Of course, the result of Ding Yun doing this was that she was always at a loss, constantly using the dividends from the newspaper and the money earned from selling small home appliances like music players to cover these losses.
As the number of users grew.
And as more and more people sold pirated music players.
The finance department was on the verge of bankruptcy.
For this reason, Zhao Xiaotang from finance had approached Ding Yun many times, so many times that the entire company knew that the company's financial situation was not good. Although the technicians were not clear about the specific situation, they knew that running those software programs cost a lot of money every day.
To keep offering them for free indefinitely with no source of profit.
It would be a miracle if they weren't losing money.
So they quickly became anxious and, along with Zhao Xiaotang, went to Ding Yun's office to suggest charging for some of the software, especially the office software, as they were worried about losing their jobs.
They were even more worried that Ding Yun's efforts over the years would end in bankruptcy.
As for Ding Yun herself, she was not particularly anxious because this was something she had anticipated long ago.
Seeing that many people in the company were very anxious, and even a little worried, she had to bring out the large-screen smartphone that had recently overcome all current technical difficulties and let them try it out, explaining:
"Don't worry, if we were really close to bankruptcy, I would definitely charge for the software, even if it meant losing users. However, our company doesn't need to reach that point yet, so there's no need to be too anxious. This is the final result from the hardware department over the past period. It's no exaggeration to say it's a micro-computer smaller than a personal laptop, and the most important thing is that the cost isn't too high. Most of the technology is proprietary. Please try it out and see how it is. This is the new product the company is preparing to launch."
Out of trust in Ding Yun, everyone present quickly fell silent and gathered around to meticulously observe one person trying it out. Then, they quickly exclaimed in amazement.
"This screen is big and clear. It looks much clearer than the video players we sell now, and it has so many applications inside!"
"Isn't this a social networking app? Does this mean we won't have to use a computer to chat with friends anymore, and can do it on this device?"
"There are also video player, search engine, and browser apps in here. So it's really like a mini-computer. Has our hardware department's technology developed this much? I had no idea!"
"No, no, this is a calling function, which means this thing can also make phone calls. That's much better and more powerful than devices like the Xiaolingtong, isn't it?"
"Wait, there's also a calculator, a text reader, a music player, and even a camera function. No, it even has a video recording function. My goodness, then with just this one device, we wouldn't need a computer, nor would we need to buy books, music players, or even cameras and camcorders. It's too all-encompassing! Heavens, how much would this have to sell for to break even?"
"Quick, take a photo and a video. Cameras are so expensive, I haven't been able to afford one yet. If the effect is good, and the price isn't outrageous, I'll definitely grit my teeth and support our company."
With each application discovered and used on the smart large-screen phone, the employees present were filled with surprise and astonishment. Some of the functions might have already been realized on other devices, but when so many functions of other devices were consolidated into such a small device, it was hard for those seeing it for the first time not to be amazed.
After they had all tried it out, Ding Yun said, "Now you should know why I'm not anxious. With this in hand, as long as the price is right, I don't think anyone will refuse. It will be no problem to cover the losses from the software at that time. You should all be aware of how widespread the adoption of Xiaolingtong is, much more so than computers. If our mobile phone, that is, the device in your hands, can replace Xiaolingtong, you can all imagine and calculate what a huge market that would be. Most importantly, the phone contains all of our company's software, from the entire mobile system to the application software, all of which are ours. When the number of users of these applications reaches the same level as Xiaolingtong users, that's when we'll officially start generating profit from those applications. So, there's no need to rush for now. We need to use free services to attract as many people as possible to use our software first. And then they'll become dependent on our software. Only then will we find ways to profit. When the user base is large enough, even showing advertisements will generate substantial revenue."
"Understood, understood! We were too narrow-minded!"
"Boss, you're truly brilliant!"
"By the way, boss, how much is this so-called mobile phone, the phone? I'm quite keen to buy one!"
As someone voiced this thought, the others present also looked intently at Ding Yun. Who wouldn't want to truly own such a useful device after trying it?
"Don't worry, our company won't charge you. We'll be giving each of you one soon. However, it's currently in mass production and will take a few more days, at the latest by the end of this month. We will definitely get one into your hands."
With Ding Yun's promise, everyone was undoubtedly even happier. The men might have been a bit reserved, but the women directly ran over to hug Ding Yun, cheered "Long live the boss!" a few times, and then left after laughing heartily. As for the demonstration prototype, Ding Yun naturally took it back, as it was difficult to distribute among so many people. It wouldn't be fair to give it to some and not others. It was better to have them wait a little longer.
Five days later, with each employee receiving a new phone, the new product launch event and publicity work also commenced simultaneously, with newspapers, news, and various other channels all involved. Additionally, those with computers received related promotions from Ding Yun's company's software pop-ups, and were forced to watch an advertisement. Then, most people were quite interested and paid attention. After all, at this time, those who could afford a computer were all very interested in emerging technology and were wealthy individuals. It was quite reasonable for them to be interested in the large-screen smartphone mentioned in the advertisement.
Subsequently, it was naturally a resounding success! The entire nation was abuzz with discussion! Stores were almost going crazy with customers. Those who got their hands on the product were not at all dissatisfied. After all, besides the slightly slower internet speed, the current phones sold by Ding Yun were almost perfect in all other aspects. Moreover, the price was not overly outrageous, at least much cheaper than the "big brother" mobile phones of the past. Whoever bought one would say it was worth it, a good deal.