owlsbooks Chapter 246 Development of Wireless Keyboards and Mice
Chapter 246 Development of Wireless Keyboards and Mice
Ling Yun turned to Li Mo, who was staring at his laptop, and said, "Tell me about the progress of the technology development, Li Mo."
Li Mo adjusted his glasses, opened his laptop, and connected it to the projector. Several product design diagrams appeared on the screen.
"President Ling, everyone, I have two things to report." Li Mo spoke quickly. "First, the iteration of our existing products. We've upgraded our optical mouse to the second generation, increasing the DPI from 400 to 800, making it more suitable for gaming and high-precision operation. We've also added a backlit version of the keyboard with seven adjustable colors, primarily targeting gamers. Both of these new products will enter mass production next month."
He switched the image, and a simpler mouse and keyboard appeared, without any wires.
"Secondly, a new product from the lab: a wireless keyboard and mouse set. The prototype has already been completed. It uses 2.4GHz wireless technology, with a transmission distance of ten meters, and its anti-interference capability is much stronger than the existing 27MHz solution. Power consumption has also been optimized, and two AAA batteries can last for six months."
He gestured to his assistant, who took a plastic box from his bag, opened it, and inside was a black wireless mouse and keyboard. The mouse was smaller than the ones he had now, and the keyboard was also very thin.
Li Mo plugged the receiver into the laptop's USB port and turned it on. The mouse cursor moved immediately, and keyboard input worked normally.
A low murmur arose in the conference room.
"How much of a delay?" Lingyun asked.
"Currently, in our tests, the mobile latency is within 15 milliseconds, and the keyboard input latency is 10 milliseconds. This is perfectly adequate for office work and general gaming, but it's still a bit short of esports-grade performance, and we're still optimizing it," said Li Mo. "The main issue is cost. The bill of materials cost for this prototype is three times that of existing wired keyboards and mice. We need to reduce the cost, at least to within twice the amount, to be competitive in the market."
"Is there a timetable?"
"In another six months, by July of this year, we should be able to complete the optimization and begin small-batch trial production," Li Mo said. "If all goes well, it can be launched on the market by the end of the year."
"Have you estimated the cost of mass production? How much higher will it be compared to current wired mice and keyboards?" Ling Yun asked.
"Aside from the chips, which are currently impossible to estimate, there isn't much difference in other materials and production efficiency; it's not much different from wired mice and keyboards," Li Mo replied.
"Okay." Ling Yun looked at the wireless keyboard and mouse set. "Leave me a sample set, I'll try it out."
"It's all ready." Li Mo took out a gift box from under the table.
"Other departments," Ling Yun said, turning to the others.
Sales Manager Zhao Lijun reported on market feedback and competitor analysis: Logitech and Microsoft began to lower prices, and A4Tech launched a clone of the optical mouse, but Spark maintained high growth thanks to its first-mover advantage and bundled sales with the Star Platform.
Liu Hui, the head of the personnel department, reported on employee training and cultural development: a night school was set up, and teachers from Shandong University were invited to teach computer basics; basketball games and singing competitions were organized; and the employee turnover rate dropped from 5% last year to 3%.
Finance officer Wu Jianguo supplemented the balance sheet and cash flow: cash and short-term financial products totaled 1.8 million yuan, bank loans amounted to 6000 million yuan (mainly used for expansion), accounts receivable were healthy, and the debt ratio was very low.
After everyone had finished speaking, the meeting room fell silent.
Ma Baoguo summarized: "President Ling, overall, 1997 was a year of great development. We had more employees, revenue exceeded 500 million, profit exceeded 200 million, we made technological breakthroughs, and the market expanded. In 1998, our goal is to exceed 1 billion in revenue, maintain a profit margin of over 40%, launch wireless products, and expand our overseas channels to at least five more countries."
He looked at Ling Yun, waiting for instructions.
Ling Yun didn't speak immediately. He opened the meeting materials in front of him, quickly scanning the charts and figures. Then he closed them.
"Thank you all for your hard work," he said. "The results are excellent, exceeding my expectations."
The atmosphere in the meeting room visibly relaxed. Some people even smiled.
"But," Ling Yun continued, "past achievements are just that—past. In 1998, the challenges will be even greater. Logitech and Microsoft won't stand idly by and watch us seize market share; the price war will be even fiercer. How long can we maintain our cost advantage? How long can we maintain our technological lead? What if our wireless products are delayed in launch, or if costs can't be reduced?"
The smile faded.
"Therefore, we cannot slack off." Ling Yun looked at everyone. "Factory Director Ma, the construction of the new factory needs to be accelerated, but quality cannot be relaxed. Director Sun, production efficiency needs to be improved. We need to learn from Toyota's lean production and reduce waste. Li Mo, I will give you the maximum resource support for wireless products, but we must ensure the timeline. Section Chief Zhao, the market cannot rely solely on price and channels. We need to build a brand. Xinghuo is not a low-end product; it is a mid-to-high-end product, a representative of 'ease of use' and 'technological sophistication.'"
Every time he said something, the corresponding person nodded and took notes.
"Furthermore, with 15,000 employees, management is a complex undertaking." Ling Yun looked at Liu Hui from HR. "Training needs to continue, and the company culture needs to be built, but more importantly, a clear promotion path and performance evaluation mechanism must be established. Those who perform well should earn more and be promoted quickly. Those who slack off should be eliminated. We are not a charity; we are a commercial company."
"Understood," Liu Hui said.
"Finally," Ling Yun paused, "today is the Little New Year, so I'll have lunch with everyone in the cafeteria. This afternoon, each department will submit its annual welfare plan and year-end activity plan. I have only one request—"
He looked around the conference room:
"It must be better than last year. The rewards for outstanding employees should be doubled compared to last year."
The meeting room was silent for a few seconds, then applause broke out.
It wasn't enthusiastic applause, but solid, energetic applause.
"Meeting adjourned." Ling Yun stood up. "Director Ma, take me to see the workshop."