When Simon received the preliminary feedback information, the online pre-sale of iBox-10 had already begun. Even if full payment was required, it would be shipped one week later. In just one hour, the pre-order sales quickly exceeded 80,000 units.
In comparison, even though it also received widespread praise, the PS2 only sold less than 50,000 units on its first day of sale in the United States, a huge disparity.
However, this is just the beginning.
One day after arriving in Seoul, Simon also received more follow-up news in the new week.
Open for pre-order for one day, as a brand new product of Tinker Bayer, the online pre-sale of iBox-10 created a miracle that shocked the industry. In a full 24 hours, sales reached an astonishing 1.27 million units, directly earning US$380 million. This is 110 million US dollars more than the previous 270 million sales of the PS2 in the United States during its first week of sale, including consoles, software and accessories.
Just from this data, it can be imagined that in the first year of sales, iBox-10 is enough to easily break through the break-even line of 10 million. As the cost of hardware continues to decline, this game console will be profitable based on hardware alone. Just a matter of time.
Not to mention the key game software, which is the real profit driver of the game platform. After all, the profit margin of game software used to rely on floppy disks or CDs as carriers, plus warehousing, transportation, retail, etc., which required a lot of money in addition to research and development. Now, although iBox-10 is also equipped with a DVD drive, as long as the user's home is connected to the Internet, consumption directly through the online game mall is not only more convenient, but also reduces the manufacturer's game sales costs to a minimum. , the gross profit margin can easily exceed 90%.
What's more, an iBox console has a lifespan of at least three to five years. Compared with a one-time purchase of hardware, the subsequent consumption of game software is slow.
The pre-orders exceeded one million on the first day of sale. When Tinkerber announced the news, the relevant news quickly appeared on major media platforms and became the focus of public opinion.
The biggest impact is on iBox’s most direct competitor, Sony’s PS2.
Not to mention the follow-up, just at the beginning of a new week, Sony's stock price, which was listed in both the United States and Japan, plummeted due to overwhelming news about the popularity of iBox. At the close of Monday, April 17, Sony's stock price was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock prices of listed stocks plummeted by 11.4%, and the stock price of the local Tokyo Stock Exchange also fell by 9.6% that day.
Moreover, not only Sony, but also Nintendo, Sega and even Capcom and other game software and hardware manufacturers that compete with the iBox platform have seen their stock prices plummet, and all kinds of gloom have been gloomy for a while.
In sharp contrast, the three giants of the Westeros system who mainly promote iBox, Tinco Byer, Igrit and Daenerys, have seen their share prices rise to varying degrees. The leading company, Tinko Byer, on Monday The stock price rose by 4.6%, and the market value reached a new high, reaching US$634.1 billion. The market value increased by US$28 billion in one day.
Driven by these giants, all major North American stock indexes also rose across the board. After the Nasdaq index exceeded 5,000 points in July last year, it had already exceeded 6,000 points in February at the beginning of the year. On April 17, the Nasdaq index fell by 1.3%. The increase continued to reach a high of 6,516 points, getting closer and closer to the record of 7,045 points when the first bubble burst in 1997.
Not to mention the crazy market caused by the Nasdaq continuing to hit new highs, let’s go back to the release of iBox.
Faced with the most direct threat from iBox-10, Howard Stringer, president of Sony's US branch, made a gaffe during an interview with NBC and said that Sony would consider suing Tinker Bayer because the iBox's pricing was significantly lower than cost. constitutes dumping.
As soon as these remarks came out, not only did they not gain sympathy, but they were quickly slapped in the face.
Why
Regardless of whether Sony can win the lawsuit against super local tycoon Tink Bayer in the United States, Sony's first-generation PS console was once dumped below cost in order to open up the market and compete with Nintendo. Strategies are rolled out across markets.
Not only that, in the current situation, for PS2, if it wants to ensure that its market share is not quickly eroded by iBox, then the only way to attract players to buy it may be through active price reduction. Once the price is reduced, PS2 is likely to be lower than the manufacturing cost.
So, how will Sony deal with it then
Historically, Howard Stringer should have been promoted all the way through his outstanding performance in the US business and became the first non-Japanese head of Sony. Unfortunately, due to the failure of Sony's film business, it directly withdrew from Hollywood. The music business, which is based in the United States, has also been impacted by the Internet and has continued to slump. Stringer has only barely maintained his position in recent years.
