Huawei launched a series of new products, headlined by its folding clamshell smartphone – the P50 Pocket – a direct competitor to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Huaweijoined forces with prominent haute couture designer, Iris Van Herpen, in a cross-industry collaboration to create the Huawei P50 Pocket Premium Edition.
The global launch event saw Huawei unveil a slew of new products in defiance to the two-year-old ban by the US which has deprived the Chinese company access to critical semiconductor chips and software.
The products launched include the following – all part of a smart and fully connected ecosystem based on Huawei’s HarmonyOS – the company’s substitute for Google’s Android OS.
P50 Pocket
Watch D
Huawei Eyewear
MateBook X Pro notebook
AITO M5 electric vehicle
More details below from the press release, on the Huawei P50 Pocket.
Today, CE China 2018 draws to a close after three days of connecting brands to manufacturers, retailers and consumers in the pan-Asian region. Tech4tea.com reports as an official media partner for CE China 2018.
CE China 2018 show floor at Hall 9 of the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center. Panoramic photos taken with a Sony Xperia XZ2.
In total, 146 companies from 12 countries presented their brands, showcasing consumer electronics and home appliances products.
On top of that, 25 prominent speakers from 9 countries shared their market knowledge with retailers, trade visitors and prosumers.
tech4tea.com is an official media partner for CE China 2018.
CE China 2018 demonstrated a clear growth in quality compared to previous installments.
Jens Heithecker is the Chairman of CE China, IFA Executive Director and Executive Vice President Messe Berlin; while Dirk Koslowski is the IFA Senior Executive Manager at Messe Berlin.
Jens Heithecker is the Chairman of CE China, IFA Executive Director and Executive Vice President Messe Berlin.
Here are some thoughts from the men behind CE China 2018.
Question: In 2017, you had 120 exhibitors showcasing their innovations to 11,500 visitors from 38 countries, within one exhibition hall with 15,000 square metres of exhibition space. This year, the scale is similar. I understand CE China focuses more on quality and focus rather than on size, but in terms of future evolution, is this the ‘steady-state’ size of the show that you’re looking at for the next five years, or are you planning to scale it up in terms of size.
Koslowski: That’s correct. Anyone who has experienced CE China since its premiere in 2016 has witnessed the level of quality that the organisers of IFA pursue with our international retail events. It continues to be our objective to provide all our partners with the most efficient and effective platform for the continuous exchange between brands and retail, outside of political intentions and issues, purely focused on the core purpose of doing business.
Dirk Koslowski is the IFA Senior Executive Manager at Messe Berlin.
Koslowski: This does not necessarily go hand in hand with huge growth spikes in exhibition space, especially during the introductory phase. What matters more to us is a consistent, credible qualitative development that is based on partnerships – just like outlined above. We may be acting very German in this regard – however, that is exactly what we aspire to and what our partners expect from us.
Jens Heithecker on the roles and significance of CE China 2018.
Question: How do you envisage CE China 5 years from now, in 2023 – in terms of scale and nature? What is your vision for CE China in that timeframe?
CE China kicked off its third installment this morning in an opening ceremony attended by Shenzhen Vice Mayor Chen Biao. The first of three days for CE China 2018 saw the successful completion of the new IFA Retail University.
Ribbon cutting at the opening ceremony of CE China 2018 at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center in China.
IFA Retail University is a new format in CE China where international exhibitors at trade show presents their latest products and share their brands’ strategies and visions in short 20-minute “power briefings” in the IFA-GPC style.
From right: Guest-of-Honour for the opening of CE China 2018, Chen Biao (Shenzhen Vice Mayor) with Dai Fengjun (EVP, South China, Suning.com Group).
Industry analysts from GfK and IHS Markit also presented their findings on trends and forecasts for the region.
Representatives of government, business, media, sponsors and partners networked at the welcome reception prior to tomorrow’s opening of the third edition of CE China 2018.
“Suning has been the chief strategic partner of CE China for the past three years. The show has provided a very good platform for domestic and oversees businesses and consumers. That is one of the reasons we are cooperating with CE China,” said Dai Fengjun, South China Executive President and General Manager of Guangzhou Suning Group.
Jens Heithecker, Chairman of CE China, IFA Executive Director and Executive Vice President Messe Berlin welcomed the nearly 100 attendees of the evening.
“CE China is about a highly efficient convention to support international brands as well as retailers. With this approach that made IFA the globally leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances, we are convinced that we serve the Chinese consumer market more effectively and that we correspond well with the initiatives by the Chinese government,” said Jens Heithecker, Chairman of CE China, IFA Executive Director and Executive Vice President Messe Berlin.
CE China is designed to link up global brands with Chinese retailers who are keen to introduce new products to their customers.
Retail giants such as Suning, Tmall/Alibaba and JD.com – who are official partners of CE China 2018 – offer international brands a complete spectrum of services, simplifying access to the Chinese market.
Heithecker explained during the reception that the key idea for CE China 2018 is “really to get high quality trade visitors, combined with the public who are really interested in new technology”.
To him, “it’s not about mass, or the largest number – it’s all about the right number”.
By way of key performance indicators for CE China 2018, Heithecker explained that he will try measure how many retailers are addressed, how many retailers are in the room, and the atmosphere between the retail and the brands.
Currently in its 3rd installment, CE China this year will be from 3 – 5 May, 2018. The annual consumer electronics & home appliances show is a “prolongation” of IFA for the Chinese market.
* IFA is one of the world’s most significant trade show for consumer electronics and is taking place from 31 August to 5 September 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
As a “global IFA” event, CE China is an addition to Messe Berlin’s portfolio for the Chinese market.
Based on the IFA concept, CE China focuses on comprehensive cooperation with leading trade groups, global industrial partners, and the presentation of innovative branded products.
In 2017, 120 exhibitors presented their latest products, innovations, and services to more than 11,500 visitors from 38 countries, covering 15,000 square meters of exhibition space.
More than 140 journalists visited the show, 15 percent of which came from abroad.
The second of two presentations at the NUS-ISS seminar, “Did you shanzhai today?“, on Friday was on her research on the model of imitation-based innovation that has developed in China over recent years.
Dr. Virginia Cha, Chief Research, ISS-NUS
Dr. Virginia Cha is the Chief of Research at the Institute of Systems Science (ISS).
ISS is a specialist training institute of the National University of Singapore (NUS) offering professional information technology upgrading, conversion and continuing education and training programmes to managers and IT practitioners and technologists.
Cha has been following the shanzhai (山寨) phenomenon in China for the past few years, and shared the findings of her recent field trip to Shenzhen (深圳) in China in August and September this year, when she visited the hive of shanzhai community in Huaqiangbei (华强北).
Essentially, shanzhai describes the model of innovation where entrepreneurs in China start by copying a successful newly launched product The big question I had prior to her talk was “what is the difference between shanzhai and outright piracy?”– say a tablet computer or smartphone – add innovative features that enhance performance or localisation, and quickly bring it to market.
Some shanzhai products eventually became so successful that the original products they’d been based on ended up picking up features added by the shanzhai makers.
Cha made it clear with examples that many who merely imitated products usually failed eventually. The successful shanzhai practitioners were those who were able to exercise innovation by enhancing the product they started off imitating. The imitation was only a start – a quick level up.Some of these shanzhai makers became so successful they mature into large companies themselves and attracted other pirates and shanzhai imitators.
All in all, it was an informative lecture, enriched by plenty of actual shanzhai hardware that Virginia had procured for the purpose of research during her field trip. From her description, Huaqiangbei might just end up becoming the equivalent of the Sillicon Valley in the US.