Restart life

Chapter 565 0553 [2012 is over]

After returning to China, Chen Guiliang attended several events and, after recording "Dialogue," went back to Sichuan to attend a meeting.

Successfully elected as a provincial representative.

As December arrived, the iPhone 5 was released in mainland China.

This phone starts at 5288 yuan, which is 289 yuan more expensive than HarmonyOS Yaoguang. And it has many problems!

First, it completely severed ties with Android and no longer uses any Android services. Its self-developed Apple Maps not only lacks many functions, but also suffers from various location errors, floating bridge icons, and distorted 3D views.

Secondly, the interface standard has changed. Phones can no longer be directly connected to speakers, charging docks, car chargers, etc.; a dedicated Apple adapter must be purchased separately.

Third, the casing is prone to paint chipping and wear.

Fourth, the screen size is not large enough, smaller than current high-end flagship phones.

Fifth, changes to Apple's operating system have caused discomfort among users in Europe and the United States, especially the lack of NFC functionality (which has little impact on Chinese users).

Sixth, the phone's camera isn't high-end enough.

Seventh, the phone's storage cannot be expanded automatically; users must pay for an official upgrade.

Despite so many problems, Apple fans still lined up in long queues to buy the iPhone 5 when it entered the Chinese market.

However, compared to their friends using HarmonyOS Yaoguang 1, many iPhone 5 users feel embarrassed.

For example, three best friends get together.

My best friend A uses HarmonyOS Yaoguang, my best friend B uses Samsung Galaxy S3, and my best friend C uses iPhone 5.

My best friend A said, "Wow, this song of yours is really good. Send it to me."

My best friend B said, "Bring your phone over here."

The two placed their HarmonyOS and Samsung phones back-to-back, and they immediately paired successfully and began transferring music. NFC alone is relatively slow, but switching to Bluetooth significantly increased the speed.

Meanwhile, best friend C, holding an iPhone 5, stared blankly at A and B. If she also wanted the song, she would have to search, pair, and enter a password, and even after connecting via Bluetooth, the transfer speed would be slower than NFC + Bluetooth.

This is just a file transfer scenario; there are also payment and verification scenarios.

NFC and QR codes were introduced in China at almost the same time and later became complementary and integrated.

Currently, NFC is only available in certain stores in first-tier cities in China, as well as in airports, buses, and subways in major cities. In these scenarios, HarmonyOS and Samsung are more convenient, while Apple's operation is more complicated.

The lack of NFC functionality was a major strategic blunder by Apple, and this feature will be added to the iPhone 6.

Of course, these are all minor matters that die-hard Apple fans can ignore.

If the iPhone 5 map is terrible, then download other map apps.

If the iPhone 5 has an unusual connector, then you'll have to spend money to buy an adapter.

The iPhone 5 camera isn't high-end enough, but why would I need such a high-end camera?
Today, loyal fans of HarmonyOS, Samsung, Apple, and Xiaomi look down on each other and think the other is an idiot.

Apple has released official sales figures.

"How many?"

"The number of cases exceeded 120 million in the first weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).

"Fortunately."

If HarmonyOS hadn't seized the market, the iPhone 5 would have exploded in the Chinese mainland market, with sales reaching 200 million units in its first weekend!

Now, affected by HarmonyOS and Yaoguang, sales plummeted to 120 million units in the first weekend.

First-week sales are very important; it's when a flagship phone is most sought after, and you can use that data to predict subsequent sales.

……

Chen Guiliang sat in the villa garden, tending to the barbecue grill and tea stove on the snow.

This winter is particularly cold, with temperatures dropping below zero in early December, and heavy snowfall in Beijing a few days ago.

This villa is currently rented, and the garden area is approximately 1000 square meters.

Zhang Chaoyang and Wang Erlei lived nearby. After Chen Guiliang moved in, they would often come over to visit.

"You're the richest man in China, and you're still renting. Why don't you just buy it?" Wang Erlei complained as he brushed oil onto his skewers.

