Yixin (EasyChat) released the update version 2.0. The new version was added the no-charge call function.

Yixin (EasyChat) released the major update version 2.0, and they started to provide some interesting functions in this version.

The first is the no-charge call function by VoIP.

  

It's like the Skype, and it can make a call without any charge in the Yixin client. But at this time, it does not support outbound call like the Skype-out.

But I think that they will absolutely try to materialize its outbound service as a pay service. Because China Telecom side with this Yixin, and they have a lot of know-how in this area(the knowledge of billing method, operation method and so forth). It's their original advantage that their rival WeChat doesn't have.


The next is the LBS service like the Google Latitude.

The Yixin user can know the current location of their friends via this function. But of course, if you don't wish provide the information of own current location, you can set that your friend cannot know your current location.


The last is not the new function, but is the change of displaying method in the top page.

The official accounts on Yixin were independently displayed on the top page, but from this version, these official accounts are displayed all in one piece as the menu of "Official account" as same as WeChat.

It may be a bad news for the person who would like to use Yixin for the marketing activity.


Well, its new version of Android was already released, and can download from their official site. And about its iPhone version, they said it is now under examination on the App Store of Apple.


As I explained before, I think Yixin should aim to the direction of total communication tool, and they should not aim to the same direction with WeChat. So I think this update is very meaningful and interesting.

I would like to keep the attention to their action as ever.


Source => The official page of Yixin, Ifeng

The alternation of generations is certainly ongoing. The latest report by CNNIC said Weibo decreased the number of its user and the usage rate for the first time.

Last time, I reported the summary of report by CNNIC, and I explained that the latest number of internet users and mobile internet users in China. And today, I would like to introduce the situation by each internet service in China.

The first picture is written about the number of users and the usage rate by each internet services in China.

Instant messenger still kept the pole position, and its user number was 532.15 million people, and its growth rate is 13.8% increasing compared with the previous year. And the travel booking service and the group buying service scored more than 60% growth rate, so it can be said that their service achieved rapid growth compared with the previous year.

But the most symbolic result is the decline of Weibo. Weibo decreased the number of its user and the usage rate for the first time. As I explained before, the growth of Weibo was slowing down from the last half of 2011. And its active users were also slowly decreasing. But this time, its fact was verified by this report again.

From the last year, WeChat and similar service was rapidly increasing users, and Weibo had been absolutely affected. Sina Weibo started the collaboration with Alibaba group last year, and they had groped the monetization of their platform.

Sina Weibo started the collaboration with Alibaba group last year, and they had groped the monetization of their platform.

But I think its monetization also had a one of the negative impact for their users. Because their collaboration brought a lot of advertize posting on their platform, so it seem that the quite a lot users decided to stop using their platform.

To keep balance of the monetization and the user satisfaction will be most important thing for Sina Weibo, I think.


And the next graph is the situation by each mobile internet services.

The service that achieved more than 10% growth are as follows: Mobile Online Video, Mobile Online Game, Mobile Online Payment， Mobile Online Banking， Mobile Group Buying

'Weibo' also decreased the usage rate in mobile internet area, and it decreased 8.9% compared with the previous year. And 'Mobile SNS' also decreased the usage rate, and it decreased 11.1% compared with previous year.


I wonder whether WeChat or similar IM services can keep their power or not, otherwise other new service may be appeared.

I guess that Chinese social media industry will be occured the diastrophism in 2014...


Source => The report by CNNIC

In China, the number of internet users were 618 million people as of the end of 2013. And the mobile internet users broke the 500 million people.

CNNIC(China Internet Network Information Center) recently published the latest report that is written about the summary of internet user in China.

According to this report, the number of internet users in China were 617.58 million people as of the end of 2013.

Compared to the previous year, the number of internet users increased about 50 million people, and the diffusion rate of internet was 45.8% in the end of 2013.

The number of internet users already exceeded 600 million, but the diffusion rate of it was less than 50%, so it may be still said that China is the huge market.


The next graph is the number of mobile internet users in China.

According to this graph, the number of mobile internet users already exceeded 500 million people as of the end of 2013.

That number increased 80 million compared with the previous year, and the rate of mobile internet user reached 81.0%. Of course that 81.0% is the result of multiple responses, so it doesn't mean that the rate of PC internet users are 19.0%.

But it's certain that the mobile internet users are rapidly increasing, and the next graph also proved its fact.

According to this graph, 73.3% of the new internet users access to the internet by mobile devices. And the rate of desktop PC was 28.7%, and the rate of laptop PC was 16.9%. So it means about 40 to 50% of the new internet users use only the mobile devices to access to the internet.

I think that this result was brought by the effort of enriching the 3G or WiFi environment, but this report also pointed the similar reason. It is said that 2014 is the first year of 4G, and all of the mobile career in China will formally start to provide the 4G services. So I think that this tendency still continue in this year, and this tendency may accelerate more than now.


And the next graph is also interesting. This graph is the result that asked to the non-internet user why they don't use it.

