Chapter 806: Focus on Overseas
Overseas, although HISE’s “camera incident” had stirred controversy and cost it some market share, it wasn’t enough to bring the company down.
This was because HISE’s main competitors worldwide weren’t Matrix Glasses, but other brands. And those other brands… had basically all implemented the camera function as well.
So, the backlash from the “camera incident” was actually shared among its fellow competitors. When users in Europe and the Americas discussed the issue, their focus was largely on the entire “smart glasses” market, not just on HISE alone.
Although Matrix Glasses had carved out some market share by lacking a camera function, its foundation was still weak. Most European and American users instinctively distrusted a Chinese brand they had barely heard of before.
Going from emerging to dominating the market would take a very long time—it might even be nearly impossible.
This was only to be expected. Just like with phone and computer brands, many domestic manufacturers sold well in the Chinese market, but trying to break into the European and American markets to go head-to-head with established hardware giants was still a fantasy.
After the “camera incident” escalated, HISE Glasses had no choice but to make timely concessions, announcing that they would release new models with a completely different design, removing the camera and livestreaming functions.
Although this upheaval was a pain for the HISE Glasses R&D team, as a long-established giant, it wasn’t enough to cripple them.
The new models were essentially just a matter of tweaking permissions and changing colors, so they were produced quickly. When they launched, the reception was good, and it looked like HISE Glasses were about to recover in Europe and the Americas.
After all, smart glasses were the trend of the future, and most people still needed them. Now that privacy concerns were alleviated, many began buying them without hesitation.
…
…
Chen Mo was using Matrix Glasses to talk with Zhou Jiangping, browsing a report he had sent.
Zhou Jiangping was very excited as he explained the current situation of Matrix Glasses to Chen Mo.
“Right now, Matrix Glasses are doing great domestically, capturing nearly 60% of the market share, and that number is still climbing. Yesterday, I urged them to expand more production lines to ensure the supply can keep up with market demand…”
“Many domestic IT companies have already expressed interest in providing exclusive versions of their apps for Matrix Glasses, incorporating more MR features tailored to the glasses’ characteristics. We’re also actively communicating with organizations like ball sports associations and municipal transportation departments to develop specialized, high-performance apps for Matrix Glasses, further integrating them into people’s lives.”
“As for overseas markets, Matrix Glasses’ expansion rate is also impressive. Our market share has reached 12.9%, breaking into the top five in Europe and the Americas, even surpassing many long-established local giants. This is an unprecedented achievement.”
Listening to Zhou Jiangping’s cheerful description, Chen Mo showed little reaction. Instead, when he heard the 12.9% figure, he frowned. “That low?”
Zhou Jiangping paused. “Low? The highest global market share for a single domestic phone brand is only close to that number, and that includes data from domestic markets, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Our 12.9% share is after excluding the domestic market. We’re already making history.”
Chen Mo said, “Switch sold much better overseas than this back then.”
Zhou Jiangping laughed. “Boss Chen, Switch was a dedicated gaming console. We were the only ones making it worldwide—it was a niche product. People bought it mainly for your games, so there was barely any competition. But smart glasses are different. They’re the future trend, and how many manufacturers worldwide are eyeing this fat piece of meat?”
“Plus, the potential market for smart glasses is way bigger than Switch. Switch targeted a small group of gamers, but smart glasses are aimed at everyone in the world! Overseas, Matrix Glasses don’t have that big first-mover advantage. We have to take it step by step. The product’s only been out a few days—it’s unrealistic to think we can take down a giant like HISE right away, right?”
Chen Mo asked, “Have the overseas versions of Matrix Glasses also been updated with those MR games?”
Zhou Jiangping nodded. “Updated, but the effect isn’t as obvious as domestically. Mainly because the cultural influence of ‘Three Kingdoms Kill’ is limited—it doesn’t spread to Europe and the Americas. The other MR games are decent, but there are also game developers in Europe and the Americas releasing MR games for HISE Glasses. As for apps, forget it.”
Chen Mo thought for a moment. “So, our MR games don’t have dominance right now.”
“That’s about it,” Zhou Jiangping explained. “But it’s normal. MR games are a new field. Designers worldwide have no experience—they’re all in the trial-and-error and exploration phase.”
Chen Mo chuckled. “Old Zhou, there’s no problem a blockbuster game can’t solve. If there is, just bring out another one.”
“Huh?” Zhou Jiangping was puzzled but impressed.
Chen Mo smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle this. You don’t need to bother. Just focus on ramping up production. Matrix Glasses are going to sell a lot more—crank them out as much as you can. Our ultimate goal is to dominate the global smart glasses market. Don’t let production issues hold us back.”
Zhou Jiangping nodded. “Don’t worry, I understand.”
Ending the call, Chen Mo began considering his next goals.
Currently, Matrix Glasses were developing smoothly domestically, but their overseas expansion speed was far from what Chen Mo had anticipated.
The main reason was that Matrix Glasses had no accumulated reputation and no technical advantage. For users in European and American markets, there was no compelling reason to buy them.
Domestically, “Three Kingdoms Kill” was a highly enjoyable MR board game, and the various MR games on the Thunder Game Platform were very attractive to players. But “Three Kingdoms Kill” held little appeal for foreign players due to cultural differences.
As for other MR games, they couldn’t become a must-buy reason for European and American users either, since none were blockbusters with limited influence.
For Chen Mo, improving the hardware was impossible—Matrix Glasses already held their own against HISE in that regard.
To further expand Matrix Glasses’ market share in Europe and the Americas, Chen Mo needed a blockbuster MR game better suited for overseas markets than “Three Kingdoms Kill,” or… many of them.
Qingshan Quzui said: The monthly tickets somehow reset to zero. I’ll calculate the debt once it’s back to normal… 66 chapters owed.