Chapter 273 Great Luck! Big Surprise! Victory Horn
Lin Xiao first opened the web browser, entered various URLs, and opened various web pages.
There's no way around it, this is simulating the behavior of early smartphone users.
Because there were not many apps at the beginning, many smartphone users would either surf the Internet or play games as soon as they bought a phone.
In fact, users in the market now have a huge pain point.
That is, there are a lot of fragmented time and commuting time without any entertainment tools. Also, there are no electronic entertainment tools when lying in bed before going to bed or when going out to play.
Laptops are too heavy and regular phones are just not enough to play with.
So Sony's PSP was born, and it was popular all over the world at that time.
However, at that time, the games on PSP were expensive, there were not many big titles, and most importantly, the format was single.
Open various websites, Sina, Sohu, etc.
The effect is not good, either it is a pure PC page or a wap page from the 2G era, which is too simple.
The web pages for smartphones need to be remade. They are simpler than those for PCs, but more complicated than those for 2G WABs.
Moreover, the original PC web page was already a bit stuck. The key is that the characters are too small and need to be enlarged with both hands, otherwise it is very inconvenient to click.
And then I opened the Facebook page, the Jiayuan.com page.
Effect……
very good!
Because all the web pages of the Lightning Series have been designed in advance.
Then, Lin Xiao clicked on various APPs inside.
All of them are lightning-type.
Thousands of people listen quietly.
Perfect, so perfect.
This APP is actually more suitable and perfect on mobile phones than on computers.
Because the resolution of mobile phones is relatively high, the design can be more beautiful.
youtube video.
Also perfect.
"There is a problem here. Our prototype uses a WiFi network environment, but my country has banned the WiFi standard since 2003 and adopted WAPI." Wu Di next to him said, "But whether it is WiFi or WAPI, the probability of popularization in China in a short period of time is still very low."
"Of course, our first generation of mobile phones will adopt the 3G standard..."
When he said this, Wu Di paused.
Because Texas Instruments' 3G baseband chip hasn't come out yet, it's really fucking annoying.
"But the current data traffic is still very expensive, so whether it's Youtube or Qvod, the form is more important than the content."
"In most cases, users still download some key videos and watch them on their phones. In the current environment, probably no one has the luxury to watch videos online."
"We, our focus needs to be on games and reading."
"Lightning Group has already developed a reading app, which is ready to be connected to the online novels on major platforms and charge for genuine copyrights."
"Of course...it also supports users to download TXT content and read it."
Shit, another killer app.
In the early days, the main use of mobile phones was reading, so mobile reading bases were once extremely powerful.
"In terms of games, there are two types in total."
"The first type is board games, which do not require high traffic and do not use much traffic."
Lin Xiao found an APP for lightning games.
There are stand-alone tractor upgrades, chess, go, landlords, etc., which are mainly played with mobile phones.
There is also a special game hall where you can play against real people.
Seeing Lin Xiao entering a Landlord game, the other prototypes also clicked in.
It was difficult to get three people together.
Surprisingly, there is actually server support?
Familiar music sounded.
Call the landlord, rob the landlord, don’t do it.
I explode...
Three with two.
I only have one card left.
"The second type is purely a semi-standalone game."
"There are currently two racing games, Plants vs. Zombies, Protect the Carrots, Angry Birds, Temple Run, Fruit Ninja and more than 20 other games."
Lin Xiao looked at the densely packed game icons on the screen.
There are only two words in my heart: Awesome! Lightning Games' Fantasy Studio has been planning ahead for the past two or three years, and the results are finally here, right?
It covers almost all the classic games from the early days of smartphones.
Given the richness of the games, neither Apple nor HTC will be able to catch up in the next few years.
Early smartphone users would be moved to tears if they had these games to play.
Of course, later on, you need to watch large-scale mobile games from plagiarism maniacs like Gamesoft, such as Modern Warfare, Backstab, etc.
It is actually the mobile version of Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed.
However, users will soon lose interest in these games and end up staying focused on games like Honor of Kings, Genshin Impact, Game for Peace, Honkai Impact 3rd, etc.
