January 9th.
The CES event was grandly held in Las Vegas.
Electronic product companies from around the world showcased various products.
But today, all attention was focused on Apple and Steve.
It was because of a rumor that had been swirling for months.
"Apple has created a completely different type of phone."
Steve was obsessively focused on security, yet it was impossible to completely prevent prototype photos of the iPhone from leaking.
Instead, it beca noise marketing.
Experts, dia outlets, and early adopters alike were all eagerly awaiting Apple's new phone.
And finally, today, Apple's new phone, which had been the subject of so many rumors, was about to be unveiled.
"It must be because this is Arica, but the scale is definitely huge. So many people attending a phone launch."
"People are more interested because it's a phone made by Apple and Steve."
Grandfather and I waited for the presentation from the best seats.
Suddenly, a pin spotlight shone on Steve, and the presentation began.
Step by step, Steve moved to the center of the stage.
Everyone at the event watched silently, as if by unspoken agreent, not even breathing.
"Hello. I am Steve, CEO of Apple."
[Wowww!]
Cheers and applause instantly engulfed the stage.
It was a clear sign of high expectations, and if those expectations were not t, the cheers would quickly turn into boos.
It was a tense mont no matter who was standing there.
But Steve began his presentation with relaxed gestures and confidence.
"Today, I am going to introduce three innovative products."
Click! When Steve pressed the button, three icons appeared on the large screen.
iPod, phone, and internet.
"You all know the iPod, right? Does anyone here have one?"
At Steve's words, everyone without exception pulled an iPod out of their pockets.
The iPod had already secured its place as the next-generation music player, and especially among those interested in electronics enough to attend CES, it was a given that they owned one.
"When it first ca out, it wasn't welcod warmly. But now, anyone can easily download music and listen through the iPod. And I have further improved the iPod."
The audience's enthusiasm cooled sowhat.
They felt the product being announced this ti was not a phone but a new version of the iPod.
"The next product is the internet. Most internet use now is through PCs. So to put music on your iPod, you have to go through the tedious process of connecting to a PC. But our innovative product allows you to use the internet without connecting to a PC."
The reaction was similarly lukewarm.
Steve observed this cool response but continued with his presentation.
"Next is the innovative mobile phone. And we have combined all three of these innovative products into one device. Let introduce the iPhone—capable of music, internet, and phone calls."
Finally, the iPhone was unveiled.
Steve had intentionally made it seem as if he was unveiling the next iPod, then suddenly revealed the iPhone.
"The iPhone has all the functions of an iPod, all the functions of a phone, and also access to the internet. It even includes a cara, replacing multiple electronic devices with just one iPhone."
[Wowww!]
The cheers erupted once again.
The audience was captivated by the iPhone's attractive design.
But it didn't end there.
Steve personally demonstrated the iPhone's functions.
Touchscreen, internet browsing, multitasking, and more.
The performance was more than enough to satisfy the public, but for , it was slightly disappointing.
If history had followed its natural course, the iPhone would have been released six years later.
Since it appeared a full six years ahead of ti, there were many issues.
The touchscreen response was slow, storage capacity for music was small, and the display quality was unsatisfactory.
Of course, these were feelings only I had because I was already familiar with smartphones.
The general public was seeing a smartphone for the first ti and responded with enthusiastic applause.
Grandfather was also seeing a smartphone for the first ti.
"Heh, I don't know when the world changed like this. It's like they shrunk a laptop down to phone size."
"The semiconductors that go into such innovative products are supplied by our Taewoo."
"The sales will increase overwhelmingly. Heh, I don't know whether to be happy or sad."
Grandfather couldn't take his eyes off the iPhone.
Among the people I've t, few had more insight than him.
If even Grandfather was reacting this way, there was no doubt about the iPhone's success.
But the presentation was not even halfway done.
Steve had prepared many performances to highlight the iPhone's strengths, and because I supported him behind the scenes, I knew well what he had prepared.
"Hmm, the atmosphere has dropped a bit. Nothing lifts the mood like music."
Steve accessed Apple Music through the iPhone.
Until now, the music site had only been accessible through computers.
This was a demonstration that from now on, the music site could also be accessed through the phone.
"Following last year, Destiny Child once again firmly holds the number one spot on the charts this year."
Steve downloaded music through the iPhone.
Soon after, he began playing the downloaded music on the iPhone.
As Destiny Child's soulful voice filled the presentation hall, the crowd erupted in cheers once again.
"The music alone isn't heating up the atmosphere as much as I want. If music isn't enough, I guess we'll have to show a movie."
