Glass Wallet
In August 2002. The IDDC 2002 held at the San Francisco Convention Center was the largest in history. They had called last year the largest ever as well, which meant this time the event was being held on an even grander scale. The schedule had been extended to a full six days—one more than the previous year—and experiential booths had been installed not only inside the convention center but outdoors as well. The claim was no exaggeration. Growing larger with each passing year seemed to be turning into an IDDC tradition, so next year could easily surpass even this. At that point the San Francisco Convention Center would very likely prove insufficient. The solution was simple: find a venue larger than the San Francisco Convention Center.
In truth, although they had added an extra day to IDDC 2002, the schedule remained extremely compressed. The first day was naturally dedicated to the announcement of the next version of the Android operating system. The official name chosen for this release was Android 2003. The current version was ME, so many had suggested two-letter alphabetical designations for the successor—XP, XT, SE, and so on. Yet unlike ME, which commemorated the new millennium, those abbreviations lacked intuitive appeal. Therefore they returned to the original year-based numbering and settled on 2003.
Although smartphones and similar devices had somewhat reduced attention on PCs, interest in the next Android operating system had not faded entirely. Moreover, IDDC 2002 had sold out from the moment tickets went on sale, so the main stage on opening day was packed, as expected.
The main stage erupted with thunderous applause and cheers at the emcee’s introduction.
“I’ll be back!”
“Huh? Yeah! Knock it out of the park!”
Yoo Jae-won, waiting backstage, spoke to Tiffany with no trace of nervousness. His tone was as casual as if he were simply stepping out for a walk. If anything, Tiffany looked more anxious as she saw him off. It was only natural. Having presided over multiple IDDCs, Jae-won had long since grown immune to stage fright. On top of that, the items prepared for 2002 were the most complete in history, so his confidence was not merely full—it overflowed.
Yoo Jae-won strode onto the main stage with energetic steps. The cheers and applause from the hall swelled even louder. It looked exactly like enthusiastic fans greeting an idol star.
“Android 2003 can deliver noticeable performance improvements even on existing systems, but you will experience its true potential on new computers equipped with 120-nanometer process chips.”
Five minutes into the Android 2003 presentation, the crowd on the main stage was completely absorbed in Yoo Jae-won’s words. The atmosphere had been electric from the moment the sleek new logo appeared.
“The biggest difference is boot speed.”
The Android operating system had always been fast to boot. The 2003 version shortened that time by at least five seconds, and as much as ten seconds in optimal conditions.
“We named it the Fast Boot function. Unfortunately, it can only deliver 100 percent of its performance on PCs that adopt the new UEFI BIOS standard.”
Hardware support was required to unlock its full potential. The old BIOS collected hardware information from the computer on every boot before handing it to the operating system. UEFI, by contrast, stored that information in advance until new hardware was installed, dramatically reducing boot times.
If SSDs were added on top of that, silicon-semiconductor PCs would achieve their absolute peak performance. Sadly, SSDs remained specialized devices used only by enterprises and research labs. Still, Yoo Jae-won had chosen to make enormous investments in semiconductor fabrication. In a few years, affordable SSDs would reach the market, letting ordinary users experience loading speeds that would leave them stunned.
Yoo Jae-won believed he had adapted fully to this era, yet he could not tolerate waiting thirty to forty seconds for ordinary games to load. The computer at home used an SSD from ID High Tech, so it was fine there. On iWorks notebooks or office machines, however, the difference was painfully obvious.
The desktop of Android 2003, which had opened with such a refreshing Fast Boot, soon appeared on screen.
“We have also completely overhauled the user interface to match the internet age.”
Android had always been the most visually advanced operating system. Version 2003 evolved to an entirely new level beyond ME. The first change users would notice was the font. Up through ME the default had been the Clear Gothic typeface optimized for CRT monitors. Power users therefore routinely replaced the clunky default with fonts that suited their tastes. For 2003, a new typeface optimized for LCDs—Clear Square Round—was set as the default. Created by Sandol Design, a major third-party partner for ID Office, it featured rounded square letterforms similar to those on the Android Phone. It supported Unicode for Hangul, the Latin alphabet, and every major world script. The result was excellent readability and graceful scaling even at large sizes—the optimal design.
After changing the font, the real transformation occurred when users pressed the Start button. The Alpha team responsible for Android development had actually proposed removing the Start button entirely and replacing it with a Start panel, arguing that the button itself was outdated. Yoo Jae-won rejected the idea. He remembered all too well the massive backlash Microsoft had suffered when it removed the Start button in the past. Therefore the basic form of the Ribbon Interface remained, but its functions were greatly expanded. The beloved Start button stayed exactly where it was, while the panel that appeared when it was clicked received a major overhaul.
Ooh!! The moment Yoo Jae-won pressed the Start button, gasps of delight rose from the audience. The size of the Start panel, the arrangement of its items, and even the icon pack had all been completely replaced.
ME’s default icons had already been a generous 256×256, intuitive and crisp. Yet the team judged that still insufficient. Android 2003 now supported icons as large as 1024×1024. Merely increasing the size, however, could not be called revolutionary, so Yoo Jae-won revealed one final secret weapon.
“When an email arrives or an ID Talk notification comes in, it’s easy to miss the alert if you look away for even a moment. With 2003, you no longer have to suffer the stress of missing texts or emails.”
The instant he finished speaking, a soft whoosh sound effect played. A cute little hand emerged from the email icon, rummaged through its front pocket, pulled out a letter, and waved it. The unexpected animation drew bright, delighted laughter from the crowd.
“In Android 2003, icons are no longer static. They now display various movements according to context and enable quick actions.”
