non-tier cities, we plan to start looking for a number of stars to speak in the second half of this year.
To select who is more appropriate, Luo Yonghao's opinion is: 'Given the tone and characteristics of the hammer mobile phone brand, even if it is looking for stars, we also hope to find alternatives, obviously different from his/her pure meat counterparts. . '
However, Luo Yonghao's current Italian endorsement has caused netizens to surprise. He said that he prefers and tends to be Shu Shu and Chen Guanxi.
Some netizens immediately commented, 'If you really use Edison, Hammer Technology I think this year will be almost, certainly will not buy any products after the hammer.'
In this regard, Luo Yonghao also had a very personal reply. 'Well, that looks right. It depends on whether Chen’s brokerage company can talk down.'
According to previous disclosures, Hammer Mobile has initially formed a certain scale offline channel system in China. At present, the country has 2,485 outlets. Among them, there are 10 authorized outlets, 48 Shun Power, 228 JD East homes, and 209 authorized sales zone counters. Covers the store 2000.
On April 9, Hammer Technology officially released the first mobile phone nuts in Beijing in 2018. However, on the day of the conference, Luo Yonghao strongly recommended the launch of the Bird's Nest on May 15 and stated that it will launch a revolutionary product. More than everyone imagined. In the recent Weibo, Luo Yonghao said that the new version of the hammer may have a price of more than 6000, configuration will scare the industry.
3. The new progress of China's Android unified push alliance, a batch of APP is ready;
Micronet collection reported on April 14
Yesterday, the unified push coalition officially released the news. After the alliance was established, it received positive response from many organizations. At present, a group of APPs are ready.
The information shows that at present, China Unicom, Mito, Ping An Technology, China Mobile, Nudge, iQiyi, Aurora, Dcloud, Aicheng, Instant, Sogou, Zhaori Technology, Ruyitong, Coolan, Zhihu , AppSo and other parties responded positively and voluntarily followed this initiative to jointly create a better Android ecosystem.
According to statistics, the unified push alliance was established in Beijing on October 16, 2017. The alliance includes China ICT and Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, Baidu, Ali, Tencent, etc., First-line domestic mobile phone manufacturers and internet manufacturers.
The problem to be solved by the unified push alliance is to constrain and standardize the energy consumption and traffic burden brought by the mobile phone software to the mobile phone and reduce the harassment of related software to users.
Currently, the Unified Push Alliance is a joint initiative of the 'Android Green Application Convention' for Internet Service Providers and App Independent Developers. It will adopt a unified push solution in the future, including:
1.App limit cross wake-up, chain start. In addition to the user's active interaction trigger, to avoid starting other applications in the process of running.
2.App allows the device CPU to be dormant as much as possible, and to avoid scheduling periodic events during unnecessary periods (such as night).
3.Apps avoid unnecessary resident background behavior.
The following App has been solicited:
4. Changying Precision 'Left' giants in the past are out;
In 2018, the “back-to-metallurgy” market for mobile phone back cover accelerated, and this change resulted in a turning point in the performance of the metal back cover company Shenzhen Changying Precision Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Changying Precision”, 300115.SZ).
The forecast for the first quarter of this year shows that Changying Precision predicts that its profit for the period will be 0-501.174 million yuan, which is 75% to 100% lower than the same period of last year.
Due to a series of twists and turns in the ceramics and glass rear cover, Changying Precision appears to be facing out risk in the future mobile phone back cover market. For the interview request of the “China Business” reporter, Changying Precision said The company is in the quiet period before the disclosure of the first quarterly report, and will not be interviewed for the time being.
'Demetallization' becomes a trend
The metal back cover has been the standard for high-end mobile phones since it was widely used in 2014. At the end of 2017, with the iPhone, Huawei and other manufacturers started to adopt 3D glass on the back of the mobile phone, the original calm mobile phone back cover. The market once again set off the material dispute. From the current trend, 3D glass, composite materials, ceramics and other emerging materials will become the main material of the phone back cover.
