Free Web NovelA few days after the launch show, the iPhone was finally officially released in both the United States and Korea.
Geumseong Group and the other handset manufacturers had tried everything they could to block the launch, citing reduced data-sales revenue and declining handset sales, but the government stepped in and extinguished the resistance.
In the end, the iPhone entered the Korean market.
From early morning, long lines formed outside Korea Telecom dealerships across the country, creating a remarkable sight.
Yet unlike the atmosphere on the streets, most of the domestic media poured out negative articles.
[The iPhone launches simultaneously in the U.S. and Korea—a storm in a teacup.]
[The domestic 1% smartphone market. The iPhone throws down the gauntlet.]
Most of them were sponsored pieces paid for by related companies.
Korea Telecom had also invested massive advertising budgets asking the media to write favorable articles.
But the advertising Korea Telecom could buy was limited, and it had no way of beating the flood of advertisements Geumseong Group was pushing out by mobilizing all of its affiliates.
[iPhone Expected to Struggle in Korean Market Due to Lack of Price Competitiveness.
The iPhone has launched in Korea for the first time, entering direct competition with existing mobile phone brands.
However, its high price is expected to limit its competitiveness in the Korean market.
Korean consumers are already familiar with a wide range of mobile phone options, and domestic brands in particular offer products at highly competitive prices.
Competition among domestic brands is fierce in Korea, and consumers place heavy importance on value for money.
In addition, due to tariffs and taxes, the iPhone has gone on sale at a higher price than in the United States. This is expected to further limit its competitiveness.]
But unlike the negative media coverage, the mood in the market was completely different.
Posts verifying iPhone purchases flooded every portal and internet community.
[iPhone User Review.
Hey, guys! I finally got my hands on the iPhone! I’ve been waiting for this forever. I was excited the entire time I stood in line, and I wanted to share this feeling with you all, so I’m writing this post.
1. Design and build quality: The moment I took the iPhone out, I was amazed by how beautiful the design was. The weight feels just right, and I honestly think it looks better than {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} any domestic mobile phone.
2. Touchscreen and usability: The screen interaction is absolutely incredible. At first it felt unfamiliar without a physical keyboard, but the more I use it, the more amazed I am by how convenient it is. Swiping, zooming in and out, pinching—it all feels almost magical. I don’t think I can ever go back to another phone now. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
3. Camera: The camera is outstanding. The sharpness and color reproduction are seriously amazing. I think the iPhone has defined a new standard for mobile phone cameras. Every time I take a picture, I’m impressed. I’m seriously thinking about selling the digital camera I used for my hobby.
4. App Store and ecosystem: This is a whole new world. Even if it had tens of thousands of flaws, the App Store alone would make up for all of them. There are free apps and paid apps. I haven’t bought any paid ones yet, but I plan to soon. I’ll leave another review then.
5. Downsides: I’ve listed too many good points so far, right? Let me talk about the flaws now. The biggest downside is the price. It’s way too expensive. It’s also a bit inconvenient when browsing websites or zooming into photos. And the battery isn’t removable. That’s really inconvenient.
Overall: Buying the iPhone was absolutely the right choice. This has been such an exciting experience for me. For someone like me who loves experiencing technological innovation and exploring new devices and ecosystems, it’s a blessing. The high price stings a little, but I don’t think I’ll regret it.
(Photo)
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This is my iPhone—what do you think? I’m diving back into the iPhone world now. Have a great day, everyone!
PS: This post was written on an iPhone!]
— What the hell? There’s already a review up? Why is this guy saying nothing but good things? You’re not that kind of guy. Apple paid you, didn’t they?
— Hey! You’re not really King Kong, are you? Who are you?!
The user named King Kong, who uploaded the review, was famous in one of the mobile phone galleries on a major site.
Every time a new domestic handset launched, he posted a usage review—and he was known far more for savage criticism than praise.
That was why everyone was bewildered by his overwhelmingly positive review.
But starting with King Kong, the flood of review posts was also filled with praise.
The gallery where all the early adopters gathered kept seeing its traffic rise.
And just like that, the iPhone revealed itself to the world.
* * *
I read through the review posts in the community one by one, a satisfied smile spreading across my face.
“A huge success.”
It would be a lie to say I hadn’t been worried.
The iPhone had launched two years earlier than in my previous life, but its technological strength wasn’t lacking in the slightest.
No, I could confidently say it was even more advanced.
I had secured all the patent technologies and made them available for Apple’s use, and I had also tossed in various ideas along the way.
Steve Jobs had not let even the smallest idea I gave him slip by, refining each one into an excellent result.
The iPhone and iPhone 3G had launched together, and the App Store had been included from the very beginning.
After closing the domestic communities, I went this time to the websites of foreign media outlets.
Most were favorable, but one article caught my eye.
It featured interviews with Verizon, Motorola, and Microsoft’s CEO.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had said this:
— There is no possibility or opportunity for the iPhone to gain meaningful market share. Most of the world’s smartphones already run our software, and Apple will account for barely 2%.
Nokia’s North America vice president had said this about the iPhone:
— Our Nokia already holds 50% of the global mobile phone market. Of course, I acknowledge it’s a slightly more evolved form than our own handsets. But that gap will close quickly, and the iPhone will disappear from the market after being pushed out by us.
And Verizon’s Chief Marketing Officer had given this interview:
— Apple choosing AT&T instead of us is the iPhone’s biggest risk.
