Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 341: You didn't participate in the event, but you still received the prize?

This high-level meeting can be roughly understood as a "roadshow," only the target audience and its significance are different.

According to general rules, Zhai Da should first talk at length about the prospects, market size, and number of users of the mobile internet industry, setting a high tone to build a grand vision.

But this time Zhai Da chose the opposite approach.

He plans to leave this part for last.

Before proving the excellence of "Hongtu OS," the more they, a team that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and the meetings organized by the teacher, say, the more counterproductive it may be.

He believes that many people sitting here will first "examine" the content before "judging its content".

As for generating "expectations".
That's something you have to fight for yourself.

Only after proving the strength of "Hongtu OS" will it be meaningful to lead everyone to enjoy its future.

Therefore, Zhai Da went straight to the point, starting with each person's own mobile phone, guiding everyone to turn it on and experience it in its entirety.

"TuTu" was very cooperative today, and the phone was overjoyed. More than 20 phones actually woke up successfully without the embarrassing situation of having to remove the battery and restart them on the spot.

Zhai Da then explained each item one by one.

Ease of use, convenience, and innovation.

The ZTE representative, following Zhai Da's instructions, tapped the screen twice.

The screen flashed, and a screenshot of anything on the phone was automatically taken and added to a separate album.

He was stunned
A 25-year-old soul cannot comprehend how surprised someone born in 09 was to see this feature.

He immediately asked, "May I ask how this screenshot function distinguishes between accidental touches?"

Zhai Da looked at Cheng Mo. Logically, this was a technical issue, but he could answer it himself: "A tap produces a smaller contact area and greater force, while the fingertip is the opposite. Of course, this judgment is not 100% accurate; it is part of our gesture touch technology."

The ZTE executive immediately looked at the technician beside him and received an affirmative look in response.

What a clever little feature! It's not technically difficult, but it's really convenient to use!

The word "exquisite" is a very accurate way to describe the user experience of mobile phone manufacturers.

The superior features selected by billions of users over the next decade or so, coupled with a cutting-edge, minimalist UI, advanced aesthetics, and unique management philosophy, make this a truly exceptional product.
Individually, they don't seem difficult, nor are they the kind of high-tech breakthroughs. But when put together, they give people a refreshing feeling.

Of course, excellent functionality is not all that "Hongtu OS" is about; otherwise, there would be no need to hold the meeting here.

Zhai Da continued, addressing each point one by one. He started with his intuitive impressions of the system, followed by the convenience brought by open-source software and the empowerment that the open-source ecosystem provides to the entire industry.

Mobile phone manufacturers are more concerned about the first two, while the bigwigs from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology are more concerned about the last one.

Finally, Zhai Da replaced Cheng Mo with Cheng Mo to answer the technical questions. This guy had a long history of "pretentiousness addiction," so it was rare that he didn't show any weakness.

At most, his expression was a little stiff, but as a technician, no one was too demanding.

Cheng Mo single-handedly answered the pointed questions from the technical staff of various companies, including several from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The underlying development methods and logic, the construction of the patent system, the tools used, and the hardware requirements.

Zhai Da astutely noticed that even the bigwigs at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology did not pay much attention to the "degree of autonomy".

In this day and age, the whole world is still dreaming of "globalization," and using or even relying on foreign technology is not a shameful thing.

It's even something to boast about, proving that you used good stuff.

For example, a senior executive from Lianxiang was in the meeting room. When he learned that they developed many of their underlying tools themselves, he secretly shook his head, and the implication was not hard to guess:
If it's not from overseas, it's definitely not the best!

He may not understand technology, but surely he understands Chinese people?

They even hinted to Cheng Mo that he should make more use of overseas technology as support, so that he could achieve better and faster results, even though what he had already achieved was already quite impressive.

Cheng Mo merely glanced at his own chairman without responding. Zhai Da had always insisted on doing as much as possible in terms of autonomy. Even if some things couldn't be done temporarily due to cost and scale, preparations should be made for subsequent autonomous replacements.

Adjustments are easiest to make when laying the foundation. If you wait until a skyscraper is already built before trying to replace a pillar, the building will collapse.

Only Zhai Da truly understands that the dream of globalization and free trade is not far from awakening, and may even arrive sooner than in his previous life.

Because the speed at which this dream awakens is linked to the speed of China's development, our own country is the kind of entity that forces people to rewrite the rules and resort to shameless tactics to cope.