Now, this comment that may block the outlet of his own console products has cast a shadow on his career.
It was obviously a reaction. After Stringer's scandal, other Sony executives were interviewed by the media. When asked whether they would sue iBox for low-price dumping and whether PS2 would take the initiative to cut prices to ensure market share, they all adopted an evasive attitude. Even going a step further, soon everyone at Sony seemed to have been given a gag order and simply stopped responding to any media inquiries related to iBox.
As for Tinker Bayer, iBox’s good start not only makes people excited, but also brings considerable worries.
Still similar to the reason why the first phase was only released in the United States, brand-new software and hardware systems, even after extensive preliminary testing, will inevitably have defects after being put into the market. Next, if there are just some minor problems, that's okay. If there are any big bugs, it's inevitable that the higher the praise, the harder the fall.
Simon happened to be in South Korea, so he couldn't help but think about it and was a little lucky. Fortunately, the iBox didn't use batteries. No matter how serious it was, it would never explode.
Um.
In any case, a good start is a good thing. In order to prepare for the official release on April 22, a week later, the entire iBox team and even Tinker Bayer are preparing for it.
Seoul, Korea.
Different from the quick tour in China, the schedule here is very tight. Simon basically followed the rules of patrolling the territory. After all, it was his own territory. If the owner didn't show up for too long, it was hard to say who would become it.
Therefore, with the theme of reversing South Korea's next foreign investment plan and shifting its focus to Southeast Asia, Simon communicated for three consecutive days with high-level government officials including the President of South Korea, the heads of South Korea's chaebols, and many spokespersons of the Westeros system deployed in South Korea. . In addition, Simon also visited some companies that are directly or indirectly controlled by the Westeros system.
In short, it continues to leave a certain mark on the hearts of the Korean elite: I Own All Of You!
Speaking of control, in the original timeline, compared to Japan, which had been completely submissive, even with its military garrison, South Korea was still not so submissive to the United States. Just like South Korea's chaebols, although they lost most of their corporate equity, they had to continue They contribute large sums of profits generated by their own companies to Wall Street, but the control of each giant is still in the hands of the Koreans themselves.
This time, of course, it's different.
In addition to the absolute majority of holdings at the capital level, Simon has also weaved a very tight personnel network in South Korea, from the Korean authorities to the middle level of the company. As long as Simon is willing, whether it is Samsung or Hyundai, whether it is SK or LG, Westeros The system could forcefully take over most of these giants' industries at any time.
Simon did not do this, but continued to put various chaebol families on the table. He just did not want to cause a backlash among Koreans. After all, social conflicts in South Korea will only become more intense as class solidification intensifies. The Westeros system can There is no need to jump out and be the target.
Even, when one day, the Korean people finally couldn't stand the oppression of various chaebols and took action, the Westeros system can still be supported by heaven. Well, this is a good word. It can help push the trend and satisfy the wishes of the Korean public.
Then just change a group of spokespersons.
This is beside the point.
Let’s get down to business. In the original timeline, due to various historical or practical reasons, after the rise of South Korea’s economy, the direction of foreign investment has always been more focused on Southeast Asia rather than China.
It had been forcibly reversed by Simon before.
After the 1997 financial crisis, South Korea's investment in Southeast Asia was severely damaged. Coupled with Simon's interference, it has not recovered much in recent years, but the foundation is still there, and then there is the issue of re-operation.
Next, it has been determined that various investments in China will continue to be implemented, but then, whether it is the Westeros system backdooring through South Korea, or there are other projects in South Korea that need to be relocated, the focus will be on Southeast Asia.
Gangnam District in Seoul.
The time is Tuesday, April 18th.
Simon came here at four o'clock in the afternoon. It was the last official item on the agenda for three consecutive days. The content was to meet with Seki Siwon, one of the spokespersons of the Westeros system in South Korea. The theme remained unchanged.
During the Asian financial turmoil, as one of Simon's chess pieces in South Korea, Guan Siyuan completed various tasks assigned by Simon very well. When the matter ended, this 35-year-old Korean-American youth who was selected by Simon from Verizon was continued to be entrusted by Simon with an important task. He was in charge of a US$1 billion investment fund dedicated to investing in South Korea's new technology industry, named GN. capital.
