Reborn Tech Maniac

Chapter 284 Apple is in trouble
However, compared to the previous clean and quick, Tang Huan's subsequent actions and statements were obviously much more cautious.

It wasn't until the next day that he visited all the videotape business departments that he revealed the specific content of the cooperation intention.

"I noticed that you are developing Betacam, a new generation of technology for professional and broadcast applications, to replace the original U-Matic format. Can I participate in this project?"

Seeing that Tang Huan's interest had suddenly shifted, Akio Morita was slightly taken aback, then nodded, "Of course you are welcome."

"I hope to be able to share patents and have the right to conduct research and development in new directions based on the original technology." Tang Huan said leisurely.

If Tang Huan wanted to take a shortcut to make quick money in the home video recorder business, then he planned to work hard in the professional field.

Betacam is naturally derived from Betamax, which takes advantage of the high image quality of this format, and it is completely predictable that it will become the de facto professional standard in the Electronic News Gathering—electronic news gathering (ENG) industry in the future.

In the original time and space, VHS won in the field of mass consumption, and Betacam won in the field of professional applications, and Betacam can also support digital video.

It's just that these traditional manufacturers who master videotape standards monopolize too much, TV stations and other users.There was no choice but to be slaughtered, so after the emergence of new digital technology products, Betacam was gradually abandoned.

But this is not the fault of technology, it can only be attributed to the original sin of capital.

It is not difficult for videotapes that record analog signals to support digital video through technical improvements on the original technical standards, at least in Tang Huan's opinion.

And once there is digital audio-visual, then Fangyuan computer will have a new application.

"I didn't expect Mr. Tang to be so interested in Betacam." Akio Morita laughed while thinking.

"I have an independent TV station in Xiangjiang and Auckland, so when I saw the Betacam project, I suddenly felt that its prospects should be good, and it can completely make film a history." Tang Huan found a reason to explain it, so as to dispel it the other party's doubts.

After hearing this, Akio Morita was noncommittal. He was a little undecided. Everyone knows that technology monopolies make huge profits, but sharing patents always feels like cutting flesh, but Tang Huan has a good card.

"What does Mr. Tang think of Betamax?" Akio Morita finally decided that even if they exchanged, they should first look at the other party's bargaining chips.

"Sony has been cultivating in the field of video tapes for many years. It can be said that Betamax is good enough." Tang Huan nodded. Products can be OEM, replaced with our trademark, and share profits.”

Hearing that Tang Huan was making such a calculation, Akio Morita blushed and waved his hands repeatedly: "This is against Sony's purpose of building a world brand."

"Then how about the two of us setting up a joint company to produce video recorders and video tape products under a new brand?" Tang Huan made a small retreat.

Akio Morita continued to shake his head and refused, "If Mr. Tang is interested, you can buy the patent from us and produce it yourself."

Tang Huan laughed, thinking that when I built the factory, I might miss a lot of market quotations.

Goldman Sachs has already discussed the acquisition of RadioShack. Such a large sales network can also be used to sell video recorders and video tapes, and the sooner the finished product is released, the better.

But from Sony's point of view, Akio Morita's choice is understandable, after all, Sony has an absolute monopoly advantage in this field.

For this result, Tang Huan, who has already found out the truth, can accept it, but it's a pity that Betacam's cheapness did not take advantage of it.

However, words cannot be dead.

"This time is in a hurry and time is limited, so let's talk about it first." Tang Huan spread his hands regretfully, "Everyone will keep in touch and hope to have a chance to discuss next time."

Watching Tang Huan get into the car, Oga Norio said to Akio Morita in a low voice: "President, we have already obtained the authorization of the first-generation Fangyuan computer, and the product sales are good. Maybe we can get the second-generation Fangyuan computer first through exchange." authorization of the computer."

Akio Morita shook his head, "But his appetite is too great. Both the professional field and the mass market want to mix it up. After so many years of hard work, we have achieved the current leading edge in video tape technology, and we are really giving it away. , Is it appropriate? A company that has only been established for a few years is not worthy of our concession."

Norio Ohga hesitated, thinking about what to do if Tang Huan went to JVS to cooperate, but then he thought about it. Sony's Betamax left VHS far behind, so it wouldn't hurt to have another Tang Huan.

It's just a pity that what the other party said, the new generation of computer-controlled monitoring system, did not see the true face of Mount Lu.

……

After getting into the car, Weng Jingjing, who played a guest role as an attendant, snorted, "I really don't know how to flatter you, Sony will definitely regret it soon."

Tang Huan couldn't help laughing, touched the pink face of the girl who blindly worshiped him, and said leisurely: "You really have a unique eye."

It is impossible for Tang Huan to tell Sony that users in the home video recorder market are more concerned about playback time and program exchange, and the quality of image quality is not as high as the professional field.

