American History 1988
Chapter 251 - 244: Thinking of You

Chapter 251: Chapter 244: Thinking of You

"You can speak freely, this is just a normal business conversation."

Anyway, Durell had no solution for Go Company; he wasn’t omnipotent as a firefighter.

"So the current situation is that Go Company still doesn’t have its own product, but competitors are already preparing to release products, right?"

"That’s right," Durell nodded, Go Company was almost forced into a dead end.

Despite having the original ideas, Go Company found itself caught in a situation where it was too early for success and too late for the market.

"Then change the approach, abandon the original strategy, and consider taking the software route."

"How so?" Durell pulled out a small notebook from his pocket.

"Hey, no need for that." Dean interjected with a smile, "It makes me look like a snake oil salesman."

Durell shrugged, "You know, I’ve got too much on my plate, I might forget later."

"Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. Since Go Company can’t find a suitable hardware developer in the short term,

it should abandon making its own stylus notebook computers and instead become an operating system software company."

"Shit!" Durell’s pen paused, "The Microsoft of the stylus notebook computer world?"

"Mhmm~," Dean nodded, "This is currently Go Company’s only relatively mature product.

Release the Penpoint system directly, and then push it to all similar companies."

"Dean, you’re a genius!" Durell snapped his notebook closed.

His mind was now completely open; Durell had also researched the market for stylus notebook computers before.

Aside from the eager IBM, Apple, and Microsoft, other manufacturers had already ventured into this field.

For instance, the progenitor of tablet computers, the GridPad, was developed by GRiD Systems Corporation.

However, this handwritten computer had many flaws, firstly it didn’t have its own dedicated system.

The current GridPad ran on DOS system ported from desktop computers, thereby lacking extensive support for usable applications.

Due to the limitations of the DOS system, most operations required manual command input.

This completely failed to leverage the touch advantage of handwritten computers, so the GridPad had a very limited market audience.

But the Penpoint system perfectly solved this problem; many of its designs seemed very convenient and user-friendly to Dean.

Dean had also used their engineering prototype, and its menu system was clearly inspired by notebooks with tabs.

Note here that the notebooks mentioned are the actual paper ones we use in daily life.

These notebooks typically have colored sticky notes on the right side, allowing people to quickly find their previous notes.

The Penpoint system did the same thing, except it digitized this design.

Clicking on the right column of the PenPointOS lets you switch between various windows.

This design was clever, and Dean greatly admired the engineers’ ingenious ideas.

Secondly, PenPointOS also pioneered handwriting gestures; drawing an O meant edit, an X meant delete, and a ^ signified insert.

This was similar to the marks used when editing with paper and pen, easy to learn, and easy to use.

Additionally, the interactive logic of objects becoming draggable when held was also invented by the PenPointOS system.

This design later became ubiquitous in computers and mobile devices.

It’s undeniable that as a mobile device operating system, Penpoint was qualified.

And it wasn’t just GridPad that lacked a suitable operating system; there was also Tandy Corporation’s Zoomer, NCR’s 3125 handwritten computer, and so on.

Some had been released, others were still under design, but none had their own adapted system without exception.

Go Company could completely abandon the hardware route and turn the Penpoint system into a software product to sell.

Durell believed that none of these companies would refuse Penpoint, as it could significantly improve the user experience of their products.

And the more manufacturers that joined the Penpoint system camp, the more this platform would attract software developers.

Once the application software becomes rich, this would naturally also attract users to buy products equipped with the Penpoint system.

This was just like what Microsoft did in the computing field, by cooperating with computer manufacturers, gradually achieving a monopolistic position.

Could Go Company become the Microsoft of the handwritten computer industry? Durell excitedly got up and paced back and forth.

"I need to make a call to Kapur and the rest..." Durell said, grabbing the Motorola on the table.

But before he could dial, he turned back to Dean.

"Go Company has found a quick way to monetize, Dean, aren’t you considering investing a sum?

I can guarantee that all shareholders would welcome your inclusion."

With the suggestions that Dean had just made, no one would oppose his joining.

Not to mention that with his reputation, Go Company might attract more investors.

"Durell, I once mentioned that the future market for handheld computers is very promising.

I still stick with this, but that might need some market cultivation."

"You mean..." Durell pondered, "It’s too early for the development of handwritten computers now?"

"I’m not sure, but cultivating the market might take at least a few years."

Is there a market for handwritten computers now? Yes, high-end business people need them.

But precisely because it’s so high-end, the market share is limited.

And yet there are at least seven or eight manufacturers eyeing this market; truly a case of too many wolves and not enough meat.

Dean isn’t interested in them for the time being unless the price of handwritten computers can be reduced.