Cheng Mo spent more time answering technical questions than Zhai Da explained the system, but this also proved that they were not a hastily assembled, incompetent team.

In the past, in various fields that received strong support from the state, there have also been teams and individuals who have engaged in fraud and deception. The most famous example is probably the "Hanxin incident" in the chip industry, which deceived everyone from top to bottom. After that incident, the government became hesitant to provide strong support to the chip industry.

Being cheated out of more than a billion yuan (more than a billion yuan in 03) is a small matter; what really hurts is having one's face rubbed into the ground.

This also led to the transformation of the domestic chip industry from being "limitedly backward" to being "unfettered," fully embracing the convenience of globalization and no longer spending time and effort to promote independent research and development. It wasn't until 14 that the industry gradually picked it up again.

It can be said that "Hanxin" taught us a solid lesson, stealing a full 11 years of opportunities from advanced process chips.

Since then, any technical support and evaluation is no longer conducted by individual departments alone, but requires joint assessment by leading enterprises.

Take today's scene, for example. If we can fool people with this, then so be it. Let's just send Zhai Da to Wall Street to scam people and somehow manage to create a listed company.

Finally, Cheng Mo stepped back, and Zhai Da stepped forward again.

He no longer needed to elaborate on the system itself; he believed everyone in the meeting room had their own conclusions.

"Everyone, I am also fortunate to participate in the research on industry trends. 09 was the first year of the vigorous promotion of 3G networks in my country. Efficient communication is the cornerstone of all mobile Internet. Online shopping, multimedia, and social networking will all benefit from this, bursting forth with new economic vitality and growth points. But the premise is that there is a platform to support it."

"For example, a truly intelligent mobile phone."

The excellence of Hongtu OS lies in its holistic approach.

Especially at a time when this market is about to be restructured, it did not define "what is a grand vision", but rather "what is a smartphone".

This task was originally undertaken by someone who liked to explain products in T-shirts and jeans, and it was launched a year later at a product launch event using a product called the Apple 4 as an example.

Now, in 09, the opportunity for this definition has arisen in China.

This opportunity was not entirely given to the "Mechanical Core Research Institute" or Zhai Da personally, but rather to a large number of domestic mobile phone manufacturers.

Zhai Da recalled the statistical data he had studied with his teacher and spoke eloquently: "In 08, our total mobile phone sales were 1.6 million units. Based on my estimate, this number will reach 1.85 million units in 09..." Some business representatives below had a thought: Is your estimate reliable? This kind of macro data can't be just made up on a whim.
But only staff members of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology knew that these figures were not just made up by Zhai Da; he was truly qualified to say them, because his name was also listed as a signatory in that industry outlook report.

However, Qian Xuesen had not yet completed the report, nor had the internal discussions been finished, so external companies were unaware of it.

Zhai Da picked up a mobile phone and said, "This number means that my country has become the world's largest mobile phone market. Similarly, thanks to the upgrading of communication technology and excellent coverage, we will also become the world's largest mobile internet market."

"Such fertile soil should be able to nurture the best companies and build the most advanced industrial advantages."

"But unfortunately, there is no sign of that at present. Not only is our market share very low, but our profit margin is also only a fraction of that of overseas brands. More industry analysis may be available from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in the future."

"What I want to say is that I think everyone should seize this opportunity; a chance to define 'smartphone' is right in front of us."

Zhai Da nodded slightly, which meant that the preparations were basically complete, and what remained was to discuss and negotiate cooperation.

In the conference room, almost every company wanted to speak and ask questions, but in the end everyone looked at the two people in the front row.

Lu Qinjian looked at Wan Gang, even though it was within the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's territory, the other party was of a higher rank.

This senior official from the Ministry of Science and Technology, with a technical background and deep roots in the automotive industry, asked a very straightforward question.

"Mr. Zhai, in your plans, have you considered what kind of support you need from us? Mobile Internet is a relatively new field, and I would like to hear your thoughts."

Zhai Da smiled slightly and gave an answer that surprised him:

"I do not need."

"Or rather, I have already obtained it, and that is this meeting, and everyone here."

Boss Wan was taken aback for a moment, then laughed.

This was the first time he had ever seen someone come crying to him for support, funding, and land, and then so decisively say they didn't need it.

He likes this kind of person, someone who speaks with technical expertise and is also very assertive. This student of Qian Xuesen certainly has something to offer.

Zhai Da explained calmly and politely, "We have basically completed the development work, and if all goes well, we will soon have commercial revenue, so we do not need funds or approvals."