GN is the abbreviation of 'Gangnam District' in Seoul, South Korea. On the one hand, this name means that GN Capital's headquarters is on Gangnam Avenue in Gangnam District. On the other hand, it also confuses people and gives the impression that this is actually a Korean company. the illusion.
In fact, GN Capital is registered in the Cayman Islands.
In the past time line, entering the new century, unlike China's flourishing of a hundred flowers, the few rising wealth upstarts in South Korea were basically concentrated in the Internet field. On the one hand, South Korea's old chaebols have completely controlled all aspects of South Korea's traditional industries. On the other hand, On the one hand, we can also see the value potential of new technology industries.
Through the Asian financial crisis, Simon has successfully captured South Korea's established chaebols, and of course he will not give up the gold mine in the new technology field. After all, this is the strength of the Westeros system.
GN Capital, which Seki was originally responsible for, was responsible for the mission of controlling South Korea's new technology industry.
The meeting started at four o'clock in the afternoon and lasted until more than six o'clock in the afternoon. In addition to hearing about the progress of various projects that Guan Siyuan had invested in South Korea, it mainly discussed GN Capital's simultaneous shift to Southeast Asia.
Simon doesn't know much about the development status of new technology industries in Southeast Asian countries, but after all, this is a large market with a total population of 500 million, and the potential is certainly not small.
Simon even hopes that the foundation of new technology industries in Southeast Asia will be shallower, which will give the Westeros system an opportunity to enter the market early and take advantage of the pit. After all, once related industries in Southeast Asian countries develop, capital from other parties will rush in. It's not that easy to lay out easily here.
Simon had always been very satisfied with this subordinate, so he had a pleasant chat. Unknowingly, the sky outside the window had darkened, so he finally concluded: "Jimmy, next, you must first find out the new technology industry related to each major country in Southeast Asia." The focus of the policy is on foreign investment access restrictions. Please compile a copy of the information and send it to me as soon as possible. Then, depending on the situation, invest boldly. This is a stage of casting a wide net. Don’t be afraid of failure, because the fish are there.”
Guan Siyuan nodded, but he had some different opinions: "Boss, although I don't know much, I roughly know that Southeast Asia is very complex. It is a land of contradictions between developed countries like Singapore and the spread of many primitive farming tribes. region, there are also religions, warlords, drug traffickers, etc., and the political situation is also very chaotic. In short, whether it is new technology or other industries, I think bosses should be more cautious. I mean, if you just want to do business in Southeast Asia In business, boss, frankly, the chances of you failing are very high.”
Simon nodded slightly, then shook his head: "Jimmy, do you think I am a pure businessman?"
Guan Siyuan was startled for a moment. His boss, who could start a war in Africa, how could he be a simple businessman? Then he smiled and said: "It seems that I am worrying too much, boss. Then, I will start my work as soon as possible. The information you need, um, give me a week."
"Very good," Simon said, raised his wrist to look at his watch, stood up and said, "That's it for today."
After leaving the building on Gangnam Avenue not far from the Han River, Simon drove all the way out of downtown Seoul and returned to the manor in the mountains southeast of Seoul. The sky had completely darkened.
Just as she entered the villa with Lin Guili, who had been accompanying her as a temporary assistant for the past few days, two women, one large and one small, pulled up and walked up. This was a pair that had been collected earlier. Jin Zhixi and Yi Shanzhu came close to Simon, Jin With a pitiful cry, Zhixi let go of her daughter, threw herself into Simon's arms, and said in broken English after several years of learning: "Simon, wuwu, it's too much, that woman, she beat her I."
As he spoke, he raised his charming and beautiful face and tilted his head slightly.
Only then did I realize that one side of the woman's face was red. It was probably a palm print. It was a little red and swollen. It was obvious that she had been very cruel.
Simon often reminds the cats around him not to scratch their faces when fighting, because he is worried about damaging the beauty. Now it is really ruined, and it is really ugly. He pushed it away slightly in disgust, and casually hugged Yi Shanzhu next to him. The little one was not beaten. As he walked towards the living room next to the hall, he asked with a teasing smile: "Who dares to commit murder in my place?"