After the Spring Festival of 2018, the mobile phone market's attention to 3D glass and ceramic materials has been further enhanced. From the beginning of the year to the present, major domestic manufacturers such as Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, etc. have released a number of new products. 3D glass has excellent appearance because of its beautiful appearance. The large-scale adoption of the above-mentioned manufacturers, some brands in the high-end products in order to seek differentiation also uses a ceramic back cover.
A source of mobile phone manufacturing supply chain told reporters that with the development of wireless charging, 5G communication and glass materials, mobile phone back cover 'demetallization' has become an irreversible industry trend. On the one hand, the 5G era wireless band will be more The more complex, the more demanding the signal is, the more modules such as the antenna installed on the back of the mobile phone require the mobile phone to avoid using the metal backshell; on the other hand, the backshell materials such as glass, composite materials, and ceramics have passed several generations. The development has given rise to considerable improvements in hardness, appearance, and production capacity, which have made it possible to replace the metal back cover with such materials; at the same time, emerging wireless charging technologies in the industry also require that mobile phones avoid the use of metal back covers.
According to the above-mentioned sources, high-end mobile phones mainly use glass and ceramic materials because glass and ceramic materials have advantages in appearance and hardness, texture, and heat dissipation. Composite materials have certain advantages in cost and the process flow is short, but Slightly less than the hardness, bending strength and heat dissipation is also relatively poor, so it is generally used in low-end mobile phones.
It is worth noting that the mainstream mobile phone manufacturers in China have previously been stable customers of Changying Precision Metal Back Cover, and the intensification of the “demetallization” wave has also sounded the alarm for the future development of Changying Precision.
Performance turning point
Ever since its listing in 2010, Changying Precision has maintained a high growth rate. The company's revenue has increased from 470 million yuan in 2010 to 8.431 billion yuan, with an average annual compound growth rate of over 50%. However, with the sudden emergence of the market, Changying Precision ushered in an inflection point in 2017. Despite 2017 revenue growth of 37.78%, but the company’s net profit attributable to the company was only 570 million yuan, a decrease of 16.49% compared to the previous year. This is also long. The net profit of Yingying Precision has dropped for the first time since its listing in 2010.
Changying Precision mentioned in the 2017 annual report that thanks to the company's market layout and large customer strategy, along with the increase in market share of customers such as OPPO, Vivo, and Huawei, in 2017, the company remained stable in the field of metal appearance and other products. Growth. However, this growth will be difficult to sustain in 2018. Changying Precision forecast for the first quarter shows that during the period, the company's forecasted profit will be less than RMB 50.11 million, which is a decrease of 75% to 100% compared with the same period of last year.
In just half a year, Changying Precision changed from the leading enterprise in the back cover of the mobile phone to a bystander in the industry. This has a close relationship with the company's main business year-round and the dependence of large customers. Information shows that Changying Precision has long been Huawei. Major customers such as OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi supplied metal back covers and metal middle frames. The annual report of 2017 showed that the top five customers of Changying Precision had a total sales of RMB6.554 billion, accounting for 77.73% of the total annual sales; and In the earnings structure of Changying Precision, the appearance of metal structures of mobile phones and mobile communication terminals (ie mobile phone back cover and metal middle frame) contributed 5.852 billion yuan in operating revenue, accounting for nearly 70% of the total revenue. It is clear that Huawei When mobile phone companies such as OPPO, Vivo and others dispose of metal back covers, Changying’s performance will naturally suffer.
The reporter sent a letter to Changying Precision on the issue of changes in the mobile phone back cover market. However, the company replied that the company is in a quiet period before the disclosure of the first quarterly report and will not accept media interviews.
It is worth noting that when the domestic mobile phone companies used metal back covers on a large scale in 2014, the original plastic case manufacturers had a large-scale collapse. The most famous of them was Huawei, a top supplier of ZTE Shenzhen Fuchang Electronics. According to the data, due to the lack of a metal shell production line, Fuchang Electronics lost its market space for its plastic shell. Therefore, during the product iteration, the capital chain broke and the company finally closed down.
If Changying Precision does not want to repeat Fuchang Electronics, the next step in transition will be extremely important.
