Mountain View, San Francisco.
In a corner of the Tinkobel headquarters' lab, Simon, A-Girl, C-Girl, and Tinkobel's co-founder, Neil Brantley, gathered around a workbench.
It was the end of the workday, and most employees had already gone home. However, Simon and the others stayed behind to test out some of the lab's experimental products.
Reclining in the only leather chair by the workbench, Simon was fiddling with a prototype that looked like a 16-open flat-panel tablet about 2 centimeters thick. This wasn't the iPad-10, set to be released this fall, which combined the functionalities of the iBook e-reader and the iPlayer music player. Instead, this was a prototype for a potential future iPad series—perhaps two or three years away—with the major addition of a built-in camera for photography.
A-Girl and Neil Brantley stood to Simon's left and right, while C-Girl, sitting directly across from Simon on the workbench, swung her slender legs playfully. Occasionally, her legs "interacted" with Simon, brushing against him.
Tilting her head and striking a cute pose, C-Girl cooperated as Simon used the tablet to take a photo of her. Then she said, "Boss, are you sure you don't want us to use some of the experimental equipment we're developing, like this iPad prototype, for Paranormal Activity? It could be interesting."
Large, powerful electronics giants often work on experimental products that are generations ahead of those currently on the market. In fact, every new product released to consumers may represent far less than a company's true technical potential. This is why consumers frequently complain that manufacturers "trickle-feed" innovations—a criticism that isn't entirely unfounded.
For Paranormal Activity, Lin Justin's team was using the soon-to-be-released second-generation Tinkobel iRec-20 digital camera. The only difference was that Tinkobel engineers had modified the cameras slightly, focusing on battery life and sound recording—enhancements that weren't considered cheating but merely aimed at improving the filming process. If consumers wanted, they could modify their cameras in the same way.
Of course, if Simon wanted to, he could have easily brought out the lab's prototypes for the iRec-30 or even iRec-40.
Simon adjusted the photo he had just taken of C-Girl using the tablet's built-in software, then shook his head. "No need. The goal is to achieve a genuine, realistic effect. You wouldn't want people to watch the movie, then use their own iRec-20 cameras to replicate it, only to find that the results look completely different, would you?"
"I just don't want your personally conceived film to end up poorly made. That would be such a shame."
"It won't be."
Having finished testing the tablet, Simon set it aside and moved his chair slightly closer to the workbench. On the table was another prototype, the soon-to-be-released iMac-10. He tapped C-Girl's thigh, which was partially blocking the device. "Scoot over."
C-Girl leaned to the side to make room, then decided to hop off the workbench entirely. Without any hesitation, she climbed onto Simon's lap, making herself comfortable as they both looked at the iMac in front of them.
C-Girl was petite, so her presence didn't hinder Simon's movements. In fact, her soft and fragrant form was rather pleasant. With one arm casually wrapped around her waist, Simon used his free hand to operate the mouse, navigating the iMac's user interface, which resembled the one on the original iMac.
This prototype PC was running a graphical operating system developed from the Linux kernel, which Simon had lazily named iOS-10.
Moving the mouse cursor across a row of icons at the bottom of the desktop—'Files,' 'Settings,' 'Programs,' 'Recycle Bin,' 'Store,' and 'Games'—Simon clicked on the 'Store' icon.
As Simon often said, developing an operating system wasn't as difficult as people imagined.
The real challenge lay in building its ecosystem.
The biggest difference between this new iMac and the original was its adoption of the app store concept seen later in smartphones. The software store was prominently displayed on the desktop, allowing users to connect to the internet to download or purchase applications. The system also emphasized security, as every app in the iOS Store had to pass Tinkobel's strict review process.
Tinkobel had conducted extensive market research in private.
While ecosystems were critical, most ordinary users only regularly used a handful of applications. Building an ecosystem, therefore, wasn't as daunting as it seemed.
As for hardware, many of the most popular peripherals for personal computers were Tinkobel products, making hardware compatibility a non-issue.
Of course, this was unique to Tinkobel.
To ensure the companies within the Westeros System had a desktop operating system they could fully control, Simon had personally coordinated efforts across the system's tech giants. Even before the iMac's release, over 100 companies had quietly developed iOS-compatible versions of their software.
This was similar to what Google had done in the past.
Why did Android succeed?
Partly because Apple's closed ecosystem left much of the market up for grabs, but also because Google, which was rapidly expanding at the time, had the resources to push the platform forward. Without Google's influence, the market Apple left behind might have been swallowed up by Microsoft's mobile OS instead.
Tinkobel now had access to resources ten times greater than Google's in its prime. Despite Microsoft's dominance in desktop operating systems, if Simon were determined, the eventual winner would be far from certain.
But Simon had no intention of challenging Microsoft.
This wasn't just because he remained a major Microsoft shareholder; he would willingly forgo those hundreds of billions in stock if necessary. Instead, Simon believed it was beneficial to maintain a unified ecosystem in the desktop OS space to avoid fragmentation and provide a stable environment for the internet to flourish.
Still, releasing the iMac and iOS served multiple purposes. On one hand, it provided a check on Microsoft's power. On the other hand, it prepared Tinkobel for the upcoming mobile internet era. While Simon was content to let Microsoft dominate the PC age, he fully intended to seize control in the mobile era.
In the lab.
Leaning into Simon's chest, C-Girl watched him open Microsoft's iOS-compatible version of its Office suite. Smiling, she said, "You know, Bill was probably fuming over this. At first, Microsoft tried to delay the project. I told him point-blank: if they couldn't deliver a fully functional iOS version of Office before our spring launch, or if they gave us a subpar product on purpose, then Office would never have a place on iOS. We'd simply create our own office suite and industry standard."
Simon chuckled and asked, "What did Bill say to that?"
