Smart War: ID Talk Launches on iPhone

Exactly one week after Apple’s public disclosure, the iPhone version of ID Talk launched like lightning. Since versions already existed for PC, Tiffany Phone, T-Touch Phone, and others, converting the app to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠iOS—the iPhone’s operating system—was straightforward. Moreover, Yoo Jae-won had personally handled the development of ID Talk’s core features. While ID Technology maintained a dedicated team of roughly thirty specialists for the app, they primarily managed user feedback and designed emoticon packs. Once Yoo Jae-won decided to move forward, he was able to release an iPhone version of ID Talk that ran at nearly the same speed as the PC edition.

“Hmm. The response looks solid.”

Through the ID Talk server’s management tools, real-time connection statistics by device were available. Over seventy percent of iPhone buyers had downloaded and installed ID Talk, using it as their primary messenger in place of iMessage. iMessage was Apple’s proprietary messaging program integrated with the SMS system of 2G phones. It allowed users to exchange secure messages without additional setup and to send texts between different carriers and device types. Steve Jobs had emphasized this capability heavily during the iPhone announcement. In many countries, text messages simply failed to reach recipients if the carriers differed—Japan being a prime example. As a result, registering both a phone number and an email address to send short messages had become the norm. ID Talk, however, operated on its own internet servers, so messages could be sent regardless of carrier.

That said, iMessage was still in its early stages and showed signs of instability. It often lagged, responding slowly as though suffering from latency. In contrast, ID Talk ran flawlessly on the iPhone thanks to its robust server infrastructure. Since most netizens already held ID Talk accounts, the app shot to the top of the Apple App Store’s most popular list almost instantly. Still, iPhone sales remained too low to claim a decisive market victory. As the media pointed out, the iPhone’s biggest drawback was its price. It had launched simultaneously in North America, Europe, Japan, and Korea at a uniform global price of $1,199. Even in high-income America the cost felt burdensome; in other countries it was far more prohibitive. Consequently, more than a month after the announcement, worldwide sales had yet to exceed one million units.

Yoo Jae-won could access Apple’s internal data so precisely because he exercised his rights as a major shareholder. There was no need to activate his information team—he simply received sales figures directly from Apple. Many people had expressed interest in buying once the price came down, so it was too early to call the device a failure.

One notable detail was that, aside from the United States, Korea had been the most enthusiastic country in promoting the iPhone. This was because Ilsung Telecom—newly formed after Ilsung Group acquired Shinsedae Telecom—had gone all-in on the device. Everyone in Korea knew that Ilsung and ID Group were bitter rivals. Nevertheless, Ilsung Telecom had sold T-Touch Phones. No matter how displeased the owner might be, consumer demand could not be ignored. Until a month earlier, there had been no substitute for the T-Touch Phone. With the iPhone’s arrival, the situation changed. Objectively, the iPhone’s specifications surpassed those of the T-Touch Phone. When spread across a thirty-six-month installment plan with carrier subsidies for number portability, the price difference was no longer significant. Furthermore, Ilsung Telecom offered dealerships special bonuses for selling iPhones—as though they believed a successful iPhone launch would deal Yoo Jae-won a serious blow. This, despite the fact that Yoo Jae-won had already formed an alliance with Steve Jobs.

“The real issue is ID Office.”

Ilsung’s missteps were their own concern. What truly occupied Yoo Jae-won’s attention was something else. Development and maintenance of ID Office fell to the Rodeo Team in Korea. With the ID Group headquarters building now standing in Dogok-dong, Seoul, the entire ID Office development team had moved into the new building. The old name “Rodeo Team” still stuck, however, and people continued to use it even when referring to the team at headquarters.

After his meeting with Steve Jobs, Yoo Jae-won had jokingly told Rodeo Team leader Lee Chan-soo that he had secured new work. Lee had been delighted. Yoo Jae-won had instructed the team to create an ID Office viewer that would run on the iPhone. Being able to open Word, presentation, and spreadsheet files exactly as they appeared on PC would already accomplish half the goal. Writing documents on the tiny screens of iPhones or T-Touch Phones was cumbersome. For a mobile version, simply being able to view downloaded files and print them was sufficient.

Yoo Jae-won’s concern lay elsewhere: he was uncertain whether the Rodeo Team could adapt to the iPhone’s unfamiliar development environment. Thanks to Steve Jobs’ bold decision, the mobile version of the newly created OS X—iOS—now powered the iPhone. While the Xcode development tool existed, it offered limited assistance for app creation. The Cocoa framework essential for app development ran only on Apple computers, forcing the team to purchase a large number of Power Macs. For someone like Yoo Jae-won who had reached the pinnacle of programming, any environment was manageable. Whether the Rodeo Team’s programmers could adjust to the unfamiliar setup remained an open question. If the iPhone version of ID Office performed poorly, critics would claim the team had deliberately under-optimized it to avoid fair competition, or that ID Technology had succeeded only through luck rather than genuine skill.

The ideal solution would have been for Yoo Jae-won to personally supervise the Apple version of ID Office, but he lacked the time. Countless tasks demanded his attention, yet the most critical was finalizing the successor ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the T-Touch Phone. Judging solely by the iPhone’s sluggish sales, one might conclude that smartphones had arrived too early. Korea, however, had already begun commercializing IMT-2000. Licenses had been granted to TG Mobile and Ilsung Telecom, and base station installations were proceeding vigorously. Qualcomm’s modem development was also progressing smoothly. To avoid repeating the iPhone’s mistakes, preparation had to begin immediately.

