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Chapter 312 Google Press Conference

"Humans are born with the gene for living in groups, and the behavior of communication is as integrated as breathing into every aspect of the development of human civilization, becoming an essential characteristic that cannot be separated from them later in life."

"Whether it's the gestures of primitive tribes sitting around a campfire or the conversations across screens in modern cities, they are essentially all continuous practices of humanity's core need for connection. And throughout history, the ways of communication have been constantly changing, from the most primitive face-to-face communication to written communication and carrier pigeon communication that expanded through military means, and then to telegrams and transoceanic telephones."

"With the development of the Internet, email has become an indispensable function in our lives. But no matter how it changes, convenience has always been the main theme throughout the history of communication."

In his Washington villa, Bill Gates sat on the sofa, his brow furrowed as he stared at the television screen in front of him.

On the screen, Igor Patterson, CEO of Google's newly formed Google Connect Group, is dressed in a sharp suit and speaking confidently under the spotlight, as if he is announcing something to the entire technology industry.

Bill Gates' fingers tapped unconsciously on the armrest, his mind filled with doubt.

What exactly is Google's intention behind this high-profile move?

Is it just to hold a belated product launch for Google Messenger?

This is clearly illogical.

"The emergence of Google Messenger marks a revolutionary change in the way humans communicate!" Igor Patterson's voice came through the television speakers to Bill Gates.

"I can responsibly tell every guest present, as well as all viewers watching on television who are interested in technological development, that..."

Google Messenger is destined to become the most widely used communication tool in the world in the future.

7

Are you bragging?

Bill Gates couldn't help but curl his lip, a hint of disdain on his face.

Igor Patterson's remarks were simply an attempt to exaggerate the importance of instant messaging in order to highlight his own value.

But did you guys invent this thing?

In terms of historical status and significance, ICQ was the world's first truly real-time messaging software, while Google Messenger and others were mere successors. Yet now they shamelessly claim to lead the revolution, which Bill Gates finds utterly ridiculous.

Just as Bill Gates was silently complaining, Igor Paterson on the screen finally brought the topic to the point.

"I won't go into too much detail about the basic functions of Google Messenger here. The core of today's press conference is to introduce the three major features that will be launched in the new version of Google Messenger."

"The first thing we'll be launching is the emoji feature," Igor Patterson explained with a smile. "We've found that in everyday communication, simple text often fails to accurately convey emotions. A simple 'You're amazing' could be a genuine compliment or a sarcastic remark."

"The emergence of emojis has precisely solved this pain point. Through vivid and expressive emojis, users can not only express their thoughts more quickly and humorously, but also make initial conversations between strangers more relaxed and fun."

As soon as he finished speaking, Igor Paterson skillfully began operating the computer beside him.

Soon, the Google Messenger chat interface appeared simultaneously on the giant screen behind him.

It has to be said that he truly lives up to his title as the CEO of Google Connect. The icons for all the value-added services in his account are arranged neatly, and the interface is incredibly cool.

Igor Patterson selected an emoji from the emoji library, clicked send, and the previously quiet press conference fell into a brief silence, followed by thunderous laughter, with some reporters even slapping their thighs with laughter.

In his Washington villa, Bill Gates's face went from calm to ashen in an instant.

He stared intently at the screen, his teeth grinding together, and he practically forced out the words, "I'm going to sue them!"

I'm suing Google for copyright infringement! This is an insult to me!

On the screen was a cartoon character who was balding, with only a few strands of hair left on his head. He wore a thick gold chain, a gold watch studded with diamonds, and was covered in all kinds of glittering jewelry. He looked exactly like a nouveau riche, as if he was afraid that others would not know that he was rich.

Above the cartoon character's head, there's a line of text that reads, "What is hard work? It's having money. It's having money when you're stupid."

The key is that the cartoon character's facial features are very similar to Bill Gates's appearance in his old age, especially his iconic hairline and facial contours. Anyone who sees it will subconsciously associate it with Bill Gates.

Anyone with eyes to see knows that this was deliberately designed by Google to humiliate Bill Gates.

What Bill Gates found even more unbearable was that there was more than one knock-off of his own emoji.

The moment Igor Patterson swiped the screen to show off his emoji library, Bill Gates clearly saw that there were at least twenty or thirty similar emojis.

Some of them feature cartoon characters bowing in a Japanese style, accompanied by the caption "I was wrong."

Some made elaborate gestures with their pinky fingers, wore heavy makeup, and even indicated that they were men.

There was also someone wearing a crop top and black stockings, her face flushed red, with two exaggerated blushes on her cheeks, captioned "I'm angry."

Every single meme hit Bill Gates' sore spot perfectly, making him tremble with anger. Google is really going all out right in his face.