After reading the entire article, I burst into loud laughter.
“Ah, that’s hilarious. Let’s see if they can still say that a year from now.”
The arrival of the iPhone changed everything.
Microsoft would enter several years of darkness. They failed to embrace the shift from PCs to smartphones.
Nokia, terrified of change, would end up selling the company and vanish into history.
Who could have predicted it? That Nokia would collapse.
I closed the laptop and picked up the iPhone to make a call.
— Charlie! freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Joy was obvious in Steve Jobs’s voice.
“Korea’s launch has been a success. How’s America?”
— It’s insane here too! First-day sales hit one hundred thousand units, one hundred thousand! It’s a new record!
The iPhone’s price was 599 dollars, far more expensive than competing devices.
And yet it had sold 100,000 units. That meant expectations for the iPhone were just that high.
“Congratulations. I heard Korea sold around seventy thousand as well.”
— What? Seventy thousand?
“Yes. Seventy thousand. More than fifty thousand were pre-orders, and around twenty thousand bought it on the first day.”
— Are you kidding me? We sold one hundred thousand in America, so how the hell did Korea sell seventy thousand? This is insane!
Steve Jobs’s voice grew even louder, and I couldn’t help laughing at the reaction.
“At this rate, inventory will probably be sold out within days. Do you have enough stock there?”
— We prepared two million units. The goal is to sell them all within a month.
“Korea started with one hundred thousand. We’re running the domestic factory at full capacity, but I’m not sure production can keep up with demand.”
— Is the Korean market really that big?
At Jobs’s puzzled question, I shot back instead.
“Wasn’t that exactly why you agreed to the simultaneous launch?”
— I made that decision entirely for you, Charlie. I had no idea the Korean market would be this big. Now I’m curious what the people who opposed this are going to say. They should be arriving soon.
Even within Apple, there had been more voices against a simultaneous U.S.–Korea release.
Korea was practically a graveyard for foreign mobile phones.
Various regulations had prevented foreign handsets from entering, so there had been no reliable metric to preview the iPhone’s chances.
Even so, Steve Jobs had pushed hard, and the board had sided with him.
“I’d like to see it too. The expressions on their faces, I mean.”
— It’s only a thirty-thousand-unit gap from America! The gap may widen later, but similar first-day sales numbers make no sense!
Steve Jobs kept shouting excitedly, but I stayed calm.
I had already expected this, and at least one of us had to remain levelheaded.
“To increase domestic output, we’ve already begun expanding the factory. But it’ll be hard to boost supply in the short term. Can we divert a small portion of the China-produced volume to Korea?”
— Hmm... that’s difficult, Charlie. Foxconn’s factory is being expanded next year. Once that happens, we’ll have more breathing room.
“I understand. I’ll relay that. Ah, Korea Telecom will probably contact Apple as well.”
— Even if they say the same thing, impossible is still impossible.
Apple still hadn’t been fully certain of the iPhone’s success.
Under those circumstances, I couldn’t simply demand that Foxconn expand its factories further.
That was why production still wasn’t sufficient.
“Well, it can’t be helped. In Korea, the harder it is to get, the more popular it might become. For now, we’ll hold out with domestic production.”
— Haha. Got it. And when are you thinking about launching in Japan and China? We’re considering Europe in January next year. That’s why we’re expanding the factories.
“I’m planning to match the European schedule. As promised, Japan’s shipment volume should be produced in China.”
— Don’t worry about that. It’s already in the plan. But we really do need to raise output further. If Korea is like this, then Japan—with an even larger market—should sell even better, right?
I agreed with Steve Jobs.
“Most likely. I’ll keep looking into acquiring domestic factories as well. If the building is already there, replacing the production lines only takes a few months.”
— I’d appreciate that. Talk again soon, Charlie. The executives are arriving one by one now.
“Yes. I’ll come to America soon. See you then, Steve.”
Until the moment the call ended, Jobs was still chuckling in satisfaction.
After finishing that pleasant conversation with Steve Jobs, I reviewed the numbers again.
The iPhone’s sales had exceeded even my expectations.
The one hundred thousand units prepared in advance had all sold out in just three days.
— President Kim. What do we do now? Every dealership is screaming for more iPhones.
Nam Jungsik called early in the morning to complain.
“Please wait a little. Another hundred thousand units should ship next week. The domestic factory’s production is still only one hundred thousand units per month.”
— That won’t be enough. If I’d known this would happen, I would have prepared sooner.
“I didn’t expect it to explode this much either. Even Apple headquarters was shocked. They said they never imagined domestic sales would be this high, especially when it costs twice as much as other handsets.”
At my words, Nam Jungsik replied in an excited voice.
— We expected it. Didn’t I tell you we’d sell out the initial stock within a week?
The light rebuke came back, but he sounded so delighted I could practically see him laughing.
“Haha, sorry. My mistake. I really didn’t expect this much.”
— Isn’t there any way? Ask them to send over leftover U.S. inventory. We already asked, but they just said no.
“As I told you a few days ago, even if I ask, what can’t be done can’t be done. Do you happen to know any mobile phone factories worth acquiring? At this point, we may need to buy a plant and replace the production lines just to raise output.”
After a low hum, Nam Jungsik spoke with grim determination.
— I’ll look into it. If it can’t be done, we’ll make it happen. I’ll definitely pull it off.
Just as he had boldly promised, within a few days Nam Jungsik came back with several factory candidates.
