Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 139 Laubus Calls the Police Overnight

11 month.

As the chill deepens in Silicon Valley, the air in front of Pingguo Company's headquarters is hotter than in previous years.

Following the sensational report by The New York Times, the "death grip" incident was like a powder keg that had been lit, completely igniting the anger of North American consumers.

Beneath the once iconic Apple logo, a symbol of technology and trend, crowds now thronged, holding protest signs and demanding answers.

The blaring horns and angry slogans rose and fell, making the glass-walled building seem to tremble slightly.

Laubus drove his iconic silver Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG into the park, the windows closed, shutting out the outside noise.

He habitually glanced towards the company gate, preparing to receive the daily "pilgrimage" of those protesters who "don't understand art."

However, it was unusually quiet today.

The glaring banners that read "Fix the Death Grip!" and "Apple Lies!" along with the angry faces, had vanished without a trace.

"Ok?"

Laubs raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt replacing his usual arrogance.

Why would a flawless Apple 4 need to be changed?
Have those idiots finally learned the "correct" way to hold it?

A mocking smile played on his lips as he smoothly parked the car in its designated spot.

The atmosphere in the CEO's office was subtle.

Laubers sat in his minimalist chair, his sharp gaze sweeping over his two most trusted right-hand men: Chief Operating Officer Cook (COO) and Chief Research Officer Jeff (CRO), who led the development and design of the Apple 4.

"What about those noise-makers?"

Laubs cut to the chase, his voice low and menacing: "Have they finally realized how foolish they were?"

Cook was clearly prepared. Instead of answering directly, he took a transparent plastic phone case out of his pocket and gently placed it on Laubus's clean table.

“I think it might be because of this, boss!” His voice was as steady as ever: “This stuff has recently arrived in large quantities on the market, and many protesting consumers have temporarily rushed to buy it.”

However, he cautiously added, "This is only temporary; they could come back at any time."

The reason? Needless to say, most of these people received subsidies from Microsoft or Nokia; they are professional protesters.

Laubus frowned and picked up the unremarkable plastic shell.

It is thin and transparent, with a thin insulating coating cleverly covering only the lower left grip area.

Jeff also leaned closer to examine it, picked up the phone case, and ran his fingers over the coating, his eyes gleaming with the light of a tech geek.

"A genius idea!" he exclaimed. "Simple structure, low cost, yet it perfectly fills the gap in insulation at our antenna joints, completely solving the short-circuit problem of the 'Death Grip'! It's simply amazing!"

"defect?"

Like a lion whose tail has been stepped on, Laubs slammed his phone case on the table with a loud "thud".

He pointed at Jeff's nose, spitting almost onto Jeff's face.

"How dare you say my artwork is flawed? The Apple 4 is perfect! It's those users' hands that are faulty; they're the ones who desecrated art!"

In a fit of rage, Laubs even pointed at Jeff's "blind head" and yelled, "I think Cook is more suited to take my place than you; at least he knows how to respect my art!"

Jeff was somewhat stunned by the scolding, while Cook quickly tried to smooth things over and handed him a thick report.

"Boss, please calm down and take a look at this!"

Laubs was still furious, but he took the report and began to read it with a grim face.

Cook chimed in, explaining, "Actually, people started bringing these things over from China, across the ocean, in small quantities from August onwards, through individual backpackers."

"Initially, it was only sold secretly as 'Generic Accessories' in 3C stores and mobile phone repair shops in Chinatown, without attracting any attention."

He pointed to the customs data in the report: "But the problem arose in September when large quantities of similar phone cases printed with 'Made in Mexico' began to flood into the North American market through official customs channels."

"The declared category is 'plastic products', HTS code 3926.90, which is subject to a preferential tariff of only 3%, making the cost incredibly low, while the speed of distribution is frighteningly fast."

"Shameless! Dirty!"

Laubus was trembling with anger and slammed the report onto the table.

"Mexicans! A bunch of thieves! They are desecrating my art. This is blatant copyright infringement, copying the perfect design of the Apple 4!"

He paced back and forth in the office like an enraged bull, unable to find a "target" to charge at.

Cook immediately chimed in, "That's right, boss! This is a disgrace to industrial design and a trampling on Apple's spirit of innovation!"

Only Jeff was still holding the broken phone case, examining it over and over, muttering to himself, clearly still immersed in that simple yet effective design concept.

Exhausted from berating the Mexicans, Laubus sat back down in his chair, panting heavily, and picked up the "blasphemous art" shell again, his eyes filled with malice.

"So, those idiots stopped protesting just because of this broken plastic shell?"

"Not entirely, boss!"

