"Computer for beauty pageant, taste new technological life."
A simple sentence (in English) that takes less than ten seconds has been repeatedly broadcast on major television stations in the United States in the past two months.
Two months have passed since the Los Angeles Electronics Show. The US branch of Midea Group has begun to spread money in the advertising industry. Naturally, NBC, ABC, and CBS, the three major TV stations in the United States, do not mind that there are too many dollars. They do not care which one it is. Customers from various countries did not care that this customer was here to grab their own country's computer market, and they all began to play this advertisement at various prime times of their own.
A large amount of advertising investment, as well as the good quality itself, naturally made many people in the market gradually begin to understand this personal computer called "Midea".
Los Angeles Silicon Valley, Apple Group Headquarters:
Jobs looked at Woz, who was playing with the Midea-1 computer he had just bought, and remained silent. He didn't know what he was thinking about until Woz put down the gadget in his hand.
"The hardware on this computer is actually not complicated. They are all relatively common electronic components in the world. In many aspects, it is not as good as our Apple-3. But what is more powerful about it is that it has a bunch of software, these games , are all games that Eric's Midea once controlled the arcade market, and there are also several new ones, which are only suitable for mouse operation, but are also very playable. It must be said that Eric is really good in the field of games. Awesome," Woz commented.
"What do you think of those two commercial office softwares?" Jobs asked.
"It's also very good, especially this word software. It has a strong ability to edit text and can also identify typos. However, it does not use a font comparison, but judges based on the rules of English letter matching. This can save a lot of memory. That is There will be some problems with the accuracy, not that perfect. I think it can be updated and optimized in the future, and this EXCEL is even more powerful. You can set up different tables, mathematical calculations, and convert them into commonly used charts. This is used in many companies and businesses. It must be useful." Woz nodded.
"More than just useful, many of our previous customers have called us and said that these two softwares are very useful for the Midea computers they bought. They hope that we can have similar software on our computers. Although it is not stated clearly, I feel , If we can't do it, then they will stop buying our Apple computers and switch to buying Midea." Jobs said worriedly.
Part of Apple's computer sales model relies on terminal retail stores in various places, including franchises and existing large supermarkets, while the other part is directly traded with many large companies, institutions or schools, and these institutions purchase large amounts. Apple will also sell them to them at a discounted price.
But in the past half month, he received four calls or letters from such stable customers, which made him feel very uneasy. Although IBM, HP, Texas Instruments and other companies are also competing for the market, everyone agrees that they should not make mistakes. , after all, the blank market is too big, and this is the first time that customers have come to him to suggest learning from another company.
"So serious? Originally, I thought Midea was just preparing to seize part of the game-loving customer market with a few fun computer games. Now it seems that its two office software are the most powerful." Woz nodded and said.
Regarding the launch of Midea's first computer more than two months ago, Apple's top executives, including Jobs and Woz, did not pay much attention to it. Although Chen Zhiwen is also a shareholder of Apple, the launch of Midea's personal computer did not have much impact. The relationship between the two parties is because today's technology companies have more than a hundred to launch their own computers, and those who are preparing to launch them are even more numerous.
Among these companies, there are many giant companies in the electronics industry that are much larger than Midea. However, except for a few companies that can stand firm in this market, the others are just small players in this feast, with low market share. It's terrible, and it's unknown how many years he can survive.
Even when Midea advertised on American TV stations on a large scale, Apple didn't pay attention. Jobs was still seriously preparing to develop the next generation of Apple computers. However, when the market feedback gradually became apparent, in addition to people who like to play games, many companies It was only when he discovered that the two office software that came with Midea Computer that they were very suitable for office work that they caught his attention.
Jobs asked: "Can we develop these two pieces of software?"
"Development is not difficult, especially when we have a prototype. We can develop it in a few months. But I have also asked about these things. Midea has already registered global patents for them. Unless they are authorized, they will not be developed. It makes no sense." Woz shook his head and said.
Just like the simplest screw, when you don't think of it, it is extremely difficult. When others think of it, you will see that it is so simple. This is a characteristic of many products, and patents in the law protect this kind of innovation.
"It seems that when Eric enters the computer market, in addition to games, he wants to rely on these two softwares. I have to say that this is really a good method." Jobs said with a frown. Over the years, Apple has been doing its best. The efforts made by IBM and other giants to compete for the right to speak in the hardware field have indeed not paid much attention to this area.
"How about you find an opportunity to meet with Eric and see if you can get him to develop such office software or games for our Apple computers. In this way, we don't have to worry." Wo. Zi said that he is very good at technology, but not so much in terms of creativity. What's more, now that the patent has been registered by someone else, if you want to go around and make a similar product, it will be much more difficult. It is not a technical difficulty, but a creativity. , No means no.
"Well, that makes sense, but I don't know if he is willing to do it. If he lets go of this software, his computer will have no advantage," Jobs said.
"You have to give it a try," Woz said.
"Okay, it's night in Hong Kong right now. I'll make a call in the evening." Jobs nodded and said.
Three days later, a non-official Boeing 747 landed at Los Angeles International Airport, officially bringing Chen Zhiwen to the United States from Hong Kong. Los Angeles International Airport is big enough. As long as you have money, planes can park here. Today, Jobs personally came to pick up the plane.
Chen Zhiwen still asked Jobs to come up and have a look.
"Eric, long time no see. This plane of yours is really luxurious." Jobs said with some surprise after boarding the plane.
"If you make some money in the United States, you have to pay taxes anyway, so you might as well buy something so that you can more or less avoid taxes." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
There are so many industries in the United States with huge profits. Although you can invite the most professional tax team to avoid taxes for you, there are always some things that cannot be avoided. Otherwise, the U.S. government will be extremely poor. In the United States, the super rich can Pay less tax, but don’t pay it if you can’t.
