Rebirth 2010: I taught Mr. Lei how to make a mobile phone

Chapter 871 Press Conference VS Press Conference (300 million words, congratulations!)

At the Beyond Science and Technology Park, Chen Mo nodded after watching the short film, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

As expected of Jia Yueting, he's only gotten more cunning with age.

The three-part narrative style etched the "tragic hero" persona into his very bones. Even he was almost moved by the sound of the erhu and decided to throw a few Bitcoins at Lao Jia to redeem him.

If even he reacted this way, you can imagine how crazy the netizens must have been after watching it.
If Lao Jia could listen to what he said before and stop using those high-sounding terms like ecological reaction, extended innovation, pinnacle, potential energy, sedimentation, granularity, closed loop, tipping point, lever, and empowerment.
If we put his emotions in plain language, given his eloquence, experience, and public image, paying off 200 billion in three years wouldn't be a big problem.

Maybe they'll end up making a commercial film similar to "American Dreams in China," and maybe even make some money off the nostalgia factor.

He'd already decided on a name: "The True Story of Repayment." After all, he owned the copyright to "The Legend of Zhen Huan," so he wasn't afraid of being sued for infringement.

Thinking this through, Chen Mo took out his notebook and wrote down: "If Jia Yueting pays off his debts, we can invest in and fund the 'True Repayment Story' movie."

Time pushed everyone to September 22nd—the day Apple's new iPhone was released, and also the day Xiaomi and Huawei held their product launches in a head-to-head showdown.

In previous years, long lines would form outside Apple stores around the world on the day a new Apple phone was launched, and this was especially true in China.

Most of the people in the queue were either scalpers looking to make a profit from the price difference, or young people using the phones as a luxury item to show off. After all, they couldn't afford luxury goods, so they could only buy these phones to show off their presence among friends, colleagues, or on social media.

Abroad, the combination of "brand name" and "Apple" seems to give them a strange sense of superiority over those who use Android smartphones.
The real users have become a minority.

This time, the lines outside Apple stores across the country were much shorter than before.

The people in line asked each other what was going on, and after exchanging information, they discovered that they were all competitors, with only a handful of real users.
Even though this year marks Apple's tenth anniversary, and even though the iPhone X was indeed a revelation.

In previous years, the first batch of new Apple phones were as sought after as beta test accounts for new games on other platforms. Buying one was a sure win, and each phone could be resold for hundreds or even thousands of dollars, especially the new color options.

The scalpers, who had originally planned to sell out quickly, became apprehensive upon seeing this.
On this day, Apple stores across China were still bustling with customers.

The store opened at 10 a.m. and it was 6 p.m., a full 8 hours had passed.

The president of Apple's Greater China region, a Canadian of Chinese descent, sighed as she looked at the real-time data that had been synced over and was on the verge of being halved.

He knew perfectly well why the data was so dismal.

The escalating xenophobic sentiment online, coupled with the press conferences of the two domestic giants two hours later, has led to a surge in consumer uncertainty.

Even worse, the iPhone X, which was supposed to be the flagship model, was delayed until next month due to issues with the yield rate of Face ID components. It can only be viewed but not purchased, leading many Apple fans to complain that Apple is now playing tricks on them.

It seems that this quarter's KPIs are likely to be dashed.

"I am willing to fight to the death, but Your Majesty is not up to the task." He looked out the window, thinking of the domestic flagship that was about to be launched tonight, and for the first time felt the pain of "faults not caused by war".

That evening, China's attention was firmly drawn to two venues—the Xiaomi launch event at the Beijing International Convention and Exhibition Center and the Huawei launch event at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center.

The unprecedented scale of simultaneous live streaming on 70 platforms, from Douyin and Bilibili to 36Kr and ZOL, from Zhihu and Weibo to WeChat Video Channel, covers almost all mainstream channels.

However, these live streaming platforms and media outlets, just like the two sides at the press conference, have already secretly divided into two major camps, each building up momentum for their own cause.

The battle among mobile phone manufacturers has long since extended from products to every corner of the public discourse.

Meanwhile, Viya, Li Jiaqi, and Jia Yueting's teams are all making final adjustments and preparations.

The instruction to start sales promptly at 10 PM is a trial for the livestreamers in a new arena.

On a smaller scale, it represents Viya and Li Jiaqi's attempt in a new arena, and also Jia Yueting's first foray into livestreaming as a newcomer.

For Douyin and Taobao, however, it is another war without gunpowder.

Time ticked by, and it was 7:55 p.m.

At the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, a spotlight suddenly shone on the center of the stage.

Yu Dazui, dressed in a dark suit, strode onto the stage, his voice booming: "Good evening, everyone!"

As the Mate 10 logo lit up on the large screen behind him
"Today, we are not just releasing a mobile phone, but a report card from Chinese technology companies to the world!"

As he spoke, he pulled out the star of the press conference from his pocket—the Huawei Mate 10 flagship phone!

He even held one in each hand to light up the screen and show it to everyone.
Amidst thunderous applause, he began his introduction.
The atmosphere inside the Beijing International Convention and Exhibition Center was equally intense.

Mi fans gathered outside the venue holding signs, while those who couldn't get in craned their way inside, eager to see Xiaomi's new products.

The venue was packed. For a moment, the media professionals seemed to sense something and turned their attention to the same direction, which was then as bright as day.

