The Millennium Semiconductor Survival Guide.

Chapter 170 Jobs in 2000

Zhou Xin only has two words to describe Bill Gates' self-confidence, which is envy.

20 years later, Zhou Xin didn't know much about the case of Microsoft being sued.But this is a case that has been paid attention to by all the media for several years.

In such an environment, what is not understood will also become understood. Just from the news reports, one can have a deeper understanding of this matter.

Zhou Xin assessed in his heart that if he had done these things, he would have been crucified in the result of losing the lawsuit and would not be able to stand up for just one perjury.

If he didn't bring any butterfly effect, Microsoft has successfully reversed the case and got rid of the fate of being split after the District Court of Columbia has issued a judgment.

"I also believe that Microsoft will get what it wants in this long lawsuit." Zhou Xin said.

Bill Gates changed the topic: "Since you believe so much that Microsoft will win the final victory, it is better to buy Microsoft shares than to invest in Apple, which cannot see the future.

Microsoft's valuation is now at an absolute low level, and it will return to its peak after the court's ruling. "

Zhou Xin thought to himself, I didn't say you guys could win, I just said Microsoft could get what they wanted, it seems that Bill misunderstood me.

He heard from the other party's words that Bill Gates has been a little bit worried about Apple until now, maybe not for Apple, but for Jobs.

"I also bought Microsoft stock, but compared with Apple, Microsoft's market value is too high, and I am unlikely to buy the 5% line.

Apple is different. I only need to spend 3 million US dollars to buy the sign line, which is less than a fraction of the market value of Microsoft. " Zhou Xin said.

Bill Gates: "Well, I haven't paid attention to Apple's market cap in a long time.

you're right. "

"Apple will decline from its peak precisely because of a series of incorrect strategic planning adopted in the 90s.

And my return to Apple is to bring Apple back on track. Judging from the results of the past two years, the route I chose is undoubtedly correct. ’ said Jobs.

Because Zhou Xin holds more than 10% of Apple shares.For an established company that has been in decline for a long time, this shareholding ratio is already a major shareholder.

It is not the largest shareholder, but it is also an influential shareholder. Apple's shares do not have a structure of different rights for the same share.

This also means that when the board of directors changes later, Zhou Xin will be able to get a seat on the board of directors and up to 10% of the voting rights.

This is still estimated based on the current shareholding ratio. If Zhou Xin continues to buy Apple shares in the future, his voting rights will continue to increase.

For Apple's actual managers, Zhou Xin's opinion is an important indicator that has to be referred to.

Jobs also met Zhou Xin for this purpose, and he wanted to know whether Zhou Xin would hinder his strategic planning.

Because he met Bill Gates and Jobs on the front and back separately, Zhou Xin could clearly feel the difference between the two.

Bill Gates obviously has reached the pinnacle of his life and lost his future goals after resigning from the position of CEO of Microsoft. He looks very peaceful.

Jobs, who was born in the same year as Bill Gates, has piercing eyes, and even in the face of Apple's major shareholders, he still looks a bit tough as a careerist.

The difference between the two lies in the goal of life. Bill Gates knows that it is almost impossible for Bill Gates to start a business after leaving Microsoft to create a company that surpasses Microsoft.

Jobs, on the other hand, left for half his life and returned to the company he was the founder of, which was still half dead. He hoped to lead Apple back to its original position.

Zhou Xin nodded after listening and said: "I understand that any enterprise needs to have a clear and correct strategy if it wants to achieve long-term development.

I also understand Apple's past failures, why Apple has not achieved the success it once had in the personal PC market in the past ten years.

To put it bluntly, it can be described as a failure.

The media has various opinions about why users don't like closed systems, and the open source operating system of windows is suitable for ordinary users.

What is it that the personal pc market is constantly shrinking, and the general environment is not good.

In my opinion, these are not reasons. Compared with Apple 80s products, the key is that Apple 90s products do not have the point of attracting users.

Is a closed ecology good? If it was successful in the past, why is it not working now?Could it be that user preferences have changed so much in just ten years?

Users used to be able to accept software and hardware bundled sales, but now they can't?

The key is that there were few personal PCs on the market in the past, and Apple's software can perfectly meet the needs of some users, which cannot be met by other personal PCs equipped with the Windows operating system.

After the 90s, what Apple can do, Windows computers can also do, and Apple has lost its competitiveness.

The innovation you made in the past two years is to attract users through appearance design. This is only a temporary solution. Without innovation at the software level, it is difficult to last only by appearance. "

After Zhou Xin finished speaking, Jobs had a new understanding of Zhou Xin. At least the other party really understood the product. Even if he had never made a personal PC, he could point out the essence of Apple's past failures.

After leaving Apple to start a new business, Jobs has a clearer understanding of Apple's previous decline, and sometimes it is indeed a bystander.

He also believes that Apple's failure lies in the increasingly fierce competition in the entire market. In the process of fierce market competition, Apple's product competitiveness has not advanced but retreated.