Cook frowned, his expression even more serious than before.

"This phone case has been selling well for a month, but the protesters suddenly disappeared today. There must be another reason. Bigger 'news' has been revealed on the geek BBS forum."

“Bigger news?” Laubs squinted.

“Yes!” Cook took out his Apple 4 and brought up a post: “Our ‘insufficient battery life’ problem seems to have been solved by something called ‘Apple Companion’.”

"Pingguo Partner?"

As Laubus pondered the strange name, a sense of foreboding washed over him.

"Cook! What's that about?"

Cook retrieves data
"The other party took advantage of a loophole in our 'Emergency Reservation Charging Act for Electronic Devices' in 17 North American states."

They used the outdated miniB standard interface and an OTG (On-The-Go) adapter cable to allow a new type of power bank to directly charge the iPhone 4.

This power bank is said to have an amazing charging speed.

Consumers in North America are talking about this now.

"what?"

Laubus erupted again, his face flushed red.

"Insufficient battery life? I designed the battery life to be perfect, so that users should rest after 4 hours of use. This is a desecration of my product philosophy! It's laziness! It's decadence!"

He felt as if his artistic temple was being smashed open and wantonly destroyed by a group of barbarians with hammers.

Once Laubus had calmed down a bit, Cook said in a deep voice, "Boss, the phone case may be simple, but the person behind it is very shrewd. I doubt the Mexicans have that kind of creativity and the keenness to exploit legal loopholes."

“This method, this approach,” he paused, implying, “is very likely from across the ocean, one of our most important markets, and also our largest manufacturing base!”

Laubs remained silent.

He recalled another report that Cook had just submitted—sales figures for the flower market in October.

Despite the looming shadow of the "death grip" over the globe, the flower market has performed exceptionally well:

With over 60 pre-orders and 20 units sold that month, the market couldn't supply any stock because production capacity was prioritized for supplying the US and Europe. The devout followers of Pingguo remained steadfast in their devotion to Pingguo.

The first leader of the Pingguo Cult, Lao, was kicked out of the company by Wall Street. After studying in India for a year, he returned as a king and began to spread his religion by borrowing some of the propaganda methods of Indian sects. Pingguo then became a technological faith that was not to be profaned.

It was truly outrageous. It wasn't until Cook took over that it gradually began to resemble a company rather than a sect.

However, after the end of the Laobus Pingguo Cult, Leibusi's wheat almost perfectly inherited its "divinity".

In October, Apple mobile phones accounted for 10% of the Chinese smartphone market share for the quarter, while also contributing an important 8% to Apple's global revenue, making China Apple's third largest market globally.

Of course, that is also the core source of Pingguo 4's production capacity.

Is it on the other side?
Laubs' anger was replaced by a hint of caution.

That vast and complex market is both a gold mine and a hiding place for some unknown competitors.

"go!"

Laubs suddenly stood up and grabbed his coat.

"Let's go take a look! Let's take a look at that damn phone case, and that 'Apple Companion' that desecrates my philosophy of battery life. What kind of devil is it? Even companies from China cannot tolerate them trampling on Apple's art like this!"

Forty minutes later, Laubus's conspicuous silver Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG pulled up on the slightly crowded side of San Francisco's Chinatown.

The appearance of the three tech giants, dressed in suits, stood out starkly against the backdrop of a bustling, Eastern-style neighborhood, immediately drawing sidelong glances and whispers from passersby. Many recognized them, their gazes filled with curiosity mixed with a touch of friendliness.

Language became the biggest obstacle.

After several twists and turns, they finally found their target in a small 3C store filled with all kinds of electronic components and filled with the smell of solder and plastic—the product with the words "Pingguo Companion" printed on it.

The boss was a lean, elderly Chinese man with a heavy Cantonese accent who barely understood English.

With his limited Chinese vocabulary and gestures, Cook managed to convince the shop owner of their purpose and successfully purchased an "Apple Companion".

This thing looks like a "small backpack," with a protruding "power compartment" on the back, containing a uniquely shaped orange panel.
cell phone???

Power on.
After a short "CZ" animated logo effect, "Power by Andraid" appears below.
"Watfuck! Krez."

What was inside the backpack and phone case wasn't the portable power bank the three had imagined, but rather... an Android phone.

The backpack phone case has a simple design, with a built-in charging cable that integrates OTG functionality. One end has its own Dock connector, while the other two ends are the miniB generic connector that Lauber so vehemently disliked.

Most importantly, this "Apple Companion" phone case has a mini-B charging port between the two phones.
This means that the user uses an old device like the miniB, which should have been obsolete a few years ago, to fully charge the Android phone first, and then waits for the Apple 4 to trigger emergency charging mode, with the Android phone acting as the main power source.

