The product launch event had begun.
I was able to watch from the very front row, and sitting next to me was David, attending as a major shareholder.
"Did you see this? The crowd is as big as at CES. Plus, all the major media outlets are here. It seems Steve's reputation has really grown."
"Well, iPhone sales have been increasing every year. The combined sales of iPhone 1 and 2 have surpassed 20 million units. It's only natural that people would gather to get a first look at the next version of the iPhone, which is at the center of public attention."
As we were chatting—
Flash! A spotlight lit up the dark stage.
Then, Steve stepped forward.
Wearing his trademark turtleneck, he was met with an explosive reaction from the audience.
"I should have brought earplugs. I think my eardrums just burst from the cheers."
"What? I didn't catch that."
I had already prepared my earplugs in advance.
As the applause died down, I removed them and noticed David looking at me with an incredulous expression.
"Did you seriously wear them alone?"
"My eardrums are particularly sensitive. But more importantly, let's focus on the stage. The presentation is about to start."
From the very beginning, Steve was holding the new version of the iPhone in his hand.
People had to dart their eyes quickly between Steve's face and the iPhone, trying to take everything in.
"Everyone, does this iPhone in my hand look significantly different from the previous version? Does it just seem like a similar design with slightly upgraded performance? I suddenly recall an article that said, 'There is no more innovation in the iPhone.'"
[Laughter]
The audience let out an awkward chuckle.
Though they were laughing, they couldn't smile too brightly—because, in truth, the new iPhone's exterior didn't seem all that different from its predecessor.
"This time, we've applied a new chip, giving it more than twice the processing power and over five times the graphics performance of the previous model. Impressive progress, sure, but is this really innovation?"
The audience's smiles grew even more strained.
At most product launches, companies emphasize performance improvements. But Steve, on the contrary, was downplaying them.
"Semiconductors, LCDs, and various technologies are advancing rapidly. So, of course, electronic devices will naturally become more powerful. I don't see the point in calling that a selling point. But this time, our iPhone 3 is different. It contains an innovation that will open a new era!"
Steve masterfully built up anticipation.
It was a double-edged sword.
If he unveiled a technology worthy of such high expectations, he would receive overwhelming praise.
But if he failed to meet those expectations, he could tarnish the reputation he had worked so hard to build.
"Previous generations of mobile phones were primarily used for communication. But today's phones can do so much more—calculations, note-taking, alarms, internet searches, music streaming, movie watching, and more. Some people even say their phone acts as a personal assistant. But can we really call a phone a personal assistant?
If you had a real assistant, let me ask you—how do you make a call to a business partner?"
Everyone wore puzzled expressions.
They couldn't understand why Steve had brought this up.
But what he did next left them utterly stunned.
"If you had a personal assistant, all you'd need to do to make a call is say something like this: Hey, Siri! Call Professor Hinton!"
Steve suddenly raised his voice.
At that moment, a soft female voice emerged from the iPhone's speaker.
[Calling Professor Hinton.]
The iPhone recognized his voice and initiated the call.
Soon, the default ringtone played, and Professor Hinton appeared on stage, holding an iPhone.
"In order to make the iPhone a true personal assistant, we have integrated artificial intelligence. Let me introduce you to Professor Hinton, who developed this AI!"
[Woooooah!]
An explosive reaction erupted from the crowd.
They had come expecting groundbreaking technology—
But none of them had imagined that AI would be embedded into a mobile phone.
The audience screamed at the top of their lungs.
Steve barely managed to calm them down before handing the microphone to Professor Hinton.
"The AI integrated into the iPhone is called Siri. Using voice recognition, it can make calls, compose messages, take notes, set alarms, and perform most other functions."
"For now, that's all the explanation we'll provide. Professor Hinton will answer any further questions during the upcoming Q&A session."
Professor Hinton stepped off the stage.
Steve then demonstrated Siri's capabilities, showcasing how the iPhone could execute commands through voice control.
When he played a song just by asking Siri, the crowd erupted into cheers once again.
I discreetly put my earplugs back in.
It took about 30 minutes for the roaring cheers to die down.
"You're using earplugs again? Do the people in this venue have vocal cords made of steel? They haven't stopped screaming."
"Would you like to use mine?"
"What about you?"
"I don't need them anymore."
"The iPhone presentation is nearly over. I doubt I'll need them now. I'm fine."
"You'll regret it."
I chuckled and slipped the earplugs back into my pocket.
Steve took a sip of water in preparation for the next product announcement.
"Thank you for the overwhelming response. But I have a feeling that certain media outlets, particularly those critical of Apple, will soon write articles saying, 'Is voice recognition AI really an innovation?'"
[Booooooo!]
The audience booed at the media.
Steve enjoyed the boos for a while before continuing.
"And so, Apple has prepared yet another innovation. Please come on stage!"
