Rebirth as an American Tycoon

[Chapter 805: Ambitious Projects]

Holding the newly launched mobile phone, William White felt very pleased. Although it lacked the allure of a Bentley, it still exuded a solid quality.

Most importantly, the blue screen!

Ahem, alright, that was just hype. If you switched phones just for that, then your IQ barely registered; paying some taxes was expected.

Since Nokia's 8250 flourished, William White's T1 could undoubtedly succeed too. With an 800mAh lithium battery, it boasted more than 48 hours of standby time, which was exceptionally generous. Other brands on the market barely reached half of that.

"Filson, what do you think?"

"It's excellent! Falling within the five hundred-dollar range should lead to minimal competition."

"Well, I did lower the profit margin of mobile phones."

Filson remained as he was -- he preferred higher profits. William White's fixation on market share seemed a little overboard to him.

"Sir, if we manage to sell a million units, Wall Street will surely be astonished."

"A million? Ha ha, Filson, this thing's potential is a bit more than that. If we don't sell at least ten million within two years, I'll have to consider selling off this department."

Filson was stunned. He originally thought this massive mobile phone factory might need some OEM orders, but it appeared that was not the case whatsoever.

"Could there really be that many?"

"Filson, if they could sell for a thousand each, it wouldn't be impossible. Your belief in that million number is completely plausible. However, that's not my target. The demand is far beyond your imagination."

Aside from merely smiling wryly, William White had little to say. He couldn't deny that mobile phones in this era were indeed considered high-tech.

If you indeed managed to sell ten million units, that would equate to five billion dollars in output. Even if you achieved that within two years, that already meant 2.5 billion a year.

Such a monumental project -- good luck arguing it wasn't high-tech. In just ten years, after that period, this would turn into outdated capacity.

...

"Chairman, their factory in South Bay has been built. Our team estimates production might commence by year-end."

Lee Kun-hee felt a headache coming on. William White had split from Motorola, which was initially a positive move. The mobile phone market was vital for the Samsung' larger puzzle.

However, William White pivoting to create Legendary World -- naming a phone brand 'Legendary' could only mean the wealthiest man was overflowing with confidence.

"Has there been a design yet? Any concept illustrations?"

"Sorry, Chairman, they're very tightly controlled. As per our understanding, the prototype has been produced, but unfortunately, we can't gain access. There's a lot of speculation on what sort of phone it is; the most widespread rumor is that they plan to create one out of titanium alloy."

"Damn it, that's just a smokescreen! How much does a Bentley phone sell for? How many units can it actually move? Do you guys think William White is a fool?"

The assistant was also feeling the strain; it was like this every time. You might be the boss, but don't treat me like I don't matter.

William White was so cunning that he wouldn't let them acquire any useful information. Don't even talk about what the phone looks like; they couldn't even guess its price range.

...

Wall Street was similarly bewildered. They had immense confidence in Motorola and didn't believe Legendary World could assail Motorola's standing.

As for Nokia, Ericsson, and Siemens, things they couldn't manage, why should they think this newcomer could? Simply put, they thought you were just picking up the scraps.

Nonetheless, some were clear-eyed. The Galvin family paid significant attention; they understood too well that if not for William White, Motorola wouldn't hold its current position.

Having that slice of the pie taken by him was inevitable, but whether they could challenge their position was debatable. Without time to build value, what brand equity could you boast?

William White didn't care about others' opinions. He was merely keen on getting his share, not aiming to take Motorola down.

In the era of traditional phones, no matter how exceptional your design, it only lasted a couple of years. Ultimately, you couldn't compete against those knock-off factories.

It merely came down to making devices smaller and more refined. At last, the phone functions wouldn't seem all that essential.

What large manufacturers could achieve, others could too. In terms of functionality, the gaps were minuscule.

...

To entirely sever ties with Motorola, William White faced considerable losses.

Let's say that even in a peaceful separation, you had to concede in certain areas.

In many people's eyes, William White acted somewhat impulsively. They believed he, as a lone ranger, could truly turn stone into gold.

Most figured he would partner with Japan or perhaps Samsung. When William White's mobile phone factory opened, a batch of bewildered fools remained confused. Did he really need a rush to set up a steel frame structure?

*****

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