Some industry observers told reporters that the main business of Changying Precision is relatively single, and the 'removal of metallization' of mobile phone covers is a general trend. Changying’s precise performance focusing on the metal back cover will indeed be affected; but the market is in the process of substitution. There is a buffer period, the metal back cover does not suddenly disappear, and the demand for the metal middle frame of the double-sided glass mobile phone still exists. Therefore, Changying Precision still has the opportunity to transform itself out of difficulties.
The road to transformation is not easy
In fact, Chang Ying Precision began its transformation in 2017, but the company's series of layout prospects are not clear.
On April 14, 2017, Changying Precision and Sanhuan Group (300408.SZ) jointly signed a cooperation agreement. Changying Precision intends to develop the ceramic components of the smart terminal through the establishment of a joint venture between the two parties. Sub-cooperation is an important measure for the strategic development of the company.
However, in less than half a year, Double convenience announced the termination of the cooperation plan. In September 2017, both Changying Precision and Sanhuan Group issued announcements stating that it is difficult to adapt to the mobile phone market due to the long time required for corporate culture integration. With rapid changes, it was decided to terminate the original contract.
However, the reporter visited the Changying Precision Factory and learned that although the cooperation with the Sanhuan Group has been terminated, Changying Precision has been promoting the research and development of the ceramic back cover. The factory employees told reporters that the company's ceramic back cover production line Has been completed, and the glass back cover production line is also being laid out.
However, judging from the current market conditions, mobile phone manufacturers who are willing to use ceramic back covers are still few, and the complicated process and high price have become major obstacles to restricting the large-scale application of ceramic back covers. The cost of conventional 5.5-inch mobile phones on the market For example, the production cost of each ceramic back cover is nearly 200 yuan, while the cost of metal back cover and glass back cover is about 50 yuan, so the interest of mobile phone manufacturers in using ceramic back covers in a wide range is not strong. Currently, domestic In the market, only some versions of the OPPO R15 and millet MIX series have chosen the ceramic back cover. The mainstream trend in the market is still mainly glass.
In addition, the reporter learned from a glass material company that there are high technical barriers and scale effect barriers on the back cover of 3D glass. Enterprises outside the industry or with insufficient industry experience can hardly fully grasp the technology involved in 3D glass processing in a short period of time. , And 3D glass is also a highly customized product, the period from the time of the handset manufacturer to the delivery of the product is generally about three months. This means that even if Changying Precision has mastered the production technology of 3D glass, the existing market The share has also been divided up by vendors such as Lansi Technology (300433.SZ), Ouffy Technology (002456.SZ), and the future market space will be greatly reduced.
On April 12th, Changying Precision Chairman Chen Qixing announced at the company's 2017 annual performance meeting that the company already had mass production capabilities of ceramic appearance parts. At the same time, Chen Qixing also stated that the application of 5G technology may cause the development of mobile phone appearance parts. The trend shifts from the all-metal rear cover to the 'metal middle frame + non-metal back cover' scheme; the company’s metal appearance product structure will also be adjusted mainly with the full metal back cover to the metal middle frame. It is critical that whether the ceramic back cover and the 3D glass back cover can gain a firm foothold in the future market will become the key to the success of the company's transformation.
5. Research says that most Android phone manufacturers lie on security patches;
Over the past two years, Google and Android handset vendors have improved the pace of security patch updates. Starting in 2016, Google is keeping up with the progress of monthly updates to the Android security patch. The response to vulnerabilities is much faster than before.
When this security patch arrives in the hands of Android mobile phone users, but also depends on the mobile phone model, Android phone manufacturers may also involve operators (such as the United States).
Now, an implementation-level problem has been exposed. Even if promised to update the security patch, most Android phone manufacturers may miss several security patches. A few vendors do not even install patches, let the user think that the system by modifying the security patch time Has been upgraded to the latest version. This means that Android phone manufacturers may hide information on mobile security.
At the Hack in the Box security conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on the 13th, two researchers at the security company Security Research Laboratory (SRL) published a two-year research report on hundreds of Android models and discussed the issue.