When the approachable Lei Jun, the handsome Chen Mo, the refined Pony Ma, and the elegant Li Yanhong appeared at the venue, it caused a sensation. Everyone took out their phones to capture this rare moment of the four internet kings appearing together.

Even if the "Four Heavenly Kings" of the entertainment industry were to gather here, they would likely pale in comparison to the dazzling brilliance of these four tech giants. After a brief exchange of pleasantries with the city leaders in the front row, the four took their seats in the center of the first row, instantly becoming the focus of everyone's attention.

Chen Mo's attendance was expected—in the past few years, whenever his schedule allowed, the head of Beyond Technology would always stand up for his old friend Lei Jun.

However, the joint appearance of Pony Ma and Robin Li this year has given astute observers a sense of something unusual.
Even before the press conference officially started, the bombshell news that "the three internet giants gathered at Xiaomi's press conference" had already caused a huge stir online.

Some media outlets even used the sensational headline "The 2BT Era Begins," pushing the atmosphere at the scene to a climax.

The audience at the scene and netizens watching the live stream online were discussing this scene extensively.
"Holy crap, Lei Jun is really something! Three big names are attending, this is an amazing lineup!"

"The title of 'Big Three' is misleading. Where do you put Jack Ma?"

"Daddy Ma, it's obvious that the host at the next table is selling their products."

"Tonight is definitely going to be historic! My wallet is ready, just waiting for Lei Jun to pull out all the stops!"

"1999! It has to be 1999! Mr. Lei, let's make another friend!"

At 8 p.m. sharp, Lei Jun walked onto the stage with light steps. He wore a light blue T-shirt, dark blue jeans, and white sneakers, and his signature smile exuded relaxed confidence.

Upon the appearance of the main figure, thunderous applause and cheers erupted instantly, lasting for quite some time before gradually subsiding.

Lei Jun first spent more than ten minutes reviewing Xiaomi's development over the past year, expressing both his feelings about past challenges and his satisfaction with the achievements.

"I know you're all waiting for the Xuanjie O1." Lei Jun smiled and raised his hand to press down. "Don't rush, there's plenty of time tonight. Let's have a little surprise first."

A knowing laugh rippled through the room; as expected, Lei always understood them.

When the short film started playing on the big screen, the audience suddenly fell silent—the screen showed not a cell phone, but a sleek laptop.

"Xiaomi is making laptops?" The live stream chat was instantly filled with question marks.

After Lei Jun and others finished playing the short video, he began the introduction: "This Xiaomi Notebook Pro has a 15.6-inch all-metal body, an 8th generation Intel Core processor, an MX150 dedicated graphics card, and fingerprint recognition..."

He recited the parameters at a steady pace, and with each item he mentioned, the gasps of amazement from the audience grew louder.

Everyone found it to be pretty good.

"After saying all that, those of you who know me well know what we should do next, right?"

"Up for comparison!" The audience chanted in perfect unison.

"That's right, but comparing with ordinary competitors is meaningless. We need to benchmark against the strongest domestic and international companies. So we've carefully selected two competing products from our competitors for comparison. Please look at the big screen."

"We can see that the configuration of the Xiaomi Notebook Pro is in no way inferior to these two products we are comparing, and even surpasses them in some aspects. Then let's look at the price. How much does the latest MacBook Pro cost?"

Lei Jun pressed a button on the remote control in his hand, and the question mark in the last column first displayed a string of numbers: 18888 yuan!
"What about Lenovo's ThinkPad?" The figure of 9499 yuan followed closely behind.

"So, how much does our Xiaomi Notebook Pro cost?"

He paused deliberately, and the room fell silent instantly; you could hear a pin drop.

"Before announcing the price, let's review the highlights we just mentioned."

Then, a quick review and summary of the highlights and features mentioned earlier will be provided.

"The Apple one is 18888, and the other is 9499. To be honest, even I feel they are quite expensive. So how much does our Xiaomi Notebook Pro cost?"

A bomb sound effect plays.

In the scene, 6299 yuan falls from the sky, smashing all the parameters of the previous image into dust, and creating a swirling haze of smoke.
The small print at the top reads: Xiaomi Notebook Pro, a more powerful 15.6-inch professional laptop!

The price announcement immediately caused a gasp from the entire audience.
The audience erupted in applause, interspersed with exclamations of "Holy crap!" and "Awesome!"
Seeing the applause waning, Lei Jun continued, "If you feel that such a high configuration isn't necessary, we also have two other slightly lower-spec versions, priced at 4999 and 5499 respectively. The main difference lies in the hard drive and memory."
You can choose products at the appropriate price point based on your actual usage scenario.

Don't make impulsive purchases.

Finally, Lei Jun subconsciously brought up the value: "If we want to make products, we have to compare and compete with the best products in the world. We expect to reach the same level as them, or even surpass their level, but what about the price?"
Our goal is to achieve less than half!
This is also the core value of Xiaomi products: to enable everyone to enjoy the fun that technology brings!
However, to be honest, you only know how deep the water is when you actually do it.”

The phrase is a double entendre, expressing both reverence for technology and satire of capital.

This once again drew thunderous applause from the audience.

The science journalists in the audience looked at each other in astonishment.

This tactic is all too familiar—just like when the Xiaomi Mi 1 was launched, with the same top-of-the-line configuration, the same localized optimization, and the same breathtaking price.

(End of this chapter)