"The open-source ecosystem means we don't need to have a huge number of programmers. Our core technology team will always be kept under 300 people, and in the short term, even under 100 people. So we don't need to acquire land. The current working environment is excellent, and no one wants to leave."

(Even after 25 years of Android development, there were only 700 people directly responsible for system development and maintenance.)
"There is no room for leniency in terms of policies, laws and regulations in this regard, and there is no issue of licensing in a new field."

"When you all entered the meeting room, I had already secured the necessary support. The next step depends on the business feedback. Ultimately, excellent products will be voted on by users. Without that vote, no amount of support will be meaningful."

“You are all industry professionals, some familiar with the market and some with the technology. You should know better than me what kind of appeal a phone equipped with ‘Hongtu OS’ and with fully compatible software and hardware would have in the market.”

"As I mentioned before, there will be no cost to using 'Hongtu OS'. It will be provided free of charge to all manufacturers, along with technical guidance. All you need to do is commit to binding the core copyrights and core functions, including app stores and ad pushes."

Take a smartphone home without spending a penny!

Now I don't even have the desire to copy anymore. Doesn't developing my own technology require costs and time?
Actually, there were people in this meeting room who had their own agendas.

But why not use the free ones?

As for the app store commission and advertising profits, as well as other ecosystem profit points, frankly, mobile phone manufacturers can't see it yet, and Zhai Da doesn't plan to explain it so early.

The knives... no, I mean, the profit points gradually emerge from the surface.

"In addition, I would like to remind you that the competitiveness of Hongtu OS is not limited to the domestic market. It is also a groundbreaking product overseas, and we will attach great importance to building an overseas ecosystem."

Mr. Wan asked, "Does Mr. Zhai's plan include overseas mobile phone manufacturers?"

Zhai Da nodded: "I know it's difficult to promote overseas markets as a Chinese company, but we can't give up on overseas markets, and it would also be very detrimental to building a complete ecosystem."

As an official, Wan would instinctively feel that something that "empowers industries" is better left in the country, but upon further reflection, he understood.

Why not earn money from foreign countries?
Moreover, he has always believed that only industries with competition can make progress, and that there is no future in competing only in one's own pond without venturing out.

Zhai Da's meaning was quite clear: he was reminding everyone present that if they didn't join soon, they might end up seeing foreign brands running "Hongtu OS".
He hopes to benefit the local community more, but hardware manufacturers are only part of it; the software and internet industries also play a significant role.

It doesn't mean he has to cater to a bunch of lords.

To put it bluntly, fifteen years from now, all of you here...

They've already been buried.
None of the mobile phone manufacturers that will still have a place in the market more than a decade from now have even been established, let alone empowered.
If it's not fun, move on to the next batch; the principles of life are the same.

"Of course, there will still be a sequence. You may be able to take advantage of the first launch and try to expand overseas. It may be smoother than in the domestic market. Nokia's market share is declining rapidly, which is a major opportunity of the times."

The people in the conference room looked at it, feeling a little itchy, but ultimately felt it was a bit outrageous.

Nokia. It was a dominant force at its zenith. All of us here combined wouldn't even be a fraction of its power.
This seminar, originally scheduled for two hours, ended up lasting four hours. Both Wan and Lu even canceled their scheduled meetings, demonstrating the importance they placed on it.

Especially after the meeting, once the people from various companies had left, the two of them had a private chat with Zhai Da's team for half an hour.

That evening, many messages circulated online: some were relayed to Qian Xuesen, some were discussed among companies, some were privately looking for Zhai Da, and others were inquiring about Zhai Da's background.

Of course, some were sent back to their alma mater.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"I hope it helps."

"I understand that although software engineering is not a strong major at Harbin Institute of Technology, we have never given up on innovation and exploration in related fields."

"Of course, cultivating talents who are useful to society and the country has always been our goal."

"Okay, okay, I'll check the arrangements. We'll talk in detail when we meet. It's been a long time since I've had your delicious tea."

After hanging up the phone, Principal Wang Chunguo calmly took a sip of tea, walked to his office window, which was his favorite, and looked out at the campus that had already fallen into the night.

His expression was calm and composed.

"so."

Can someone tell me what an OS is?

I was inexplicably praised by name.
Did they receive the prize without even participating in the event?
What on earth did Xiao Zhai do?! I thought that research institute was joking!
This is truly a joint research and development effort!

(End of this chapter)