However, there are also many rules in the United States that serve the super rich. For example, taxes can be avoided by purchasing goods or fixed assets produced in the United States. Therefore, in addition to aircraft and yachts, buying large quantities of farms in the United States is also for this purpose. Of course, investing in farms, he himself Also very interested.
"When Apple becomes one of the top 10 companies in the United States, I will definitely buy one." Jobs said with a smile while sitting on an airline seat.
"I hope this day will come true soon." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile. According to historical development, this day will probably have to wait for decades.
In the 1980s, among the top ten listed companies in the United States, the most famous one was Kodak, with a market value of around US$12 billion. Today, Apple has a market value of less than US$4 billion. There is a huge gap, but it is still developing in the direction of history. , Jobs was obsessed with developing the "most successful" personal computer in his mind, completely ignoring the affordability of the real society.
To use a well-known saying, it is: half a step early is a fairy, one step early is nothing. It cost Apple hundreds of millions of dollars to develop a new computer that is indeed good, but the cost is too high, and the price is close to 10,000 US dollars. What a genius. Buy it? In the end, Apple declined and Jobs was driven away.
"To achieve this goal, Apple needs to further develop the personal computer market." Jobs paused and said, "Eric, I know you have also launched your own personal computer, but after all, it is still a new brand and you want to expand in this market." It is difficult to grow bigger, but I have discovered new business opportunities. The Word and Excel software in your Midea computers are very convenient for office use. How about we consider launching software floppy disks for my Apple computers?"
"This is actually in my plan, but I still need to wait. Soon Midea will launch corresponding software floppy disks based on various brands in the existing market to facilitate all consumers." Chen Zhiwen He nodded and said.
"Aimed at all computer brands?" Jobs was stunned for a moment and said, "That's not necessary, is it? Apple already occupies 30% of the current personal computer market. As long as Apple launches it, people who want to buy it will naturally be able to buy it."
"This is a plan that has been planned for a long time, and there will be no changes. Our software is for everyone, not for computer users of a certain brand. Steve Jobs, I remember you said back then that your purpose is just for Wouldn't it be better to let everyone use personal computers? Now that we have good software, it is more convenient for users to use computers?" Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
Binding your own personal computer with high-quality software is indeed a business model, but the premise is that this software cannot be surpassed by others.
But in reality, this is impossible. Word and Excel are currently only the most rudimentary versions. If others really want to do something similar, they can do it by spending more money. There may be some problems, but there will always be Yes, and besides, if the other party infringes shamelessly and has a patent to protect itself, it will still need to go to court. Litigation with American technology companies in the United States will always be very troublesome. Even if you are justified, you can't stand up to the gangsters. It's better to avoid trouble if you can.
Therefore, many of Midea's softwares have been operated independently since their inception, not as auxiliary. When no one knew the market in the early days, they installed them on their own computers. That is, they could take advantage of the advantages of these softwares to open up the market for their own computers, and also You can use the increase in computer sales to promote your software and kill two birds with one stone. But when the situation is about the same, you have to launch a large-scale release of floppy disks of various configurations.
Only games are special. Once a patent is registered, others cannot copy it. Besides, the current computer companies are really not proficient in game development. Therefore, in a period of time, their own computer games will become a selling point of their own computers. .
"It seems, Eric, you are interested in the software market." Jobs understood.
"Yes, in terms of hardware, I am actually just participating, but it is still far inferior to Apple." Chen Zhiwen said modestly.
"That's fine, then we're not competitors anymore. You make software and I make hardware." Jobs felt a little happy. In his eyes, Chen Zhiwen was a very capable person, and he was a big boss of Apple. Shareholders have sufficient financial resources behind them. It will definitely be very difficult to compete with such people. Now that the two tracks of hardware and software are separated, it is also a good thing for Apple.
"But anyway, I am also a computer brand. It will not be good to be the major shareholder of Apple. In the next one or two years, I will gradually clear out my Apple stocks. Let me tell you now." Chen Zhiwen said again. .
Apple's peak moment is probably only a year or two away. When Jobs' new project fails to produce a finished product due to various reasons, and brands such as IBM and HP are desperately trying to grab the market, Apple's stock price will gradually decline, and the market will no longer Being optimistic about this former myth was one of the main reasons why Steve Jobs was later kicked out of Apple.
The original investment in Apple was purely for "profit", because after Steve Jobs left, the entire Apple stock languished for more than ten years, and even almost went bankrupt around 1997. Although today is definitely different from the past history, the trend should be It’s almost the same. Even if I also make achievements in the field of personal computers, it will only have a greater impact on Apple in the future.
"You want to withdraw your shares? Isn't that necessary? Can't you just not participate in Apple's board of directors?" Jobs was shocked. The withdrawal of capital by an original major shareholder is a big blow to any company.
"It's better to be cautious. Otherwise, if the U.S. Department of Commerce comes to trouble me someday, I won't be able to explain it with ten words." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
This probability is actually not very high. After all, Chen Zhiwen will not touch projects involving national security or major interests, but it is better not to leave any excuses. There may not be any big problems in the Reagan era, the Bush era, or even the Clinton era, but in the future It's hard to say. After all, someone was slandered for attacking a 50-year-old aunt. This was a great insult to his vision, but he actually went to court.
"Okay, I will notify other shareholders. If they intend to take over, it is better not to pass the stock market." Jobs thought for a while and said.
"This is best. I don't want to cause trouble." Chen Zhiwen nodded. In fact, he would also release the news and look for buyers. Otherwise, nearly 20% of the stocks would be sold slowly even if it takes a year. Plus, he is also one of the founders. After the news comes out, the stock price will definitely fall sharply. In this way, his losses will be huge, and it will also affect his other future investments in the United States.
(End of chapter)