"But now Go Company has given up the hardware route, focusing on the system; we don’t need to invest additional capital."

Durell seemed eager to get Dean on board; Go needed someone with his strategic insight.

"Alright Durell, I have a question, can you answer it for me?"

Durell furrowed his brows, signaling him to continue.

"How many years has Go Company been established?"

"4 years."

"How much capital have you invested in total?"

"37 million US Dollars."

"Besides the suggestion I just made, do you have any other profit plans?"

Durell was taken aback; he couldn’t provide an answer.

But soon Durell was looking at him with a half-smile.

"Ah, at this moment, I feel like you are the investor, and I am the cautious entrepreneur.

Damn! To think there would come a day when I’d be asked about a business plan!"

"Haha," Dean laughed out loud as he stood up, "This is still what you taught me."

"You learn quickly, kid. If you ever get tired of Byte Company, how about joining KeyPoint Ventures?"

"I will consider it, but for now, Byte Company’s project collaboration software is the priority."

"Speaking of which, when is our next software rolling out?"

"Soon, in the next few days."

"Oh~ Maybe I should expect the stock to surge again?"

"Of course, we’re both aware of its power, aren’t we?"

"Good, this at least distracts me from the worries of Go Company."

"That’s the way it is, I should be going back now."

"Stop by Go Company some time later, if you’re free. At the very least, show them what it takes to be a qualified founder."

"I will." Dean waved his hand and left Durell’s villa.

This time, his visit had given him a more detailed understanding of Go Company, and he had offered his advice.

But he never intended to invest in or buy out Go Company, even though he was aware of the potential market for pen-based computers in the future.

Was it because Go Company isn’t valuable at the moment? No, the Penpoint operating system alone merits deeper consideration.

But Go Company’s troubles are numerous, not to mention the murky contract with IBM.

What’s most worrisome is actually Microsoft; they likely won’t stand by and watch the Penpoint system grow.

Based on what Durell just said, Microsoft is already developing its own pen-based computer. Would Gates be unaware of the significance of system platforms?

He built his business on this, so he would certainly obstruct the Penpoint system.

Dean never hesitated to suspect Gates with the utmost malice; the man would definitely employ all kinds of tactics.

And perhaps he had already started, as Durell had just mentioned.

Microsoft is threatening third-party developers, telling them not to develop applications for Penpoint.

Look at that, Gates’s methods are always so filthy.

In business, he almost has no ethical bottom line.

If Go Company were to pivot to system software, it would surely meet fiercer resistance from Microsoft.

Only if it withstands Microsoft’s various competitive attempts would Go Company then truly hold its value.

Otherwise, Dean could indeed shell out twenty or thirty million US Dollars to acquire Go Company.

But why bother? Besides the headaches it would bring, he’d also need to consider how Go Company would keep afloat in the future.

The deal wouldn’t be worthwhile, yet Dean still decided to chat with Go Company’s engineers when he had the time.

The only thing at Go Company worth Dean’s concern was the talent; Dean was somewhat covetous, and he did think about developing his own hardware products.

But now is not the time, aside from Byte Company, he also has a trip to the East Coast to make.

...

By mid-September, Byte Company had finally weathered the last quiet period after its initial public offering.

This was thanks to the protection of Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch, among other big investment banks, as part of their initial agreement.

In order to prevent market sharks from shorting or longing Byte Company’s stock, these banks had prepared a series of defensive measures.

As is well-known, the IPO period is typically when financial giants make their move.

They detest a stagnant stock market; without price fluctuations, how can they amass huge profits?

Byte Company was too conspicuous, presenting the perfect opportunity to stir up the market.

And indeed, they did so with Byte Company’s stock prices fluctuating wildly over the two weeks.

It momentarily dropped to touch the offering price at its lowest and was elevated to nearly 60 US Dollars at its highest.

Fortunately, these fluctuations were very short-lived, or else Dean would have struggled to sleep peacefully.

Morgan Stanley and the others were quietly struggling against the speculators, and after half a month, the market had already started to steady.

Now, Byte Company’s stock price had stabilized at around forty-something US Dollars, which was very close to the closing price on the first day.

With the quiet period over, Byte Company could now have a certain influence over its stock price in the media.

And since the lock-up period had expired, the media and Wall Street began to refocus on this emerging unicorn company.

Financial analysts started assessing Byte Company’s stock performance, and Dean’s net worth was frequently mentioned.

On the third day after the quiet period ended, Byte Company released its second product: Work Title project management software.

The timing couldn’t have been better, as all eyes were already trained on it.

This highly anticipated new software was destined to ignite a new revolution in the office.

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