However, the game contents produced by Lightning Games for the first generation of mobile phones are really enough to be three to five years ahead of competitors.
"At present, Fantasy Studios has plans to port Dungeon Fighter to mobile phones. Of course, it will be difficult, but it is just a plan."
Lin Xiao opened Plants vs. Zombies and started playing.
It was fine at the beginning, but after the 20th level, there were obvious lags.
"There is no other way. We definitely need to keep optimizing. After all, no one has much experience. These games were developed before our system came out, so there will definitely be a lot of conflicts and bugs."
"But we still have plenty of time."
Lin Xiao opened the Temple Escape.
This lag is even worse, but Lin Xiao is not frustrated at all.
Because this is different from the ecosystem of early Android phones, which have all kinds of strange systems and even different socs.
The reason why Apple is so awesome is that its software and system are perfectly adapted.
Lin Xiao's mobile phone can also be perfectly adapted. Although it will be open source, and after it is open source, it is hard to say what other apps will be like. But... at least our internal ecosystem will be extremely smooth.
Then, Lin Xiao opened the Facebook APP.
The page is well designed, and at high resolution, the display is much better than on a computer.
But when you go deeper into the content, such as related communities.
It didn't take long before it got stuck for a long time and then collapsed.
"There is no way. Facebook's database is too large, and the entire adaptation and optimization will take a long time." Wu Di said.
Lin Xiao: "No problem, we have enough time."
There are also huge advantages in developing systems in the early stages, namely that the ecological chain is simple and the number of APPs is small.
The key is that users have low expectations and are easily satisfied.
Judging from the current ecosystem, it is far superior to Nokia's Symbian.
It's far superior to Microsoft's semi-smartphone.
Even if it is the first generation of Apple? So what? Its current ecosystem is also very poor. Our starting point is higher than its in some aspects, at least in terms of games, far exceeding it.
Wu Di: "Our Lightning Group has the largest Internet ecosystem in the country. So we will focus on conquering three companies next: Tencent's QQ, Alibaba's Taobao, and Baidu. That's all."
"Also, regarding mobile Internet access, we will take a very stupid approach."
"It's USB sharing of computer to access the Internet."
Lin Xiao: "How similar is our system to Google's Android system?"
Richie and Chris looked at each other and said, "The similarity is very high."
Because two of the four founders of Android were in X Research Institute, Lin Xiao gave him a higher position, more salary, and more shares.
"But it doesn't matter. This is a completely groundless lawsuit." Chris said, "Because the achievements of the early Android company were very limited. After joining Google, they started a lot of things from scratch."
"It's the same here, but because you were so instructive and goal-oriented, we avoided many detours."
"Maybe, possibly, Google's Android system is better, better at the underlying level, but..." Chris paused for a moment.
Lin Xiao: "Because, they are just talking on paper, without any actual combat."
In November 2007, Google established a mobile technology alliance to win over hardware manufacturers.
It wasn't until September 2008 that the first Android phone, HTC's G1, was released.
On the contrary, Lin Xiao does both software and hardware together.
In fact, Lightning Group occupies half of the ecological chain.
Even if your initial skills are weak, you will improve rapidly if you practice with the help of mobile phone hardware.
Of course, in the future many mobile phone manufacturers may embrace Google's technology alliance and join Android, which is unavoidable.
But... as long as the ecosystem developed by Lightning Group is strong enough.
Really develop a killer application like WeChat or WhatsApp.
As long as Facebook becomes more powerful and irreplaceable, it can fight back against hardware manufacturers.
In short, the key to developing a mobile phone system in the early stages is strategic direction, not technical issues. The difficulty is much simpler than in the middle and late stages.
Because at the beginning everyone was scrambling to grab land and everyone started from scratch.
By the middle and late stages, when everyone has occupied the area, it will be extremely difficult for you to fight your way in.
"Besides, our UI is really good. The more you look at it, the more pleasing it becomes." Chris couldn't help but say.