Chen Guiliang said, "There's no need. I've already bought one, but it hasn't been handed over yet."

Zhang Chaoyang sat cross-legged, silent, staring blankly at the steam rising from the tea stove. He was probably lost in thought again.

Wang Erlei said, "Interested in skydiving? I'll take you another day."

Chen Guiliang said, "Forget it, what you're doing is too exciting. Target practice is fine, but I've always wanted to handle a real gun."

“Okay, I’ll take you to shoot real guns,” Wang Erlei asked Zhang Chaoyang. “Is Charles coming too?”

Zhang Chaoyang said, "I've been used to handling real guns since I was a child."

Wang Erlei stopped talking to him and continued to say to Chen Guiliang, "You think skydiving is too exciting? You can try riding motorcycles instead. I have several that I modified myself, you can choose whichever you like."

This guy has really hardcore hobbies; he likes skydiving and racing.

Chen Guiliang said, "I'd rather not race cars. I prefer horseback riding, especially galloping across the grasslands."

Wang Erlei said, "There are also horse farms in the capital."

Bian Guanyue and Wang Erlei's wife sat around the stove, chatting about topics that women typically discuss.

Chen Guiliang looked at the dim sky and said, "What are you still cultivating for? Today is the end of the world. Let's hurry up and have some barbecue to calm our nerves."

Zhang Chaoyang then stood up, took the plate, and came over to help.

Recently, a rumor has been circulating on Weibo that December 21, 2012, will be the end of the world.

If we don't hurry up and spread rumors, 2012 will be over! "After Christmas, a Korean is coming to China. Old Zhang, if you have time, take him around," Chen Guiliang said.

Zhang Chaoyang asked, "What kind of stick?"

Chen Guiliang said, "The son of the chairman of Modern Group. An only child, he only has two older sisters. A nightclub regular, you'll probably get along with him."

Zhang Chaoyang said, "Okay, I'll take him around then."

Wang Erlei sneered, "You say you want to maintain your health, but you go to nightclubs to do that?"

Zhang Chaoyang said, "I'm taking it easy. I've been much more restrained this year. I used to go clubbing every day, but now I only go once every two or three months."

The first batch is ready, and everyone sits together to drink and enjoy it.

Wang Erlei said, "Damn, 'Lost in Thailand' is a huge hit. I should have invested myself. You, the richest man, got it for free."

Zhang Chaoyang asked, "What does 'Lost in Thailand' have to do with you?"

Wang Erlei said, "I recommended Chen Zhixi to be the producer of Lost in Thailand. This year, he has been in charge of several film and television dramas. I really didn't expect Chen Zhixi to be so capable. She only started learning how to produce two years ago."

"Wow, impressive! They dared to put a newbie on such a big project," Zhang Chaoyang said.

Chen Guiliang laughed and said, "You should trust the people you employ. But as soon as 'Lost in Thailand' became a hit, Huaqi jumped out and sued me. I originally wanted to make money with Huaqi, but the boss of Huaqi is a bit ungrateful."

"The one that makes MP3 players, Aigo?" Zhang Chaoyang asked.

Chen Guiliang said, "The MP3 manufacturer is Jingcheng Huaqi, and the company suing me this time is Jiangcheng Huaqi. The two have no connection whatsoever. Fortunately, I was prepared and didn't mention 'Lost in Thailand' during the publicity, and the movie title was simply 'Lost in Thailand.' Otherwise, I would definitely have lost the lawsuit and had to pay millions in compensation. Millions are a small amount, but it would be very embarrassing."

Zhang Chaoyang said, "I have a guy named Da Peng who directed 'Men's Diary' this year, which was very popular. He also wants to direct a movie. Your 'Lost in Thailand' was such a hit, it seems I should invest in movies too. I'll make one for Da Peng next year."

Chen Guiliang laughed and said, "Your Da Peng is quite good at creating hype."

In his early years, Da Peng was willing to use any means necessary to generate hype and gain traffic.

The tense relationship between Dao Lang and Na Ying is inseparable from Da Peng's spreading rumors and stirring up trouble.

