bloom america

Chapter 235 CD Music Player

Since the gay friends Lucas and Spielberg were already very interested in their new idea, Catherine was not shy and immediately prepared to let them film "Survivor".

The film does not require professional actors at all, only volunteers.

This is easy to do, and the entertainment TV station under Catherine can do just that.

Moreover, Catherine does not need professional wilderness survival experts, but volunteers who can best represent the image of ordinary Americans.

Of course, for the sake of selling the film, Catherine cannot let completely ordinary people come over. What she needs is people who are motivated and know how to struggle.

So, Catherine decided to give this show a chance.

——That is, after the video is played, viewers across the country will vote by phone. In the end, the person with the highest vote will receive a bonus of US$100,000.

For this show, Catherine even invited Elvis to come over and let him advertise the film.

The initial hype was huge, and after half a month of registration, thousands of people actually participated.

Finally, after layers of screening, 12 people were finally selected. These 12 people will be divided into two groups for a month-long "Nuclear War Survival Journey."

Seeing that the program was being produced in an orderly manner, Catherine turned her attention back to her "old business".

The work must continue.

The construction of the new factory is in full swing, and it is expected to be put into production within this year. Next year, the output will at least double.

The production of game consoles will be increased to 5 million units, which is undoubtedly the most important to Catherine. After all, this market is the basis of the basic market.

Catherine also thought about OEM production, but the problem was that other than herself, the only company that could compare with her in terms of technology and craftsmanship was Fairchild.

In other words, if you want to find an OEM yourself, you can only go to Fairchild.

But...will Fairchild agree?

The answer is obvious - no.

After all, Fairchild Corporation is now considered a rival of Intel. However, Roberts, the former leader of Fairchild Corporation, has now become the "director of the research institute" under his own company. And the current Fairchild leaders, in addition to the eight rebellious

Come to her place...Catherine has never seen what achievements he has.

Of course Fairchild cannot do that, but its products are the most advanced technology. If this technology is spread now, I am afraid it will only be detrimental to itself - because everyone is on the same starting line.

Because of process problems, Catherine's only possibility was to start the new factory herself instead of looking for an OEM.

And Catherine also knows that in the United States, no one really wants to be a foundry company forever. If their technology matures, the final result will most likely be to leave and go it alone.

This is very possible.

There is a difference between the American concept and the Chinese concept. For example, in the Pearl River Delta, there are a large number of OEM factories. Those business owners hold the concept of "small boats can be easily turned around" and have been doing OEM work.

industry.

The difference in concepts is also a very important reason why Catherine is cautious now.

If there is a backlash... I won't even have time to cry.

So for now, Catherine can only go into production on her own.

It is a pity that the sweatshop Foxconn will not be established for nearly 7 or 8 years. Otherwise, letting Foxconn produce its own products seems to be a very good thing.

But for now, whatever I want to do, I have to do it myself...

There is nothing wrong with completing it by yourself, and the U.S. economy is about to enter a recession, so Catherine does not plan to put it into production immediately, but chooses to wait and see.

"Miss Edson, bad news."

Olson entered the office, and his first words were this.

"What's wrong?"

"Wang An does not intend to cooperate with our company...but there is no doubt that they seem to be preparing to go to IBM."

what is this?

A lone hero?

Catherine shrugged helplessly.

"Forget it...how is the acquisition of CDC going?"

Olson and Clay are jointly responsible for this matter.

"The other party wants 200 million..."

Catherine curled her lips: "You are a tough talker. Tell them, the maximum is 100 million. If you don't agree, tell them that our company's new production line has been put into production."

It's a good idea to let the other side throw a trap.

"What should Wang An Company do?" Olson asked again.

"Let's do it like this... let's... learn from IBM."

Catherine said.

"Learn IBM?"

"Yes, develop a plug-in so that their product can act as a peripheral for our product. Their product is also a word processor anyway."

"Is this really okay?"

"As long as the other party's standards are open, we will be able to succeed. If the other party does not have open standards, he will be ready to fall into the river and drown. Please note that those who have gained the right will get more help, and those who have lost the right will have less help."

"Well..." Olsen was a little strange.

"This is an idiom, which means... well... only those who can control the crowd can win." Catherine thought her explanation was good.

"Sounds very philosophical."

To be honest, Olson didn't understand it at all. This was originally a Chinese idiom. I translated it, and then Catherine explained it according to the wrong reasoning. The result was even more tragic.