Yoo Jae-won moved the mouse cursor over the email icon. The hand that had been waving the letter unfolded, revealing the email subject line and several option buttons labeled Read, Delete, Report as Spam, and so on. The icon had become a miniature program rather than a simple picture.
“This is what we call a Live Icon. Not every icon supports Live yet, but Android’s core applications do—File Manager, Email, Web Browser, ID Talk, TokTok, and more. The fun of discovering Live Icons after installation is guaranteed. We will also release the creation tool for Live Icons starting today.”
While viewing Live Icons was simple, creating them was more difficult. Only those with programming skills could manage it, since the icon had to communicate with the underlying program. Artistic talent alone was not enough; coding ability was also required. Nevertheless, Yoo Jae-won believed that once the feature was public, many would participate. Even Android ME had produced hundreds of thousands of theme packs linked to Live Desktops. Most were created by ordinary users who invested their own time and effort and released them for free. While many were low in quality, quite a few were good enough to sell. He was confident the same enthusiastic community would form around Live Icons.
Next, additional new technologies for Android 2003 were unveiled. Enhanced smartphone integration came first. Simply connecting via USB cable allowed access to photos, music files, messages, and address books on the PC, with far simpler adding and deleting. The functions had existed in ME, but this time they were woven more tightly into the user interface.
The crowning achievement was Glide X4. Originally a 3D graphics library, Glide had expanded with X4 into an integrated library for games and R&D that now included sound, joypad support, Glide computers, and more. The biggest change in this version was Pixel Shader 2.0. Realistic lighting, shadows, and water effects became possible. Texture quality had also taken a leap forward; cloth now looked unmistakably like cloth, and metal like metal.
“Let me show you a simple example.”
A demonstration program designed to showcase 100 percent of Glide X4’s library functions alongside next-generation CPU and GPU performance began to run. It depicted a propeller plane emerging from an old hangar, racing down a desolate runway, and lifting into the sky. The blue heavens were astonishingly vivid, and the sunlight glinting off the cockpit glass looked almost too real. When the focus, which had been locked on the plane, passed through a cloud and naturally shifted to the surrounding environment, the audience burst into admiration. As the clouds parted, a vast lake, mountains, and a distant city appeared—graphics clearly a full dimension above anything seen in games before. A few impatient audience members and reporters even shouted out loud, asking what game it was.
It was not an actual game, but a short demo created by ID Software specifically for IDDC 2002. The demo had been run on ID Tech Engine 4—the next-generation game engine currently in development—using Intel’s latest Pentium 4 CPU and two NVIDIA GeForce GPUs. Existing computers would have struggled with it. Yet judging by the crowd’s reaction, releasing it as an airplane simulator seemed entirely viable.
“Security enhancements are of course essential. We have maximized security while minimizing user inconvenience. The security zone that has received praise since its introduction has been further strengthened. We have also dramatically expanded the selection of default security programs.”
Security, which had become a major issue after last year’s cyber-terror incident, received special mention. Previously there had been only three options: Symantec, ESET, and KimLab. Moreover, they had been divided by region—North America, Asia, and Europe—with no choices available for other continents. The thinking had been that each company would handle its assigned region professionally. Last year’s cyber-terror attack proved that judgment wrong. KimLab had failed to detect malware hidden inside a crack distributed by a Chinese hacker group, and Symantec had fared no better.
Yoo Jae-won’s countermeasure was to bring new security companies into Android’s security zone: Bitdefender, McAfee, ViRobot, and others. Eight companies in total. The policy change would raise overall security levels through competition, but more importantly, hackers would now face eight separate targets instead of one. Large-scale zombie-PC armies would therefore be far harder to create.
The regrettable part was that KimLab and Symantec, which had failed to respond properly during the cyber-terror incident, had been excluded. It was effectively an expulsion. Ordinary users could still purchase and install the retail versions, but the difference between being offered as a bundled product and having to buy it separately was enormous.
KimLab, blindsided by the decision, tried to contact Android or Yoo Jae-won after the fact, but no one would meet them. More than ten months had passed since the cyber-terror incident, yet they had shown no meaningful innovation. Their removal was inevitable.
From the users’ perspective, aside from the increased number of choices Yoo Jae-won had mentioned, little would feel different. Internally, however, the security architecture had undergone a massive upgrade, making the system far safer against hacking.
“Finally, let me address the topic everyone is most curious about—the price. We will maintain the same pricing policy as ME for the 2003 version. The upgrade policy for genuine ME users will also remain unchanged.”
The gaming edition with advertisements would be free. The ad-free gaming edition would cost 10,000 won. Workstation editions would remain in the 100,000-won range, and enterprise editions for corporations would stay in the 300,000-won range. With those words, Yoo Jae-won’s presentation concluded.
Naturally, enthusiastic applause erupted from the packed main stage. Prices for everything else only rose with each passing year; the Android operating system’s price freeze was welcome news indeed for those with lighter wallets. Moreover, the upgrade offer for ME users was an attractive proposition for high-end customers who had been hesitating to move to 2003. Unlike the free gaming edition, the more expensive workstation and enterprise editions made people pause before buying new copies. A discounted upgrade significantly lowered the burden.
Android 2003 was a resounding success. After the official release, computer manufacturers began launching their own new products in earnest, sparking fierce competition. Intel and AMD also started full-scale marketing of their new 120-nanometer CPUs optimized for the new operating system.
Having successfully unveiled Android 2003, Yoo Jae-won intended to ride that momentum straight into the announcement of the next-generation Android smartphone. Yet his buoyant mood froze solid the following day when a single Direct TokTok arrived from Korea.
It was a puzzling message. At first he did not understand. But when he saw the attached image, the situation became instantly clear. The screenshot showed the latest Classe washing machine listed for sale on the used-goods marketplace, its logo displayed alongside the unmistakable mark of the Ministry of Defense.