32: Chapter 32: Parameters Overwhelm Apple

"4.7-inch Retina Display?"

"1810 mAh battery?"

"1334 × 750 resolution?"

"6.9 mm ultra-thin body?"

"1.2 million front, 8 million rear camera pixels?"

"32G / 64G / 128G memory options?"

"2G RAM?"

"Fingerprint unlock + facial recognition? This feature is too futuristic!"

"It even supports 2G, 3G, and 4G full network compatibility?"

As soon as Tianxing Technology's official website released the complete specifications for the tianxing generation, netizens across the entire internet exploded. The comment sections were flying by.

Before Chen Mo's rebirth, this configuration wouldn't be considered top-tier, but in 2012, it was practically a dimensional reduction strike.

Even the newly released iPhone 5 looked dim in comparison to these specifications.

Some netizens immediately dug up the specifications of the iPhone 5 for comparison:

"The iPhone 5 only has a 4-inch screen, 1440 mAh battery, 1136 × 640 resolution, a thickness of 7.6 mm, cameras of 1.2 million front and 8 million rear, a maximum of 64G memory, 1G RAM, and only supports 2G and 3G! Compared to the tianxing generation, it's more than one tier below!"

"If these specs aren't exaggerated, the iPhone 5 can be thrown straight into the trash can!"

"It can't be bragging, right? A phone this amazing, and they made it on the first try?"

"It must be fake, right? If it doesn't match the description when I get my hands on it, I'll be the first to complain!"

Before the doubts could subside, Tianxing Technology's official website directly opened for pre-orders:

The 32G version was 6088 Yuan, the 64G version was 6588 Yuan, and the 128G version was 7388 Yuan. It cost 500 to 800 Yuan more than the iPhone 5 for double the memory. The colors available were Space Gray, Silver, and Gold. The actual product photos looked more premium than the iPhone 5's color schemes.

But here was the problem: the tianxing generation could only be ordered from the official website and shipped via courier; there wasn't even a single offline experience store.

Buying a phone from a 'new brand' that they hadn't touched for six or seven thousand Yuan made many people back down, and the official website orders were sparse.

Chen Mo wasn't worried at all. That evening, he sent one tianxing generation phone each to the top 100 big streamers on Tianxing Live, along with a request:

Go live immediately and test it out.

"Folks! Look quickly at the tianxing generation in my hand! The real phone looks even better than the pictures!"

"Holy crap, this feel! The ultra-thin body feels absolutely amazing in the hand!"

"Let's test the fingerprint unlock: Holy cow! It unlocks instantly! Much faster than entering a password!"

"Facial recognition is even more incredible! I just winked at the camera and it unlocked. This technology is top-notch!"

"Let me take a picture for you guys. The 8-megapixel rear camera is ten times clearer than my old phone!"

The big streamers took turns showcasing the phone in their live streams, and the bullet comments instantly flooded the screen:

"666! Tianxing Technology really wasn't bragging!"

"This configuration is so much stronger than the iPhone 5. Paying 800 Yuan more is totally worth it!"

"An entirely self-developed chip + entirely self-developed components—this is the true national mobile phone!"

"Support Tianxing! I'm not buying an Apple anymore; I'm waiting for the tianxing generation to ship!"

"I've already ordered the 128G Gold version. Is anyone else waiting for theirs to arrive?"

"+1! Paying for national technology is worth it!"

"+9527"

The story branches out.

On September 21st, the iPhone 5 officially opened for offline pre-orders in nine countries and regions. Long queues had already formed outside the Apple stores in Hong Kong City, with some people bringing tents and folding chairs to reserve spots since late at night.

Most of these people weren't buying them for personal use; they intended to grab the stock and sell it to parallel importers, making a profit of several hundred or even over a thousand Hong Kong dollars per unit.

Apple Fans in the mainland were willing to pay extra for the Hong Kong parallel import version just to get the iPhone 5 early to show off. It was money not taken if not earned.

At nine in the morning, as soon as the specialty store opened, the people waiting in line rushed in like crazy, terrified they wouldn't secure a pre-order slot.

The store owner was grinning from ear to ear, calculating in his mind:

"I wait for this day all year. I can finally recoup the rent and authorization fees!"

Just then, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted:

"Stop grabbing! Stop pre-ordering! The phone released by Tianxing Technology in the mainland is ten times better than the iPhone 5. If you order now, it won't sell at all!"

"Who is spreading rumors here? Come out!"

The owner's face darkened, and he rushed into the crowd with two employees.

He didn't believe that the mainland could manufacture a phone better than Apple's; this kid was clearly here to cause trouble!

"I'm not spreading rumors! Search the mainland news yourself!"

The person who shouted wasn't intimidated at all. Hong Kong City was a society governed by law; he didn't believe the owner dared to resort to violence.

"The tianxing generation has fingerprint and facial recognition, and its configuration completely crushes the iPhone 5!"

The owner was about to curse when he noticed everyone in the store had stopped pre-ordering and were taking out their phones to refresh the news.

One person waiting in line, a 'parallel importer,' frowned and said:

"Boss, the supply chain just sent a message telling us not to pre-order. The tianxing generation sold out in the mainland; no one wants the Hong Kong version of the iPhone 5 anymore!"

"What?"

The owner panicked internally and quickly pulled out the iPhone 5 demo unit he had managed to acquire through connections, then opened a mainland news website.

The overwhelming real-world test videos and specification comparisons of the tianxing generation made his eyes go wide!

Those configurations were genuinely far superior to the iPhone 5!

"This... how is this possible..."

The iPhone 5 in the owner's hand almost dropped to the floor, and his face instantly turned pale.

He had originally expected to make a huge profit, but he never thought Tianxing Technology would suddenly emerge, causing huge trouble now.

In just one night, the order volume on Tianxing Technology's official website directly surpassed 800,000 units!

It must be remembered that in 2012, achieving such sales for a domestic mobile phone priced at 6,000 Yuan was nothing short of a miracle.

Some netizens discovered that many of the people placing orders were delivery riders from Tianxing Takeout and streamers from Tianxing Live, yet no one suspected cheating:

"Tianxing Takeout riders can afford a 6,000 Yuan phone? Are their salaries that high?"

"If they are willing to work hard, earning over ten thousand a month is normal; it's much better than working in a factory!"

"Streamers make the real money! It's not uncommon for big streamers on Tianxing Live to earn 500,000 a month!"

"No wonder Penguin Live can't poach anyone away. Tianxing Live holds the exclusive broadcast rights for League of Heroes, and with such good benefits, who would want to leave?"

In this lifetime, due to Chen Mo's appearance, the takeout and live streaming industries exploded two years ahead of schedule, giving ordinary people many more high-income options.

Tianxing Takeout riders, as long as they were willing to work hard, had a guaranteed income of five or six thousand a month, and earning over ten thousand in big cities was also common.

Tianxing Live firmly held the broadcast rights for League of Heroes and had established a thriving professional league, meaning the big streamers had no need to jump ship.

Chen Mo knew clearly that as the live streaming industry grew hotter, Penguin would definitely offer higher prices to poach talent, and at that time, some streamers might not be able to resist the temptation.

But he was prepared. The breach of contract clauses in the agreements were not just for show; if anyone dared to jump ship, he would handle it according to the rules.