Later generations will think that Apple's board of directors kicked Jobs out, so the relationship between Jobs and Apple's board of directors is very bad.

It used to be bad, yes, 12 years have passed between the time Jobs returned to Apple and the year he was kicked out.

In the past 12 years, Apple has changed more than once from the shareholders behind it to the members of the board of directors.

Since the board of directors in the past two years will invite Jobs back, it shows that they trust Jobs, and Jobs' willingness to come back also shows that the relationship between the two parties is good.

Not to mention, Apple's current strategic plan is formulated by Jobs and the board of directors.

Therefore, Zhou Xin is a variable for Apple, a variable that they did not expect.

Jobs knew that Apple couldn't stand the toss. If Zhou Xin's thoughts on Apple's future development were inconsistent with their plans, Apple's development would be seriously hindered.

You must know that Zhou Xin is not just as simple as being rich, he has a great say in the product field.

Not to mention the board of directors, even Jobs himself must listen carefully to his opinions.

"Newman, you're right that Apple needs further innovation, more innovation.

But relying on personal PCs, it is difficult for us to achieve beyond.

Apple's operating system can be optimized in terms of user experience, we can polish the details to perfection, and let users pay for Mac OS.

For example, I returned to Apple in 97 and launched Mac OS 8, and the results were not bad.

If I remember correctly, it should have sold 100 million units in two weeks.

That's good, but it's not enough.

This kind of experience optimization can only help Apple survive and become one of the technology companies that survived in Silicon Valley.

Apple is no different from computer makers like Dell and Hewlett-Packard that rely on the Windows operating system for their survival.

I want to do much more than that.We need to innovate elsewhere and break out.

We need to find areas that Microsoft has not covered and achieve breakthroughs, which can help Apple become a great company again. "

Zhou Xin asked, "So do you have an idea?"

Jobs said: "The mobile phone, and only the mobile phone, can carry Apple's dream of returning to its original position.

I have observed the mobile phone industry for a long time, and it is a rapidly developing industry.

It took less than five years to go from a communication tool for a few people to a mobile phone for almost everyone in American today.

A mobile phone is also a carrier of information, and it is not fundamentally different from a computer.

Computers are also carriers of information, but computer chips are far more powerful than chips on mobile phones.

But I believe that with the advancement of technology, the chip performance of mobile phones will become more and more powerful.

And at that time, the operating system of the mobile phone will become the next explosive point.

What Apple needs to do is to achieve enough success in the field of mobile operating system.

I haven't seen the arrival of the technological inflection point yet, but I believe that time point is getting closer. "

Apple doesn't have a music player yet, which is the idea of ​​the iPod.

They didn't have the idea until April 2001, and then quickly developed the iPod for a release in the fall.

Zhou Xin was amazed by the sharpness of the other party's eyes, seeing the prospect of mobile phones in only 2000.

He said: "Yes, I am also optimistic about the mobile phone industry, matrix, do you know?"

Jobs said, "Yeah, the Matrix is ​​my favorite place to hang out while I'm waiting for my wife to go shopping.

The matrix store has a sense of design, and staying in it can bring me a lot of inspiration.

If only matrix sold coffee, I know it's your company, great company.We've all had the idea of ​​buying matrix if you weren't the shareholder behind it.

The matrix keyboard is full of design aesthetics, perfect in terms of appearance design and user experience. The only disadvantage is the price, and the technical threshold is too low. The products that copy matrix on the market only cost $100.

This makes it difficult for matrix to be competitive. "

Yes, less than half a year after the matrix keyboard was released, imitation keyboards began to appear in American.

The original cost $500 and the replica only cost $100, not a huge difference, and few people, except faith, would spend that extra $400.

Of course, there are also users who bought for Zhou Xin's fame and Matrix itself. With these users, Matrix barely maintained its balance of payments.

"We expect to launch the matrix phone this year, which will be a very different product.

I also think that mobile phones will be the next important carrier of information interaction. I believe that when the matrix mobile phone comes out, it will bring you some inspiration. "

When a person thinks very similar to you, and the other person does what you want to do first, even if you know that the other person is your competitor, you will still appreciate him involuntarily.

Jobs is such a state.He has a strong perfectionism, and he admires Quora very much.In his view, Quora has achieved the ultimate balance of business and quality.

Before, he thought that Zhou Xin's insight into products only stayed at the Internet level. After chatting today, he realized that Zhou Xin also had a deep understanding of the lower-level services of computers.

There are not many people who can realize that mobile phones will become important information carriers.

Because even Nokia, the well-deserved giant in the mobile phone field, only wants to make a phone with longer battery life, better call quality, and more text messages.

Their understanding of mobile phones is still a communication tool.

From a communication tool to an information carrier, this is just a change in simple definition, but it can reflect the depth of your cognition.

Jobs seemed particularly interested: "Have you made your prototype yet?
Could you let me see how your prototype is doing? "

Zhou Xin vaguely remembered the entanglement between Lei Jun and Huang Zhang, the founder of Meizu, from Jobs' demeanor.

