CH134 | Heir

January 9th.

The CES event was in full swing in Las Vegas.

Electronics companies from around the world were unveiling a variety of products, but today, all eyes were on Apple and Steve.

It was all because of a rumor that had been circulating for months.

"Apple has created a completely different kind of mobile phone."

Steve was obsessive about security, but he couldn't completely prevent leaks of the iPhone prototype photos.

Instead, it had turned into free publicity.

Experts, journalists, and early adopters alike were eagerly awaiting Apple’s new phone.

And today, at last, the long-rumored device was about to be revealed.

"The scale is really different here in the U.S. I can’t believe this many people showed up just for a phone announcement."

"It’s because it’s a phone made by Apple and Steve—people can’t help but be excited."

My grandfather and I had secured the best seats, waiting for the presentation to begin.

Then—flash!—a spotlight illuminated Steve, signaling the start of the event.

Step by step, he walked to the center of the stage.

As if on cue, the entire audience fell silent, holding their breath as they watched him.

"Good evening. I’m Steve, CEO of Apple."

[Woooooaaahhhh!]

Thunderous cheers and applause erupted, swallowing the stage whole.

It was proof of the immense expectations surrounding this event. If he failed to meet them, the cheers could turn to boos in an instant.

A nerve-wracking moment for anyone.

But Steve remained as composed as ever, gesturing confidently as he launched into his presentation.

"Tonight, I’m introducing three revolutionary products."

Click!

As he pressed a button, three icons appeared on the massive screen.

An iPod. A phone. The internet.

"You all know the iPod, right? How many of you have one?"

At his words, people all across the room pulled iPods out of their pockets.

By now, the iPod had firmly established itself as the next-generation music player, and for CES attendees—tech enthusiasts—it was practically a given to own one.

"When it first launched, it wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms. But now, anyone can easily download music and listen to it on an iPod. And today, I’m introducing an even more advanced version."

The crowd’s excitement cooled slightly.

It seemed like he was unveiling the next-generation iPod rather than a new phone.

"Next, let’s talk about the internet. Right now, most people experience the internet through their computers. To put music on your iPod, you have to go through the hassle of connecting it to a PC. But our revolutionary new product allows you to access the internet—without a computer."

Once again, the reaction was lukewarm.

Still, Steve read the room carefully and continued his presentation.

"And finally, an innovative mobile phone. Now, imagine if these three revolutionary devices were combined into one."

"A device that lets you listen to music, browse the internet, and make phone calls. Introducing… the iPhone."

At last, the iPhone made its debut.

Steve had intentionally led the audience to believe he was revealing an iPod successor—only to surprise them with the iPhone at the last moment.

"The iPhone includes all the features of an iPod, all the capabilities of a mobile phone, and full internet access. It even has a built-in camera, meaning this single device can replace multiple gadgets."

[WOOOOAAAAAHHH!]

Another wave of deafening cheers erupted.

The audience was mesmerized by the iPhone’s sleek and captivating design.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Steve proceeded to demonstrate the iPhone’s features in real time—touchscreen navigation, web browsing, and multitasking.

For most people, it was an impressive performance.

But for me, it was a bit of a letdown.

If history had followed its original course, the iPhone wouldn’t have debuted for another six years.

Being launched six years ahead of schedule meant there were bound to be issues.

The touchscreen response time was sluggish, storage capacity for music was limited, and the display quality was far from satisfying.

Of course, this was only disappointing to me because I was already accustomed to modern smartphones.

For the general public, seeing a smartphone for the first time was a revolutionary experience.

And that included my grandfather.

"Hah! I have no idea when the world changed this much. It’s like they shrunk a laptop down to the size of a phone."

"And our Taewoo Group is supplying the semiconductors for this revolutionary device."

"Sales are going to skyrocket, no doubt about it. Hah, I don’t know whether to be happy or worried."

My grandfather couldn’t take his eyes off the iPhone.

There were very few people I’d met who had an eye for business sharper than his.

If he was this impressed, then there was no doubt—the iPhone was destined for success.

And yet, the presentation was only halfway done.

Steve had prepared several more demonstrations to highlight the iPhone’s strengths.

I knew exactly what was coming since I had worked behind the scenes to support him.

"Hmm, the energy in the room has settled a bit. You know what always brings the mood back up? Music."

Steve navigated to Apple Music using the iPhone.

Up until now, music streaming services were only accessible through a computer.

But this was his way of demonstrating that, from now on, people could access music directly from their phones.

"Looks like Destiny’s Child is still holding strong at the top of the charts, just like last year."

With that, Steve downloaded a song onto the iPhone.

Shortly after, Steve pressed play, and the song he had just downloaded began playing through the iPhone.

As the soulful voices of Destiny’s Child filled the presentation hall, the crowd erupted into cheers once again.

"Even music alone doesn’t seem to be enough to fire up the energy in this room. If music isn’t enough… then I suppose I’ll have to play a movie."

Next up was OTT streaming.