I quietly stood up from my seat.
David looked at me in shock, clearly confused by my sudden movement, but I ignored his gaze and walked onto the stage.
"Nice to meet you. I am Min-jae Kim, Vice Chairman of Taewoo Group. Today, I am here representing Taewoo Electronics."
Did the atmosphere just turn ice-cold?
The passionate applause and cheers for Steve instantly disappeared.
Instead, there was a mix of awkward claps and murmurs spreading through the crowd.
[Wait, did they make another electronic product with Taewoo Electronics?]
[The Apple-Taewoo TV was decent, but other home appliances have nothing to do with Apple.]
[I don't get why Apple keeps collaborating with Taewoo. There are way better companies out there.]
This was the current reputation of Taewoo Electronics.
Although its image had improved over the years, it was still widely seen as a second- or third-tier electronics company.
I did my best to ignore those murmurs.
No—rather, I enjoyed them.
Because I knew exactly how they would react once this presentation was over.
"First, let me introduce some of the home appliances developed by Taewoo Electronics."
Stagehands began bringing in the products.
TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines—
The stage was set up to resemble a real home, and as this transformation took place, the murmurs grew even louder.
[They said this was a new product launch, but aren't these the same things they showcased at CES?]
[Some of these look unfamiliar, but they don't seem all that different.]
[Why is Taewoo Electronics promoting their products here?]
[Does this Taewoo Group Vice Chairman have some kind of dirt on Steve or something?]
More.
Let them throw even more insults.
The more they doubted, the more dramatic the reveal would be.
I savored the restless chatter for a while before finally speaking again.
"Taewoo Electronics, in collaboration with Apple, has developed a groundbreaking technology. A technology that will define a new era."
[Ahem, ahem.]
Coughs echoed throughout the room.
A clear sign of their disbelief—how dare Taewoo Electronics use the word innovation?
For a brief moment, I felt a surge of frustration.
I wanted to tell them that many of the technologies inside the iPhone had come from Taewoo Electronics and my own ideas.
But I couldn't say that.
So, I swallowed my emotions and continued.
"Have you ever heard of the term ubiquitous computing? It refers to a world where computers exist everywhere."
Ubiquitous computing.
It was an unfamiliar term, but since the audience consisted of people interested in IT, quite a few recognized it.
[Isn't ubiquitous computing a concept from the '70s?]
[I remember an MIT professor mentioning it. It refers to a world where computers are distributed throughout homes.]
[It comes from a Latin word meaning 'God is everywhere.']
[Just throwing around fancy words doesn't make something innovative. This sounds too far-fetched!]
There was no need for me to explain further.
The audience was already sharing information among themselves, and the way they looked at me grew even colder.
"Taewoo Electronics has successfully reinterpreted ubiquitous computing in our own way. Let me show you the proof.
Hey, Siri. Turn on the air conditioner."
[Turning on the air conditioner.]
Whirr!
The air conditioner powered up through Siri on the iPhone.
I didn't stop there. I continued controlling various home appliances with just my voice.
"Hey, Siri, switch to the news channel."
"Tell me how much time is left on the washing machine."
One by one, I controlled different appliances solely through voice commands.
Only then did the audience begin to grasp what I had just demonstrated.
[Wowww!]
A deafening cheer erupted, followed by a wave of applause.
Home appliances that could be controlled anytime, anywhere, with just an iPhone—
That was more than enough to excite the crowd.
"Now, let me throw in a bit of reality check. Technically, this technology isn't exactly ubiquitous computing. The proper term is Internet of Things (IoT). And it's a technology far more relevant to our time."
[Clap clap clap!]
No matter what I said, applause followed.
The atmosphere had completely shifted from the start of the presentation.
To be honest, I wasn't sure if IoT itself could truly be considered an innovation.
The concept had been around for years, and there had already been products implementing it.
But there was one undeniable difference—
Our products could be controlled through the iPhone.
For people who were obsessed with their iPhones, home appliances that integrated seamlessly with them were exactly what they wanted.
"Oh, and one more thing. Taewoo Group isn't just an electronics company. We also have Taewoo Motors.
Hey, Siri. Start the car and turn on the air conditioning."
[Starting the car and turning on the air conditioning.]
Flash!
The headlights of a car, hidden in the corner of the stage, suddenly lit up.
Then came the crisp sound of the engine roaring to life.
It would be a waste to only showcase home appliances at this event.
If I was already here, I might as well promote something with an even higher price tag—cars.
"Shouldn't an iPhone do more than just act as a personal assistant? Now, it can also handle household chores!"
[Wowww!]
Another explosive round of cheers.
The metallic quality of the screams made it clear that a lot of voices would be hoarse tomorrow.
As I stepped off the stage, I couldn't help but imagine how busy ENT clinics would be the next day.