If you insist on the business model summed up from the case of U-Matic standard successfully monopolizing the market, you will inevitably make empirical mistakes.

Since you don't want to share interests equally, then I will go to JVC to have a look, it is likely to add a big weight to that side of the balance.

……

Panasonic and Sony were partners when the U-Matic standard was introduced in the early 1970s, but they soon parted ways.

Afterwards, Sony developed Betamax, which was designed to replace U-Matic, while Panasonic basically failed on a similar project, VX.

In 1974, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan attempted to unify video standards in order to alleviate consumers' confusion caused by the chaotic competition in the home video market.

At this time, the maturity of Sony's Betamax technology was very high, close to the finished product, and Sony persuaded the Ministry of International Trade and Industry to make Betamax an industry standard, and other manufacturers needed to purchase the license.

Compared with Sony's monopoly, JVC is more open in terms of standards.

Panasonic, which has no prospects for VX research and development, finally decided to promote the VHS standard of its own subsidiary JVC.

Of course, there are more manufacturers who are jealous of Sony's behavior of eating alone. As a result, companies such as Hitachi and Mitsubishi were pulled into the VHS camp by Panasonic.

There is strength in numbers, so the Ministry of International Trade and Industry had to give up its plan to implement unified industry standards, and Sony's wishful thinking came to nothing.

It can be said that the confrontation between the two major video standard camps revolves around the distribution of market interests.

……

JVC fully demonstrated the image of a spoiler who is barefoot and not afraid to wear shoes. Tang Huan and his party arrived at its headquarters in Yokohama, and all requirements were met.

It is also a video recorder, why is there such a big gap?
After Tang Huan secretly sighed, he communicated with the two founders of the VHS format, Yuma Shiraishi and Shizuo Takano, and found that JVC has no corresponding Betacam project for the time being.

It's no wonder, after all, they are now in the stage of catching up with Sony's technology.

It seems that the idea of ​​Betacam has to continue, but before that, it is better to let MGM's film library be realized through home video recorders as soon as possible.

At that time, Sony can't stand the pressure of Betamax's decline, and maybe it will take the initiative to ask for cooperation on the Betacam project.

Now that the VHS standard was temporarily selected, Tang Huan immediately asked his subordinates to further finalize the matter, and he took Weng Jingjing to play in Tokyo at his leisure.

Because the scope of activities in Japan this time is in this area, the actual impact on the work is not great.

……

During this period of time, Weng Jingjing has been by her side, and Tang Huan has witnessed the transformation process from a pure girl to a mature woman.

"How about it, do you think you are qualified to work as a secretary during this time?" Tang Huan joked.

"I don't seem to know how to do anything other than serving tea and water." Weng Jingjing replied depressedly.

Tang Huan laughed loudly and reprimanded: "Then I will arrange for you to continue going to school, and you still have to push back and forth."

Weng Jingjing snorted weakly, "I think acting is fun now, I don't want to go to school."

"With your smartness, it's not a problem to go to school and accept plays at the same time. When you can go to university, you will be able to arrange your own time." Tang Huan said step by step, "When you are good enough I will transfer you to my side as a real secretary."

Weng Jingjing, whose face was flushed, thought for a while with sparkling eyes, and then nodded, "This has a good future, and we can do it in the office by then."

……

On the second day, Tang Huan originally wanted to follow the plan, continue to deal with official business in the morning, and take Weng Jingjing to play in the afternoon, but a news came from the United States, which made him have to terminate this pleasant life combining work and rest early.

Wanting to bid farewell to the man who occupied her body and mind these days, the reluctant Weng Jingjing couldn't help but her eyes turned red.

Tang Huan smiled and comforted, "Little fool, we will meet in Xiangjiang soon."

"Then I'll be waiting for you in Xiangjiang." After all, Weng Jingjing was a different girl, and she quickly regained her feelings.

Seeing this scene, Tang Huan nodded secretly, but the other party had always been able to understand the general situation.It's really not easy at the age of rebellion.

"When you go back, give this to your mother so that she won't nag you. Remember not to lose it, or it will be cheaper for others." Tang Huan put an exquisite little gift box in the girl's hand.

Weng Jingjing nodded, but didn't look at it, and put it in her bag casually.

"Someone will pick you up at Xiangjiang Airport, so you don't have to worry about what you bring." Tang Huan comforted Weng Jingjing again, and the two said goodbye.

……

Although Weng Jingjing is precocious and makes herself look calm on the surface, it is impossible not to feel melancholy in her heart.

After the plane landed and set foot on the familiar land of Xiangjiang again, she returned to normal, and she was that tricky little witch again.

The person who came to pick her up, Weng Jingjing knew, was one of Tang Huan's four bodyguards in Xiangjiang, Zheng Gang. She secretly gave him a nickname, Sai Zhangfei, but she hadn't had a chance to call it out yet.