This ti, it was the turn for OTT.
He connected to an OTT platform via the iPhone and played the classic film Rocky.
Ba-bam-bam, ba~bam-bam!
Along with the mood-enhancing music, scenes of Sylvester Stallone running through the market were projected on the large screen.
Steve held up the iPhone.
He showed the audience that the sa movie was playing both on the large screen and the iPhone.
Applause erupted, fingers clapping loudly.
At that sight, I couldn't help but smile proudly.
Apple Music and the OTT service were both companies that brought money.
It was as if Steve was advertising on my behalf.
If the promotional effect from this presentation were calculated in money, wouldn't it be at least over a billion dollars?
Steve continued demonstrating for a long ti.
Finally, he expressed gratitude to several companies.
"I thank the companies that helped make the iPhone possible. Especially Taewoo Electronics, Taewoo Communications, and AT&T."
Steve carefully promoted the na of the Taewoo Group.
He also ntioned AT&T, an Arican telecommunications company.
Before the ti loop, the service operated via GSM, so it couldn't be released in Korea, which used CDMA.
But this ti, Korea was included among the initial launch countries.
Thanks to Taewoo Communications working in collaboration from the developnt stage, the iPhone was made compatible with the Korean network.
The iPhone was planned to be released in two versions: one for GSM and one for CDMA systems.
Shortly after,
I was able to have a quiet conversation with Steve after the presentation.
"You did great. That was a perfect PPT."
"Phew, my hands were shaking so much I couldn't even properly touch the screen."
Steve raised his hand.
His fingers were trembling uncontrollably.
Though he seed completely calm, he had been stubbornly hiding his nervousness.
"The reaction was explosive. It's more than ten tis hotter than when we introduced the InnoPhone."
"Actually, the iPhone I used today isn't a perfect product. It could have force-closed since not all bugs were fixed. That's why I hid spare iPhones all around."
Steve was ticulous as always.
He had hidden several spare iPhones in advance in case anything went wrong.
Fortunately, there were no problems, so the spare phones weren't needed.
"Aren't you glad that the iPhone could play music and movies?"
"That involved a little trick, too. The music and movie files were pre-downloaded. And through coding, the battery usage and antenna reception were set to always show 100%."
I was speechless.
Steve was willing to go to any length to make an imperfect iPhone appear perfect.
There were still six months left before the official release, so as long as optimization succeeded within that ti, there would be no issues.
"If you're short on personnel, I can send support from Taewoo Electronics' staff."
"Would that be alright? Sending staff from Taewoo Electronics' IT departnt would help optimize Apple Music and the OTT service."
Taewoo IT.
Although it was still the IT departnt within Taewoo Electronics, their many successful projects had brought in revenue comparable to a full affiliate company.
That was why they were often called Taewoo IT, almost like a subsidiary.
Since Steve collaborated with Taewoo IT during the iPhone's developnt, he knew well the high capabilities of the Taewoo IT staff.
"I will send 50 people within this month. You can treat them as Apple employees until the iPhone is launched."
"Thank you. However, I heard that the semiconductor yield is very poor. Is that going to be alright? Shouldn't we sign a contract with another company even now? If this continues, Taewoo Electronics will suffer huge losses."
"This is a risk we accepted from the start. We will ensure that the semiconductor supply is not disrupted."
"Understood for now. But I expect you to raise the yield to at least 70% before the launch."
A low yield was also troubleso for Apple.
The yield had to be at least 70% to earn Apple's trust and have them entrust us with semiconductor production.
"We have already greatly improved the yield. We will reach 70% within six months."
"I trust you. I will focus on optimizing the iPhone in the anti."
Steve's fingers were still trembling.
He looked like he desperately needed rest, yet his mind was entirely occupied with work.
***
Ten days had passed since the iPhone was unveiled.
David and Team Leader Han reported to about how much global attention Apple was receiving while we were in the car.
"Apple's stock price has begun a steep rebound. This is the first ti an IT company has bounced back like this since the dot-com bubble."
"They say Apple has gone beyond innovation to create the future. We'll have to see after the official release, but there are reportedly over three million people already waiting to buy it."
This was very good news for Apple.
But the Taewoo Group was not benefiting.
"The Taewoo Group's stock price remains flat."
"Although information about the semiconductor supply contract with Apple has beco known, rumors about yield problems have offset that news."
Since it was a problem expected to be resolved soon, no serious concern was given.
There was sothing more important waiting now.
"Boss! We have arrived at the inauguration venue."
Today was the day Bush was inaugurated president.
I had been formally invited by the White House to attend the inauguration.
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