Humanity, Connected
The morning after September 11th. Before heading out to the Silicon Valley Convention Center for IDDC 2001, Yoo Jae-won sat down to the generous breakfast Tiffany had prepared. The centerpiece was a steaming bowl of rice glistening with savory oil, paired with a rich meat soup loaded with every imaginable ingredient, all surrounded by a full array of Korean side dishes in classic fashion.
“It’s going to go well this time, too.”
After watching him clean his plate, Tiffany pulled him into a tight embrace, pouring her strength into him. There was no need to say thank you. One deep kiss was enough to express everything they felt. In that moment, he thought yet again how right it had been to marry her.
The subtitle for IDDC 2001 was Humanity, Connected. Unlike the previous year, the event had expanded by one day into a four-day program. As ID Group’s scale had grown, so had the number of new products that needed to be unveiled. Tickets were paid, of course, and at forty-nine dollars they could hardly be called cheap, yet every seat for all four days had sold out long ago.
The price might have been a little steep, but past experience had proven that the hands-on booths more than justified the cost. The giveaway events and coupons alone delivered value well beyond the ticket price. Above all, watching the main-stage presentations with your own eyes felt like attending the greatest concert on earth. That was why a long line had already formed at the entrance of the Silicon Valley Convention Center since early morning.
“Think it’ll beat Apple?”
“Obviously! Even if the iPhone gets to call itself the first smartphone, it wasn’t all that different from the T-Touch Phone, was it?”
“I couldn’t even tell if it was supposed to be a game console or a phone.”
“ID Group’s smartphone is going to be on another level!”
The queue buzzed with voices brimming with sky-high expectations for the Android Phone. Simply buying a ticket for an IDDC event meant these people were more than interested—they were fervent supporters. And since this was the first new phone in two years since the T-Touch Phone, anticipation had reached fever pitch.
Naturally, comparisons to the iPhone S that Apple had unveiled a week earlier were everywhere. The iPhone S had taken every piece of feedback from the original model and incorporated every new technology developed in the past year. If the first iPhone had felt somewhat clumsy, the upgraded iPhone S came much closer to the true idea of a smartphone.
One of its major upgrades was expanded memory capacity. The original iPhone’s limited RAM meant launching a new app would push the previous one out of memory. You could check a text message during a game without much trouble, but switching to the browser to search something and then returning to the game forced a full reload. The iPhone S drastically reduced those restarts and strengthened multitasking for seamless switching. Camera quality and 3D acceleration had also been upgraded, lifting overall performance considerably.
On top of that, Steve Jobs had emphasized excellent security. He proudly declared that even standard messages were sent fully encrypted—unlike certain competitors—and confidently stated that the iPhone’s rigorous security system would make it impossible for anyone but the owner to unlock a locked device. He even added a dedicated encryption chip that had zero impact on performance. It was a point that strongly appealed to North American users who placed great importance on personal privacy.
Even ID Group’s most passionate fans felt a twinge of worry, which was why the waiting line hummed with a mixture of concern and excitement.
Naturally, ID Group and Yoo Jae-won delivered one thousand percent on those fervent supporters’ expectations.
Ladies and gentlemen. ID Group Chairman Yoo Jae-won will now present a completely new smartphone on the main stage.
The main stage, already packed with spectators, erupted in a thunderous cheer. Yoo Jae-won, wearing the semi-formal suit Tiffany had chosen, stepped onto the stage with a bright smile. His stride was confident as always.
“First of all, thank you to everyone who has come here today to brighten this occasion.”
Yoo Jae-won did not forget to bow toward the audience. Another wave of cheers exploded. He raised one hand in response, then moved straight to the point.
“I believe you all already know what I’ll be announcing here today. That’s right—ID Group’s first smartphone. So without further ado, allow me to introduce it. The Android Phone!”
The moment Yoo Jae-won’s voice rang out, the stage lights dimmed. The enormous screen above the main stage brightened, and a single word appeared.
An American-style greeting. A voice saying “Hello” could be heard as the screen showed a call being made on the Tiffany Phone. People of every nationality and race appeared, each speaking in their own language. Korean annyeonghaseyo rang out, followed by French and German. The montage of people from around the world eventually transitioned to the Tiffany Phone 2. This time it showed a teenager sending a short “Hi” message through ID Talk, then taking selfies and photos and sharing them instantly.
The screen that had briefly featured the Tiffany Phone 2 naturally moved on to the T-Touch Phone. The full-front touchscreen symbolized by the “slide to unlock” motion, combined with the strengthened mobile Android OS, allowed people to communicate far more actively. Games were a prime example. Although there was no 3D acceleration chip yet, the excellent 2D processing power and large screen made for rich, enjoyable gameplay.
GG!
What had begun in StarCraft had now become basic etiquette in almost any game. The screen showed a middle-aged man typing GG and exiting a match, then a young child beaming as he received one. The phone was portrayed not merely as a device for long-distance communication, but as a tool that let people share the joy of gaming with anonymous opponents.
The montage that had illustrated a richer life through the T-Touch Phone’s various functions faded to black. A moment later, a light electronic beep sounded and the Android robot—now the symbol of ID Group—appeared. Each time the Android OS had been upgraded, the robot had received a sleeker, more polished design.