After being sent home by Zheng Gang, Weng Jingjing saw her mother Zhao Xiaoyu standing in the living room, looking at herself coldly, "Stinky girl, your skills are getting better and better, and you have gone crazy for such a long time, dragging two Do you think you are great when you come back with a suitcase?"

"For you." Weng Jingjing responded with a blank look, took out the small gift box that Tang Huan specially handed over to her before, put it in her mother's hand, and dragged the suitcase into her bedroom.

"The stinky girl is quite proud." Zhao Xiaoyu complained in anger, opened the small gift box casually, then fell silent, dumbfounded.

I saw three pure gemstones of red, green, and blue in the box. The well-informed Zhao Xiaoyu could confirm at a glance that these were rare natural gemstones.

"Ruby, emerald, sapphire, it's definitely not easy to put them together. It seems that the girl has found a big backer in the past few days." Zhao Xiaoyu muttered to herself.

……

Hearing that the living room suddenly became quiet, Weng Jingjing smiled wryly and shook her head.When she was bored on the plane, she quietly took a look at what was inside, and was also stunned for a while.

Opening the two suitcases, Weng Jingjing was about to organize the contents inside, but she couldn't help being slightly dazed.

When I was shopping at the beginning, I didn't think so much, I didn't expect to accumulate so much.

Weng Jingjing counted them casually, and the estimated value shocked her.

Xiangjiang was originally a materialistic society, coupled with the influence of the family environment, Weng Jingjing did not have any hypocritical thoughts in her heart, but smiled complacently, Tang Huan really loved herself.

Weng Jingjing tidied up her things, and after a while, her mother Zhao Xiaoyu walked in, looked at it silently for a while, and then asked lightly, "Are you looking for a man?"

"You have Uncle Liu as your backer, so I will naturally find one too." Weng Jingjing replied calmly.

Zhao Xiaoyu snorted coldly, and asked coldly, "Who is the other party? Don't be fooled by other people's sweet words and you don't even know."

"That's my own business, so don't meddle in it." Weng Jingjing said sharply, "Besides, even if you tie up with my Uncle Liu, you won't be seen by the other party."

Being robbed by her daughter, Zhao Xiaoyu not only didn't get annoyed as usual, but nodded and smiled, "I guess who the other party is, the boss Tang who sent you back, right?"

Seeing that Weng Jingjing didn't admit it or deny it, Zhao Xiaoyu smiled even wider, "As expected of my daughter, her vision and methods are first-rate."

Weng Jingjing rolled her eyes and reminded, "His strength is beyond your imagination, you'd better keep your distance."

……

Recently, Apple, which has been chasing and intercepting IBM-PC through Apple IIe, has gone into trouble.

After developing the Apple IIe, Woz, who has nothing to do, plans to fly his own private jet, a rich man from the Beechcraft Company, and take his fiancée to her uncle to order a wedding ring.

As a result, at Sky Park Airport in Scotts Valley, California, when Woz's private jet was in the take-off phase, it fell headfirst and crashed.

Fortunately, no one suffered serious life-threatening injuries. Woz stayed in the hospital for a few days and then came out.

However, everyone had to accept a cruel reality that Woz, Apple's founder and technology icon, suffered from intermittent amnesia.

This also means that Woz is not competent for Apple's research and development work.

Fortunately, Woz could think about it, and had already had the idea of ​​quitting the company's daily affairs, so he took this opportunity to go to the University of California, Berkeley to continue his unfinished university studies in order to obtain a university degree.

But this is not the point of Tang Huan's news. After all, Woz is still alive and kicking, so it is not worth reporting.

Just a few days after Woz's crash, Mike Scott suddenly decided to conduct a necessary and effective major reorganization of Apple.

The dude thought his boat was listing a bit, so he decided to jettison some fixed loads.

On a day known as Black Wednesday, Mike Scott simultaneously fired 40 employees at Apple and terminated the development of several hardware projects because he believed that the development of these projects would take too long to complete.

This move immediately caused chaos at Apple.

And Markkula had to join forces with Jobs to carry out a coup d'état in order to restore order in Apple.

Regarding Woz's plane crash, Tang Huan was very speechless. In order to help him alleviate his obsession with flying small private jets, he had tried his best, but this kind of small probability incident still happened, but it was only a while later. .

This really complied with that sentence, man's fate is destined, but it's a pity that Woz's talent in electronic technology is a pity.

However, the impact of this accident is limited to the micro level. After all, Woz has already achieved fame, fame and fortune. His enthusiasm for work is almost entirely determined by his hobbies, and his daily activities are all in the Apple II.

On the contrary, Mike Scott was forced to take a vacation, and the position of the CEO was replaced by the chairman Markkula. The high-level personnel change has a far-reaching impact.

In addition, Wall Street's reaction is a bit intriguing. It even accused Apple of being an upstart. After being proud, it became frivolous.

(End of this chapter)