area51novel #456 - PC development strategy
#456 - PC development strategy
When reality diverges from historical experience.
Ren Zhong hesitated somewhat.
In his plans, he always chose to follow the general trend, but now the direction of the times seemed to be deviating from the track. Ren Zhong didn't know which direction would be right when entering an unknown new era.
The Capital.
The IT Technology Research Center of the Dawn Research Institute.
"Dean Ren, why doesn't this personal computer adopt Dongda's own internal company for commercialization this time, maintaining the monopoly of our Dongda technology to obtain the greatest benefits?" Professor Yang Zhenjun, the head of the research center, felt somewhat puzzled by Ren Zhong's request.
In past history, after the Dawn Research Institute researched new technologies, it generally established a company to commercialize the development, and then spread it to other similar companies in the country, forming a new industry in the country.
But this time, when the IT Technology Research Center completed the research and development of personal computer-related supporting hardware technology, realizing the first real personal computer in history with all the software and hardware (CPU, memory, motherboard, keyboard, monitor, and operating system), Ren Zhong proposed a completely different idea—open the PC standard, preparing to allow all capable companies in the world to use the general standard hardware assembled PC researched by Dongda, and open all technical data except the operating system and BIOS.
This open strategy can enable personal computers adopting the Dongda PC standard to be quickly developed, occupy the personal computer market, and promote the Dongda PC technical standard to become the de facto PC standard.
"Professor Yang, I do this based on two reasons. First, we want to quickly push personal computers to the market and become the new PC standard in the market; second, PC will be a very large market, and Dongda alone may not be able to eat it all. We must introduce many partners into this industry. By developing technical standards, we can control the core technology of this market supply chain. With the formation of standards, our CPU, memory, interface standards, operating system, and other core components will become indispensable things for PC. We control the upstream of the supply chain to obtain the largest piece of the cake."
Ren Zhong explained.
In the main world timeline, the development of personal computers began in 1971. After ten years of twists and turns, it finally relied on the release of the IBM PC 5150 and the opening of related technologies, allowing friendly manufacturers to produce IBM PC compatibles, which truly opened the era of personal computers. By opening standards, IBM promoted the rapid development of the personal computer market and benefited from it. Although it was quickly backlashed by compatible machine manufacturers who used cost performance to pull it down from the PC throne, there is no doubt that IBM's great development in the computer era is also inseparable from the open PC standard.
At this time node, Ren Zhong is preparing to release this powerful weapon, and has deeper considerations.
The 8080 chip has been developed for some time, and there are hundreds of different kinds of computers based on this chip, but very few are similar to the personal PC in Ren Zhong's mind. After all, not so many geniuses can see through the fog of historical development.
The IT Technology Research Center is conducting in-depth research on the related technologies of personal PC according to Ren Zhong's deployment, such as memory, keyboard, disk, monitor, and display card. Old technologies such as magnetic cores are naturally not suitable for new computers. The first-generation disk technology currently being researched: floppy disk technology is the standard configuration for the first generation of personal computers. According to Ren Zhong's technical guidance, Dongda's floppy disk technology has overcome the double-sided low-density floppy disk with 360KB of 5.25 inches, and is now researching double-sided high-density 720KB 3.5-inch floppy disks and higher 1.44 MB capacity 3.5-inch floppy disks!
The subsequent hard disk research has also started the plan. Ren Zhong moved the basic technical principles and material composition and other aspects of information to the Bright Sword world.
However, with floppy disks and 4KB / 8KB / 16KB three specifications of memory, the basic core components of the personal computer are completed.
As for the display card and monitor, the current display card is only responsible for 2D text and pattern display. According to the information provided by Ren Zhong, the research in this area has also completed the matching of 14-inch and 15-inch monochrome and 256-color monitors. At the same time, in order to reduce the difficulty of PC promotion, the IT Technology Research Center of the Dawn Research Institute has customized a display card that matches the TV, allowing users to connect to the TV as a monitor.