It waved its chubby arms cheerfully at the audience, then turned and pretended to push something with all its strength. The object was an enormous door representing a new era. It looked as though it would never open, yet when the Android robot exerted force, it creaked open with a heavy groan. Intense light poured through the gap.
The opening grew wider, the light brighter, until the door simplified into a tall rectangular frame. When it swung fully open, the veiled form of the Android Phone was finally revealed in its entirety.
The previously dark screen lit up with white power, and the Android Phone greeted the world with both text and voice. The neutrally synthesized electronic tone was strangely likable. An enormous cheer followed. Yoo Jae-won, who had been waiting in the wings, reappeared on stage. In his hand, as though it belonged there, was the very Android Phone that had just been revealed on screen.
After the cheers subsided, the presentation continued.
“I won’t list every specification of the Android Phone here today. There are simply too many features to cover in a single day. Besides, I’m sure you’ve all already learned through the news just how remarkable this device is.”
Yoo Jae-won spoke in a refreshing tone. At the end of January, the 120-nanometer process had exploded across international headlines. The industry standard had been 250 nanometers, with leading companies managing 220. The sudden leap to 120 nanometers had shaken the world. CPU and GPU manufacturers had rushed to Korea. When ID Electronics further announced its entry into the foundry business, the stock prices of TSMC, UMC, TI, and other established foundries plummeted. The market had judged that the technological gap could no longer be closed, no matter how much capital those companies poured into development.
A technical report submitted to the U.S. Congress estimated that the gap between ID Electronics and other semiconductor firms had now widened to at least four years. In the semiconductor industry, four years represented more than two generations of difference. When each generation brought two- to three-fold performance gains, competition became meaningless. Everything now depended on how much ID Electronics could produce.
The first chip to utilize this 120-nanometer process was the MAP 3 installed in the Android Phone.
“Instead, please enjoy the prepared video.”
The main stage darkened once more, and a video appeared on the giant screen. It was a commercial created for the Android Phone’s global launch. Because it was not targeting any single country, it carried a universally relatable emotion. It captured, in stylish cinematic form, the virtues of a phone that enabled communication, shared joy, and emergency assistance.
The scene that moved the audience most deeply showed a father unable to be present for the birth of his first child. He was a soldier on deployment who had received emergency leave and was rushing home, but the baby had decided to arrive earlier than expected. In that moment, a video call connected through the Android Phone, allowing the father to witness his child’s first moments in the world even from afar. The United States, a country that held its service members in especially high regard, responded powerfully to the scene—especially because it was not staged. It had actually happened to an American soldier stationed in Iraq.
The idea had come from Yoo Jae-won. Even after the Gulf War, tens of thousands of U.S. troops remained stationed in Iraq.
“At the center of technology, there must always be people. That is ID Group’s philosophy. The Android Phone is the most perfect tool for connecting one human heart to another.”
Amid the wave of emotion, Yoo Jae-won added those words. No matter how cutting-edge the technology, without humanity at its core it was meaningless—one of the realizations he had gained before his regression. He emphasized that even the Android Phone’s state-of-the-art features had been created for people.
Some members of the audience wanted detailed specifications, but the majority were deeply satisfied with the fresh direction of the presentation.
As expected, Yoo Jae-won delivered his signature line.
“Allow me to introduce the Android Pad.”
The “one more thing” at IDDC 2001 was a tablet.
“This is the tablet PC we first introduced at the 1992 Daejeon Expo. We had to hold it back until technology caught up. I am truly delighted to officially present it to you all today.”
Yoo Jae-won lifted the device, which looked like an Android Phone enlarged by roughly two and a half times. The reason it was named Android Pad rather than Tablet PC was simple: its operating system and system architecture were nearly identical to those of the Android Phone. It used the MAP 3 CPU, 16 gigabytes of flash storage, the mobile Android OS, and the same touch interface. Applications had to be downloaded from the ID App Store.
Compared to the enormous number of programs available for PCs, the ID App Store still offered relatively few apps. Even so, it contained everything needed for both work and entertainment. ID Office could handle all standard office tasks, while the Timeflix app provided everything from live sports broadcasts to the latest movies. Gaming had also blossomed. Until the T-Touch Phone, everything had been dot-pixel graphics due to the lack of 3D support. From now on, powerful 3D acceleration would allow high-quality graphical games to flood the market.
Yoo Jae-won concluded his duties by announcing the prices: $990 for the Android Pad and $699 for the Android Phone. Although he had given no detailed specifications, thunderous applause erupted. And even if Yoo Jae-won refrained from listing specs, plenty of others in the world were happy to do it for him.
Webzines had been active for some time, and the IT-focused ones were particularly energetic. CNET, ZDNet, AnandTech, Tom’s Hardware—every major outlet posted in-depth benchmark data the moment the Android Phone was announced at IDDC 2001. The comparison target was, of course, the iPhone S. From processor speed to camera performance, they scrutinized every aspect under a microscope. The results of the countless benchmarks were overwhelmingly in favor of the Android Phone.