Rebirth of America, this is my time

June 23, 1980, Tokyo.

The rainy weather could not hide Imanishi Hiroshi's joy. He was in his boss's office and looked at the report in his hand with a happy face, and read out energetically:

President, in the past four weeks, our Game Watch sales have been very good.

'Ball' has sold 70,000 copies, and 'Flagman' has sold 100,000 copies. They have brought us a total operating income of 986 million yen.

Converted into U.S. dollars at today's exchange rate, it's almost 6.9 million U.S. dollars.

According to this momentum, the Game Watch product can bring us more than 60 million US dollars in revenue this year. After deducting costs, our profit should exceed 15 million US dollars.

Although a project of 15 million a year is a bit shabby, especially when this project is a video game, the speed of making 15 million a year is even less impressive, but for Nintendo's general affairs director For Imanishi Hiroshi, this is a good result that can be written about in a big way.

Because this is the first pot of gold they have earned in the gaming field after breaking away from Ethan Jones!

After they got rid of the design of Destiny Game on the hardware and the creativity of Ethan Jones on the software, the success of a self-developed product like Game Watch is a feat worthy of praise!

This means that from today on, even if Ethan Jones falls out with them, they no longer have to humbly beg Ethan Jones for forgiveness as before!

It also means that Nintendo will be the first self-developed manufacturer in the entire gaming industry to get rid of plagiarism! This will make them a new benchmark in the video game industry after the Destiny game!

It's a pity that blessings are unparalleled.

While the Game Watch was selling like hotcakes, Nintendo also discovered that there was a similar product on the market that was competing with them head-on for the market.

And it...

It's Casio.

President, the gaming calculator launched by Casio two weeks ago may become our strong rival, because their product design is so interesting.

“What’s interesting here is not that the games are interesting, but that their games have great disguises and can easily enter children’s homes.”

Our Game Watch is a handheld game console, so we will encounter many problems when selling it. For example, children want to buy it, but parents will reject it as soon as they hear that Game Watch is related to games. But Casio's game computing Unlike calculators, when children want to buy one, they can tell their parents that they want to buy a scientific calculator.

When parents know that their children buy calculators for better learning, they will agree to their children's requests, which will allow Casio's products to expand rapidly.

Although our technical director Gunpei Yokoi has carefully studied Casio's products and feels that they cannot pose much of a threat to us, because Casio's products are essentially a calculator with a smaller screen and The small capacity makes them unable to carry some large games. It is impossible for Casio to gain a larger market when on-board games are easy to get bored of.

But I think we should still snipe Casio if we can.

We can communicate with the media, buy press releases, and present the concept that Casio calculators are equal to game consoles to the public, exposing Casio's hypocrisy and making parents wary.

“Only by knocking down Casio’s products so that they can’t profit from them can we have a chance to firmly dominate the entire handheld market, because once Casio gets a taste of the sweetness in the handheld field, they will definitely find a way. Get into gaming.”

And that...

It will be very detrimental to us.

We can't let this happen.

Although Hiroshi Imanishi's thinking was clear, his wording was accurate, and the solution he proposed was very feasible, at this moment, Hiroshi Yamauchi did not give him any positive feedback at all.

After listening to Imanishi Hiroshi's report, the old man leaning on the sofa whispered: Is there no response from North America yet? Has Ethan Jones not contacted us yet?

This question made Imanishi Hiroshi look helpless.

Putting down the report he had just compiled, he shook his head and said, No.

Then Julis Noble, is she back?

nor.

...

The crisp answer made the huge office fall into silence.

After a long while, Yamauchi Hiroshi let out a long sigh, Hey——

In fact, after Hiroshi Yamauchi decided to release Game Watch, his heart beat like a powerful motor, and when the time came for the release day of Game Watch, he felt nervous. It almost made his heart jump into his throat.

Hiroshi Yamauchi was extremely excited when he thought that Nintendo could finally break through the blockade of Destiny games and become a self-developed company in the gaming field. Of course, he was actually even more looking forward to it, wanting to know what Ethan Jones would do after seeing his product. What kind of reaction--

He might smash things in his office;

He might also make a roaring phone call to inquire about Nintendo;

He may find that he has been deceived. You must know that Hiroshi Yamauchi asked Minoru Arakawa to tell Ethan Jones that Nintendo's main product in the second half of the 1980s was the Johnson home console;

He's more likely to be anxious because Nintendo's products are so far ahead...

Since the development of Game Watch was announced as a success, Hiroshi Yamauchi imagined countless scenes that would relieve his anger. However, he never expected that one month after the product was launched, after he personally handed over the pride of Nintendo to You. After Liz Noble, there was no reaction from Ethan Jones.

This situation really exceeded his expectations!

It made him even more anxious!

