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Android Cellphones China

The Pepsi P1 Smartphone Takes Consumer Lock-In Beyond the App (thestack.com) 166

An anonymous reader writes: On the 20th of October Pepsi will launch its own smartphone in China. The P1 is not just a cowling brand, but a custom-made device running Android 5.1 and costing approximately $205. At that price it's almost a burner, but even so it represents new possibilities for a brand to truly control the digital space for its eager consumers in a period where mobile content-blocking is becoming a marketing obstruction, and where there is increasing resistance on Google's part to allow publishers to push web-users from the internet to 'the app'.
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The Pepsi P1 Smartphone Takes Consumer Lock-In Beyond the App

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  • by Nutria ( 679911 ) on Monday October 12, 2015 @01:47PM (#50712045)

    You either have no children, or are in the 1% (or, naturally, both).

    • Since that phone is intended for China, that's not exactly a small amount for the target market so I'm not sure the submitter knows what he's talking about.
      • I read the second link, mobipicker.com and it comes across as written by someone with English as a second language, and not particularly good English at that.

        It's also full of unfounded speculation:

        At the moment, it seems likely that if Pepsi ever made a phone, it would possibly be something that attracts young people, perhaps something sporty or equipped with a special camera. We are well-convinced that the phone would definitely have the Pepsi logo, maybe on the back, and probably come in a dark blue color.

      • You know that not all 1.3 Billion Chinese are poor farmers right? Despite having plenty of poor people, they also have plenty of rich people. China has the 2nd most number of millionaires in the world behind the US, so I'm sure there some market there for this device.
        • You know that not all 1.3 Billion Chinese are poor farmers right?

          You are aware that the average yearly income in 2012 in China is about $2,100 per family right? In places like Shanghai, it goes up to $4,700. A $210 phone is not a "burner" phone for the average person in China.

          Despite having plenty of poor people, they also have plenty of rich people.

          Yes but you would think that if Pepsi wants to sell a lot of these phones, they would target the median income, not the upper income market.

          China has the 2nd most number of millionaires in the world behind the US, so I'm sure there some market there for this device.

          Yes just like there's a market for $1 million dollar Ferraris in the US, but that market is not the average person in the US.

          • You are aware that the average yearly income in 2012 in China is...

            Apple has sold 13 Million iPhone6's in China. Clearly Apple and Pepsi know something you don't.

            Yes but you would think that if Pepsi wants to sell a lot of these phones, they would target the median income, not the upper income market.

            How much is a lot? Based on the numbers above they could be targeting sales of 10 million units and piss it in easily.

            Yes just like there's a market for $1 million dollar Ferraris in the US, but that market is not the average person in the US.

            Where does it say Pepsi are targeting only people on exactly the average wage?
            People often make the mistake of using averages when dealing with the Chinese. Take away the bottom 1 billion people, and you have a market nearly the same size and wealth of the US. Why wouldn't any business want to tap

            • Apple has sold 13 Million iPhone6's in China. Clearly Apple and Pepsi know something you don't.

              You do know what the term "burner" phone means, right? It means "disposable"phone typically used with prepaid services. As such they are cheap and bought with cash and hard to trace. These make them preferred by criminals. The fact that Apple has sold 13M iPhones in China does not mean that they were used as "burner" phones.

              How much is a lot? Based on the numbers above they could be targeting sales of 10 million units and piss it in easily.

              If you are going to sell a phone in China, do you want to sell to less than 1% of the population based on your numbers or to the average person? Apple has made no secret that they wil

              • You do know what the term "burner" phone means, right?

                The term burner was added by the incompetent editors of this site, not Pepsi.

                If you are going to sell a phone in China, do you want to sell to less than 1% of the population based on your numbers or to the average person?

                1% is 13 million units. Even Apple would be happy with that....

                We are talking about the soft-drink maker Pepsi, right? I wasn't not aware that Pepsi became a luxury brand in any market.

                The same people who can afford Pepsi regularly can also afford a Pepsi phone. Do you get that now?

                Again, the initial point was that at $210, this phone would be a "burner" phone.

                By a lame Slashdot editor, not Pepsi. Your critical thinking skills need some improvement.

                • The term burner was added by the incompetent editors of this site, not Pepsi.

                  The submission [slashdot.org] clearly shows the term "burner". In the context of the conversation, I said " I'm not sure the .submitter knows what he's talking about" and did not imply that it was Pepsi.

                  1% is 13 million units. Even Apple would be happy with that....

                  Apple would be fine with 1%; would Pepsi?

                  By a lame Slashdot editor, not Pepsi. Your critical thinking skills need some improvement.

                  Your reading comprehension needs improvement. At no point did I imply that Pepsi called it a burner. My only point was that Pepsi would probably like to sell as many as these and would not market it as a luxury brand like Apple does because Apple is unwilling to drop the price of

                  • Apple would be fine with 1%; would Pepsi?

                    Is that a serious qeustion? I can only assume you have zero experience in business, because the answer FUCK YES! Any company anywhere from mom and pop up to Apple, the most profitable company in history, would all be happy with unit sales of 13 million.

