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墨書 Inktalez
Li Hong smiled on stage, not expressing any objections to the price. The reporters below began to discuss among themselves, believing that the pricing of the Virtual Helmet was about right.
At a price of $1,000, it wouldn't seem too high for consumers to bear, nor would it be low enough to leave Sweet Potato Technology without profit.
In the eyes of many reporters, the Virtual Helmet must be a product of modern technological integration, and its production cost couldn't be low. A selling price around $1,000 was undoubtedly very reasonable.
However, just as everyone was expressing their agreement, Li Hong moved. He raised a finger and gently shook his head.
"$1,000? No, no, no, I don't think that's appropriate! The Virtual Helmet is not just an electronic product in your eyes; it is a key to conquer the world with future technology!"
The reporters below were stunned, and after a moment of silence, they erupted in chatter.
"Oh my God, he doesn't mean he's going to price it at $10,000, does he?"
"Is he crazy? That kind of price is unaffordable for ordinary people!"
"Is this yet another toy for the rich?"
"Oh shit, I knew these greedy folks wouldn't miss out on this huge profit opportunity!"
Various curses echoed from the audience. Li Hong remained unbothered and waited for the noise to subside before continuing, "Okay, I know what you're thinking! $10,000? No, no, no, I think that's too high!"
"Since the Virtual Era is about to arrive, as a technology company holding the key, we naturally have to make sacrifices."
"So our pricing is... 999 Renminbi!"
The audience fell into a daze.
"999 Renminbi?"
"No, it seems like it's Renminbi?"
"That can't be right! 999 Renminbi is only about 500 dollars? This is impossible!"
"Let's hope he's not joking!"
Amid the noise, Li Hong clapped his hands to get everyone's attention and emphasized, "That's right, you heard correctly. Our price is always 999 Renminbi! The unified price abroad starts at 599 dollars!"
After announcing the pricing for the Virtual Helmet, Li Hong immediately revealed the price for the Virtual Pod.
"The Virtual Pod, as our flagship product targeting the high-end market, will have a global unified price starting at 100,000 Renminbi, with options for personalized customization!"
If he had announced the price of the Virtual Pod first, perhaps the audience would have been much quieter. But before the groundbreaking price of 599 dollars for the Virtual Helmet, the crowd was already in an uproar.
"Quick, call the Editor! Tomorrow's headline is ready!"
"Hurry and tell the president; we are done for!"
"Oh my God, how is this possible!"
"Quick, pair this news with images and release it!"
The media were always quick to sense a story. Upon learning that the price of the Virtual Helmet was only 599 dollars, they instantly envisioned the kind of shockwaves that would follow!
It was predictable that under the impact of such a revolutionary technological product as the Virtual Helmet, all tech companies—including those internet firms that loved to sell concepts—would face unprecedented blows.
After all, there were hardly any products on the market that could compete directly with the Virtual Helmet. Moreover, most importantly, the price of this Virtual Helmet was already far below that of some high-end electronic products.
This is an unprecedented disaster for the electronics industry!
All the reporters could foresee this terrifying possibility; they could already sense how many tech stocks would plummet and even face bankruptcy once this news broke.
No product could rival the Virtual Helmet, which meant that it would spell the end for existing tech products. Previous tech products either had to sell off to survive or undergo transformation and upgrades.
Internet companies were not faring any better. The reality was becoming clear: the next frontier for the internet lay within the virtual world. Everything they currently possessed would vanish under the impact of this virtual realm.
This was an unparalleled catastrophe!
No tech company, including internet firms, could survive this wave.
...
In fact, the disaster was far worse than these reporters imagined.
When the shocking price of the Virtual Helmet spread across the globe, it was the once-mighty smartphone manufacturers and their suppliers who bore the brunt of the impact.
Apple, a tech giant that had dominated for twenty years, faced an unprecedented blow once again after the Stock Market recovered.
Within half an hour of the news breaking, Apple's stock price plummeted by 50%, wiping out hundreds of billions of dollars in market value.
The previous Stock Market fluctuations had already affected Apple; their stock price had dropped significantly, leaving them with a market value barely holding at 500 billion dollars. But in that instant when the news broke, their stock price fell by 50%, and by the time Cook realized what was happening, their market value had dwindled to a precarious 50 billion dollars.
"Is Apple really only worth 50 billion dollars?" Cook pondered as he absorbed the latest news from the Stock Market.
The Senior Vice President of Marketing stood behind Cook. Hearing his question, he replied helplessly, "Sir, if we don't respond soon, we might not even be able to hold onto that 50 billion!"
"What do you think will happen if we just let it keep falling? What will be left of Apple in the end?" Cook murmured to himself.
The Vice President shook his head. "It can't drop any further. This is the third warning from the board. If we don't take action soon, they will immediately initiate the removal process, and we will all be kicked out of Apple."
"But what can we do now?" Cook said despairingly, holding his head in his hands, unable to hide the pain on his face.
He had thought about fighting back, but when he learned that the price of the Virtual Helmet was only $599, he lost all confidence.
That price completely shattered the determination Cook had painstakingly built up. Faced with such revolutionary technological advancements and such a low price, Apple truly had no chance.
The Vice President pondered for a moment before saying, "Actually, it's not completely hopeless yet. Congress has already promised us that they will immediately initiate a sales ban; this Virtual Helmet will never appear in the U.S. market."
"Is self-deception useful? Even if the whole world bans this thing, it won't die. The vast market of over a billion people in China is enough for them to thrive," Cook shook his head.
"I know it's useless. Even if we ban their products, people will still smuggle them in. Unless we can come up with a product similar to theirs, even if it's inferior, as long as we have something to offer, we can get through this crisis. Otherwise, Apple's decline is imminent," the Vice President said earnestly.
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