Lin Xiao: "As the Chinese say, you are just selling melons like Wang Po."
Because Chris and Dali are responsible for UI design.
Chris: "No, no, the main reason is because of you, Boss. You gave us very clear directions and logic, which saved us a lot of detours."
"Android is a technology-oriented company, not a user-oriented one, so we are really far ahead in terms of user comfort."
Lin Xiao reluctantly played with the prototype. The system was much more complete and excellent than he had imagined. It was just as Wu Di said, the technology was not the most difficult, but the strategic direction.
Although it sounds a bit pretentious, this is really the starting point of a new era.
But it was a bit embarrassing. After a few minutes, the phone crashed. After a few minutes of waiting, it restarted.
It's okay, it's okay! It's already amazing.
………………………………
Lin Xiaofei went to the United States.
The next day, DreamVision, Facebook America, Sony Columbia, and Susan Collins watched the movie "The Hunger Games" together.
After watching it, everyone applauded symbolically.
Even Susan Collins looked a little embarrassed.
"Sorry." She leaned over and whispered in Lin Xiao's ear.
Lin Xiao: "Why do you want to say sorry?"
Susan: "I wrote it in a way that is a bit childish. It is obviously a very profound theme of dystopia, but I can't achieve the depth of your "Graveyard Book". It is okay to express it in words alone, but after it was put on the big screen, it felt weird, as if it was very childish and ridiculous. I brought in many habits from writing children's dramas."
After all, the other party is a professional writer and he immediately got to the heart of the matter.
"The Graveyard Book", like "Coco", is a simple and profound work.
Many works of Pixar, such as "Wall-E" and "Toy Story", are simple yet profound.
Use the simplest story to illustrate a very simple truth.
You won’t feel it is childish, you will just feel it is deeply rooted in people’s hearts.
The Hunger Games uses a complicated story to tell a complicated truth, but it's not told well. In short, it's just too flashy.
I didn't feel much after reading the book, but after watching the movie, I felt it was so damn childish.
There are many similar works, such as "Ender's Game", the original work of which has a greater influence than "The Hunger Games".
However, the film adaptation was a failure.
It's just that everyone is not convinced.
Of course, there are many other failed film adaptations of similar popular works, such as "The Chronicles of Narnia", the influence of this original work is as famous as "The Lord of the Rings".
But... "The Hunger Games" was a success, and an unparalleled success.
All I can say is that it just happens to fit the rebellious and childish outlook of most young audiences.
Of course, this movie is barely decent, with scores of around 7 on both Douban and IMDb.
After watching it, several parties held a meeting.
"Everyone has seen the finished film. It's a barely good movie." Amy Pascal said to Susan Collins, "Dear, I don't mean anything else. As one of the original authors and a producer, you have done your best."
"You've done a great job."
"But everyone can see that it is certainly not a great work."
"Tom? What do you think?"
Tom Bernard of Sony Classics is an old friend. He said slowly: "It is indeed not a great movie. In terms of pure movie quality, it is not as good as "The Last Days"."
"It's not like Kung Fu Panda, which has extraordinary significance."
"Lin, you were the one who created the successful film 'The Last Days'." Tom Bernard said, "Although it was produced two and a half years ago."
"But I still respect your talent very much. How much do you think we need to spend to promote it?"
Historically, the film was produced and distributed by Lionsgate Films, with a publicity cost of approximately $50 million.
How to describe Lionsgate? A second-tier film company? A second-tier distribution company? The king of B-movies?
Sony Columbia is one of the six major studios in Hollywood and an absolute powerhouse.
The production cost of 70 million US dollars and the publicity cost of 50 million US dollars are already a huge amount of money for Lionsgate.
But for Sony Columbia, it's just a sprinkle of water.
So when Lionsgate saw the global box office of "The Hunger Games" (US$694 million), it was also stunned.
Fuck...
How could Lionsgate be so good? Why was it so good? And Lionsgate's publicity strategy was simple: buy ads on CNN and play the trailer of The Hunger Games ten times a day.
Huh? This scene seems familiar, as if I have seen it somewhere before.