                    My only point was that Pepsi would probably like to sell as many as these

                    Yes and marketing 101 will teach you that simply aiming at Joe Average will get you nowhere, every successful business targets a specific market segment. Pepsi, and I'm guessing here, probably have studied the market, realise that Samsung and Apple have the t

                    • Is that a serious qeustion? I can only assume you have zero experience in business, because the answer FUCK YES! Any company anywhere from mom and pop up to Apple, the most profitable company in history, would all be happy with unit sales of 13 million.

                      Really? So what you are saying is that Pepsi, a company that makes the entirety of its revenue on selling to as many people as possible, would be okay with pursuing 1% of a market? Since when has Pepsi ever pursued the high end but small percentage of any market? Almost never.

                      Yes and marketing 101 will teach you that simply aiming at Joe Average will get you nowhere,

                      When has Marketing 101 ever said that? Marketing 101 is knowing how to target a specific segment in a market to reach them. It does not dictate which segment to target.

                      every successful business targets a specific market segment. Pepsi, and I'm guessing here, probably have studied the market, realise that Samsung and Apple have the top end sown up, Chinese knock-offs have the bottom end, so they are targetting the younger, above average aspirational types who want something better than a feature phone, but can't quite afford Apple/Samsung.

                      You've just contradicted yourself and you don't even know it. Consi

                    • You've just contradicted yourself and you don't even know it. Considering that you've been wrong about basic facts of what was said and what was submitted, this does not surprise me.

                      Just saying I'm wrong doesn't really qualify as an argument, but then at least you've been consistent...

                    • Just saying I'm wrong doesn't really qualify as an argument, but then at least you've been consistent...

                      Your exact words: "The term burner was added by the incompetent editors of this site, not Pepsi." This is factually wrong. The term was already in the submission. It is somewhat puzzling why you would even make such a bold claim when it is easily fact checked. I can only assume that you don't know that it can be fact checked. I can also assume that you intended to be deceitful in making such a claim as it was not remotely true.

                    • But Pepsi never made the claim did they, which was your entire argument? And now you're trying to squirm out of it on a technicality? Go find some children to play with elsewhere...
                    • But Pepsi never made the claim did they, which was your entire argument?

                      This is also factually incorrect. Scroll up. My claim about whether the "submitter knows what he's talking about." Again, you can scroll up.

                      And now you're trying to squirm out of it on a technicality?

                      You keep claiming things that are said which are not true but easily verified and then complain it's a technicality when you are caught being less than honest.

                      Go find some children to play with elsewhere...

                      Projection?

    • by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 12, 2015 @01:58PM (#50712139)

      A $40 Walmart feature phone or a sub-$20 off Craigslist could be a "burner". $200 isn't even notably cheap by general smart phone standards.

    • "In the 1%" means you make $32,400 a year.

      Source: globalrichlist.com

      I personally sit in the top 0.38%.

      • Wow, what's the weather like down there, in the 99.62nd percentile?

      • by mopower70 ( 250015 ) on Monday October 12, 2015 @03:37PM (#50712999) Homepage

        "In the 1%" means you make $32,400 a year.

        Source: globalrichlist.com

        I personally sit in the top 0.38%.

        Now you're just being pedantic. "The 1%" was a phrase popularized by the Occupy Wall Street movement, and refers almost exclusively to wealth inequity in America. The median income for the cohort to which the phrase "The 1%" refers is $400,000. Global wealth has no seriously meaningful value when considered on the scale of the individual. By your metric, the average homeless person in the US will be in the top 15 - 20%.

        • "The 1%" was a phrase popularized by the Occupy Wall Street movement, and refers almost exclusively to wealth inequity in America.

          So an article about a product in China means I'm supposed to automatically assume this is in America? And are we talking about both Americas or just North America?

          The median income for the cohort to which the phrase "The 1%" refers is $400,000.

          The top 1% in New Mexico make about $214,000. But...doesn't it seem kind of arbitrary? Why does it have to be the 1%, and furthermore, why just the US? Why not the 3.14156%? Why are the other 2.14156% exempt from OWS's rage?

        • By your metric, the average homeless person in the US will be in the top 15 - 20%.

          Ask me how I can tell you've never travelled outside the U.S. to any even moderately poor country.

          The homeless in the U.S. are in FACT better off than many people in Africa or South America or heck, even rural China (all of which I have seen in person). They absolutely have better access to food and healthcare. They have access to libraries during the day to study anything they like, or simply to read if they wish...

        • It really hammers home just how well off we are in America, eh? Our homeless - at the bottom of our society, are still in the top quintile globally. Wow, we really should take some time and give thanks for what we've got, shouldn't we?

          Nah, America sucks. Sanders for President!

      • Only if you pretend that the cost of living is the same everywhere. 32k will buy a lot more in Delhi than London.

    • It is a strange comment. After all, as was pointed out in The Atlantic, as of 2009 most Chinese still did not have running water. So it may be a stretch to say a US$205 phone is, "almost a burner."

