When you service a niche market like e-reader enthusiasts—the kind of folks who can name five different e-ink devices that aren't the Amazon Kindle—you'd do well to pay attention to what your customers are saying, and respond accordingly. That's what Chinese tech firm Bigme had to do this week: The announcement of its latest smartphone was so poorly received, the company has now issued an apology.
If you've somehow missed the tempest in this particular teapot, a few weeks ago Bigme teased the new device, calling it the "world's first" dual-screen color e-ink and LCD smartphone. It seems most Bigme fans imagined a device exactly like the one you're probably picturing: A phone with a full-size LCD screen on the front, and a full-size e-ink screen on the back. But when the company actually revealed the so-called Hibreak Dual this past Monday, it, uh, did not look like that at all.
The Hibreak Dual technically does have both e-ink and LCD displays, but the latter is a weird 360x360 circular screen. Rather than covering one entire side of the phone, it looks like a sticker your teacher stuck on the back for making a good effort. Bigme's efforts to tout its utility (whether for displaying notifications, snapping selfies, or, er, creating an interactive AI-powered pet) did not go over well with the core demo of users on the r/Bigme subreddit.
Here's a smattering of the responses the reveal received (and I promise you I'm not cherry-picking only the negative ones):
"If Bigme was a bigger company, this would be meme'd and mocked to hell and back."
"Look like garbage, may have been ok if the put a half screen square shape but a tiny round screen. Bet they don't sell many. Just don't see a use for it."
"Probably, they bought off some circular display contracts from a canceled smartwatch product. Then try haphazardly to design a new product based on these displays."
"The dual screen phone was such a good freaking idea, all they had to do was put a full size screen in each side and they totally blew it."
"I’m glad BigMe is trying, and I do support them. But a circular screen on a phone with a terrible camera is nothing but a gimmick."
"Is there a tech equivalent of the Razzies because this is a nominee"
The feedback was so uniformly negative, in fact, that today Bigme released a lengthy statement both apologizing for missing the mark, promising to do better, and defending the controversial design.
Bigme's dual-screen smartphone apology letter
The statement opens with a pretty blatant mea culpa: "Recently, we released our new dual-screen smartphone featuring an E Ink main screen and an LCD sub-screen, and we have received a significant amount of criticism and suggestions. First and foremost, we want to thank you for your passionate feedback on this new product. We have carefully read and recorded every comment. We sincerely apologize for any disappointment or frustration this may have caused you."From there, the company goes on to highlight all the strengths of the device—but most of them are just product specs applying to the e-ink side of the device, including an improved refresh rate, 5G connectivity, stylus functionality, support for typical phone features like Bluetooth and NFC, and the option to pay more to get some extra RAM. That's all well and good, but I don't think many users had a problem with the concept of a capable e-ink phone.
The portion of the statement defending the actually inexplicable design decision—that circular LCD—is less convincing (and a tiny bit defensive: "As for the LCD sub-screen, it may not be needed all the time, but when you do need it, it's right there. Though small, the sub-screen offers plenty of features...it assists and entertains, while the main screen remains committed to the eye-friendly e-ink experience. One device, two screens, each shining in its own way." If you say so.Was this statement necessary? Probably not—customers who don't want the Hibreak Dual can just not buy it. But it does show that the company is listening to its most critical fans too, which probably counts for something. And it sound like those loud voices have indeed been heard: "As a brand, we have deeply reflected on our shortcomings," Bigme wrote. "Going forward, before launching any new product, we will conduct more thorough market research and engage in deeper communication with users to better understand and meet your real needs. Regarding the 'E Ink + LCD dual-screen' smartphone that many of you have been looking forward to, it has now been officially incorporated into our R&D roadmap, and we will do our utmost to move it forward.
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