Lin Xiao: "Is Sony Classics going to pay for this publicity alone, or do I have to pay for it as well?"
This time, Lin Xiao really wanted to pay for the publicity together.
Because he is the largest producer and can already get a big share of the money. If he can also get a share from the distribution, he will make a lot of money.
Tom Bernard: "Just tell me, how much is the advertising cost?"
Lin Xiao: "About 60 million US dollars, most of which is spent on TV ads and the Internet. Facebook and YouTube are the main focus."
Suddenly, everyone looked strange.
This, isn't this just reversing the right hand from the left?
Tom Bernard: "Lin, can we talk privately?"
Lin Xiao: “Okay.”
The two people came to another office.
"Lin, if this movie is just a promotional video for Facebook, then its mission has been accomplished, because Facebook is already very, very successful." Tom Bernard: "But for me, it is just a pure movie. Can I make money by distributing it? You pay for most of the production costs, but if the promotion costs are 60 million US dollars, then the global box office must be at least more than 200 million US dollars, so that I can barely break even."
"From a friend's perspective, tell me, should I let you share the publicity costs?"
For the previous movie "The Walking Dead", Tom Bernard was unwilling to pay for the publicity cost even if it was more than 10 million US dollars. As a result, Lin Xiao paid half of it and also had to take a share of the final distribution profits.
As a result, "The Last Days" grossed $270 million worldwide.
Lin Xiao is very short of money, and the share of "The Hunger Games" is extremely important to him.
Because in eight months, he will have to repay a loan of more than 900 million US dollars.
According to Lin Xiao's estimation, the global box office of "The Hunger Games" may be higher than in history because it has more gimmicks and is the top-ranked work in the US talent show. Can the ugly duckling become a white swan?
This heroine represents the hopes of countless female college students across the United States.
So even if Lin Xiao pays half of the advertising costs, he can get several times the return in the end.
As for Sony Classics, they felt that paying $60 million was too risky.
Lin Xiao: "You know I'm very, very short of money right now, but I'm very, very willing to pay $30 million, or even more for publicity, so that I can get a share of the distribution profits."
"But from the perspective of friends and long-term strategic cooperation, I advise you to bear all the publicity costs alone."
"It pains me to say this, because it may cause me to lose tens of millions of net profits."
Tom Bernard stared at Lin Xiao in surprise: "You are so optimistic about it? I can see that you don't think highly of this movie."
Lin Xiao: "The quality of a movie and its box office are not completely proportional."
Tom Bernard: "How much do you think it will do at the box office?"
Lin Xiao: "What's your estimate?"
Tom Bernard thought for a while and said, "My very bold estimate is $100 million in North America and $250 million worldwide."
Lin Xiao: "Then my estimate is higher than yours."
Tom Bernard: "How much higher?"
Lin Xiao: “Much, much higher.”
Tom looked at Lin Xiao for a long time. The two sides have been dealing with each other for several years. At least until now, all partners fully recognize Lin Xiao's character and morals.
"I won't give you a chance. Sony Classics will pay for all the publicity costs. Isn't it just 60 million US dollars? We can afford the bet." Tom laughed.
Lin Xiao made a gesture as if he was shot in the chest.
But everything he said was true.
From the perspective of short-term interests, he should indeed take advantage of the other party's pessimism, directly pay the general publicity fees, and then take a part of the distribution profits.
But for the sake of long-term interests, he decided to tell the truth.
Sony Classics will probably be pleasantly surprised and almost shocked by the final box office results.
……………………………………
Next, Sony Classics announced that "The Hunger Games" will be released simultaneously around the world on July 13!
It also spent $60 million on publicity, of which $20 million will be spent on Internet advertising, with the focus on YouTube and Facebook.
In the Chinese mainland market, the film will also be jointly distributed by Sony Classics and Bona Film Group.
However, Lin Xiao does not have too high hopes for this movie's box office in China.
Historically, it was only 134 million RMB.
After finalizing this matter, the next step is to quietly wait for the arrival of July 9th and the big hit of "The Hunger Games".
