To be honest, this ending was not expected by William White. He still intended to play for a while, after all, there was a lot of money involved.
William White, however, overlooked a critical issue. In this election year, Carter had already turned into a political liability, and defeat was inevitable. Offering some financial support to the potential successor was a strategic move; if things went south, he would be in ruins.
Yet, with the emergence of a bipolar pattern, Mao Zi couldn't afford to pass up this opportunity.
After the description of this group of individuals, not to mention others, William White was taken aback. Opposition to Mao Zi was the mainstream sentiment, and failing to let go now would seem mentally handicapped. Acceptance was the wise choice.
After some initial frustration, Marvel realized that there was another major comic company in the United States. Although it still needed review, it seemed only a matter of time.
The sales of three million weekly magazines were truly remarkable data. This was only the second week, and once it exceeded five million, the comics scene in the United States would witness a dual dominance.
Advertisers began to regret having their advertising pages solely for their own brands, be it for movies or red wine – it was a full-page advertisement anyway.
Those in the know understood that these were unattainable ad spaces. The fact that White Juice was a globally recognized brand wasn't common knowledge. Desperate to advertise, how dire must their situation be?
Of course, some questioned the abundance of advertisements. William White, in his humility, decided to leave the decision to the readers. Without advertisements, there was no way to guarantee the number of color pages. If readers accepted advertisements, every effort would be made to use all color pages.
Could he really pull this off?
Everyone knew that color pages were attractive, and while ads were usually irksome, the environmental protection ads seemed commendable. Was this a form of public service?
A group of petrochemical bigwigs stared in disbelief at advertising leaflets.
"Bury PVC in the soil, and it remains intact as it decomposes."
In this era, environmental protection had lost its appeal, but now chemical products seemed utterly undesirable.
"Have you ever tasted this brand of water?"
"Boss, their factory is still under construction, and it won't be operational until the second half of the year at the earliest. The juice is in the same boat and won't hit the market until the end of the year or early next year."
A few old gentlemen were flabbergasted. With no product available, why advertise? It seemed like a colossal waste of money.
"Boss, their advertising costs this time are exorbitant. No one is willing to buy, so this is what it looks like."
"To secure two advertising spots, we need a positive image."
The glass bottles could be recycled, and the same applied to PVC. They were absolutely certain that the next advertisement wouldn't feature PVC. This was an unwritten rule among the wealthy.
Chemical products were mainstream and would remain so. William White and Meidao had no personal animosity. They did what they were paid to do; otherwise, they'd be hypocritical rogues.
"Boss, this is Apple's second-generation machine, equipped with a 6600 chip. Rigorous testing has shown a significant improvement in running computer databases."
"Yes, have someone deliver one to Joe Dao and tell him that I modified an Apple machine that's far superior to his. Don't gift it; pay him fifteen dollars in cash—no credit."
As his men left, William White began to convene the game console department. With the home TV game console project picking up speed, his game console company was expanding rapidly.
Initially using 6500 chipsets, this group of individuals now needed to change gears since their chips were released. Theoretically, this transition was straightforward. The core remained an 8-bit processor, but they incorporated a 16-bit channel, and the core frequency was only 2 Hz.
If one dismissed this as rubbish, they'd be mistaken. The second generation of Apple had less than 2 Hz. In Europe, it was used well into the 1990s. The 286 and 386 were all just passing clouds. This particular chip eventually sold 5 million units, only being phased out with the arrival of win95.
This small modification now would likely boost the sales of the second-generation machine. The Lisa project wasn't faring well. Much like Joe Qiao's McIntosh, it was flashy junk.
Qiao Dashen was, in fact, a marketing expert, always selling emotions. However, now mere sentiment wasn't enough. When the king returned, everything would be under his control.
The 16-bit CPU was merely an excess; the performance hadn't improved significantly, and the price was considerably higher. It was safe to assume the Lisa computer would soon become obsolete. It was far more expensive than the second generation of Apple.
This was also the case with Intel's 8080 series. If not for the Big Blue's brand advantage, the 286 and 386 would've faced the same fate.
William White's calculated chaos would undoubtedly disrupt the semiconductor industry's established order. The second generation of Apple would live on longer, but he couldn't dictate how the Blue Giant system would play out. Still, some pressure had to be applied.
Microsoft could thrive, but it couldn't ascend too high. Bill Gates was neither a good person nor a woman; he was a standard businessman.
His initial venture involved a laughable compiler, and he copied it, resulting in MSDOS – a system riddled with loopholes. This bargain was purchased for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it changed hands with a different face. Had it not been for this, Apple would've long been crushed into oblivion.
Don't be fooled by his humble beginnings; Gates grew larger and larger. He dominated almost all software subjects. He faced an antitrust investigation by the Department of Justice, or else other software companies would've perished.
William White wasn't inclined to be easily absorbed, and maintaining a robust team was his bottom line. You could replicate the graphics operating system from Microsoft; it wasn't rocket science.
Now, in an era of intense competition, monopoly was non-existent. In any case, the Blue Giant loomed large. A market value in the tens of billions was acceptable, but a market value in the hundreds of millions was a joke.
Comics weren't a highly lucrative industry, and the outside world was genuinely puzzled. What was the meaning of such an exorbitantly expensive speculation? DC's valuation of $100 million was substantial in the United States.
William White knew that comic companies' profit margins didn't lie in comics. In the eyes of most people, even with thorough understanding, a weekly sales volume of 10 million was the ultimate. Dreaming beyond that was futile.
What was the cost of William White's weekly?
Anyone who worked in the publishing industry knew that the most absurd aspect was the location of the headquarters. In Tuao, you could only purchase a few copies a year, a fact that was downright laughable.
Not to mention that some people simply annoyed him. After careful calculation, if the comics were printed in the foot basin and the United States, there would be a 10% gross profit. If you added advertising income, it seemed like a good business.
Could you make money?
Marvel seemed very pleased.
Should we buy?
Regarding the Marvel acquisition offer, William White can only say nothing. You plan to expand overseas, and I have no relationship with me. If your buddy buys you, it's almost the same.
The Viking's refusal left DC in an awkward position. Warner had planned to sell them. Marvel wasn't waiting around. Stan Lee even stated that it was worthless.
Well, the old guy does have the right to be arrogant, and without this old naughty man, Marvel without the backstage support would have been in trouble.
Of course, Marvel is not well-intentioned. What they are eyeing are only those intellectual properties (IPs). A group of newcomers is in their sights. As soon as the acquisition is completed, they will immediately be restructured. They even have preliminary plans.