Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 81 The First "Opponent"

On the third day after the release of the Apple 4, the Orange 1 had already made its way into the strong North China market.

Just three days after the fire started, counterfeiters began to imitate the configuration of the Orange 1 and created the "Orange 1".

Aside from the battery and system, the Orange 1 is basically the same as the Orange 1 in terms of configuration.

Since we can't get a prototype of the Apple 4 anytime soon, we might as well take advantage of the Orange 1 first.

Other counterfeit factory owners are still watching and seeing how "Orange 1" is received before deciding whether to follow suit.

A week after Orange 1 became a bestseller, a "Ju Zi 1" suddenly appeared in Hua Beiqiang's stall, with even the logo and packaging being very similar to Orange 1.

Upon disassembling the device, it was discovered that the capacitive screen was a second-hand defective product, the Android system used a "public version RAM+ROM" kit wholesaled from North China Power, and the fast-charging battery was directly replaced with a refurbished ordinary lithium battery.

But the counterfeit boss was stubborn, believing that if the Orange 1's configuration could be a huge hit, then why couldn't the Juju 1?

Chen Mo, who was among the first to follow Orange Technology's lead, gritted his teeth and smashed 1000 units to test the waters.

After all, Orange 1 followed Orange 1's distribution system in North China and spent a lot of money to properly affiliate with Jinli's license.

If they can't snatch a piece of meat from the real thing, then the counterfeit manufacturers of Orange 1 will suffer huge losses.

The digital plaza, stall B18 on the basement level, is already considered an outer stall of the Huabei Qiang Market.

The blond-haired young man was carrying a cardboard box filled with 50 new Orange 1 Black and White phones when he stumbled as he entered the store.

"Brother Hao! Can I put this pile of junk in the back warehouse?" The blond-haired guy kicked a cardboard box with "Orange 1" written on it in big letters: "A female student who came to the door just saw this piece of junk again, and without even asking any questions, she just turned around and left!"

Even though Orange 1 offers a higher discount, it still can't sell, so what's the point?

Hao, wearing black-rimmed glasses, didn't even look up, typing on the keyboard as if he were writing Morse code.

"What are you afraid of? We just talked to a few university campus agents. They'll give you a 50 yuan rebate for each unit sold—they only earn 50 yuan a day standing in a bubble tea shop. Who wouldn't want to do that?"

"Drip~"

The college student who was acting as an agent sent a message in a QQ chat group.

Hao suddenly slammed his hand on the table and burst into laughter: "Look at the agent group! Another 12 'Orange 1's' have left in just a short while. In the half hour you went to pick up the goods, we made a net profit of 800!"

For college students who have to turn off the lights at a set time, they desperately need a phone like Orange 1 that can instantly recharge its battery just before the power goes out at midnight.

The blond-haired guy piled up several newly arrived black and white "Orange 1" models into a small mountain behind the glass counter, and kicked the Orange 1 models in the cardboard box.

"Brother Hao! What about these 50 counterfeit units?"

Hao Ge adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose, with his index finger. He then typed a string of words on the keyboard and sent it to the campus agent's QQ chat group.

"Attention guys! The Orange 1 has released two new color options: black and white. They're still incredibly eye-catching! We're getting 10 of each color today. These are limited editions, guaranteed to sell out!"

These small stalls on the outskirts of the area receive no more than 100 orders and can only get the last remaining stock, which is mainly orange with some of the newly released black and white models.

If you manage to snag a few today, they're definitely "limited edition," aren't they?

Then, he turned around and spoke to the blond-haired guy.

"What else can we do but return it! Are we supposed to keep it and hold a funeral for it? I'll also tell the supplier that if he dares to use this kind of garbage again, I'll grab a wrench and smash his place up!"

If you really treat them like a business, you'll take any kind of garbage!

The counterfeit "Orange 1" called "Juzi 1" was launched in the strong distribution channels in North China for three days. Not only did it fail to steal any market share from Orange Technology, it didn't even get a taste of the market and its business completely failed.

Meanwhile, Chen Mo at Orange Technology has been busy with increasing the production of Orange 1 these past few days and hasn't noticed the emergence of this "competitor" at all.

If "Orange 1" can be considered Orange Technology's first opponent, then it can only be said that Chen Mo hadn't even put in any effort before the opponent collapsed on its own.

In Orange Technology's small workshop, a hand-made mini desktop fan on a long table emits a faint hum.

