Preamble:
In this ever-changing technology circle, air conditioning, the "savior of summer", has long been promoted from a symbol of luxury to the standard configuration of every household.
Whenever the scorching summer hits, major brands begin to gear up and sacrifice their own "core technology" banners, vowing to stage an "air-conditioning competition" in your living room.
However, are these "black technologies" really so unattainable, or are they just a marketing dream carefully woven by merchants? Let's lift the mysterious hijab of the air conditioning industry and find out.
Air conditioning: A gorgeous turn from luxury to everyday
The story has to start in 1928, when air conditioners, like big stars in movies, only appeared in luxurious places.
Wess Carrier, the "creator god" of the air conditioning industry, single-handedly ushered in a new era of coolness.
Time flies, compressors, heat exchangers, these parts that sound like a headache, but step by step, quietly make air conditioning more efficient and quieter.
But let's not forget that these advances are more like a trickle of water than an overnight miracle, implying that "core technology" is not always revolutionary, but more about building on the original.
Dong Mingzhu VS Xiaomi: A war of words over "core technology".
Speaking of air conditioning, how can you not mention the "Iron Lady" Dong Mingzhu and the Gree led by her? At a general meeting of shareholders, Dong Mingzhu was full of firepower, pointing out that emerging forces such as Xiaomi lacked their own factories and relied on OEM production, which gave them less confidence in "core technology".
This shouting in the air is not so much a technical criticism, but a warning from the veteran to the rookie: the rivers and lakes are deep, and you can't do without two brushes.
Of course, Dong Mingzhu's words also hide a bit of caution about the escort of his own brand.
Patent: Technology for siege and shared gardens
When it comes to technical barriers, there is actually an open secret in the air conditioning industry: although there are many patents, most of them have a "shelf life".
For example, Japan's Daikin and Mitsubishi Electric, the innovation of the year has now become a "textbook" that everyone can learn.
This means that those once "unique skills" have slowly become public resources in the industry over time.
In other words, the technical threshold of the air conditioning industry is not as unattainable as some advertisements boast.
R&D investment and production mode: Gree and Xiaomi's "core" competition
When it comes to R&D, Gree and Xiaomi take two completely different paths.
Gree is not soft on spending money, and will spend 6.762 billion yuan in 2023, and in the compressor, the low-end is self-produced, and the high-end is the introduction of "foreign monks" to strive for quality.
As for Xiaomi, although the R&D investment is better (19.1 billion), it is better at "leveraging strength", through the fine OEM model, controlling design and R&D, breaking the prejudice of "OEM without innovation".
Price War: Is the Technology Expensive or the Brand Ringing?
As soon as you step into the air-conditioned area of the mall, hey, the contrast is stark! Xiaomi's 1.5 horse's little expert, the price is close to the people, like a cool breeze in summer, only more than 1,700 oceans, lightly blowing into the hearts of our people.
Turning his head to look at Gree next door, it is also the big brother of the 1.5 hp air conditioning industry, but the price has directly turned over, 3200 yuan is stable, a "quality life, I will guard" cold style.
These two swing a few times, and it is inevitable that people will murmur in their hearts: is it really "the more expensive the more material", or do we have to spend more than a thousand, just for the golden little LOGO on the wall at home, every time a guest comes to visit, can show off?
Having said that, Gree and Midea are in the air-conditioning circle, that is the level of a big man, and the annual profit is swishing upward, with a figure of 30 billion, which makes people tremble, and other electrical brands can only eat soil in the back.
People can be so arrogant, not only because of how loud the advertisement is, but also because of the technical precipitation, the exquisite materials, and the brand confidence of "I am worth this price".
Therefore, when we are picking an air conditioner, we have to become a shrewd shopping detective, not only to ponder the old principle of "you get what you pay for", but also to see the essence through the phenomenon, and see if there are really some unique cheats in this price difference, which is worth paying for it.
After all, you buy an air conditioner to spend the summer comfortably, not to lose weight on your wallet, right?
Don't be fooled by those fancy numbers, we have to consume rationally and see whether it is really beneficial or just to pay for a well-known brand.
After all, every cent of our people's money bags has to be spent on the blade!
"Core Technology": A Magic Show of Marketing
Speaking of this "core technology", it looks like a high-achieving student who graduated from a magic school in his advertisement, waving a magic wand in his hand instead of a magic wand, but a miracle stick that can instantly light up life.
In the blink of an eye, the troubles evaporated, and comfort came, as if all the unhappiness had been spelled to disappear.
But hey, don't let those blinding advertising effects fool your eyes, after all, it's not Hogwarts, and we're not Harry Potter chasing magical dreams.
In the small world of daily life, the task of the old friend of air conditioning is actually very simple and straightforward, just like a cup of ice cola in summer and a bowl of hot rice balls in winter - nothing more than cooling and heating, so that you can be like spring all year round.
Therefore, when those advertising words are more lively than the Spring Festival Gala sketches, we have to learn to clear the clouds and fog and see which ones are real hardcore techniques, and which ones are just "tricks" with special effects.
It's like when you pick a watermelon in the vegetable market, just listening to the hawker shouting "sweet and ripe", it is better to knock it with your own hands, listen to the sound, and weigh the weight.
Similarly, in the face of air conditioning, we also have to have our own judging criteria.
Don't care about its advertising, whether it is really energy saving and emission reduction, intelligent temperature control, and silence like a cat napping, these are the "real kung fu" we should care about.
As for those who are just wearing a tech vest, they are actually not much different, we have to sort them out like picking out pearls in the sand.
Don't be fooled by the "magic" of advertising, we have to be down-to-earth and use the wisdom of our people to distinguish which ones are really "magic weapons" that can bring convenience to life, and which ones are just "phantoms" that will disperse as soon as the wind blows.
After all, what we are pursuing is a real comfortable life, not the "fantasy drifting" in the advertisement.
Epilogue:
The battle of "core technology" in the air conditioning industry is more of a psychological war and brand war.
As a shrewd consumer, we have to learn to clear the clouds and make rational judgments, after all, a really good air conditioner must not only have face, but more importantly, it must have a lining, which can silently protect our little luck in the hot summer.
When choosing, you may wish to ask a few more whys so that every penny is worth it.
In this era of intertwined technology and marketing, keeping a clear mind is the most "core" technology.