In early February, Apple officially launched its latest iPhone, the iPhone 3G. As the name suggests, this phone supports 3G networks.
The iPhone 3G features a 3.5-inch LCD screen and is available in black and white. The back is made of plastic. However, unlike Honor Electronics' Mate 1S, the iPhone 3G still only has a 2-megapixel rear camera, lacking a front-facing camera.
In fact, in Baron's previous life, the iPhone 3G was only released in June of that year. However, before Christmas last year, Honor Electronics released the 3G-enabled Mate 1S, which Apple couldn't wait to see. Because of its 3G support and excellent value, Apple was already on edge. Just one and a half months after its release, the Mate 1S has already sold over two million units!
Considering that the entire Mate 1 series, and the iPhone 1 itself, hadn't even surpassed two million units, the Mate 1S achieved this figure in just one and a half months.
This also made Apple realize that the Mate 1S seemed to have captured the needs of many consumers in certain areas.
Therefore, under the personal supervision of Steve Jobs, Apple accelerated its development efforts and released the iPhone 3G ahead of schedule in early February.
Not only Apple's iPhone, but also brands like Samsung, LG, and Motorola have announced that they will release their Android-based smartphones starting in April of this year.
Clearly, after seeing Honor Electronics' success in the smartphone market, these brands are eager to join the competition.
Honor Electronics is showing no signs of slacking off, preparing to release its new Mate 2 in June to consolidate its leading position.
At the same time, Honor Electronics announced that it has purchased the remaining shares of TSMC from Philips, increasing its stake in TSMC from 10% to 18.7%, surpassing the Taiwan Provincial Development Fund to become TSMC's largest shareholder.
Furthermore, Honor Electronics announced an investment in MediaTek, acquiring a 15% stake, becoming the company's second-largest shareholder.
Honor Electronics will also collaborate with MediaTek to launch an Android-based smartphone chip integration platform. This platform will initially be used in mobile phones from Dopod, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Honor Electronics. Also on February
12th
, to prevent further social and economic problems caused by mortgage defaults, the US government and six major mortgage lenders proposed a "Lifeline Plan" to help homeowners facing potential mortgage defaults.
According to the plan, announced that day by US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, homeowners who are 90 days or more overdue on their mortgages can contact their mortgage lenders. If they meet certain conditions, they will have the opportunity to receive a 30-day grace period, temporarily halting the auction of their homes while their mortgage lenders develop more affordable repayment plans.
The "Lifeline Plan" covers all types of mortgages, and the six participating mortgage lenders, including Bank of America, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase, account for nearly 50% of the US mortgage market.
Prior to this, according to industry estimates, over one million homeowners across the United States would default on their mortgage payments this year, facing foreclosure and auction.
Regarding the "Lifeline Plan," a government spokesperson stated that no single plan could solve all the housing market problems, and the president believed it could help Americans weather the current crisis.
However, some US lawmakers argued that the plan came too late and was too inadequate to address the country's current severe mortgage delinquency problem.
Then, on February 14th, Valentine's Day, Bush officially signed a comprehensive economic stimulus bill, offering substantial tax rebates and stimulating consumption in an attempt to revive the US economy.
After all, he understood that the war on terror, which had once brought him unprecedented popularity, had now left Iraqi forces mired in the Middle East, despite the successful overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
This had already created significant opposition to him globally and among the American public. If the US economy suffered further setbacks
, this year's election would undoubtedly be a losing battle for him!
...
On Valentine's Day, Barron naturally returned to his home in Kensington to spend time with his wife and children. However, during the day, he had already sent Valentine's Day gifts to Tamaran, Ivanta, Beatrice, and Fan Bingbing, and made sweet phone calls...
"I want to live at Chatsworth House for a while..."
Bonnie suddenly said, leaning into Barron's arms.
"Why do you want to live there?"
Barron remembered Chatsworth House as being at its most beautiful in spring; going there now would inevitably make the scenery a bit monotonous.
"Although the scenery at Grace Lavender Farm in Australia was also beautiful, I don't know why, but I just missed Chatsworth House so much, so..."
Bonnie looked at Barron and said softly,
"And I heard that Mr. Sean hasn't been feeling well lately, so I want to go visit him."
Sean was the old butler at Chatsworth House. He had recently retired due to health reasons, and Ramos, who had once been Barron's full-time valet, had taken over the position of butler at Chatsworth House.
Because Butler Sean had devoted nearly his entire life to the Devonshire family, Barron retained him at the estate after his retirement, nominally as an advisor, but in reality providing for his retirement.
Bonnie's words reminded Barron that Sean's health had indeed been deteriorating since last winter, after a fall...
"Then I'll stay with you back home for a while, sweetheart."
"Yes."
...
"Junning, how are you feeling about this job now?"
Barron casually asked his assistant, Zhang Junning, as the motorcade drove through the streets of London.
After the help of her former personal assistant, Wang Wanting, Zhang Junning has now begun working independently.
"It's very fulfilling and challenging. I'll do my best..."
Of course, what Zhang Junning didn't mention was that, in addition to the sheer volume of business information she had to process, the Duke of England's personal affairs were also quite eye-opening...
For example, on Valentine's Day, so many gifts for different women had to be processed through her.
What surprised Zhang Junning the most was that none of these women had ordinary identities. In comparison, Fan Bingbing, who had shocked her the most, was already the most "ordinary" of them all.
Before this, how could Zhang Junning have imagined that Fan Bingbing, the most famous actress in mainland China, was actually the woman of the Duke beside her, and had even given birth to a pair of children for him...
"Although a personal assistant needs to serve me, it also requires management skills. If you can manage the 'logistics team' well, it will not only improve work efficiency, but also greatly reduce your own workload..."
Baron's words interrupted Zhang Junning's "random thoughts". She carefully considered her boss's words, knowing that he was also giving her some advice.