Gong Yun sat at her workstation, checking receipts and shipping documents, then pressing the calculator. Xiao Mi was dozing off on her lap. Zhao Tiezhu, ever since discovering that trying to get through to Brother Chen was a dead end—and that he couldn't get rid of this crazy woman who liked to insult his lower body—…
He gritted his teeth and spent 8 yuan to buy a bunch of materials, and handcrafted a mini desktop fan for his beloved "Sister Gong," equipped with two gaseous lithium batteries and two speed settings.

"Little Zhao!"

Gong Yun smiled gently, glancing at him sideways. Her usual habit of questioning his lower body was replaced by normal human language.

"If you dare smoke in front of me again, I'll take those two cigarettes apart and use them to make a cat toy for Xiaomi."

"No, no, no! Sister Gong! I'll pinch it right now!"

Zhao Tiezhu also figured out this crazy woman's temper. She was like a mule that needed to be followed; if you went against her, you would definitely be taught a lesson.

Now that Chen Mo is away, Gong Yun won't hold back at all when she's disciplining that brat Zhao Tiezhu.

When Zhao Tiezhu caused trouble, Chen Mo would at most say a few words to him without much consequence, but Gong Yun, an outsider, was really willing to take action!

This is a cigarette specially supplied to Hainan Island. When Lu Laowu left, he only gave Zhao Tiezhu this one.

He carefully extinguished the ignition, shoved it into his pocket, and then slowly savored the sensation.

Then, Zhao Tiezhu took out his own Black Orange 1 and called Chen Mo to talk about the coal boss's OEM manufacturing business.

“Ah~ so comfortable!”

Zhao Tiezhu swaggered over, crossed his legs, and lay down on the scratched chair, with two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes delivered by the coal boss's secretary at his feet.

Gong Yun glanced at him sideways, but didn't say anything, continuing to check today's deposit receipts and shipping orders.

"dududu~"

As soon as the call connected, Zhao Tiezhu started yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Brother Chen! Don't worry about the contract manufacturer's idle capacity. I've just found someone to take over our production capacity!"

The roar of machinery came from the other end of the phone, and Chen Mo's voice was mixed with a crackling sound of signal interference.

"Zzzzz. Stop bragging, kid. You don't even have batteries. Where did you come from to produce this capacity? Did you manage to trick some rich guy into doing a rebranding?"

"You were absolutely right!" Zhao Tiezhu sat up abruptly and slammed his hand on the table. "Two coal mine owners drove up in their Mercedes and blocked our door, saying that Orange 1 phones are selling like hotcakes and they want us to help them manufacture phones under their brand!"

"That factory's production line, which's been sitting idle, will be up and running again as soon as they get the resistive touchscreens and batteries sorted out tomorrow. A million-dollar penalty for breach of contract? To hell with it!"

A soft laugh came from Chen Mo's end: "You're doing well, kid. Now you're even venturing into the coal mines."

"Brother Chen! This really isn't my doing!" Zhao Tiezhu said modestly with a smile, even though the person on the other end of the phone couldn't hear him: "They came because they smelled it themselves, it's all thanks to the strong market performance of our Orange 1!"

He suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Brother Chen! Guess what configuration they want?"

"We used the discarded design 'X' from our Orange 1, and the outer shell was to be modeled after the Apple 4. We changed three of the capacitive keys to one, and removed the T9 keyboard, saying that this would make it look more artistic!"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a dry laugh.

"Wow! This coal mine owner knows more about art than Roberts from Pingguo!"

However, since they had at least helped him solve the problem of excess production capacity, Chen Mo naturally couldn't laugh at their idea.

But with this appearance and configuration, it's definitely a sign of an amateur's skill!
Chen Mo paused, then suddenly laughed and scolded, "But you're in such a hurry to make this call, it can't just be for good news, right? Tell me, what benefits are you eyeing this time?"

Zhao Tiezhu scratched his head and chuckled, "Brother Chen really understands me! See?"

"Alright, alright! I know you too well, kid." Chen Mo interrupted him, "After this deal goes smoothly, I'll give you a 10 yuan bonus! But let me make this clear upfront."

He deliberately dragged out his words: "If there are any problems with this batch of OEM 'x' phones and the spare parts in our Orange 1 supply chain, you, Zhao Tiezhu, will lose your 100,000 yuan bonus!"

"Brother Chen! Don't worry." Zhao Tiezhu stood up on the spot, jumping three feet high: "I'm taking this 10!"

(End of this chapter)