As the main producer, he can earn hundreds of millions of dollars from box office revenue, DVDs and videotapes.
At this moment, Lin Xiao received a call from Masayoshi Son.
"In America?"
Lin Xiao: “Yes.”
Masayoshi Son: “California?”
Lin Xiao: “Yes.”
Masayoshi Son: “Then go to X Institute and we’ll talk.”
………………
The next day, Lin Xiao met with Masayoshi Son at the X Institute.
"First of all, you have less than eight months left to repay the loan." Masayoshi Son: "According to the contract, if you don't pay back the money, most of the shares of Fantasy World, Facebook in the United States, and YouTube overseas will belong to SoftBank Group."
“And at their current valuations, your losses are astronomical, but up until now, you’ve been spending money and it seems like you haven’t had any gains on any dollar assets.”
"From a friend's perspective, I hope you can make money quickly so that you can pay off this huge debt of more than 900 million US dollars."
"But from a business perspective, if you really can't pay the money back by then, I will execute the contract without hesitation."
Lin Xiao: "I understand. Thank you for your reminder, Mr. Sun."
Masayoshi Son: "The second thing is that Google is calling for the formation of a mobile technology alliance to win over a large number of mobile phone manufacturers. You should know that the core of a mobile phone operating system is not technology, or even ecology, but the positions of a large number of world giants."
"Google has the backing of many giants and has the power to make things happen."
"And your mobile phone system is still too weak to just have SoftBank and Yahoo behind it."
“Although you are a shareholder of ARM, ARM is destined not to take sides.”
"So, do you have any idea to join another giant?"
Lin Xiao: "You mean... Microsoft?"
Suddenly, Sun Zhengyi was stunned. He looked at Lin Xiao in disbelief and asked, "You, you have a unique source of business intelligence?"
Lin Xiao said: "No, I am just eager for your sharing."
Son said: "Intention, just an intention, Microsoft has some intention to acquire Yahoo Group."
This incident actually broke out in February 2008.
I didn't expect that now I have the interest and the limelight.
Masayoshi Son: "Although Microsoft is now the largest mobile phone system supplier, they can invest a sum of money even if it is to compete with Google or to share the risk, if our X Research Institute is established."
"In this way, X Research Institute can barely be considered as a Microsoft subsidiary."
"This will be more beneficial in promoting this mobile phone system in the future. It will also be good for your reputation in China."
"Besides, your Fallout 3 can also enrich Microsoft's gaming industry chain."
Lin Xiao: "Mr. Sun, two years ago, Wu Lingxi and I flew 5,000 kilometers to Washington to meet with Microsoft CEO Steve. We made an appointment a week in advance. But he refused to see us even though he was in the company. He just sent a middle-level manager from the PR department to deal with us. This was a huge humiliation."
"Besides, the so-called investment in X Research Institute is completely your wishful thinking. Microsoft has no such intention at all, right?"
Masayoshi Son: "Microsoft's acquisition of Yahoo Group is an astronomical sum, while its investment in X Research Institute is a small sum. We can discuss them together. Yang Zhiyuan is willing to cooperate."
Lin Xiao: "That means we are kneeling down to ask for Microsoft's investment, kneeling down to ask for its protection, kneeling down to ask to join the Microsoft system. And even after being invested in, they still won't look at us straight in the eye, nor will they support us, because their focus is still on their own mobile phone system."
Masayoshi Son: “It’s better to have this name than not to have it.”
Lin Xiao: "Mr. Sun, do you know what I think?"
Masayoshi Son: “Yes.”
Lin Xiao: "Isn't Microsoft's focus now on building the Xbox gaming empire? I just want to make classic games one after another to beat it. I want to knock down its halo and knock down Fable 2."
"I want them to actively beg me to add my game to their XBOX platform."
"In the future, I can accept it to invest in X Research Institute, but not now. Instead, its mobile phone system failed and it actively begged to invest in my X Research Institute."
"Instead of me begging for it."
