Chapter 394 Brain Hole Product
That’s right, the screens for Casio’s TV watches are supplied by SIC’s LCD factory.
Since these two LCD panel technologies came out in SIC laboratories at the end of last year, they have undergone more than half a year of process adjustments.
Today, their yield rates have finally reached the minimum requirements for commercial use, among which the STN screen yield rate is slightly higher, which can basically guarantee a molding rate of more than 50%.
However, the yield rate of TFT screens is less than 30%, which means that less than three out of ten panels cut can be used.
Such a low yield also means that the cost of TFT screens is quite high.
The Casio color screen watch sells for 120,000 yen, of which a quarter is the cost of the TFT and its driver IC.
For STN screen and its supporting driver chip, SIC's price here is 14,000 yen.
Generally speaking, whether it is TFT or STN screen, their current costs are relatively high.
This is also the reason why SIC did not develop related products on its own. New technologies are usually very expensive when they are first introduced to the market.
In this case, only luxury goods with well-known brands can support their high prices.
SIC itself does not produce finished products, and Shirakawa Electric does not have any related business.
In addition, the current TFT screen can only be one or two inches in size while ensuring the yield, which is just slightly larger than the watch dial.
After much deliberation, SIC finally turned to Casio.
SIC: Old Ka, look, I have a big treasure here!
Casio: Aren’t you a chip manufacturer? Although we have calculator products at home, we can’t use such high-end products.
SIC: Not a chip, look! What is this? !
SIC placed a TFT capable of playing color animations in front of Casio.
Casio: Wow, so thin, so light, and colorful?!
Casio gives a thumbs up, awesome bro!
SIC: Lao Ka, what do you think of this screen?
Casio: It’s good, but it’s too small.
SIC: Actually, it’s not small. It’s just a little bigger than the dial of your watch.
SIC gestured a universe between his fingertips, and Casio's expression changed.
Casio: Brother, what do you mean...?
SIC: Lao Ka, do you think mobile TV has a future?
Casio has an idea: mobile TV?
SIC: Yes, a mobile TV that can be worn on your hand.
Casio: Brother, please name a price. We at Casio are the best at making these kinds of creative products.
Do you remember the gaming calculator in our house? It is absolutely unique to Neon, and most people can’t play it.
SIC: Yes, yes, yes, brother, you have a great imagination. Compared with your gaming calculator, my cousin's handheld game console is just a child's toy.
Casio: Ahem~ low-key. The purpose of Casio’s products is to be luxurious and low-key.
SIC: One price: 30,000 yen!
Casio: Brother, are you trying to rip me off? You’re charging me so much for a broken screen?
SIC: Brother, you are wronging us. This thing is extremely difficult.
The most important thing is that it is unique, one of a kind in the world, just like your gaming calculator!
And we not only provide screens, but also supporting driver chips~
Brother, you know me. My SIC chip is definitely a synonym for high-end!
Casio pondered for a while and then nodded: Well, brother, you are right. If we are going to sell something, we should sell unique products!
How about this, let's first buy a batch of goods and sell them. If there are enough fools, then we can buy some more.
SIC: Brother, I'm determined to be your friend! In addition, we have not only color screens, but also black and white, and the price is cheap. Why don't you try it too?
Casio: OK, that's settled. We'll give you two different grades, high and low, to change your taste.
SIC: Yosi, you have a big conscience!
In this way, after SIC and Casio reached an agreement, the two parties began to actively cooperate in the development of the so-called TV Watch.
Of course, the main force is still Casio itself, and SIC can only play an auxiliary role and do some adaptation work on the screen and chips.
As a long-established , Casio’s own R&D capabilities are also unquestionable.
After the most important LCD screen and supporting driver IC were in place, it quickly completed the rest of the work and produced a prototype.
It is worth mentioning that the TV watch that Casio finally developed is not as simple as imagined.
In addition to the electronic screen worn on the hand, there is also a tuner about the size of a battery box.
Its main function is to receive signals and adjust the frequency, which is why watches can watch TV.
The electronic screen only serves to output the video, and FM radio and TV signals need to be transferred through a tuner.
In addition, the TV watch is also equipped with a headphone jack, which makes it convenient for users to listen to radio and TV programs.
Of course, the matching earbuds are provided by Shirakawa Electric.
As the commercial inventor, Shirakawa Electric's headphones work well and are cheap.
After the joint efforts of both parties for more than half a year, this imaginative product like TV Watch was finally officially launched.
Although tuners existed, the advent of watch TV still greatly shocked people of this era.
In addition to the people queuing up in the venue to experience it, this even attracted several TV stations to go to the scene for interviews.
Come to think of it, a watch with this function can be called the ancestor of smart watches in the future.
However, despite the hype, the two models of TV watches sold less than 20,000 yuan in total from June when they were launched to July.