Da Zhangwei fared even worse, almost suffering a complete collapse and unable to recover. While participating in a show hosted by Da Peng, he was exhausted from a continuous schedule of appearances, lacking sleep and time to eat. He drank coffee on an empty stomach to stay awake, and during filming, he suffered a hypoglycemic episode. He appeared very unwell, yawning several times, which Da Peng then falsely accused of causing a drug relapse.

Chen Guiliang chewed on a grilled kidney and chatted with the two guys about film and television investment.

Critical information must not be disclosed.

For example, ByteDance will invest in Happy Twist next year.

The second largest shareholder of Happy Twist is the China Cultural Industry Investment Fund.

The China Cultural Industry Investment Fund will invest in Byte Music next year and introduce Byte Pictures to participate in Happy Twist's Series B financing.

Shenzhen Capital Group, which co-invested in waste-to-energy projects with Chen Guiliang, will also co-invest in Happy Twist with ByteDance Pictures next year.

In any case, Chen Guiliang's businesses are becoming increasingly connected with these institutions that have state-owned backgrounds.

A cold wind blew, and the weather grew colder and colder.

The group of people who were having a barbecue exclaimed that they couldn't take it anymore and quickly moved from the garden to indoors.

It warmed up instantly.

Chen Guiliang, sipping his beer, said, "How about you put Upay and WeChat Pay at the top of your game recharge interface and make them the default payment methods?"

"Okay, but we need to lower the profit share!" Wang Erlei went straight to the money.

Chen Guiliang said, "Our share of the profits was the first to be reduced."

Zhang Chaoyang said, "Tenpay and Alipay have also lowered their prices. We have a deep partnership with online banking, so we will definitely prioritize online banking."

Chen Guiliang said, "The revenue sharing for recharges can't be changed anymore, but we can cooperate in other ways. We can offer a slight discount on the advertising fees for your games on the ByteDance platform."

Wang Erlei said, "Let the people below handle the negotiations."

Zhang Chaoyang asked curiously, "How much money did you actually invest in the payment war with Alibaba and Tencent? QR codes are everywhere in Beijing, they've even been promoted to the airport."

Chen Guiliang said, "I'll throw money at it and negotiate with each one one by one. Airports, subways, buses, shopping malls, cinemas, supermarkets... it's quite a hassle. Hehe, I'm going to pull off a big one during the New Year, just you wait and see."

"What big move is going on this time?" Wang Erlei was very curious about this.

Chen Guiliang said, "It's a trade secret, I can't reveal it. You'll find out in a few days."

The more mysterious he became, the more curious Zhang Chaoyang and Wang Erlei grew.

But no matter how these two guessed, they never imagined that Chen Guiliang would give away 5 million yuan in cash red envelopes to the people of the whole country during the Spring Festival Gala.

The 5 million yuan in cash was distributed in the form of New Year's red envelopes.

Most people couldn't do that.

In another timeline, the Tencent executives who made this decision were truly brilliant.

However, Chen Guiliang has now stolen this idea.

If we don't need to use the Spring Festival Gala, we'll start promoting and warming up for it in January.

At first, the promotion was only carried out on the official Weibo and WeChat accounts. Then, online and offline news media reported on it, and celebrities and companies also forwarded it on their Weibo and WeChat official accounts: Watch the Spring Festival Gala, shake for red envelopes, and 5 million yuan in cash is waiting for you.

Even on platforms like Tencent, Sina, and Sohu, influential Weibo users were paid to retweet this message.

Upon seeing this promotional slogan, Zhang Chaoyang sent a WeChat message to Chen Guiliang saying, "You're really awesome, this might be going to be a huge hit!"

Jack Ma and Little Ma also received the news one after another.

Although they urgently discussed countermeasures and organized activities such as distributing New Year's red envelopes, they were simply unable to compete with the influence of the Spring Festival Gala.

To collaborate with the Spring Festival Gala, you must sign a contract six months in advance!

(End of this chapter)