Son Masayoshi stared at Lin Xiao with his small eyes. Although they had been friends for several years and were as familiar as could be, his face still twitched slightly when he heard these words.
Microsoft is the world's leading technology giant, dominating the world. Would they come to you for help? Your assets and influence are nothing to them.
It's true that Microsoft is very powerful, but it also has many strategic flaws, which have not been made up even after more than a decade.
But in Masayoshi Son's view, Lin Xiao's attitude towards Microsoft is really like that of a brave man against a dragon.
But what Lin Xiao is most annoyed about now are Microsoft and Google.
Especially in the country, these two forces led a large number of public intellectuals to launch a frenzied siege on Lin Xiao and the Lightning Department.
For more than two years, the smears and slanders have never stopped.
We must completely defeat Lin Xiao, the Internet hero.
Then, establish a myth of submission to them.
In the United States, Microsoft and Google are in a kind of antagonistic relationship. But in mainland China, the two sides are united in suppressing Lin Xiao and the Lightning system, and they advance and retreat together.
Son Masayoshi said helplessly: "I knew this would be the result. We have been dealing with each other for four years. I know you too well."
………………………………
At Texas Instruments, after 18 months, the SOC that Lin Xiao requested had been designed.
In just one and a half years!
It cost about 400 million US dollars, and this was based on the public version design provided by ARM.
Tape out again and again.
Of course, now is not like a decade later, when each tape-out would cost tens of millions of dollars.
But millions of levels are still needed.
This way of spending money is really frightening.
At this time, Liang had been working at Samsung for more than a year. Because of his relationship, X Research Institute even considered whether to cooperate with Samsung Semiconductor.
However, in the end, I gave up.
Samsung may have briefly surpassed TSMC in the future, but at least it is still lagging behind now.
The key point is that the standard that Lin Xiao had asked Texas Instruments to design before was 45 nanometers, but TSMC's 45 nanometer process has only just barely matured until now.
Therefore, the failure rate of this tape-out is very scary.
The boss of Texas Instruments was very nervous.
Because at that time, the manufacturing technology was not as advanced as it would be more than ten years later, so the success rate of tape-out was still over 30%.
But the first time failed, the second time failed, the third time failed, the fourth time failed...
Not only Texas Instruments is doubting life, but also the X Institute.
Is there something wrong with our design? Should we go back and redesign it?
If this is the case, who knows how much money it will cost? The key is that it will be a huge blow to one's self-confidence.
In the past few months, Lin Xiao has been receiving calls saying: tape-out failed.
After constant revisions and modifications, everyone placed their hopes on the fifth tape-out.
If, the fifth time fails, then it really is...
As a result, I failed the fifth time!
So much so that the two sides had to hold a high-level meeting again. What should they do next?
The three parties discussed the problem and whether major changes to the design were needed.
In that case, the cycle will be delayed by at least half a year, and the release of the mobile phone will also be delayed by more than half a year.
All I can say is, don’t do that! Damn, Ergou’s luck should have turned around since May this year.
There should be continuous breaking points.
The most core chip has a series of failures. What’s going on?
If they really have to go back and make large-scale changes, Lin Xiao’s money will really not be enough.
Because it is a brand new process, the cost of tape-out is very high. If there is a problem with the design itself, then there is no point in continuously tape-out and continuous failures, which will only waste money and time.
After dozens of hours of meetings, the three parties decided to try again! Another gamble.
The sixth tape-out was carried out.
So, sometimes you really have to believe in luck.
June 18! Lin Xiao was on the top of the mountain, watching the sun rise.
Then, he got the call.
The other party's voice was trembling.
"Lin, there is no problem with our design, no problem!"
"It's a problem with TSMC's process. Their 45 nanometers are not yet fully mature."
"Our chip has been successfully taped out!"
Even a big boss like Richie Templeton's voice at this moment was filled with tears of joy.
…………………………
Note: Finally it's a little early, I'll go a little earlier tomorrow. My benefactor, the terrible double monthly tickets are coming, I almost dare not look at the ranking, if you have monthly tickets, please give them to me? Thank you a thousand times!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