The reason is that it is too expensive. One hundred thousand yen is a month's salary for many people.
Ordinary people simply cannot afford such luxury goods, and only middle-class and above families would consider such novel toys.
But flowers bloom inside the wall and are famous outside the wall. TV Watch may make a lot of noise in Japan but has little impact, but it is becoming famous overseas.
In June, The New York Times published an article at the end of the first page. It was short and the content was simple.
"Casio introduced a TV watch", the text reads: "Casio introduced their first TV watch to the United States yesterday, which is the first time that the product has been officially retailed in my country.
The watch, which combines a 1.4-inch LCD screen with a standard digital watch, has a suggested retail price of $565 and is expected to be available in mid-July.
The reason why the New York Times reported this news separately is because Casio found a top seller.
In the 007 film "Octopussy" in June 1983, Roger Moore did not wear a Rolex Submariner, but instead wore a CASIO TV Watch for watching TV.
This undoubtedly triggered a dramatic star effect, and the audience was curious about what this strange watch was.
In the movie, Roger uses this watch not only to watch TV, but also to make video calls with his boss!
Of course its images are in color and very clear.
And because of the sponsorship, there are more than one such shots. Throughout the film, there are 6 shots that allow TV Watch to appear, 3 of which are close-ups.
Although the actual TV watch does not have a video call function, it does seem a bit like a sales show.
But 007 undoubtedly brought huge popularity to TV Watch, and it quickly went from being a slow-selling product to a watch worn by James Bond.
So when TV Watch was officially released in July, its price immediately soared, attracting everyone to collect it.
Casio's low-end black and white watch was also launched on the market.
The price of $395 is much lower than that of a color screen, which just meets the needs of some people who have tight wallets but an urgent desire to collect.
America is still rich these days. The TV watches that are almost ignored in Japan have experienced a boom in North America.
Although the specific sales figures have not yet been released, there is no doubt that Casio will make a fortune.
Of course, SIC will not lose money either, as the profits from TV Watch can be invested more in improving technology and processes.
After this incident, Casio not only made a name for itself, but also deeply stimulated its peers in Japan.
Especially at Suba Seiko's place, Suba George was so angry that he smashed several cups.
Why was he so excited? Because Suwa Seiko had just completed the TFT process.
Even their product is the same watch TV as Casio, which was originally expected to be released in September.
Now Casio has taken the lead. Is there such a coincidence in the world?
Suba Saji expressed great doubt, especially after he learned that Casio's screens were supplied by Shirakawa Kaede's factory, he was so angry that he smashed a few cups.
Damn it, he was still waiting to come up with this black technology called TFT and then slap Baichuan Feng hard in the face.
Ever since Shirakawa Electric stopped placing orders for LCD handheld game console screens from Suwa Seiko, Suwa Saji has been unhappy for a long time.
Isn't it just a price increase of a few hundred yen? Is it necessary to stop all orders directly?
Your Shirakawa Electric handheld game console is selling so well that the profit margin is over 50%.
If we give our upstream manufacturers a few hundred yen, wouldn't it be just a drop in the bucket?
Now, not only does it refuse to accept the price increase, but it is also intensifying its competition directly with Suwa Seiko.
What’s even more infuriating is that the opponent has also been one step ahead in TFT technology. Suba George was so angry.
He originally hoped to use TFT to shock Baichuan Feng, and then use the advantage of the color screen to make the other party beg him for cooperation.
After all, Suba Saji also knew that the color screen was definitely a groundbreaking product for handheld game consoles, and he didn't believe that Shirakawa Kaede would not be tempted.
However, the fact is that not only did he not wait for Baichuan Feng to actively ask for peace, the other party even threw a royal bomb and hit him directly in the face.
Although he held a grudge against Baichuan Feng in his heart, he also put Casio on the blacklist.
But after losing a big client and losing an opportunity, Suwa Saji could no longer remain calm.
At the end of July, as Casio's TV watch had just been on the market for a month, Seiko's TV watch was also rushed into the market, more than a month .
Neon launched color LCD screens one after another, which not only shocked the public, but also attracted more companies to focus on this field.
Panasonic, Toshiba, Sharp and even Sony have begun to invest heavily to enter the LCD field.
They saw the launch of Casio TV watches and their hot sales in North America and were very envious.
The more luxurious the product, the higher the profit. If it can still sell well, the profit will be huge.
These giants are not short of money and have no regrets about investing huge amounts of capital into the LCD field.
Some wealthy companies even want to go directly to SIC to purchase relevant technologies to save research and development time.
Baichuan Feng secretly gave them the middle finger as they waved the money, and then politely refused.
Damn it, you guys colluded with each other and tried to steal my chip architecture technology, and I haven’t settled the score yet.
Now you want to grab another gold mountain from me? Just wait and see if the big stick in my hand will agree to it.
Today, Shirakawa Feng came to SIC to resolve this matter.
