[Chapter 490: The Unexpected Hot Sale of the PDA]
The press conference in San Francisco ended, and it also announced that their next work focus would shift toward reconstruction.
Yes, the deceased are gone. Now, something needs to be done for those who are still alive.
Without a doubt, William White's so-called White Center quickly became the talk of the world.
As for the Washington gang, they would certainly express strong support. Even though some people had bad relations with him, now really wasn't the time to stir up trouble.
...
Back in Los Angeles, William White started another busy week. With the year almost over, he was still swamped. Jurassic Park was already in production, and he had to finish filming 007 as soon as possible. If anything went wrong with both films, he would have no tears left to cry.
Spielberg was no truck driver; that guy was always quick to act. If he wasn't passionate about the Jurassic Park script, he might have lost his patience long ago.
William White's insistence on building this Jurassic Park didn't sit well with Spielberg. After all, they weren't actually bringing dinosaurs back. Whether or not it actually existed was just a matter of perception.
He could think that way, but Lucas had a different opinion. William White told him that if he built a Star Wars-themed park, he might run into some trouble with the location.
Yes, Americans loved Star Wars, and their enthusiasm far surpassed that for Disney. However, viewed globally, Star Wars didn't fare as well.
What William White meant was, why not give that license to Disney? That way, he could just sit back and rake in the money.
As an old fox, Lucas understood William White's intentions without any pretense. Disney's youthful aura needed more masculinity. If they focused solely on Jurassic Park, the change would seem a bit abrupt.
Lucas actually caught on; William White was saying that if the two IPs merged, he would be at a disadvantage. Jurassic Park would likely produce at least six films, which could fully support a theme park, and he had no intention of building another one.
He hesitated.
However, William White didn't mind at all and jokingly said, "If Jurassic Park succeeds, I suggest you consider it. Who's better suited to opening a theme park than me?"
William White's words were quite audacious, yet Lucas remained unfazed.
What could he say?
Forget about Disney's booming business. The two major companies in America had started turning a profit. Though not stellar, they were indeed making money. With various IP elements injected into the mix, he was quite sure it would be a good business.
If Disney added Star Wars, he could guarantee that Disneyland would establish its industry-leading position.
Perhaps, it was time to have a serious discussion.
...
Setting aside Lucas's dilemma, William White held the report in his hand with a strange expression.
"Tom, are you telling me this PDA is popular in both America and East Asia, and that too China?"
"Yes, boss, Americans call it an electronic notebook, and many of them have actually stopped using paper notebooks. As for East Asia, they mainly use it to learn English."
"Wait a minute, isn't this thing supposed to cost several hundred bucks? Do they really have that kind of purchasing power now? Hmm, that's pretty impressive. However, we need to discuss with United Microelectronics to see if we can create a cheaper version, preferably around fifty bucks."
"Sure thing, sir. That shouldn't be a problem."
When the PDA first appeared in America, it caused a bit of a stir in the market. However, Americans weren't inclined to consult dictionaries; for games and such, the PSP was clearly a better fit.
To be honest, if it weren't for those college students, it would be hard to sell this thing.
In East Asian countries, mostly in China, the biggest trouble was that the security of any type of electronic device simply wasn't good. It won't be long before similar device with cheaper price floods the market.
William White believed that as long as they kept the price around fifty bucks, this product would spread like wildfire in schools. At least in high schools and universities.
Just think about it, what a terrifying number that could be! Selling tens of millions would barely be a blip.
...
Since the boss decided, his team needed to get busy. After some quick calculations, Tom was confident that the folks in Taiwan could surely produce it.
As for the Americans, they weren't sensitive to the current prices. Nowadays, people in America saw everything as cheap.
From Wall Street's perspective, William White's PDA was pretty much a failure. It hadn't sold well in America, and sales in Europe were even more dismal.
What they never anticipated was that this product suddenly saw explosive growth in Asia, and it was completely unexpected. It was one thing for it to sell well in America, but the real mystery was how well it sold in Asia.
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