The most common response was that they don't know how to use PC, devices or network(58.1%). The answer of 'without need to access to the internet' was only 10.5%, so it can be said that if the more easy device will be inexpensively appeared in future, the number of internet user will increase rapidly more than now.


And the last graph is the usage rate of internet by each province in China.

The largest usage rate of internet was Beijing, and its number was 75.2%. And the next was Shanghai, and the 3rd position was Guangdong, so it can be said that the usage rate in urban area was still high.

But there is still a lot of the province that the internet usage rate was less than 50%, and in addition that number is more than 30 million people. (For example, that is Hebei, Shandong, Henan and so forth.) So I think that there is the high value of consideration that will target to provide the related product or service to such area. Because China is wide and huge.


Well I explained the summary of this report, but this article was already too long :) So I would like to explain about the usage rate of each internet service in China next time.


Source => The report by CNNIC

Laiwang already got the more than 10 million registered users. And their next challenge is to get more than 100 million users within the next year.

Recently the Alibaba group and the former CEO Jack Ma are strongly promoting their own IM tool 'Laiwang', but according to their announcement, the registered user of Laiwang already exceeded 10 million people now.

And Jack Ma said their next challenge will be getting more than 100 million users  within 2014. According to their announcement, its active users are rapidly increasing, and they said that its growth rate is over 500%.

And Jack Ma also said that they will be challenging toward to WeChat, and it may seem impossible, but they will make strenuous efforts the 'impossible' changing to 'possible'.

Now Laiwang is providing it Android and iOS client and Web browser version now, but its functions are almost similar to WeChat, and there is no definite difference with it.

So I think it's difficult that Laiwang will beat WeChat at this time, but Alibaba group 'Taobao' has more than 400 million users on their mobile client. So if Laiwang will focus to enhance the linkage function with such an EC solution, they will have a bright future that they can change current 'impossible' situation to 'possible'.


Source => TechWeb

Yixin also started to provide its client for PC. But that function is restrictive at this time.

Their rival 'WeChat' have already provided its Web browser version as a PC client, but Yixin (EasyChat) also recently started to provide its PC client.

But this version is limited in the function as same as the Web browser version of WeChat now. For example, it supports only a part of the chatting function, and it doesn't support the function of using the social page, stamp, adding the new friend, voice chatting and so forth.

Its help page often uses the word of 'at this version', so we may be able to expect its upgrade. But basically, Yixin has focussed to the mobile solution, so I think that it will not bring the dramatic improvement.

So as same as the Web browser version of WeChat, it may be useful when we have to send a long message to the friend :)


Source => The official page of Yixin

The number of WeChat monthly active users is 271.9 million people, and it increased 124.3% compared to the year-earlier period.

Because Tencent also published their performance reporting in the third quarter, so I would like to introduce some number that is related to social media.

At first, this report said that the monthly active users (MAU) of WeChat was 271.9 million people as of the third quarter.

It increased 124.3% compared to the year-earlier period, and increased 15.3% compared to the previous period.

Tencent haven't published the total number of WeChat registered users since the beginning of this year, so I don't know the actual ratio of active users. According to some source, the total number of WeChat registered users are about 500 million people, so it can be said that the ratio of monthly active users is about 54.3%.


And the other numbers that are related to social media are as follows:

- Monthly active users of IM (* It means 'QQ') were 815.6 million people.
(It decreased 0.4% compared to the previous period, and increased 4.0% compared to the year-earlier period.)

- The number of the peak simultaneous online IM was 178.2 million people.
(It increased 2.9% compared to the previous period, and increased 6.5% compared to the year-earlier period.)

- Monthly active users of Qzone were 623.3 million people.
(It decreased 0.5% compared to the previous period, and increased 5.1% compared to the year-earlier period.)


Tencent said that they will continuously strive to increase the MAU of WeChat, and they will also strive to get more WeChat users in overseas.

They published the latest version of Android client, but this adding function may be the small evidence of their effort to get more oversea users :)

Source => The performance reporting by Tencent (PDF)

The ad sales revenue of Sina Weibo increased 125% compared with the year-earlier period. They will also publish ads API soon.

Sina recently published the performance reporting of Sina Weibo in the third quarter.

This report said that the total revenue of Sina Weibo in the third quarter was 53.4 million USD, and this breakdown is composed of 43.7 million USD ad revenue and 9.7 million USD services revenue.

Their ad revenue increased 125% compared with the year-earlier period, and their service revenue increased 121%, but at the point of comparison with the last quarter, it can be said their service revenue was slight increase.

This service revenue includes the revenue from Weibo Club and the sharing revenue from the apps or games developer, but as I said before, they have to enhance this area to industrialize more than now.

But on the other hand, of course, the ad revenue is the one of important business for Sina Weibo. So they recently announced that they will publish the ad API of Sina Weibo soon.

Their rival 'WeChat' already expressed that they would not like their user to use their platform as a marketing tool. So from this point of view, to become a social marketing platform may be a one of good method for the differentiation with them.


Source => Tencent IT, Lieyun Net