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Chapter 431 The Troubles of Happiness

At 2 p.m. sharp, the main hall of the concert hall was packed with more than a thousand people, including technology media reporters, consumer electronics industry analysts, and supply chain partner representatives from all over the world.

As the staff pulled back the heavy velvet curtain, the lights in the hall dimmed abruptly, with only a soft glow emanating from the center of the stage.

"Here it comes! It's finally starting!" Riley quickly checked his professional high-definition video recorder again to ensure that he could clearly capture every detail on stage.

The professional SLR camera worth tens of thousands of dollars hanging around his neck had its lens cap removed, and the camera was ready to work at any time.

He excitedly nudged Karl beside him with his arm, his voice brimming with barely concealed excitement.

Carl, on the other hand, appeared much calmer and more composed. He turned to Riley with a helpless yet understanding smile on his face and slowly said, "I know you're a big fan of AI Technology, but there's no need to get so worked up, is there?"

On stage, a spotlight suddenly shone on the side stage, and Tim Cook, CEO of iTech, walked to the front of the stage wearing a charcoal gray turtleneck, causing a slight but persistent commotion in the audience.

This Silicon Valley elite, who is not yet forty years old, drew envious glances from many audience members working in the technology industry.

Originally a senior manager at Compaq, he was now valued by Ernst and became the CEO of Axon Technologies.

It's not that Compaq computers are bad; after all, Compaq is one of the giants in the personal computer industry.

However, compared to AxonTech, which is currently in a period of rapid growth, Compaq lags behind in both current revenue and future development potential.

Moreover, Cook was just one of many senior executives at Compaq, and his influence was relatively limited.

At iTech, however, he serves as CEO, taking full responsibility for the company's daily operations and management.

The difference becomes even more apparent when comparing the two positions.

On stage, Cook had already picked up the microphone. "Last summer, I left Compaq and joined iTech, which at the time didn't even have a fixed office. It was all because of one sentence Ernst said to me very seriously: 'Cook, join us, let's create a great era for consumer electronics together!'"

"I believe you." Cook shrugged, adding humorously, "This is Ernst, after all. Could anyone refuse his invitation?"

The audience members smiled knowingly, and many began to whisper among themselves, making the atmosphere more relaxed and lively.

As Cook said, there are countless talented people in Silicon Valley or America today, just like Cook and Peter Thiel, who yearn to gain Ernst's appreciation and become one of his capable lieutenants.

Cook's expression gradually became serious, and his voice rose a few decibels, clearly carrying throughout the concert hall's sound system. "It turns out that I made the right decision that changed the course of my life. The first-generation iPod was a huge success, making iTech a household name in the global consumer electronics industry and a highly regarded emerging technology company."

"Today, we are introducing the highly anticipated second-generation iPod."

As Cook finished speaking, the huge, previously black screen on the stage backdrop lit up instantly, displaying a flowing, deep blue data stream pattern. The highly technological visual effect immediately attracted the attention of all the audience members.

A few seconds later, information about the second-generation iPod appeared on the screen, and many people leaned forward as if they wanted to see the content on the screen more clearly.

Riley had already raised his camera, but the product specifications that suddenly appeared in the lens made him pause.

"The iPod II came in two versions, 10GB and 20GB, with a maximum storage capacity of 4,000 songs. In addition to the FireWire interface, the second-generation iPod also had a USB port."

On the screen, the silver body gleamed with a cold light, and a familiar circular dial was embedded in a size slightly smaller than a cartridge, surrounded by four control buttons.

Then the screen switched to a live broadcast.

A pair of slender hands gently gripped the device, fingertips lightly touching the edge of the dial. The song list on the screen scrolled rapidly, and with a light tap of the center button, "Hotel California" flowed out instantly.

"Wow, that's a really fast reaction time." Riley couldn't help but exclaim. Not only him, but many people in the audience also exclaimed, clearly having noticed this as well.

It's so smooth and fluid that it completely changed their previous concept of smoothness in electronic products.

Cook picked up a white second-generation iPod from the product stand on the side, walked to the front of the stage, faced the audience, and continued, "In order to bring users a better user experience, we have made comprehensive upgrades and optimizations to the hardware and software of the second-generation iPod."

"Through iTunes, users can quickly and efficiently transfer all the songs from a complete CD music album to their second-generation iPod in just 10 minutes."