Of course, opening PC technology does not mean that core technologies such as memory, keyboard, disk, and display card are all announced. These are IT core patents that have been applied for patent protection, and will be Dongda's real moat in the IT industry chain in the future!
Ren Zhong briefly explained the future PC industry development model to Professor Yang, and Professor Yang seemed to understand but not quite, but at least he was not so resistant.
"Okay, Dean Ren, according to you, we don't need to establish any new company to promote PC computers. Just open it to those computer companies in our country and let them do it. If we want to promote it globally, we have to hold a global technology conference, right? It's just that holding such a meeting will cost us a lot of money. It feels like a losing business."
"How can it be a loss?" Ren Zhong smiled. "After all, the law is not easily passed on. Although we are saying that we are opening the PC technology standard for free, it does not mean that we don't charge any money. In this case, those companies will not cherish it. Starting this year, we can host a technology conference called the Global Computer Conference (GCC) to release new technologies and exchange ideas. Each representative who is willing to participate must pay at least $499 in registration fees. Only those who participate in the conference are eligible to purchase our PC technology standard compilation. I don't think it's an exaggeration to sell this technical compilation for $999."
This, this... is this a bit of an insult to technology?
Will anyone really come if you do this?
As if seeing through Professor Yang Zhenjun's doubts.
"You guys, you have to take advantage of the situation when doing things, use your brains to do a good job in publicity. Now that you have created the world's first real personal computer, I think you can do a global live demonstration of the first personal computer on the science and technology channel. Put more effort into publicity, make this matter known to everyone, and then announce the opening of the Global Computer Conference to this technology, wouldn't that be a gathering of merchants from all over the world? Don't underestimate those people's sensitivity to making money. Personal computers are definitely a sunrise industry that will continue into the next century. Entering now will make you money no matter what."
First generation PC IBM 5150
. . .
With Ren Zhong's guidance, after a loose alliance was formed in the domestic PC industry chain, the IT Technology Research Center took the lead in starting the preparations for the first Global Computer Conference.
They first held a global product launch, using the first true personal computer they created, the Star I, to demonstrate the uses of personal computers and live application demos to a global television audience. This first-generation personal computer, equipped with the CCDOS operating system, dbase database, and office suite, was even more stunning than the one in the main world's historical timeline.
According to the official suggested retail price, this personal computer, so powerful that it rivaled a mid-sized transistor computer, was priced at only $1999!
This included $99 for the dbase database software and $299 for the CCDOS system 14 suite. After deducting the software, the hardware portion was less than $1500!
This high cost-performance ratio caused a global sensation as soon as it was announced.
Although the live broadcast of the launch event, due to time differences and a lack of coordination, reached less than 1 million television viewers worldwide, it was still noticed by interested parties. The next day, the major global media exploded with the news.
Almost all mainstream media outlets featured Dongda's release of the Star I personal computer as a top technology news story. Some newspapers even placed it on the front page!
Because with the widespread application of transistor computers, advanced countries around the world now had a very deep understanding of computers. The birth of Dongda's 8080 chip had already triggered headline news reports, proclaiming the imminent arrival of the personal computer era. Now, Dongda had finally completed the product design of an independent personal computer based on this chip and demonstrated its powerful office capabilities in a live broadcast!
Word processing and database handling were both excellent. Compared to mid-sized transistor computers costing tens of thousands of dollars, the price was so low that everyone could afford it. You should know that Dongda's export price for the DC-10K transistor computer, with a processing speed of 10,000 operations per second, was $300,000, and the export price for the DC-20K, with a processing speed of 20,000 operations per second, was $1 million. As for our current top-of-the-line transistor minicomputer, the MC-360, our current cost price is as high as $20 million!
Even at that price, exports were restricted and required the exchange of other conditions, such as the Rogue Eagle's transport planes and Fletcher destroyers, which Dongda urgently needed.
Although the development of transistor computers over the past few years had significantly reduced prices, the mainstream price for transistor computers still required tens of thousands of dollars!
