209: Chapter 209 Entrusting an Orphan at the Bedside

The person who arrived immediately interrupted the progress of the meeting; it was Steve Jobs's secretary.

The newcomer immediately attracted everyone's attention, especially those from Steve Jobs's faction... but the secretary ignored them.

He walked over to Cook with a slightly anxious expression, whispered a few words, and Cook's expression changed drastically.

"Really?"

The other party nodded slightly, then added anxiously: "There is no time to lose, Mr. Cook, you must go now!"

"Alright, let me give them some instructions, and then I will head to the office. Wait for me outside."

The other party nodded and left the office directly.

"The meeting is over. Next, I want you to focus on investigating whether there is any new technology on the market that can allow us to surpass Transsion.

The semiconductor side also needs to focus on R&D; get a proposal for the communication baseband project within a week.

I'm going to the hospital..."

Cook was thinking about a question on the way to the hospital.

After he took over, who was Apple's biggest rival?

He had always thought that Apple's biggest rivals were Samsung, Google, or even the constantly expanding Qualcomm.

But now, he realized he was wrong.

The real opponent came from a market that Steve Jobs had never looked at with serious regard.

China? Africa? Those were places where Apple wouldn't even open a direct-sale store.

Yet, a ferocious beast had sprung up from there.

It not only caused Apple Inc. to suffer heavy losses but also embarrassed the entire United States multiple times.

Stanford Medical Center, 4th floor; Steve Jobs's hospital room was right here.

As a top-tier billionaire, the treatment Steve Jobs received was beyond what an average person could compare to, but at this moment, he was surrounded by various instruments, clearly indicating that the doctors had just finished resuscitating him.

When Cook walked in, he was leaning against the headboard, his face still flushed from the resuscitation.

"Tim." Steve Jobs turned his head and forced a smile, "Is the meeting over?"

"It's over." Cook sat down by his bedside and glanced at the numbers on the instruments, "Steve, you've been busy for so long; you should get some good rest."

"Rest?" Steve Jobs shook his head, "In my whole life, rest is the thing I'm worst at. However, the heavens don't want me to continue changing the world; perhaps God needs a Smartphone too."

Cook also forced a smile.

But after watching for a while, Steve Jobs still noticed Cook's issue. He looked at the expression on Cook's face. "Are you in trouble?"

Cook hesitated for a few seconds, then decided to admit his incompetence, and simply recounted the content of the meeting.

After all, this wasn't his incompetence, but a problem accumulated from the Steve Jobs era. No one had expected a Chinese company like Transsion to develop so rapidly. Of course, in front of Steve Jobs, he could admit his incompetence; after all, there was no one else who could command the same respect.

Steve Jobs remained silent for a long time after hearing this. The Chinese market was the one he despised the most. Whether it was the agency of China Unicom or their weird rules, Steve Jobs looked down on them, feeling they were barbaric. Up until now, he had never looked at this market with serious regard.

"Steve?" Cook couldn't help but ask.

"Cook, do you remember 2007?" Steve Jobs suddenly asked.

Cook was stunned for a moment: "Of course I remember. That year we released Apple, starting the global Smartphone era?"

"Yes." Steve Jobs's eyes were a bit unfocused, "Back then, everyone said we were crazy. A company that made computers running off to make phones. Everyone was laughing at us, saying that phones weren't like that. Some said we didn't understand communication, others said our phones were toys?"

Cook nodded slightly; Motorola really wasn't wrong—they truly didn't understand communication. Especially in China and markets outside the United States. But Motorola, which had looked down on them, had already become someone else's vassal. Strictly speaking, however, Steve Jobs still lived in his own constructed reality.

"And the result? In just four short years, Nokia is dying, Motorola has been acquired, and BlackBerry is struggling on the verge of death."

Cook nodded, but he knew in his heart that as long as Steve Jobs couldn't let go of his arrogance, his trip today would be in vain...

"Steve, are you trying to say..."

"I'm trying to say, never underestimate an outsider." Steve Jobs looked at him and said something that surprised even Cook, "The result was that we were the outsiders back then, so we won. Two years ago, Transsion was too...

But now, not only have they defeated Samsung in the Africa market, they are on par with us in the United States market, and they have completely revitalized the failing Motorola. They have even made that group of people unwilling to impose sanctions on them. So, they are a terrifying opponent."

Cook looked at Steve Jobs in disbelief. He hadn't expected the arrogant Steve Jobs to say these things; he had thought the other party would continue to insist on his own plan. This was simply a miracle...

Soon, Cook realized that this didn't seem like a joke, but rather like entrusting someone with an orphan. Except, what was being entrusted was the behemoth Apple Inc. Could it be that just now...

Coughing a few more times, accompanied by a few mouthfuls of blood, Steve Jobs sighed again. He knew he didn't have much time left.

Cook also keenly observed this. It seemed... Steve Jobs's condition was more serious than he had imagined. Could it be that he really wouldn't make it through this year?

"Cook, those things you told me just now. Chips, screens, sensors, supply chain—this doesn't just mean they are doing what we did 10 years ago." Steve Jobs's voice grew lower and lower, his breath becoming shallower.

"Furthermore, they are digging deeper than we did; they are building a complete ecosystem. From the most upstream to the most downstream channels. The day that this ecosystem is completed..."

Cook stared at him, unable to react for a long time, but Steve Jobs continued: "They will surpass us."

This left Cook not knowing how to respond; he truly hadn't expected Steve Jobs to place such importance on that market.

"Steve, do you think they can do it?"

Steve Jobs didn't speak. Only after a silence did he say: "You can take me to see the Chinese market; I feel that it should be different from the China in my memory. Next, you can focus on entering that market, and you can lower your attitude; after all, you are Cook, not Steve Jobs. The previous actions were my personal behavior; you can be different. I have studied them, but precisely because of that, I looked down on that market even more. The people there place great importance on foreign brands; if you go to survey the market a few times, perhaps Apple's market in China could double."

Cook nodded: "I do have the intention of heading to the Chinese market. At the same time, I am also very curious: what kind of person is it that can take away so much technology from the United States market in advance?"

Steve Jobs smiled again: "Do you know why I have been dragging my feet on having the surgery?"

Cook shook his head. He only knew that Steve Jobs had already undergone many surgeries, but the last one hadn't been particularly effective, leading to... Could it be that his body could no longer support...