"Let me see, our staff have already compiled all the data! We received a total of 1,386 postcards." The staff at Jiangnan Group were indeed swift, taking less than three minutes to compile the data from over a thousand postcards.
"Among these 1,386 postcards, the highest estimated price was submitted by a friend whose postcard was numbered row three, seat six. They believe our Tianzhou terminal should be priced at $99,999!" Boss Huang said with a smile.
All eyes in the audience immediately focused on the reporter who had made the astonishing bid of $100,000. He was a middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes. Noticing everyone's gaze, this somewhat older man, with a nearly bald head, proudly stood up. It was clear he had intentionally written such an extravagant price.
"Thank you, friend, for thinking so highly of our Tianzhou terminal. How about I offer you one unit at half that price? Would you be willing to buy it?" Boss Huang asked with a smile.
Half the price of $99,900 still amounted to $49,999.5, which remained an impossibly high price. Logically, he should have just offered an embarrassed smile and cleverly steered the conversation away.
To everyone's surprise, he stood up with great confidence and declared, "It's just $50,000. I can buy it right now!"
Well, the pressure was now on Boss Huang. The reporters all curiously stared at him. While it was one thing for someone to be willing to pay $50,000, did he actually have the ability to sell the terminal at that price?
To their surprise, Boss Huang nodded without hesitation and then addressed a staff member by the stage, "Please bring the Tianzhou terminal from the table in my lounge!"
The staff member nodded and quickly retrieved the Tianzhou terminal. However, all the previously displayed Tianzhou terminals were black, while the one brought out by the staff member was a dazzling gold.
"Our Tianzhou terminal was designed in three colors: matte black, brilliant silver, and stardust blue. These three are the only colors we will be selling to the public. We will not be selling any other colors," Boss Huang explained with a smile, while the large screen behind him displayed the three phones in their different colors.
"However, this one is different. Because I personally love the color gold very much, this is a specially electroplated gold Tianzhou terminal that I requested to be produced for me!"
"Since this friend is willing to spend $50,000 to purchase a Tianzhou terminal, this, the only electroplated gold Tianzhou terminal in the world right now, will be sold to this friend. Although, there should be a second electroplated gold unit later, as I will need to get one for myself!" Boss Huang chuckled, then personally brought the phone to the audience and handed it to the proud, bald, blond-haired middle-aged man. He said, "Sir, this terminal was specifically manufactured for me, so it does not have a specially designed packaging box or any accompanying accessories. I will have someone send you a brand new set of Tianzhou terminal later, and you can use the items inside!"
"This is a wise decision!" The blond-haired middle-aged man chuckled. The proud expression on his face disappeared, and he naturally put his arm around Boss Huang's shoulder. "I own an entire building in New York, as well as many casinos and resorts. How about you come visit me sometime?"
"It would be my great honor!" Boss Huang did not refuse, but sighed, "However, due to various reasons, I have no plans to travel abroad in the near future. But I would be delighted to invite you to visit Jiangnan Group. What do you think?"
"Oh, I am also very honored, and I will definitely go. I know Jiangnan Group best!" The surrounding reporters watched these two become good friends, patting each other on the back.
"Is this Boss Huang so easy to get along with?" one reporter said enviously, wondering if it would be worth it to spend $50,000 to be able to casually interact with Boss Huang.
"It's just an act, staged for us and everyone watching the livestream!" another reporter astutely saw through the facade.
"That's not necessarily true!" the third reporter said slowly. "You two would only get a gold-plated Tianzhou terminal for $50,000, and you wouldn't be able to casually interact with the wealthy Boss Huang."
"You probably don't know that the bald blond guy is actually one of the most famous tycoons in the United States. His assets already exceed billions of dollars. Otherwise, how could Boss Huang be so chummy with him!"
After making plans for their next meeting, Boss Huang returned to the stage with a radiant demeanor. "Now that we've discussed the most expensive, let's talk about the cheapest. One friend submitted a price of $9. I am very grateful to this friend. However, there are no Tianzhou terminals to give away. I will give him a replacement battery for the Tianzhou terminal, as that is roughly what $9 would buy."