Now, Dongda had lowered the threshold for computers to just over $1000, which was a monumental and epoch-making advancement in the computer industry.
What drove the major powers' computer industry even crazier was that at the end of the product livestream, the host announced the Global Computer Conference, claiming that the computer production technology and standards would be publicly released at Dongda's Global Computer Conference in one month!
After a simple certification process, Dongda's personal computer design would make most of its technology public, making it easier for all companies interested in producing this personal computer to manufacture compatible machines!
In other words, Dongda was actually allowing others to imitate and produce this powerful and cost-effective personal computer!
This news was like an earthquake that swept through the entire computer and electronics industries of the major powers!
Upon receiving the news, the dozens of electronics industry giants developed under the Qianlong Plan immediately made the decision to fully transform and open personal computer production lines. There was no need for the promotion of lurking personnel. For example, at Vision Company, Santos, the Vice President of Products, rushed into Ma Zhiyuan's office, eloquently stating the necessity and urgency of entering the personal computer market.
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In his opinion, Dongda's personal computer and Vision Company's television sets were a match made in heaven!
They could completely develop a bare-bones machine to connect to the television sets they sold, helping these television users transform into a computer.
And when selling new television sets, they could package this computer and sell it as a whole set!
Therefore, for Vision Company, which was looking for the next growth point, there was no better product than this.
After all, VCRs and home theaters in home entertainment were already in use. Vision Company's development seemed to have reached a new bottleneck. In terms of television business, although Vision was still unique, no less than seven or eight competitors had risen in both Rogue Eagle and Europe to compete for the market. Vision's product lead was no longer significant.
Having already reached a market value of tens of billions of dollars, Vision, which was rushing towards 20 billion, strongly needed a more promising product to support it.
The personal computer came just in time.
Almost at the same time, GoldenStar, the leader in Mist Capital founded by Liu Jiayi, also expanded into the television industry with tape recorders and video recorders, forming the leader in European home entertainment. After going public, its market value also exceeded 5 billion pounds, becoming a star in the British financial and technology circles.
Now, the personal computer wave was also favored by their company's Vice President of Products. Liu Jiayi naturally would not stop it. He had obtained first-hand information about Dongda's plans long ago. When deciding on the global live broadcast, Liu Jiayi deliberately guided the company's product department to watch the program live!
So, they hit it off immediately and quickly established a personal computer division to carry out this work, and sent a technical team of 20 people to Dongda to study and introduce this technology!
GoldenStar was now rich and powerful. Since they had decided to do it, their team would go to Dongda to get the complete set of technology, whether it was buying it with money or co-producing it. According to Liu Jiayi's authorization, the Vice President of Products had the right to make decisions on the spot!
Personal computers were crucial to the company's development, and they were even prepared to pay a certain patent licensing fee.
Ren Zhong's promotion of the opening up of personal computers was indeed aimed at quickly turning Dongda's personal computer standards into the actual global PC standards. On the other hand, he also knew that those seeds of Dongda's Qianlong Plan would be the first to respond and would definitely find a way to respond in this round of opening up.
In this way, most of the benefits of this wave of technology opening up would still remain within our own people.
Moreover, through this technology opening up, we could secretly support another wave of Qianlong Plan seeds, because the impact of personal computers on the world was far beyond what people in this world could perceive. After this group of Qianlong Plan seeds took the lead in becoming de facto distributors of Dongda personal computers, the greater they grew, the greater their contribution to Dongda's personal computer standards, and they would strive to seize market space in the downstream as much as possible, thereby stifling the giants in the major powers that might threaten Dongda's computer industry chain.
As long as they occupied most of the personal computer terminal market space in the major powers, and the core components came from Dongda, then the market space for local chip manufacturers in the major powers would be compressed to an insignificant level. In this way, it would be extremely difficult for them to catch up again.
Without market feedback and profits to support the chip manufacturers, it would be very difficult for the major powers' enterprise mechanism to persist until the day of success. (End of chapter)