He wanted to know why Ethan Jones was acting so coldly at this moment?

Was he smitten by the invention of Game Watch?

Or is there a way to deal with it already?

If it's the former, then Nintendo can sleep peacefully.

If it's the latter, then Nintendo may be doomed.

When such tangled emotions appeared, Yamauchi Hiroshi couldn't eat well or sleep well.

And his anxiety also made Nintendo's general manager Imanishi Hiroshi feel helpless. He took a deep breath and comforted him: President, I think the whole thing should be developing in a good direction.

Ethan Jones didn't respond. It may not be that our products are not good enough, or that Ethan Jones has a way to deal with it, but that he is entangled in other things.

After all, we all know that he has enemies all over North America.

Although Hiroshi Imanishi's words were reasonable, Hiroshi Yamauchi was still anxious.

Such a situation made Imanishi Hiroshi continue: President, I think you can take a rest.

Because these troubles will be over soon.

Arakawa has already taken our financial report for the first half of the year to North America. He will hand this financial report to Ethan Jones as usual. As long as he and Ethan Jones meet, we will know that Ethan is now ·What kind of state is Jones in?

Is it panic? Is it fear? Is it anger? Is it flattering?

This matter will be answered soon.

Perhaps because the answer to the mystery was about to be revealed, life and death were all a matter of one sword, so Yamauchi Hiroshi finally calmed down. However, just when he was expecting his son-in-law to bring him some good news...

The next day, Minoru Arakawa, who came to the Destiny Game, looked at Steve Ballmer who was receiving him with a confused face, and said in surprise: What did you say? Steve, Mr. Jones is not here?

Yes. Our boss is out. Steve Ballmer nodded.

Where did he go? Minoru Arakawa was eager for answers.

I don't know. Steve Ballmer shrugged.

But I'm here to deliver the report today... Arakawa pointed to his briefcase and said, I have already made an appointment in advance according to my past habits, so...

Oh, just leave this thing to me.

I'll pass it on to the boss, Ballmer said with a smile.

But- Arakawa Minoru hesitated.

What, you don't believe me? Ballmer said, Or do you have other questions?

Although it was a question, Ballmer did not give Arakawa a chance to answer.

He slapped his forehead and pretended to forget: Oh, by the way, our boss knew that you would come when he was away, so he gave this to me in advance and asked me to pass it to you.

While speaking, Ballmer took out an envelope from his pocket.

This situation made Arakawa breathe a sigh of relief.

After giving him the report and saying a friendly farewell, he couldn't wait to open the envelope after he left the Destiny Game and got in the car. Then, he saw——

[Hello, Mr. Arakawa. 】

[I have received the gift that President Yamauchi of your company gave me last month. Your new product is very good, both from the perspective of product design and gameplay, it is great. 】

[So, in order to express my gratitude, I will give you a gift during Christmas this year. Please tell President Yamauchi that by then, I hope he can accept my invitation and come to North America to participate in the winter of our company’s Destiny Game. New product launch. 】

【Ethan Jones】

【June 18, 1980】

The words on the letter made Arakawa Minoru's pupils shrink suddenly!

Without hesitation, he hurried home.

When he picked up the receiver of the landline phone in the study and wanted to make a call, his right hand that was supposed to press the numbers froze in the air. After hesitating for a long time, he finally put down the phone and rushed out of the study.

This situation made his wife very confused and said: Where are you going?

Arakawa actually ran and said——

I want to go back to China!

Leave now!

Something happened in North America!

I want to see your dad!

Before he finished speaking, Arakawa Minoru had disappeared.

Lao Shanuchi's daughter was left in a mess at home.

While Arakawa Minori smelled something unusual, Ethan was watching the midnight sun in Alaska.

…

From April to August every year, Alaska enters polar daylight time.

During this time, the sun barely sets in Alaska.

When it is most powerful, the sun will teeter at twelve o'clock and rise again at two or three o'clock. Since the incident happened in the early morning, the local people call it the midnight sun.

In addition, because of the long days, all the plants are growing like crazy.

Here you can see cabbage weighing one hundred and thirty-eight pounds, a giant pumpkin weighing two thousand and fifty-one pounds, carrots sixty-four pounds, and a giant cucumber four feet long.

The magic of nature amazed Ethan and opened Steve Jobs' eyes.

When he came out of the agricultural products expo, this guy jokingly said that when he retires and has time, he must buy a piece of land here and grow apples.

If nothing else, I have to create an Apple logo half the height of a person.

Oh - Steve, your idea is really interesting.

Ethan nodded with a smile and said, You must call me when you come.

I must compare with you to see who grows the biggest fruit.

Hahahaha—— Hearing Ethan's competitive words, Jobs laughed repeatedly. Looking at the beautiful scenery outside the window, he put down his knife and fork when he was full, and said: So...