What kind of American humor is it that a user uses an Android phone specifically to charge another Apple phone?
The three of them left the store and eagerly tried it out on the street corner, wanting to understand why consumers used "Pingguo Companion".

Cook frowned as he studied the structure and interface compliance of the three-headed OTG, preparing how to sue it for infringement.

Jeff carefully removed the back cover of the "power unit" (he didn't know how else to describe it, so he'd call it that for now), and took out the battery that smelled slightly of sticker glue. He saw the universal battery markings on it.
"Oh my God! LiQ! It really is LiQ!"

Jeff held the battery, his voice trembling with excitement, like a child who had discovered a new toy.

"Gaseous lithium batteries! That paper that was questioned in August, the Lithium-Chen (Greek for 'Chen lithium') route, LiQ actually exists and has already been commercially mass-produced. This is incredible!"

He completely forgot where he was, immersed in the ecstasy of the technological breakthrough.

At this moment, the naming convention "LiQ," which originated from Chinese culture, was uttered for the first time on North American soil by the chief research officer of a top technology company with a tone of shock and approval.

However, Laubs' reaction was quite different.

He watched as that ugly "backpack" was stuck to his perfect Apple 4, and watched as that damned miniB OTG cable was plugged in.
Instantly, a surge of anger, feeling blasphemed and offended, rushed straight to the top of Laubus's head!
"Oh! Damn it!"

"They used two miniBs to desecrate the interface aesthetics of the Apple 4 in turn; they ruined my design!"

At this moment, Laubs was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He was so angry and unrestrained in the streets of Chinatown that he was waving his arms around.

"Call the police! I want to call the police! This is a blatant crime against art!"

His angry roar and exaggerated body language were captured by a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle who was nearby gathering material.

The reporter quickly pressed the shutter.

A few days later, a dramatic photograph made the headline of the San Francisco Chronicle's business section:
The legendary Steve Laubers, the soul of the Apple Company, stands against the backdrop of San Francisco's Chinatown, holding a strangely shaped "Apple Companion" in his hand, his face a mixture of extreme shock, anger, and disbelief.

The title is the perfect finishing touch: "Pingguo's Leader Weeps with Joy! Could a Mysterious 'Partner' Solve Pingguo's Four Intractable Problems?"

This photo and report were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly igniting the entire North American tech industry and consumer market.

No one expected that Robbs would personally "promote" the product, giving "Pingguo Companion" a free advertisement worth millions in such a dramatic way!

In a short time, the "Pingguo Companion" and the "Orunji Play" screen display power bank it uses went from being a niche hot topic on geek forums to a technological marvel that was hotly discussed on the streets.

More importantly, demand for "Pingguo Companion" has skyrocketed in North America!
The owners of 3C stores in Chinatown were overjoyed.

They hadn't originally planned to import these "backpack" phone cases because North America didn't have "smart display power banks" that could be fully charged in 30 seconds.

However, in mid-last month, a new phone called "Orange One" quietly appeared on the retail market, which can achieve 30-second fast charging.

Moreover, the size of this phone is perfectly suited to backpack phone cases, requiring no secondary adaptation. Isn't that a coincidence?

Savvy Chinese business owners immediately sensed a business opportunity and had backpackers bring back some of Huabeiqiang's "backpack phone cases" to test the waters.

The results showed that the North China Strong Backpack Phone Case + "Ourunji Play" Screen Display Power Bank = the North American version of "Pingguo Companion"!
What "Orunji Play" smartphone? Don't talk nonsense. This is clearly the "Orunji Play" high-end smart screen power bank. Selling it to you on installment for $99 is not unreasonable, is it?

As for why a power bank can also be used to make phone calls.
Surprise!

I'm asking you, aren't you surprised? Buy a power bank and get a free phone call function included!

Because of the outstanding effect of "Pingguo Companion", the small amount of goods brought by backpackers instantly became a shortage in the North American market!

Driven by huge profits, Chinatown business owners have resorted to various means to connect with their respective channels in North China and have started to ship ocean-going freighters fully loaded with these "plastic products" to the North American coast.

As expected, Laubs kept his word and called the police.

Pingguo's investigation team, through clues about gaseous lithium batteries, traced the problem to Orange Technology, and the legal department went all out, issuing a strongly worded lawyer's letter.

A week later, across the ocean, in Shenzhen, at Orange Technology, in Chen Mo's office.

A formal letter from Pingguo Asia Pacific Company was placed on his desk.

