We are so sorry we didn’t make a clear explanation before.During the R&D process, we had considered both the 4G+64G and 6G+128G solutions for the M17. However, we gave up the 6G+128G solution in the end due to the supply chain issue and consideration of devoting more to sound quality. When developing the M17, we ordered a small amount of 6G+128G materials. Eventually, on our 15th anniversary, we would like to sell 20 pieces of M17s of 6G+128G which has been produced well as a special model. They will be available at our AliExpress official store for 1899.99 USD on April 26, 2022. If you are interested, don’t miss the chance.
Here share a story of M17 that we have been released before!
Chapter 5 Why is the RAM and FLASH of M17 only 4G+64G?
In fact, when the M17 was in the internal beta process, our users raised this question. In fact, it was uncontrollable. Here I would like to explain it in detail.
At present, there are very few processors appropriate for android-based music players. FiiO has already adopted processors from Samsung, Rockchip, Qualcomm, etc. Rockchip's has weak performance, Samsung's has poor compatibility while Qualcomm's is currently the most appropriate. Therefore, four Chinese brands all applied the Qualcomm processor to their music players.
Due to the small order in the player industry, we had to order standard modules which have fewer optional configurations, including RAM+FLASH of 4+64 and 6+128. However, there are several problems with the module.
--Long lead time: the current lead time is 6 months.
--Minimum order quantity (MOQ) restriction: the current MOQ is 3000 RMB.
--High cost: each processor module is very expensive.
--The configuration of 6+128 is much more expensive than the 4+64, which means the retail price will be correspondingly increased.
Therefore, if we adopted the 6+128 module to the M17, there would be some problems.
--For consumers, it is worth buying a high-capacity micro SD card than paying more money for higher RAM and FLASH storage.
--We have to invest several million for the order of the module, which would be stressful for our production.
--The price of the M17 is relatively high. It was difficult for us to predict the sales at the beginning, so we were cautious about the order quantity of the module. And if we choose the 4+64 module, we can reserve more because we have other products also using it.
More details:
In the business world, the sales mode of micro SD card and HiFi portable player is exactly the opposite. As a digital accessory, micro SD cards have an annual sales volume of hundreds of millions. It is standardized with a large market. Commercially speaking, the cost of brand promotion and R&D can be ignored. Therefore, its retail price and hardware cost are very close.
Since portable HiFi players are a very niche product, there is almost no standardization. Therefore, the retail price includes marketing, research and development expenses. It is expensive for retailers. Therefore, the retail price and hardware cost are far away from each other.
Therefore, considering that 4G RAM is completely sufficient for music players. Larger RAM only allows the player to run more apps, yet it is bad for sound quality. More FLASH capacity can be achieved via a micro SD card. If it's still not enough, we have designed dual Type-C ports for the M17, so that it can be connected to a large-capacity hard drive.
The original link of this story :
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/story-the-story-of-fiio-m17-from-fiio-james.960565/#post-16677829