Ethan.

Why did you suddenly call me out to play this time?

Are you in trouble?

Or is Apple unable to keep its own stuff?

No matter what happens, you can just say it.

In the eyes of others, I may be an unreasonable person, but you all know...

I can actually listen to some well-intentioned, reasonable and suggestions.

Jobs's frankness also made Ethan put down his knife and fork. Looking at the face full of curiosity with a smile, Ethan said: Steve, are you feeling something?

Of course. Jobs nodded and spread his hands: If it weren't for the complexity of the matter, how could you ask me to come out to play? You know, this kind of solo outing is very ambiguous.

At least that's how it was in the circle I was in before.

Oh - Steve - Ethan waved his hand, signaling Jobs to stop.

That's right, when General Tire was punching Ethan Jones wildly, when Bill Gates was secretly watching and eager to find out more, when Minoru Arakawa wanted to report to Ethan Jones with Nintendo's financial report, Ethan was Invited Steve Jobs to a vacation and traveled to Alaska with him.

Just as Steve Jobs suspected.

The reason why Ethan invited him to travel was simple.

That's because Ethan knows that Bill Gates's hint is not wrong.

The graphical user interface cannot be put off any longer.

Even if he didn't know what to say, he had to get it done.

This is not only because Apple needs chip development, but also because openness can harvest the world.

But this kind of thing is actually not easy to discuss in the office.

That kind of business-like environment is not the atmosphere Ethan wants.

so……

Traveling and chatting became Ethan’s last choice.

When Jobs took the initiative to bring up the topic, Ethan did not hesitate and directly talked about the communication and urging between Bill Gates and himself in the past six months.

When Ethan said that Bill Gates really wanted a graphical user interface, a smile of understanding suddenly appeared on his face, and he was waiting for Ethan to tell that Bill Gates was willing to help them get Intel chips. patent in exchange for a patent on a graphical user interface...

There was no surprise on Jobs's face.

He looked at Ethan seriously and said, So, you think his proposal is good, right?

Uh... Ethan hesitated for a moment and said, Thinking about the problem from a rational perspective, the deal proposed by William is relatively... feasible...

“Number one, because it gives us access to hardware.”

Second, what it says is true. As long as we are closed source, we cannot monopolize the entire market. When the patent for the graphical user interface expires, other companies will release their products to compete with us as soon as possible. And to avoid this kind of competition, we have to support and control one company.

If controlled through patent licensing...

Then we can still charge high royalties.

When Bill Gates said that they wanted to obtain the patent authorization for the graphical user interface, Ethan carefully recalled his past life. Then, he discovered that in his previous life, the reason why Microsoft was able to catch up and surpass Apple was , that’s because the president of Pepsi, who sells sugar water, signed a technology swap agreement with Bill Gates after joint shareholders drove away Steve Jobs.

They agreed that if Microsoft continues to provide Apple with the most advanced software, such as Word and Excel, in the future, then Microsoft can use Apple's graphical user interface technology until Microsoft stops services.

Then……

The apple exploded.

This agreement will cause Apple to lose all future rights protection lawsuits to Microsoft!

It also makes it impossible for Apple to collect a dime of patent fees from Microsoft!

This fact made Jobs, who had been paying attention to Apple, yell! Even more so after he returned to Apple, he clung to patents and successfully connected the upstream and downstream of smartphones!

Although the iPhone can take 85% of the industry's profits with a global market share of 15%, it is related to its strong gross profit margin, low operating costs, and strong brand effect.

But in addition, patent authorization cannot be ignored.

For example, the Lightning interface, which is deeply hated by Apple users, brought Apple three billion US dollars in revenue every year before Apple could not withstand the pressure of the European Union and canceled it.

When these facts emerge...

Ethan then knew how to communicate with Jobs.

Sometimes, we don’t necessarily have to monopolize the world with our products, right?

Seizing patents and letting others work for you is the true meaning of technological colonization.

So, you want to convince me? Jobs tilted his head and smiled.

I'm just discussing the problem with you again. Ethan shook his head, denying Jobs's speculation.

His words made Jobs purse his lips and stop speaking.

For a moment, the huge private room fell into silence.

This situation made Ethan feel helpless. In his opinion, Jobs might have been angry.

And just as he was thinking about how he should speak to calm the anger of the paranoid in front of him, Jobs, who had been staring at Ethan, suddenly laughed out loud.

Okay.

Jobs tapped his index finger on the table.

Ethan.

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table.

I admit that you are right.

He looked at Ethan with a complicated expression.

‘What? ’ The sudden change made Ethan a little confused.

Then, he caught the smile in Jobs's eyes.

This expression made Ethan frown, and Jobs...

Then he shook his head cheerfully——

Ethan, let me say it again.

I'm really not paranoid.