Lin Junfeng from the legal team stood to the side with a solemn expression. Clearly, the shadow of his previous defeat in the clash between Google and Apple's legal department had not yet dissipated from his mind.

Chen Mo frowned, opened the envelope, and pulled out the beautifully printed lawyer's letter.

"Your company (Orange Technology)'s products 'Huabei Qiang Phone Case' and 'Orange One' mobile phone and their supporting charging technologies (LiQ gaseous battery, OTG charging solution)."

They are suspected of maliciously exploiting design flaws in our company's (Pingguo Company) products to engage in unfair competition and infringe upon multiple of our design patents, interface specifications, and trademark rights (the name 'Pingguo Companion' causes confusion).
We demand that your company immediately cease all infringing activities, stop the production, sale, and promotion of related products, and compensate our company for all losses suffered as a result.”

After reading it, Chen Mo was stunned for more than ten seconds, his face filled with huge question marks and a sense of absurdity.

"no???"

He looked up at Lin Junfeng from the legal team, then at the lawyer's letter, and almost laughed in anger.

What did I, Chen Mo, do to offend you, Pingguo?

I admit that some people in China are trying to kick me when I'm down and destroy me!
That was my carelessness; I inadvertently offended two business tycoons, which led to a group of people kicking me when I was down.

But where did your Pingguo Company come from, out of some remote corner or crack in the rock?

Is this because they think our oranges are easy to bully and want to come and step on my foot?
This "death grip" is a mess you created yourselves, and I didn't make the Apple phone case either. As for "Orange One" and "Apple Companion"?
I've never heard of this before?

Pingguo is trying to scam me, an honest man.
This was intolerable; immense frustration and anger surged into Chen Mo's heart.

He slammed the lawyer's letter on the table with a "bang" and shouted at Lin Junfeng, "Brother Lin! You can go down now!"

In a fit of anger, Chen Mo only raged for a moment.

Orange is already under "blockade" by domestic business tycoons, so it's not easy for it to make any more powerful enemies. Let's figure out what's going on first!
Meanwhile, in the outdoor work area of ​​the office, there was a honeycomb-shaped workstation where the market research team was located.

Wang Kai was sternly supervising a reluctant junior high school girl with a ponytail doing her homework—it was his "cousin" Xiao Quan, who had been dismissed from school early that afternoon.

She didn't want to go back to her "home" in Guqiuqiu and insisted on coming to the company to wait for Wang Kai to get off work. Fortunately, Gong Yun was accommodating, and Wang Kai gave her permission to bring people in.

"Cousin~ I'll just play for a little while, I'll finish my homework soon," Xiao Quan said in a drawn-out, coquettish voice.

"Stop with that nonsense. Focus! Don't even think about touching your phone until you've finished writing!"

Wang Kai remained unmoved, his gaze sharp as an eagle's.

While Wang Kai turned his head to explain things to his colleagues, Xiao Quan quickly grabbed a delicate half-orange shaped fruit ornament from Wang Kai's desk.

Inside the epoxy resin beneath the ornament is a chibi-style cartoon image of Wang Kai dressed in a flying fish robe, wielding an embroidered spring knife, looking majestic and imposing.

Xiao Quan played with it with great affection, fantasizing that one day he would become a "brother" like him, a prestigious "Imperial Guard".

Number 007, that's quite unique!
With his age and experience, Xiao Quan is very mature for his age. He has two good friends at school and Wang Kai, his "cousin" who is tough on the outside but soft on the inside, at home. He quickly adapted to life in Shenzhen.

"Xiao Quan!"

Wang Kai's voice came through, carrying a warning.

Xiao Quan stuck out his tongue, quickly put the ornament back in its original place, and pretended to pick up a pen.

Just then, the landline number "7" on Wang Kai's workstation rang.

"Hello? Mr. Chen? Now? Okay, I'll be right there!" Wang Kai's expression instantly turned serious.

He hurriedly told Xiao Quan, "Do your homework honestly, I'll check it when I get back," and then strode towards the general manager's office.

Beneath that dark black suit jacket, there seemed to be a hint of the sharp edge of the Imperial Guard.

Xiao Quan watched his cousin's departing figure, then looked at the imposing Q-version Imperial Guard on the table, his big eyes filled with curiosity.

Why is the owner of Orange so urgently looking for my cousin? Has something serious happened?

Forget it! Let the adults worry about their own affairs!
Xiao Quan secretly took out the orange spare phone that Xiao Wei had given her and started sharing the cute Q-version orange fruit piece that her "cousin" had given her with her two girlfriends in the QQ chat group.

(End of this chapter)