Some of the information has been published on SRL's laboratory website, and Wired magazine's interview with SRL Labs founder Karsten Nohl also discussed this issue. More detailed reports need to wait until after the conclusion of SRL's speech.
According to some report information provided by SRL and the interview of “Connection”, the report of SRL Labs stated that there is a problem with the reliability of Android mobile phone manufacturers to update security patches. Most mobile phone manufacturers have lost several security patches. Not installed.
Sampling section: Few for 5-9; Many for 10-49, Lots for more than 50 | Photo from: SRL Labs
According to the report, some of the reasons may be related to mobile phone manufacturers. Millet, Nokia's models have an average of 1-3 security patches not installed; and partly because of chip companies. If it is a chip hardware level loophole, Android handset manufacturers will Need to obtain the patch provided by the chip company. Generally speaking, cheap models use low-end chips, it also led to cheaper models are prone to more loopholes.
The number of missed mobile phone security patches according to different chip manufacturers | Image from: "Connections"
Even in the case of cheap models, there may be differences in treatment. In the report, SRL Labs used Samsung's 2 low-cost handsets as examples. Samsung’s two handsets, the J3, launched in 2016 claimed to have installed all security patches released in 2017, but In fact, fewer than 12. J5 models launched in the same year will tell the user which patches are not yet installed.
The SRL laboratory reverse engineered the Android system code for 1200 mobile phones and researched whether the security patches released in 2017 were actually installed in the system. The mobile phone models need to meet the standard that these models are installed in October 2017 or later. After a security patch.
1200 handsets come from major Android handset manufacturers, including Huawei, Xiaomi, and Samsung, the three largest companies in sales, plus one, HTC, LG, and Motorola.
The more common phenomenon is that the security patches of old models are not updated in a timely manner. Karsten Nohl, founder of SRL Labs, stated that Android mobile phone manufacturers ignore system upgrades and install security patches on older models. a common phenomenon.
However, it is worth noting that this report has some problems for mobile phone manufacturers and mobile phone models. OPPO, vivo, which is not included in the two Android phone manufacturers, only a few Pixel phones Google sampled more than 50 devices.
But not installing a security patch does not mean that Android phones are vulnerable to attacks. SRL Labs also mentioned this.
In response to the report from SRL, Google responded to Wired magazine, explaining that Android phones did not install some security patches. It also said that it would cooperate with SRL Labs to conduct further investigations. Google explained that some Android mobile phone manufacturers even It is possible to directly remove some of the vulnerable features, or some mobile phones do not have the ability to repair by installing patches.
On the other hand, even if the security patch is not installed, the security features of the current Android phone configuration make it difficult to attack. Google responded that the security update is only used to protect Android devices and users. Others also include the sandbox mechanism. Google Play Protect Security Services etc.
After the Stagefright vulnerabilities in 2016, Google and some Android vendors have speeded up the pace of updating security patches. However, progress is still not fast enough.
In March of last year, Google also announced a list of 16 Android mobile phones in its annual feedback, showing models that have been able to get security patch updates on a monthly basis, of which 6 are Google’s Nexus, Pixel mobile phone brand. Samsung , OPPO, vivo each has a model. Curiosity Daily
6.Apple internally warned employees not to disclose information or face criminal charges
PingWest Play reported on April 14th, according to Bloomberg News, on Friday, Apple warned employees not to disclose internal information related to the company's future plans. It also mentioned that 'employees may be prosecuted for legal actions and criminal charges for divulging corporate secrets. '. Claimed that the company had caught 29 leakers last year and said that 29 of them were arrested. Apple also said, 'These people not only lost their jobs, but also faced great difficulties in finding jobs elsewhere.' On Friday, Apple declined to comment on the matter.
Apple has always been known for secrets related to strictly confidential product development. In 2012, Apple CEO Tim Cook pledged to increase the company's confidentiality. In 2017, Apple and the company members held a private meeting. Employees are asked not to disclose it. But since then, there have been a lot of media coverage of the Apple iPhone X mobile phone, the new Apple TV video streaming set-top box, the new Apple Watch with LTE display, and the company’s upcoming listing enhancements. Realistic headset, new iPad, software upgrades and new iPhone and AirPod headsets and more.