      Source: http://jamesfallows.theatlanti... [theatlantic.com]
      • by Nutria ( 679911 )

        I separately searched that article for the words "running" and "water" to no avail. Could you help a bloke checking your citation??

    • really! saw it on The Onion! it has issues, though... only thing its music app will play is "rice, rice baby."

    • yep, considering the brand lock in I would say it is the exact opposite of a burner. It is extremely highly priced, especially with a myriad of cheap sub $100 smart phones available.
    • by mjwx ( 966435 )

      You either have no children, or are in the 1% (or, naturally, both).

      And aren't Scottish either.

      I dont have kids but I wouldn't even consider a $50 phone to be a "burner". $200 is a big enough decision that I'd need to sleep on it. If I can dissuade myself from buying it in 24 hours, I don't really need it.

  • by johanw ( 1001493 ) on Monday October 12, 2015 @01:49PM (#50712073)

    They seemed not to have learned from Amazon's failure. The only buyers of this device are probably those who will replace the adware with a custom rom.

  • Call me clueless (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Archangel Michael ( 180766 ) on Monday October 12, 2015 @01:50PM (#50712079) Journal

    I saw this over the weekend and simply shook my head thinking "what is the goal here Pepsi?"

    And looking at the specs, it isn't anything that hasn't already been done before (and better) for less. Unless they are going to be giving these away as some weird promotion I don't get it (right now).

    Here is the one real question I have, how is a Pepsi phone going to make people drink more Pepsi?

    • how is a Pepsi phone going to make people drink more Pepsi?

      That's exactly what this guy [highsnobiety.com] wants you to be asking...

    • Funny thing is, this isn't their first foray into telecommunications.

      I had a Mt. Dew pager for quite a while when that was a cool thing to have (mid '90s).

      • by swb ( 14022 )

        A pager was cool to have then? I would have thought that you would have needed a Motorola MicroTAC to be at least halfway cool.

    • You don't know the history of Pepsi in China. They make *everything* including shoes. It's not a soft drink company its a branding conglomerate. The story is long, but interesting if you Google it. There was a time when companies had to choose between doing business in mainland China or Taiwan. Coke went to Taiwan, Pepsi to China.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 12, 2015 @01:52PM (#50712097)

    If you can think of a $200 phone as a "burner", then you are the 1%. Congratulations! But can you try not to be such a dick about it?

    • Agree with you AC 100%.
    • $200 phones get given away when you sign up for service, no one actually pays for a $200 phone, they get them for free.

      You pay $200 for an $800 iPhone. You don't pay shit for a $200 POS that no one wants.

  • Too much syrup.
  • They'll be competing with the successor to the Xiaomi mi 4i at that price, somehow I'm thinking they'll lose.

  • by enjar ( 249223 ) on Monday October 12, 2015 @02:16PM (#50712259) Homepage

    "I light my cigars with $100 bills, so a $200 phone is almost a burner! BULLY!"

    • I just spent the last 20 minutes trying to set one on fire. Not worth the effort. Get an iPhone, those things light up good.

      • by enjar ( 249223 )

        I'll just hire someone to do it for me.

        • by Lumpy ( 12016 )

          Eeew, how pedestrian.

          I have a person that does the hiring of people for me. Actually interacting with the staff? Are you that hard off?

          • by enjar ( 249223 )

            I like to get my hands dirty from time to time. This should be enough for this year, but your suggestion is not without merit.

  • by avandesande ( 143899 ) on Monday October 12, 2015 @02:17PM (#50712271) Journal

    People dumb enough to eat and drink junk food probably aren't going to use the phone the way you would like them. Using an app to find your products is way too much executive function and effort.

  • by Anonymous Coward

    Submitter must be a privileged Silly Valley cocksucker who has never experienced a minute of hardship in his life.

  • A very solid phone, will run android 5, and no Pepsi tie-ins.

    And XiaoMi will eat them for lunch everywhere but the US. Well, until XiaoMi sells here.

  • and browsing experience. Its all catering to the inept generation which only wants quick media fix and nothing more.

  • by wonkey_monkey ( 2592601 ) on Monday October 12, 2015 @02:59PM (#50712683) Homepage

    On the 20th of October Pepsi

    How much did that pay to rename that?

    That reminds me, though, not long until Thanksgiving in November-Facebook. Then I'll have to start thinking about buying Christmas gifts before the 25th of December-Coca-Cola...

  • Although I think the Pepsi thing is dumb you could see a market for something like [your favorite football] team pre-configured with apps that aggregates tweets, stats and news about the team. Logo on case, background etc....

  • by Gliscameria ( 2759171 ) on Monday October 12, 2015 @05:11PM (#50713775)
    Notice, no battery specs! Why? Because it runs on Pepsi! Requires 10oz for a recharge that lasts about 4 hours.
  • by sootman ( 158191 )

    I guess a $200 Android phone really is amazing to someone who has never seen a Windows phone for +/- $100. [microsoftstore.com] Like $49 for a 530 on T-Mobile or $129 for an unlocked 635. No contract on either.

    MS or Pepsi: tough choice.

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