Microsoft is already embroiled in controversy due to an antitrust case, and public dissatisfaction with the company is already high. The release of this set of emojis by Google will undoubtedly add fuel to the fire.

Many users will undoubtedly download Google Play out of curiosity and a desire to see the fun, using these emojis to make jokes and...

Mocking him.

Although Bill Gates was furious, Malcolm knew that such an appeal was doomed to fail.

First, this is a cartoon character. Second, Bill Gates has never made the actions or expressions shown in the meme. Third, this meme is futuristic; who can guarantee that Bill Gates will look like this when he gets old?

Besides, there's no crime of infringing on a future person's portrait rights.

Therefore, even if a lawsuit is filed, it will most likely end in defeat, and may even further damage the company's image by making a mountain out of a molehill.

But Google's mocking offensive didn't stop there. Igor Patterson on the screen continued, "In addition to the official set of emojis we developed, Google will officially open its emoji development platform to the public and sincerely invite all independent developers around the world to join the emoji development race."

Everyone's first reaction was, is Google calling on the world to mock Bill Gates?

Having just released a set of memes featuring Bill Gates, and now opening up the platform for everyone to create freely, it's hard not to think of a scenario where everyone is making fun of Bill Gates.

What will Microsoft do then? Will they sue all the creators?

But even if the whole world mocks Bill Gates, what does that have to do with the current predicament Google is facing?

The biggest problem for Google Connect right now is how to break through Microsoft's bundling strategy.

While emojis may attract some users to download Google Messenger in the short term, they cannot shake Microsoft's core advantages. The fundamental problems facing Google Messenger remain unresolved.

Just as everyone was discussing this, Igor Patterson spoke again, announcing the second new feature: "In addition to emojis, we will also be officially launching the Google Streaming Diamond membership service."

"We have reached a deep cooperation with Yuedong Games to jointly create an exclusive game called 'Texas Hold'em 1998'. This game not only has high-definition graphics and smooth operation, but we will also hold multiple online tournaments every day, from 10 am to 10 pm, to provide players with uninterrupted competitive opportunities."

"The winner will not only receive a cash prize of up to $10,000, but also a wealth of material rewards, such as the latest iPod, high-end headphones, and more."

"We've also set up virtual rewards, including an annual Google Play membership and exclusive in-game items. In short, if you have enough skill, you can enjoy entertainment and earn money simultaneously through 'Texas Hold'em 1998'."

These words instantly piqued the interest of many viewers. At this time of year, 10,000 yuan in cash is no small sum, not to mention the popular electronic product iPod as a reward. Such temptation is enough to make countless users' hearts flutter.

Moreover, Texas Hold'em is as popular as Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game), and almost everyone knows how to play it.

"Considering that many players may be eliminated early in the competition due to bad luck, we have set up an exclusive benefit for Black Diamond members, which is the revival mechanism. As long as you are a Black Diamond member, you will have a chance to re-enter the competition after running out of chips or being eliminated, so that you will not miss out on the big prize due to a single mistake."

When you've fought your way through the competition and are about to enter the top ten and win a prize of 10,000 yuan, but are eliminated due to a small mistake, and the system tells you that as long as you activate the Black Diamond membership, you can be revived and continue the competition, wouldn't you be tempted?

The answer is obviously yes.

The allure of being just one step away from success is enough to make a large number of users willingly pay for Black Diamond memberships.

However, it's still the same problem; it doesn't solve the fundamental issue.

Black Diamond membership and Texas Hold'em 1998 may significantly increase Google Connect's daily active users and even boost revenue, but they still cannot solve the core problem of the source entry point caused by Microsoft's bundling.

"Finally, I'd like to introduce a major upgrade to the basic functions of Google Messenger."

"We hope that users have both entertainment and work needs when using instant messaging software. Therefore, we have fully integrated Google Office and Google Messenger. Users can directly edit documents, create spreadsheets, and write presentations within Google Messenger without switching applications, and can share files with contacts in real time, achieving a highly efficient experience of chatting and working at the same time."

"In addition, we have optimized the file transfer function and launched offline file download and resume download functions." Igor Patterson's words impressed many people in the audience.

The current internet speed is a major drawback. A file of a few megabytes can easily take half an hour to download, and if the connection is lost in the middle, it has to be restarted. Google Messenger's two features perfectly solve this problem.

With this feature, Google Messenger has perfectly taken over some of the functions of email. In the future, you can use email for important documents and Google Messenger for simple documents.

Compared to email, Google Messenger is clearly more convenient.

This could become an attraction for Google Connect to increase its user base, or even a blockbuster product.

But the question remains: is Google's reliance on Microsoft simply a matter of winning antitrust cases? Is there no concrete action whatsoever?