The following is Apple's latest internal memo:
Last month, Apple seized and fired an employee who leaked information related to the company's 'Apple Software Roadmap'-themed internal secret meeting. Hundreds of software engineers attended this secret meeting with thousands of employees in the department. All the details of the meeting were recorded. However, one employee betrayed their trust.
The employee who leaked the content of the meeting to the media later told Apple investigators that he did so because he believed that his leak would not be discovered. But in fact, all leaked people - whether Apple employees, Contract workers or suppliers - will eventually be caught, and they are caught faster than before.
In many cases, whistle-blowers are not subjective. Contrary to this, people working for Apple often become media, industry analysts, and bloggers who regularly publish messages through professional and social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Goals, these people will pay a certain amount of compensation to those who work for Apple, and in return for the corresponding secret information. Although these people are flattering, but it is crucial that you have to remember that you are playing by them. Measure these The criterion for the success of outsiders is to see how many Apple secrets they get from your mouth, and then to open these secrets. A small amount of reports about Apple's undisclosed products can bring huge amounts of traffic to their publications, and then let them report on these. Secret bloggers or reporters get huge economic profits. However, Apple employees who leaked these secrets will lose everything.
The impact of disclosure is far more than the Apple employees who work on the project.
Leaking Apple's work-related secrets will affect all of Apple's employees. It will also affect Apple's many years of investment in building products. Josh Shaffer, head of the UIKit project, said, 'Thousands are tireless After spending several months preparing to launch some important software, after seeing the leak, I felt that this was a disaster for all of us. ' The work of the Safar team was part of the iOS 11 system related work leaked last autumn.
The impact of disclosure will not only affect those who engage in a particular project, but will also impact the entire company. Information about the leakage of new products can have a negative impact on the sales of current products and give competitors more time to prepare. Retaliation measures will also lead to a decline in sales of new products at the time of listing. Greg Joswiak, an Apple product marketing executive, said in a memo that “We hope to have the opportunity to explain our products to our customers. The reason why it is excellent, and why it is not easily imitated by others.'
Apple’s investment in confidentiality has also had a huge impact on the company’s ability to lock in and capture the leaked. Prior to the special event in September last year, an employee leaked a link to the gold master version of iOS 11 to the media. , And also think he will not be caught. This unreleased operating system includes more details about the software and hardware that will be announced soon (including iPhone X, etc.). However, just a few days Inside, we locked the leaked person through an internal investigation and expelled him. In addition, the electronic equipment of security company Global Security also helped us to seize a few bloggers leaking to 9to5Mac, including iPhone X, iPad Pro. Detailed secret information related to new products including AirPod.
Of course, leakers in Apple's supply chain will also be caught. Global Security will work closely with suppliers to prevent Apple's patents from being stolen, and also to identify any employees who try to do things beyond the scope of their functions. The security company also worked with suppliers to identify holes in the physical and technical aspects of Apple's apple and ensure that their security levels meet or exceed Apple's expected standards. These measures almost prevent the disclosure of prototypes and products in the factory. It also helped to seize the confidants and prevented a large number of other people from attempting to reveal their secrets on the first site.
The whistleblowers are not just as simple as being unemployed at Apple. In some cases, they also face jail time and huge fines because intruding on the Internet and stealing trade secrets are all considered federal crimes. In 2017, Apple got a total of 29 The name of the leaked person, 12 of whom were leaked. These leaked persons included formal Apple employees, contract workers, and employees from the supply chain. These people not only lost their jobs, but also encountered great difficulties in seeking new jobs elsewhere. Difficulties. Tom Moyer of Global Security stated that the possibility of legal consequences of disclosure is real and that it will always be part of their personal and professional identity.
Despite the serious consequences faced by the leakers, leaks are always unavoidable. The leaker may not have considered the consequences when making the leak decision. Gregg said, 'All employees at Apple are doing their best in their lives. Good work, doing a job that is significant to Apple's 135,000 employees, and working with these employees for Apple, but anyway, the most important thing is to become an Apple's worthy employee. Just don't leak it. '