"Yes, this is the truth. This is what Taizu did... Well, okay, are there any other questions?"

Catherine continued to ask.

"Another problem is that I find that the development of Apple Computer's software department far exceeds the development of the hardware department, and we also have to take care of the TV industry. I think our company... uh..."

"A little busy, aren't you?" Catherine said.

Olson nodded.

In fact, Olson had always wanted to build a minicomputer. Although the microcomputer looked good, he still felt that his minicomputer had a future.

"Maybe we should remove the word 'computer' and become Apple. We should develop into a home appliance industry chain integrating home entertainment."

"what do you mean?"

"Tear the apple apart."

Catherine said: "Apple itself will become a high-end brand. We have to sell Apple's high-end concept. There will always be those who get rich overnight or those who love to show off wearing our products..."

"But our company's products have always been priced at affordable prices..."

"Yes, so we set up a...well...an orange company. Yes, one apple, one orange; one high-end, one low-end. You see, people who like high-end products will buy our Apple products.

But what do people who can’t afford apples do? Aren’t they crazy when they see other people having apples?”

"Crazy?" Olson didn't know why.

Of course, you don’t know that someone will sell their kidneys for apples in the future...

Catherine added quietly in her mind.

"Yes, since they can't afford our apples, and at this time, there is an orange version of the alternative product to choose from, do you think they will buy it?"

"Probably... yes."

Even after being in this world for so long, Catherine has still learned a lot about marketing. After all, she is half a student of Peter Drucker.

"Yes, in this case, people who buy apples will naturally have a sense of superiority when they see that others are holding low-end oranges. And when they have this sense of superiority, they will naturally have a negative attitude toward us.

The product has a better feel.”

But Olson still had some concerns.

"What about our software department?"

"As for the software department, we will split it up."

"Are we going to split it up?" Olson was startled.

"Yes, our company's management strategy is different from other companies anyway. It adapts to the times and local conditions," Catherine said, "We call this company - Microsoft."

"Microsoft? Isn't that the name of our computer?" Olson said.

Catherine nodded: "Yes, because Microsoft already has a reputation, so if we develop new products, they should be popular."

Olson nodded in understanding.

At this time, Catherine felt that a conversation between two people was not very satisfying, so she called Sanders and others over, held a meeting, and then continued to express her opinions.

"Our company's products must also begin to differentiate. Our computers should be a platform. Microsoft computers should not be limited to gaming and entertainment, nor should they be used by business users. Our original purpose is to popularize computers and make them a must-have for everyone.

A product, such as a phone or something."

Catherine concluded.

Sanders nodded thoughtfully: "In other words, in a big way, the highest program our computers should follow is to universally popularize computers?"

"That's right, and our minimum program is to make all users have a need for our products."

Catherine sorted out the information about the future in her mind, and then said: "For example, we can develop a new hardware so that CAD drawing can be easily realized with our products. They only need to install this hardware and they can

Easily design and manufacture their products.”

Unexpectedly, Sanders frowned: "But, Miss Edson, isn't this just about developing external devices for products?"

"No, it's different."

In fact, this is easy to understand.

Just like Catherine's time.

"Core" processors are undoubtedly a powerful tool for gaming for ordinary people, especially i7 series processors.

In the server field, Intel develops the "Xeon" series. Such processors are not necessarily faster than Core, but they are more suitable for servers.

Catherine explained it and everyone understood it.

Catherine's meeting was not an ordinary meeting, but a discussion where everyone gathered in a circle and sat on the sofa in the employee lounge.

This is not just a matter for Catherine alone, but a discussion similar to brainstorming.

In other words... this is a way for a group of assholes to sit together and have a discussion.

"In this case, I think Apple's pricing is very questionable. We need a product that most people can't afford, but a small number of people can easily buy it... Moreover, our products must have a selling point for these people.

After purchasing our products, I feel more distinguished and have status.”

Sanders deserves to be from Hollywood and explained it very well.

"I think, first of all, we need a product that can build our reputation...well, Apple is already very famous."

Olson felt that he had done something unnecessary, but he reminded Catherine.

"Yes, we need a flagship product."

"For example... um... CD music player?" An idea suddenly appeared in Catherine's mind.

It seems... very good?

"Music machine?"

