"The right pairing software for a Mac computer is, of course, the OS. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 infoThat's why we're ending the leasing of operating systems. Sid explained, and Jobs nodded slightly in agreement.

"But for the iPod Walkman, the software that really needs to be bound is iTune, not the operating system, let alone the Mac. Sid said.

Jobs' eyes flickered a few times, but he didn't speak.

Seeing Jobs' reaction, Sid took another breath, "Or rather, let's go back to square one." He held up a finger and looked at Jobs, "Why the hell are we making iPods?"

"It's about changing people's lives and creating future value. Or is it to drive sales of Mac computers?"

Sid's loud voice made Jobs's face change color constantly, and his expression was so solemn that he didn't speak for a long time. It's been a long time since Larry Ellison has seen Jobs in such a tangled situation, and he looks at Sid curiously, it seems that this young Hollywood prodigy seems to be underestimated by the world.

And Sid also fell into his own thoughts, quietly waiting for Jobs' decision.

Although in various news and documentaries later, the iPod seems to have swept the world as soon as it was released, whether it is consumers or the record industry, everyone shouts that Apple teaches well, Joe helps the master high, and everyone falls to the ground and worships the king.

But the reality is far from being so lighthearted. When the iPod was released in 2001, it was just one of many MP3 players on the market, not the best. The sound quality is average, the price is expensive, the use time is still short, and more importantly, the Windows system is not supported at all!

You know what time 2001 was? It was when the Microsoft empire was booming, with Win98 in the past and WinXP in the king. Think about it, when everyone is using WinXP, who knows that Apple computers are gods?

Although within Apple, many people say that the iPod is tied to the Mac computer in order to pull the sale of the Mac machine. But the reality is that instead of boosting sales of Mac computers, the iPod has been dragged down by its narrow audience, and sales in previous years have not lived up to expectations at all.

It's not so much a market-oriented product as it is a plaything for enthusiasts.

It wasn't until 2005 that Jobs, persuaded by all the top executives of Apple, to agree that the iPod would be compatible with Windows. So far, the MP3 Walkman has completely realized the counterattack on the traditional Walkman, and has achieved more than 22 million sales that year. And this figure is more than twice as high as all the previous sales of the iPod under Apple's closed platform.

In other words, in the four years since its release in 2001, the iPod has sold less than 10 million units.

But by 2005, when the iPod was opened to the open platform, it had actually missed the golden age of the MP3 Walkman, because only two years later, in 2007, the iPhone officially appeared on the world stage.

With more and more mobile phone devices that support music playback function, MP3 Walkman is also quickly becoming obsolete. The iPod, an MP3 Walkman that was supposed to be the hallmark of a generation, ended up being a pitiful transitional product.

"Well, I'll think about it and I'll get back to you later. Jobs suddenly said, such an answer was already a big concession for him.

But Sid was not satisfied, he knew that Jobs was a figure who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

"Don't be perfunctory to me, Steve [Jobs]. This choice is not for our benefit, but for our goals. Sid stared directly at Jobs aggressively, his blue and black pupils burning with a scorching light.

"Of course I do!" Jobs replied with a furrowed brow and a solemn look in his eyes.

Larry Ellison watched in disbelief, he had never seen anyone push Jobs into such a situation, especially after Jobs returned to Apple.

"Okay. Sid retracted his gaze and nodded in agreement.

When Jobs saw this scene, he was quite unhappy, and then he thought about it and smiled slightly: "Sid, since you are the largest shareholder of Apple, it's not good to just sit back and enjoy it." ”

"What do you mean?" Sid instinctively sensed something in Jobs' words, and subconsciously looked at him vigilantly.

"You're an Oscar-winning director, shouldn't you do something for your company and shoot commercials?" Mr. Jobs said with a smile.

"You want me to make an Apple commercial?" Sid was stunned, he didn't expect Jobs to make this request. As we all know, Jobs has always been extremely strict with Apple's publicity and marketing, and it is also extremely controlled.

Steve Jobs, a marketing guru himself, rarely faked such a big event as advertising to someone else's hands, so Sid never thought that Steve Jobs would have to make his own Apple commercials.

"Why, you don't want to, or do you feel too much pressure? If you can't hold on, I can understand that. Jobs shrugged.

"I only do ads for iPods, and I do video ads. Sid replied immediately with interest.

"Okay, but you're not the only one bidding. That's when Jobs revealed his true purpose.

"Let me bid with the others?" Sid smiled, "Well, those guys will cry when I scare them, don't blame me." ”

"Then I'm looking forward to it. Jobs raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Historically" the iPod was not advertised well when it was released in 2001, and the results were not great. At that time, it was just a relatively ordinary production, with a group of characters wearing iPods and headphones, swaying and dancing to a light-hearted and lively song.

It wasn't until the launch of the famous "Silhouette" series of advertisements that the image of the iPod sparked its first wave of craze around the world with the impact of new ads.

Since Jobs is deliberately giving this difficult problem now, then Sid should have advanced the time of the "silhouette". Thinking of this, he also laughed confidently.

"Then at least take out the design of the iPod first, or you will let me shoot commercials with something." Sid ended quipped.

――――――――――――――――――――

"Did you find out anything?" asked Katzenberg, who wore gold-rimmed glasses.

"According to our insider, Fox and Fire Lion Pictures have indeed been in private acquisition talks recently. The words of a commercial detective who specializes in gathering intelligence made Katzenberg frown.

"Acquisition? Is Fox going to buy the Fire Lion Group?" asked Katzenberg with a frown, since he overheard Sid Leonhardt secretly meeting with Fox CEO Bill Mokani at the Showest at the end of March.

Katzenberg, with his keen sense of smell, immediately noticed the anomaly, so he sent a commercial detective to investigate. The result is really exciting.

"No, it's not Fox buying Fire Lion Pictures. The detective shook his head, interrupting Katzenberg's thoughts.

"What's that?" asked Katzenberg, curious.

"It's Fire Lion Pictures that wants to buy a special effects subsidiary of Fox, called ......" The detective flipped through the information, "Blue Sky Studios." ”

"Blue Sky Studios?" Katzenberg shook his head, "I haven't heard of it." But the acquisition of VFX Studios? Is it for Harry Potter?"

Although the current sales of "Harry Potter" novels do not seem to have reached the level of tens of millions, through the comprehensive promotion of the Fire Lion Group and the book club strategy set by Sid, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" is now a bestseller with nearly one million sales.

"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", which faintly reveals the big trend, not only makes the fire lion excited, but Warner Bros. is annoyed. And it also made the entire Hollywood realize that Fire Lion Pictures will inevitably develop the "Harry Potter" series of movies, so Fire Lion's demand for special effects is naturally a matter of course.

This is also the reason why Fox CEO Bill Mokanic so easily accepted Sid's pretext of film special effects to buy Blue Sky Studios.

"But I always felt that something was wrong. Katzenberg frowned and muttered to himself, and the detective on the other side knew the habits of his old patron, so he didn't make a sound, but drank his coffee quietly.

"Blue Sky Studios, that's a familiar name...... Katzenberg thought as he tapped on the wooden tabletop, frowning.

"Blue sky, blue sky, well!?Oscar...... , Animation!!" Katzenberg finally remembered why the name Blue Sky Studios sounded so familiar.

Blue Sky Studios. Isn't that the studio that won the best short animation at the Oscars this year!

"Animation. Is that what you're really for? Sid Leon, this kid is not easy. Katzenberg felt the excitement of meeting Liangcai, and smiled slightly.

"How's it going?

"Well, yes, you can investigate again and see if there are any other acquisitions or investigations in the near future. Katzenberg was sure and immediately took action.