"Next, we have the highest number of price entries, which is $999!" Boss Huang flipped through the data sheet. "While I am very pleased with this price and would love to set it, it is not very friendly to the general consumers. So, let's forget about it!"
"So, are there anyone on this list who managed to guess the price accurately?"
"Of course, there are, and there are three of them, matching the number of our three color options!" Boss Huang said with a smile. Staff members then carried three terminals with different packaging to the audience, and under everyone's watchful gaze, they walked to three different locations and presented the phones to their respective recipients.
Clearly, these were the guests who had successfully guessed the price.
"Really?" The guests who received the phones looked bewildered, seemingly unable to believe they had received a Tianzhou terminal as a reward.
"What price did you fill in?" The people around them immediately asked impatiently.
"1999!" the three of them said in unison.
"So expensive!" Everyone around was shocked. Didn't Boss Huang just say that $999 was not very friendly to the general consumers?
Yet, the price for this personal terminal was as high as $1,999. This price was difficult for even the average middle-class person to afford. Was Boss Huang truly marketing this personal terminal as a replacement for a phone?
"What do you know? Twenty years ago, a mobile phone cost $4,000. $1,999 is not expensive at all!" several reporters said, unsure if they were being serious or sarcastic.
Indeed, twenty years ago, a "big brother" mobile phone (brick phone) cost around $4,000, and in that era, mobile phones were exclusive to the bourgeoisie; only bosses had them, and they were synonymous with being a boss.
However, by 2007, with the rise of various contract manufacturers, the average price of mobile phones had dropped to below $500. There were no mass-market consumer-grade mobile phones priced above $500 anywhere in the world.
Even Apple and Google priced their devices at only $499, a price that many considered already unaffordable for the average person. Boss Huang was asking $1,999, a price that would effectively shut out 90% of consumers.
However, the industry peers watching the livestream breathed a sigh of relief. Earlier, they had been concerned about the terrifying specifications of the Tianzhou terminal and wondered what competitive edge their own products would have if it were priced at $499.
But at $1,999, even if the Tianzhou terminal's performance was out of this world, they wouldn't care. Such a product would never win the market.
"Wait a minute, I also filled in $1,999. Why didn't I get a prize?" Suddenly, several reporters stood up and questioned.
"These friends, please don't be anxious. Let me confirm, did you indeed fill in $1,999?" Boss Huang asked, holding the microphone.
"Yes, we did! If you don't believe us, bring out our postcards and compare them. Our seat numbers are on them!" several reporters said unhappily.
"That's right. Since you filled in $1,999, your answer is incorrect!" Boss Huang chuckled.
"Impossible! They also filled in $1,999, so why did they get the prize?" These reporters were still very unconvinced.
"Ah, they also filled in $1,999? I only saw the number 1999 on their postcards, with no currency symbol following it!" Boss Huang said happily. "This is China, and our product prices have always been announced in RMB. Since they only filled in the number without the currency, I assumed they meant 1999 RMB."
"Damn it, there's also the issue of currency units... Wait, $1,999 is the price in RMB!" Everyone present was stunned for a moment.
1,999 RMB, which converts to just over $200 USD, or less than $300.
The selling price of the Tianzhou terminal was so cheap?
Everyone present was dumbfounded. This price was not only lower than that of CP and PT, but even lower than that of traditional mobile phone manufacturers like Nokia and Motorola. At this price point, it would completely explode in the market!
At this moment, everyone was staring at Boss Huang. A monstrous device with such terrifying performance was being sold at a price far below the market average. They could already foresee the market's imminent explosion.
Meanwhile, Boss Huang continued on stage, "1,999 RMB is our initial configuration and price. It comes with 500MB of RAM and 4GB of storage space."
"You can also opt for the 1GB RAM and 8GB storage version, priced at 2,599 RMB. There's also the 1GB RAM and 16GB storage version, priced at 3,199 RMB, and the 2GB RAM and 32GB storage version, priced at 4,199 RMB."
"Additionally, we have launched a joint customized model with the world-renowned brand Liushang Qu Shui Cai Wei. The entire terminal shell is wrapped in handcrafted top-grain cowhide, with a titanium alloy frame, and it comes with a massive 64GB of storage space. The price is a mere 8,848 RMB!"