"The prototype is still being designed, because we consider making a product that is completely different from the previous one.

So it will take a long time, and mobile phone research and development is a bottomless pit.

The number of employees in the entire matrix has exceeded 1000, and it is estimated that the research and development costs alone will cost about 3 million US dollars.

American's labor is too expensive, and those who work on the operating system are all high-end talents, and suitable developers need to pay a premium to hire them.

Sometimes I am very envious of Apple, there are a lot of experienced engineers who focus on the operating system.

Moreover, it is difficult to define the mobile phone operating system. What we want to do is very different from the previous mobile phone operating system. It will be more inclined to handheld computers.

So it was very difficult to find the right people. "

Android will not be established until three years later, and feature phone brands such as Nokia, Motorola, Siemens, and Ericsson all have embedded operating systems.

There are no experienced system developers at all who can meet Zhou Xin's expectations.

Many things require repeated communication to achieve the effect Zhou Xin wants.

Zhou Xin has a new understanding of the excess profits brought about by land reclamation.

Land reclamation is a particularly difficult task. You have no reference object, no object to learn from, and you have to start from scratch.

Zhou Xin still has future memories, and he clearly knows what form the mobile phone will develop into in the future.

This will be the main competition track for the top consumer electronics brands in various countries in the next 20 years, and countless old mobile phone brands will die out. Nokia, Motorola, etc., these mobile phone brands and communication brands that were famous in the millennium are all in the era of smartphones. gloomy.

Huaguo's consumer electronics brands began to rise rapidly with the help of smart phones.

Some people will say that the chips are all foreign, and the domestic is just an assembly plant.The problem is that for precision machines like smart phones that involve thousands of suppliers, everyone uses supplier technology.

It is also a supplier technology, why can domestic mobile phones beat Nokia and Motorola?To put it bluntly, optimization at the software level is also strength.

A few companies with technology accumulation like Apple and Samsung will have some technical advantages, such as Apple's chips and Samsung's screens.

With memories of the future, it is still very painful to do this now. What Zhou Xin wants to do now is not a smartphone, at best it is a transitional product between a functional phone and a smartphone.

Smartphone 0.5.
The biggest difficulty lies in cognition. He knows what to make that users will like, but the engineers don't know, they will have their own understanding, their own ideas, and their own experience.

Zhou Xin needs to constantly correct their designs and tell them to follow my ideas.

This is a very painful process.

Fortunately, during the running-in process, developers and engineers found that Zhou Xin's ideas were always better than theirs in terms of user experience after constant revisions.

The small gaps add up to a great improvement in user experience.

Some people may think that Zhou Xin doesn't need to be so detailed, he only needs to grasp the strategic direction.

Some less critical tasks can be handed over to others, as long as they grasp the strategic direction.For Matrix, it is related to the success or failure of all industrial chains under Zhouxin, and it will be a trillion-dollar market.

It does not need to monopolize the entire market, it is enough to support Apple with a valuation of over US$3 trillion.

Most of the successful product managers are extreme detail madmen and practitioners of perfectionism.

When Zhang Xiaolong was working on the QQ mailbox revision, this was a very marginal business within Tencent. Pony Ma had more than 1300 emails with Zhang Xiaolong's team in one and a half years.

Gu Sibin, who used to be in charge of QQ membership business, received an email from Pony Ma just to point out that there was a problem with the spacing between words on the web page.

Therefore, when making Matrix's first mobile phone, which was the pioneering work, Zhou Xin pursued the details extremely. Even when he was in Huaguo to participate in the Internet conference, he read and answered emails whenever he had time.

He wants every detail to come true as he intended.

Jobs nodded: "I want to make a different product.

I don't know exactly what you want to do with the matrix operating system, but with Newman's insight and ultimate pursuit of the product, I believe it will be a very good result.

The more perfect the product is, the more painful it will be during the development phase, which is the fate of perfectionists.

I think we have a lot in common. "

Jobs envied Zhou Xin very much in his heart. The other party could invest 3 million US dollars in research and development alone. Now Apple only has [-] million US dollars in cash on its books.

The first quarter has ended, and Apple expects to end the first quarter with a loss of between $2.25 million and $2.5 million if the previous investment gains are not included. (The data comes from Apple's announcement on December 2000, 12)

Compared with Zhou Xin, who has a lot of money and wealth, Apple in charge of Jobs needs to calculate every money carefully.

This is why Jobs saw the prospect of mobile phones, but had to make iPod first.

There is no money to support the research and development of smartphones.

"The matrix keyboard is perfect in detail, but the keyboard is only about the hardware.

You can easily grasp every detail of the hardware.

Mobile phones need to consider both hardware and software, as well as the interaction between people and hardware. It is very, very difficult to pursue perfection in the field of mobile phones. "

　There are a lot of things going on recently, and I will resume updating when I finish my work the day after tomorrow, and make up for what I owed before.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)