"More importantly, during the music transfer process, iTunes software can automatically obtain the song's cover image and lyrics information and store them in the product. When users play music, they can not only hear beautiful music, but also see exquisite song covers."

To demonstrate the functionality he was talking about, Cook instructed the technicians on site to demonstrate its operation.

Then, the large screen on the stage backdrop immediately switched to a live demonstration, clearly showing the entire process of transferring CD music to a second-generation iPod using iTunes.

After the technicians completed the demonstration, Cook spoke again, continuing to introduce the other upgrades of the second-generation iPod: "In addition to optimizations and upgrades in data transfer and music storage, the new generation of iPods also features a significant improvement in battery life."

"Compared to the first-generation iPod's 10-hour continuous playback time, the second-generation iPod's continuous playback time has increased to 12 hours, which means users can enjoy music for a longer period of time without charging."

The improved battery life of the second-generation iPod is mainly due to BYD's breakthrough in battery technology.

"We have also made optimizations and improvements to the product's weight. The second-generation iPod weighs only 153 grams, a significant reduction compared to the first-generation iPod."

"We have also added six different sound modes to the second-generation iPod, including rock, classical, jazz, pop, electronic, and custom sound modes. Users can choose the sound mode that suits their music preferences and different music genres to obtain a more personalized and high-quality music listening experience and meet the diverse needs of different users for music sound effects."

Cook held up the device in his hand and said, "Finally, we also added recording, timer, and alarm functions to the second-generation iPod."

"And its price..."

"The 10GB storage version is priced at $349; the 20GB storage version is priced at $399."

The moment the price information appeared on the big screen, the scene erupted in uproar once again.

The first thought that came to everyone's mind was: "It will sell like hotcakes."

Aikron's MP3 players occupy more than 80% of the global market, while the remaining 20% ​​is divided up by Japanese manufacturers.

Sony's MC-P10 is the best-selling model, with over 130 million units sold in the five months since its release.

Sony's P10 is even cheaper, costing only $299, but now it seems that this biggest selling point of the Sony P10 no longer exists.

The second-generation iPod was $50 more expensive than Sony's, but it not only added many features but also doubled the storage capacity, making it seem more cost-effective than Sony's P10.

The key is the system and storage space. The smoothness of the second-generation iPod shows that the iPod's system is better than that developed by Sony.

Secondly, there's the storage space. Sony's P10 uses Hitachi's 1.8-inch hard drive. It's not that Sony didn't want to use GenTek's, but rather that GenTek's hard drives couldn't keep up with its production capacity, so they were basically all given to AxonTech.

Currently, Hitachi's 1.8-inch hard drives definitely do not have 10GB capacity, let alone 20GB.

When the second generation of iPod is released, the price of the first generation of iPod will definitely drop. At that time, what will Sony and those Japanese manufacturers rely on to compete?

Unless Hitachi makes a breakthrough in hard drive technology, even if Japanese manufacturers follow suit and add the features of the second-generation iPod to their MP3 players, they will still not be able to outsell the first-generation iPad after its price reduction.

This is the power of a brand.

Compared to the media personnel and guests, the supply chain manufacturers sitting in the audience could only be described as excited.

Samsung Electronics CEO Yoon Jong-ryong was flushed and excitedly grabbed his thigh.

South Korea is currently in the economic recovery phase. Samsung Electronics has secured a major order from Axon Technologies, giving it the confidence to buy up assets at bargain prices in the domestic market and turn the risks of the financial crisis into opportunities.

At that time, Samsung will firmly hold the title of South Korea's largest conglomerate.

Wang Chuanfu, who personally came to the scene from BYD, was not much better off. This trip to the United States was to sign an order with Ivy Technology.

At this press conference, Wang Chuanfu couldn't even imagine how many iPods AiTech would ship next year.

Fifty million units?

Or perhaps 60 million units?

What is certain is that iPod shipments will surge again next year.

Consequently, BYD will be overwhelmed with orders.

He originally thought that he would be lucky if he could secure a battery order worth 30 million yuan during this trip to the United States.

Looking at it now, it seems like iTech might just double down on the deal.

The first thing I did after getting back was to study the production capacity issue. Does this mean we have to acquire land again to expand the factory?

What to do? This money is coming in like a whirlwind, there's no stopping it. It's a happy kind of trouble.