In reality, this was just Gates being modest; Microsoft had new ideas while choosing to cooperate with TechFuture.
Or perhaps it's a smokescreen.
Especially after the emergence of Universal-Pengcheng, Microsoft's product strategy regarding the type of products it wants to create in the metaverse era has become clearer.
The practice of copying and plagiarism in the Chinese internet industry has long been a serious problem.
However, the spirit of the Internet from its inception was open source and sharing.
The earliest example can be traced back to the operating systems and other programs released by IBM in the 1950s and 60s, and the source code of these programs was shared.
At that time, there was also a share user group specifically established for open-source software sharing.
The later rise of the free software movement further popularized the term "open source."
The original core spirit has led to the phenomenon of creative plagiarism being serious not only in China, but also in America, the birthplace of the Internet.
For example, Apple sued Microsoft in the early days, claiming that Microsoft had copied their idea of a graphical user interface.
After ICQ became a hit, not only Tencent borrowed this idea, but Microsoft's MSN also did.
Even IBM launched its own instant messaging software, though few people have used it; it's called IBM Lotus SameTime.
Of course, some people will say that MSN was founded and launched in 1995, while the parent company of ICQ was not established until July 1996.
First, ICQ existed before Mirabilis was created. Second, MSN, which was launched in 1995, was primarily an internet service provider, not an instant messaging software.
MSN only began to vigorously develop its chat functionality after ICQ became popular.
Including Zuckerberg's later extensive copying and borrowing of other people's ideas, Facebook itself originally borrowed ideas from others.
Similar incidents are also common in America.
The problem with China's internet industry is not the plagiarism of ideas.
The key question is what these internet companies did after successfully leveraging China's protection of its domestic internet industry and its localization advantages.
After successfully accumulating a large user base and completing their initial capital accumulation through IPO, most internet companies want to learn from the success of Tencent and Alibaba.
They aspire to be the landlords of the cyber-era internet, rather than making technological breakthroughs. Few Chinese companies have contributed to many fundamental and critical application technologies.
In its early days, Microsoft was the world's most successful and famous internet company, and the story of Bill Gates dropping out of college to start the company was renowned worldwide.
Therefore, during the twenty years from 1996 to 2016, entrepreneurship in China's internet industry was mainly in the software sector.
The success of Tencent and Ali has further fueled this trend.
The subsequent success of Apple and smartphones led many people to start businesses in the hardware field.
After the rise of brain-computer interface VR, internet professionals are the most perceptive to market trends.
Everyone realized that they definitely couldn't compete with Kechuang Future in the hardware field, because brain-computer interface technology alone couldn't be solved with money.
However, the software field is a good option. The entrepreneurial opportunities in the field of brain-computer interface VR software are comparable to the opportunities presented by the mobile internet boom of that time.
Douyin's VR live streaming revenue surpassed that of regular live streaming tips as early as 2025.
Many optical manufacturers have increased their R&D investment in the VR camera field.
As a result, the VR software industry has seen a large influx of funds, and former internet companies have also increased their investment in this field.
Microsoft is no exception; it was a giant in the PC era but a loser in the mobile internet era.
Symbian's defeat in the competition with Android was a huge blow to Microsoft.
They missed an era. Bill Gates said to Zheng Li with a wan smile that when virtual reality is realized, it will be the end of Microsoft.
While it's a performance, there's also a real element to it. In fact, Microsoft has never given up hope of turning the tide in the metaverse era.
However, if Microsoft's attempts in the new era fail again, then their future will indeed be bleak.
If you can't build a system, then build a system-level application that can be widely used.
Microsoft's target for inspiration is Huanyu Pengcheng, as they also intend to create a similar ecosystem.
However, Microsoft plans to create a free user space and applications based on the game "Minecraft," which are completely different from those of Tencent.
Minecraft offers richer gameplay and greater potential in the VR field, making it a trump card that Microsoft has been holding onto.
If they can't make operating systems, they'll make irreplaceable software. This is Microsoft's approach to the new era.
Tencent's Huanyu-Pengcheng is very profitable, but it also faces numerous powerful competitors.
This is similar to how Genshin Impact's massive global success has attracted countless game developers who want to create similar titles and grab a share of the profits.
Zheng Li and Gates also discussed the licensing of industrial VR technology, which the Chinese government has banned from exporting.
Zheng Li has a natural excuse to attribute the problem to policy factors, namely the inability to authorize external parties due to policy restrictions.
Microsoft's earliest foray into the industrial VR field can be traced back to the HoloLens augmented reality headset, which was released at the Windows 10 launch event in 2015.
Microsoft continued to invest in the industrial VR field, and its HoloLens series of headsets has now reached its fifth generation.
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