Time passed. Summer’s oppressive heat had eased, and a cool breeze from the north hinted at the approaching autumn. As always in the busy modern era, numerous events—large and small—unfolded. In the United States, the presidential race was in full swing. In Sydney, Australia, the Olympic flame burned for the 2000 Games. In Korea, the private broadcaster SBS conducted its first HD test broadcast. Yoo Jae-won found the test quite impressive. Although the resolution was the standard HD 720p, the bitrate was a solid 18 Mbps. Even during dynamic music performances filled with rapid movement, dramatic lighting, and swirling flower petals, there was no pixelation. The handful of households in the Seoul metropolitan area equipped with HD televisions marveled at the unprecedented picture quality compared to analog sets.

Meanwhile, ID Group remained unusually quiet. A few new products had been released, but most were large LCD panels, DDR RAM, and lithium batteries supplied to the enterprise market rather than consumer goods. On the software side, only minor patches for Android ME and ID Office, along with a handful of Apple apps, had launched. This did not mean ID Group was idle. Like an athlete crouching before a high jump, the company was simply conserving energy for an explosive sprint. And the first item for that sprint had just been completed.

“Finally!”

Yoo Jae-won, who had been focused on ID Talk, let out an exclamation the moment he read the message. The killer title that would provide major support for the Xbox—currently neck-and-neck with PlayStation—had at last been finished. GTA 3 was the latest release from Rockstar, the controversial developer known for violent games. The third installment in the Grand Theft Auto series, it was, as the title suggested, a crime-themed sandbox game. The first two entries had lacked substantial stories and were top-down 2D action games. With the third game, however, a revolution occurred. By adopting ID Tech Engine, Rockstar had created a massive open-world city rendered in 3D, complete with a compelling narrative. While ID Software’s Return to Castle Wolfenstein had also implemented an open world, GTA 3 pushed the concept further. Players could interact with objects on screen, and although not every building was accessible, many could be entered. For Rockstar—a relatively small studio until GTA 2—developing a 3D open-world game like GTA 3 was an enormous gamble. This time, however, there was a difference: Yoo Jae-won’s backing. In exchange for an Xbox exclusive release, Rockstar received an enormous development subsidy. Exact figures were withheld for fairness to other developers, but the actual support amounted to twelve million dollars. The sum had sparked some internal debate at ID Entertainment, yet the funding was ultimately approved without issue. As a result, GTA 3 was completed a full year ahead of schedule, perfectly timed for the Thanksgiving season.

Stefan Barber, CEO of ID Entertainment, loved movies but enjoyed games without prejudice. Naturally, he had played the title extensively once the ID Entertainment-affiliated studio completed it. Yoo Jae-won’s question was therefore asking for his impressions of actually playing GTA 3.

Stefan Barber’s reply was succinct. Rockstar’s developers had evidently used the funding responsibly, strengthening the game’s foundation rather than squandering it on celebrations.

“Oh, excellent.”

Yoo Jae-won rose from his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seat and headed to the AV room where the game console was installed. Xboxes were typically placed beside televisions, but Yoo Jae-won’s residence was different. No sufficiently large high-quality LCD displays existed anywhere in the world. ID Display had begun mass-producing 30-inch LCD TV panels, yet even those fell short. Consequently, the AV room—equipped with a permanently installed projector—also housed the Xbox connection.

Yoo Jae-won powered on the Xbox and connected to Steam. He accessed the page restricted to authorized ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠personnel and began downloading GTA 3. Steam—the digital distribution service that would become legendary in his previous life. The ESD service originally launched by ID Technology had carried the straightforward name ESD.com. Its rebranding to Steam was thanks to Gabe Newell, who had successfully brought Half-Life to market through an in-house venture. While diligently developing Half-Life 2, Gabe Newell had suddenly submitted a new proposal: Steam. He wanted to create an ESD platform specialized in games. Yoo Jae-won had handed over full operational control of ESD.com to him. Though initially flustered by the sudden authority, Gabe Newell rose to the occasion. He executed a bold overhaul, beginning with replacing the stiff name ESD.com with the more evocative Steam. Steam had not yet entered official service and remained in internal testing. Gabe Newell had preserved the completed download system while focusing on refining the interface, client program, and library features. Since Steam was also slated to replace the ID App Store on the Xbox, Yoo Jae-won could test the internal build firsthand.

The full size of GTA 3 on Steam exceeded three gigabytes. The original GTA 3 had not been nearly so large. Thanks to the Xbox’s spec upgrades and the generous development budget, high-resolution textures and high-polygon models had been added in volume, dramatically increasing the file size. Fortunately, the estimated download time was only about seven minutes—thanks to the fiber-optic connection between ID Group’s data center and Yoo Jae-won’s residence, which delivered blistering speeds.

“Downloads still feel slow.”

Even so, the word “slow” escaped Yoo Jae-won’s lips. Speed was relative. Anyone using an 8 Mbps ADSL connection would have considered this speed extraordinary. Yoo Jae-won, however, had a dedicated fiber line from the ID data center connected to a specially ordered Cisco router, with both his PC and the router linked via PCI-X fiber. The Xbox in the AV room, by comparison, had only a 100 Mbps LAN card, making the speed feel sluggish. It was worth noting that not every Xbox came with a 100 Mbps card—the standard built-in model was a cheaper 10 Mbps version. Yoo Jae-won’s unit had been modified with an upgraded LAN card and larger hard drive. Ordinary gamers would experience even slower speeds, and overcoming that limitation would be key to Steam’s rapid success.

“Of course we should!”

Today seemed to be a day of good news. One welcome report after another kept arriving.