"Yes, to be precise, it's a player." Catherine explained: "You know, our optical disc products have a high bit error rate, but sometimes, our products don't need such high accuracy."

Catherine's explanation made everyone suddenly realize.

"This is easy to handle." Sanders said: "We have accumulated enough technology for VCD. I think a separate player should be able to handle it quickly."

"But we need more than just a player, we need a portable product."

The hippies took to the streets carrying a huge tape player. At this time, a group of young people wearing Apple Walkmans and putting their hands in their pockets walked past them, showing off their superiority...

Just thinking about it makes me feel great

Catherine felt that she was simply a genius...well, a plagiarism genius.

Anyway, she personally feels that her idea is very feasible...

"Maybe it's similar to a handheld console?" Sanders seemed to understand.

Catherine nodded.

"In this case, we will have a lot of technical problems to solve...but this idea seems very feasible..." Sanders seemed to see business opportunities.

Headphones had been born as early as the 1920s, so this aspect was not a problem. Somehow, Catherine suddenly thought of an article she had seen about time travel in the 1930s. The protagonist developed headphones.

Then I was shocked to death...

In any case, the matter was settled with all the talk.

The company is not short of funds now, so Catherine has enough funds for research.

Catherine has never done much research on audio equipment such as CD players, so she can only cross the river by moving the stones.

In fact, Catherine has been fully mentally prepared. Even if it is 400 million or 500 million US dollars, she can bear it.

Even if you invest 500 million or 1 billion now, the return to you in the future will be ten times that of your investment.

Although it was a temporary idea, Catherine increasingly felt that her idea had a future.

Then, the plan was finalized.

Apple Computer will first spin off its software division and then reorganize it into Microsoft Computer.

Well, this is okay. All we need to do is replace the sign hanging above the software department. The employees are already used to it.

On the other hand, Catherine began research on CD players.

Apple needs to wait until the product is developed before it can differentiate its products independently. In other words, when the CD player appears, it will be the time when the oranges are ripe.

Now, the Orange Company matter is being prepared, but Catherine is still very concerned about it.

In this regard, Catherine refers to the future "cottage machine" of the 21st century.

Compared with brand-name phones, low-cost copycat phones have almost no technical advantages. But why are copycat phones so popular? Why are they so popular?

The answer is simple: price, appearance

To use a professional terminology, that is: the market is in the nurturing stage, and some intelligent people are trying to satisfy the consumer desire for certain products that are appreciated by those groups who are limited by their spending power and cannot meet their daily needs, or

Because there is an inherent product in the market that has not been innovated and updated for a long time, and through the method of "copying, imitation, learning, reference and innovation and improvement", it is introduced to the market as a "quick, satisfying civilian, marketable product".

"Multi-functional and low-priced" brand products.

To put it simply, it is a product that appears to cater to the vanity of some people.

And Catherine's positioning of oranges is pretty much this.

Although it seems effective for Apple to launch a separate high-end product and a low-end product, in Catherine's view, the value of the brand cannot be reflected at all.

In Catherine's original history, Apple once became the world's largest company by market capitalization, not because it launched a Celeron and a Pentium like companies like Intel, but because it only took the high-end route and achieved high-end products.

culture.

And splitting the oranges has another advantage.

Orange Company is not planning to use Catherine's high-end CPU, but is preparing to purchase it from outside. Orange is originally taking the low-price route, but it is impossible for the company to specialize in researching a cheap CPU and specialized hardware just for Orange.

, this is going backwards, the worst is to wait until the price of SFC drops in the future before using it for oranges.

But at that time, Apple may have used better CPUs.

Using this method, we can capture the market faster. After all, our own production capacity is limited, and high-end products cannot be produced by third parties. At this time, oranges have become a weapon in Catherine's hands, using a large supply of goods.

, and low prices impact the bottom market, while at the upper end, Apple has a firm grasp on the pulse of the market.

Of course, it may take a few years for the Orange Company to differentiate itself. After all, CD machines are not something that can be developed simply, it takes time.

Although the Orange Company has not yet been established, Catherine has already begun planning for the future of this system.

First of all, the client of the home version of the cloud system was handed over to Orange Company for development.

"Orange water or something... I like it the most~"

Catherine threw a piece of orange into her mouth, and then began to plan for the future of her company...

…

ps: This chapter does not mean any personal attack...

Also, I have a make-up exam tomorrow, wish me the best...ahem...