Steve navigated to an OTT platform on the iPhone and selected a classic—Rocky.

Ba-bambam, ba~bambam!

As the iconic music swelled, Sylvester Stallone appeared on the massive screen, running through the bustling streets.

Steve lifted the iPhone, demonstrating that the same movie playing on the giant screen was also streaming seamlessly on the device.

Clap, clap, clap!

The audience erupted into thunderous applause.

I couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.

After all, both Apple Music and the OTT service were companies that made money for me.

Steve was essentially advertising them on my behalf.

If I had to put a price on the marketing exposure gained from this event, it would easily exceed a billion dollars.

After an extensive demonstration, Steve finally wrapped things up by expressing gratitude to various companies.

"I’d like to thank all the companies that helped make the iPhone possible. A special thanks to Taewoo Electronics, Taewoo Telecom, and AT&T."

Steve made sure to enunciate Taewoo Group clearly, giving it a well-timed promotional boost.

He also acknowledged the U.S. telecom giant AT&T.

Before my return to the past, the original iPhone had launched exclusively with GSM networks, making it impossible to release in Korea, which used CDMA.

But this time, Korea was included in the initial launch.

Thanks to Taewoo Telecom’s collaboration from the early development stages, the iPhone was designed to support Korea’s telecom infrastructure.

As a result, the iPhone would be available in two versions—one for GSM and another for CDMA networks.

A little while later…

I had the chance to speak with Steve in a quiet setting after the presentation.

"That was incredible. You did a perfect job with the presentation."

"Phew… My hands were shaking so much that I could barely tap the screen properly."

Steve lifted his hands, showing his trembling fingers.

Despite appearing completely composed on stage, he had been concealing his nerves with sheer determination.

"The reaction was explosive. It was ten times hotter than when we unveiled the InnoPhone."

"To be honest, the iPhone we used today wasn’t a flawless product. There were still unresolved bugs that could have forced a sudden shutdown. That’s why I had spare iPhones hidden all over the stage."

Classic Steve—meticulous as ever.

He had anticipated potential malfunctions and prepared backup devices in case of an emergency.

Fortunately, nothing went wrong, so he never had to use them.

"It’s a relief that the iPhone was able to play both music and movies without a hitch, don’t you think?"

"I had to pull a few tricks as well," Steve admitted. "I pre-downloaded the music and movie files in advance. And I tweaked the coding so that battery life and signal reception always displayed at 100%."

I was speechless.

Steve had truly pulled out all the stops to make the iPhone appear flawless, even though it wasn’t.

With six months left until the official launch, as long as they could optimize the device in time, there wouldn’t be any major issues.

"If you need more manpower, I can have engineers from Taewoo Electronics assist you."

"Would you really? Send over some of Taewoo’s IT specialists. We need their help optimizing Apple Music and the OTT service."

Taewoo IT.

At the moment, it was still a division within Taewoo Electronics.

But thanks to the immense success of multiple projects, it was generating revenue on par with an independent subsidiary.

That’s why people had started referring to it as Taewoo IT rather than just an internal department.

Steve, having worked with Taewoo IT during the iPhone’s development, was well aware of their capabilities.

"I’ll send 50 engineers over this month. Until the iPhone launches, you can treat them as Apple employees."

"Much appreciated. But I’ve heard the semiconductor yield rates are extremely low. Are you sure about this? Shouldn’t you be securing contracts with other suppliers? At this rate, Taewoo Electronics could suffer massive losses."

"We anticipated the risks. I’ll make sure the semiconductor supply remains stable."

"Alright, I’ll trust you for now. But I need that yield rate up to at least 70% before launch."

Low yield rates weren’t just a problem for Taewoo—they posed a major issue for Apple as well.

A minimum 70% yield was necessary for Apple to confidently rely on us for production.

"We’ve already made significant progress. We’ll hit 70% within six months."

"I’ll trust you on that. In the meantime, I’ll focus on optimizing the iPhone."

Steve’s fingers were still trembling.

He clearly needed rest, but his mind was entirely consumed by work.

***

Ten days had passed since the iPhone was unveiled.

While riding in a car, David and Manager Han reported to me on how much global attention Apple had been receiving.

"Apple’s stock has been rebounding sharply. Since the dot-com bubble burst, no IT company has made a comeback like this."

"People aren’t just calling it innovation anymore. They’re saying Apple is creating the future. The official launch will tell the full story, but at least 3 million people are already waiting to buy one."

Great news for Apple.

But Taewoo Group wasn’t seeing the same benefits.

"Taewoo Group’s stock hasn’t moved at all."

"The market knows we’re supplying semiconductors to Apple, but the concerns about low yield rates are offsetting any positive impact."

It wasn’t a major concern—I knew the issue would be resolved soon.

Besides, something even more important was on today’s agenda.

"Boss! We’ve arrived at the inauguration venue."

Today was President Bush’s inauguration.

And as an officially invited guest of the White House, I had to attend.