"Well, here we are with Office, right?" C-Girl gestured toward the screen, then snuggled closer to Simon. "Boss, I think we could take on Microsoft if we really tried. I get your reasoning, but capturing even just 20% of the market wouldn't be that hard. And with the PC industry being as huge as it is, even a 20% share could add $200 billion to our market cap. Look at Dell—it just broke $200 billion in value recently."
Instead of answering directly, Simon asked, "What do you think is Tinkobel's greatest strength?"
C-Girl answered without hesitation, "Innovation, of course."
"Exactly. Innovation," Simon said. "Tinkobel has grown so quickly because we've released multiple consumer electronics products that either didn't exist or were extremely niche. Now look at the iMac. The PC industry is already saturated with competition. Does this product represent any real innovation?"
"Of course it does! Our iOS system is a huge... um... innovation."
C-Girl trailed off, her confidence wavering. iOS was "new," but calling it innovative felt like a stretch.
Simon chuckled at her reaction and continued, "If Tinkobel wants to thrive in the long run, it's critical to stick to its core strategy: don't box yourself into a single product category, and don't chase after products that are already mature unless you can guarantee a major breakthrough. If, decades from now, we reach the limits of what consumer electronics can do, Tinkobel can break into new fields—like cars, for instance. Why not?"
C-Girl nodded enthusiastically, like a chick pecking at grain.
However, Neil Brantley, who had been following the conversation with interest, interjected, "Simon, you mentioned cars, but isn't that already a very mature industry?"
"Of course it is," Simon replied. "Which is why I said we'd need a real breakthrough. For example, Tinkobel could develop environmentally friendly electric vehicles that replace traditional fuel cars."
C-Girl decided to push back. "Boss, electric cars aren't actually that eco-friendly. Remember when you said rechargeable batteries might seem greener than disposables, but they consume massive resources and produce heavy pollution over their lifecycle? With the larger batteries EVs need, the environmental impact would only be worse. And let's not forget, most electricity still comes from polluting sources like coal-fired power plants."
Simon smiled patiently as he listened. "Sharp observations. But just because we know these issues doesn't mean everyone else does. C, as businesspeople, we succeed by emphasizing our products' strengths while downplaying or distracting from their weaknesses."
"Got it, Boss. Should I start researching the EV industry, then?"
"No need. It's not the right time yet. Rechargeable battery technology is advancing quickly, but it still has a long way to go. Waiting another five or ten years won't hurt. Timing is crucial," Simon said, pausing as something occurred to him. He turned to A-Girl. "Do you have that article I was reading on the plane?"
A-Girl nodded and retrieved a folder from her bag.
Simon flipped through the folder and found the article he was looking for. Handing it to C-Girl, he said, "Take a look at this. It's about a Canadian company called RIM, which focuses on wireless communication. So far, RIM has only been a pager solutions provider and hasn't launched its own devices yet. This article is a preview of their first pager terminal. Personally, I think entering the pager market at this point is a poor strategy. It's an old market dominated by giants, and RIM doesn't have any significant advantages."
C-Girl skimmed the article, her eyes moving quickly over the text. After a moment, she said, "Boss, if anything about this caught your attention, I'd guess it's RIM's two-way paging technology and data compression methods, right?"
"Exactly," Simon said, nodding. "Traditional pagers are one-way devices. RIM's concept of two-way paging is a breakthrough. Additionally, their data compression method can significantly reduce bandwidth usage. For a single pager, the savings might not seem like much. But scale it up to millions—or tens of millions—of devices, and the resource savings become substantial."
"So, are you thinking we should buy this company and... make pagers? But didn't you just say pagers are a dead-end?"
Simon closed the folder and handed it back to A-Girl. "This is just something to think about. For now, Tinkobel should stay focused on its current projects. Besides, I'm not sure this is something you guys could handle."
C-Girl pouted, pretending to be offended. "Boss, you were just telling us to innovate!"
Feeling her warm, soft body squirming on his lap, Simon relented with a chuckle. "Fine, fine. Let me share my idea. RIM's technology isn't particularly advantageous for pagers. But what if we used it to develop a business smartphone capable of sending and receiving emails at any time?"
Simon gestured to Neil, who quickly fetched a notepad and pen.
Taking the pen, Simon began sketching the design of a BlackBerry smartphone from memory. "It would look something like this. The device would need a large screen for reading emails, plus a full QWERTY keyboard for composing and sending them. We'd also set up our own servers to ensure seamless, on-demand email access for business users. And why stop there? We could integrate Eaglet's ICQ instant messaging software for real-time chats."
C-Girl frowned, clearly skeptical. "Boss, do you really think this could work?"
Simon grinned. "First, the technology is there. RIM's patents can easily be adapted for real-time email functionality. And unlike pagers, the benefits of data compression would be even more apparent in a device like this. Second, pricing. The phone needs to be affordable. Finally, marketing. When we launched iCam and iPlayer, a big part of their success was due to clever marketing. We can't underestimate its importance."
In the original timeline, BlackBerry's success was largely due to serendipity.
During the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the sudden surge in wireless communication caused widespread network congestion. However, Vice President Dick Cheney's BlackBerry device continued to function smoothly thanks to BlackBerry's independent servers. This unexpected publicity put the two-year-old BlackBerry smartphone in the spotlight.
Following 9/11, BlackBerry quickly gained one million users, then grew exponentially. By 2008, at its peak, BlackBerry boasted 80 million users worldwide and a market value of over $80 billion.
Then came the iPhone, and BlackBerry rapidly declined.
It wasn't that BlackBerry wasn't good. It was simply that every era has its own limitations, and BlackBerry was a product of the 2G and 3G era. The iPhone, on the other hand, was perfectly positioned for the future.
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