With the conclusion of the Tinkerbell 1997 Spring Product Launch, discussions surrounding the company's latest lineup swept across all platforms—web, television, print media—starting that very afternoon.
Particularly on online platforms.
Thanks to the Westeros system's immense technological advantage, within just a few hours after the event, portals like Eaglet, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and more were flooded with content about Tinkerbell's new product announcements.
On YouTube, professional and amateur review videos about the new iCam, iPlayer, iRec, iWorld sharing devices, and the highly anticipated iMac personal computer amassed a staggering estimated view count of over 600 million within just five hours of the event.
On Facebook, topics such as the significant price drop for iCam and iPlayer, the inclusion of eco-friendly lithium batteries across Tinkerbell's entire product lineup, and trials of the iMac dominated the trending lists.
And that's not even mentioning the dedicated news push pinned to the top of the Eaglet portal.
As of February 1997, global internet users, driven by explosive growth outside of North America, reached 530 million according to recent statistics. This meant that over half a billion people worldwide who had recently accessed the internet were inundated with news of Tinkerbell's 1997 Spring Product Launch.
By the evening, even The New York Times' official Facebook account couldn't help but make a playful remark about the phenomenon, stating that this media frenzy had probably saved Tinkerbell at least $1 billion in advertising costs.
For the average person, resisting such an overwhelming advertising onslaught was nearly impossible. Thus, by 8:00 PM Eastern Time that evening, when Tinkerbell's official website and Amazon, an Eaglet subsidiary, simultaneously launched preorders for the new products, demand skyrocketed. Although limited to the North American market for now, within the first minute alone, paid preorders for the new iPlayer and iCam both surpassed one million units.
The real surprise, however, was the iMac, a product shrouded in controversy.
Despite industry skepticism about how cautious consumers would be toward this expensive new operating system-based personal computer, YouTube reviews posted immediately after the event allowed potential buyers to make informed decisions without needing to visit stores or wait for feedback from friends.
To the astonishment of even Tinkerbell's own executives, preorders for the iMac-10 exceeded 100,000 units within half an hour of going live.
By midnight Pacific Time, seven hours after preorders began, the total number of iMac-10 units preordered reached 390,000.
Most customers opted for configurations priced around $1,500 rather than the $1,299 base model. This meant that in just seven hours, iMac sales generated nearly $600 million in revenue.
Seven hours, 390,000 units sold, $600 million in revenue—what does this mean?
According to industry statistics, global PC shipments for 1997 were projected to reach 170 million units, with North America accounting for about 35% of the market, or 60 million units. This equated to an average weekly sales volume of 1.15 million PCs in North America.
The week prior to Tinkerbell's product launch, North American PC sales stood at 1.17 million units—perfectly in line with predictions.
Now, even considering the novelty effect of new products, the iMac-10's 390,000 preorders in just seven hours meant it had already captured over 30% of the region's weekly PC market share. While this calculation might be overly simplistic, it clearly illustrated one thing: Tinkerbell's iMac posed a legitimate threat to Windows, the operating system that had essentially monopolized the PC market.
The next day, Sunday, as news of the iMac-10's massive sales swept through the media, Microsoft could no longer remain calm.
Under mounting public pressure, Bill Gates agreed to an interview at his private estate on Mercer Island, Seattle. While the choice of location was partly due to it being a Sunday, it also seemed calculated to project an air of calm and control.
Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, Gates' temper got the better of him when faced with probing questions from reporters. He launched a tirade against the iMac, claiming that developing an operating system was not akin to playing with building blocks and that it could not be done quickly. He also emphasized Microsoft's team of 19,000 employees, compared to Tinkerbell's development team of fewer than 1,000.
Finally, in a dramatic flourish, Gates took reporters to a living room in his mansion, where he showcased a pre-prepared Windows PC encased in a red chassis. Smirking, he remarked that he could make a computer look beautiful too, but that wasn't innovation.
The interview aired on major platforms that same afternoon.
And then things spiraled out of control.
It started with a video on YouTube. The two-minute clip was clearly edited for comedic effect, looping and splicing Gates' critical remarks about the iMac into a bizarre and hilarious montage.
Though the term "meme" wasn't widely known at the time, the emotional resonance of humor and mockery transcended any such terminology.
The video quickly went viral on YouTube, sparking a wave of ridicule.
One of the most-liked comments beneath the video summed up the general sentiment: "He looks like a frustrated monkey!"
By that evening, an enraged Gates personally called Simon, demanding that the video be taken down. While the original video was deleted from YouTube after Simon intervened, its 20 million views in just a few hours ensured its lasting impact. Copies of the video continued to circulate, along with GIFs and images. The phrase "frustrated monkey" became an inescapable blemish on Gates' public image.
Amidst all the drama, the weekend of March 22-23 drew to a close.
Time moved forward to March 24.
A new week began.
The day of the 69th Academy Awards.
New York.
As the bustling city of Manhattan began its day like any other, it became clear that this would be no ordinary day.
The stock market opened with optimism, fueled by the enthusiasm surrounding Tinkerbell's weekend product launch. It was expected that this excitement would carry over into the markets.
As trading began, Tinkerbell's stock price surged, pushing the NASDAQ Composite Index past the 7,000-point mark for the first time in history. Within 30 minutes, the index climbed to 7,045 points.
Simultaneously, stocks within the Westeros ecosystem hit new highs.
After the first half-hour:
Tinkerbell led the rally with a 4.7% increase, pushing its market capitalization to $417.9 billion.
Eaglet rose by 1.6%, reaching a market cap of $923.3 billion, edging closer to the trillion-dollar milestone.
Cisco gained 0.9%, with a market cap of $653.5 billion.
AOL climbed 2.1%, reaching $386.7 billion.
Danelys Entertainment rose 0.6%, with a market cap of $569.1 billion.
Nokia saw a 1.7% increase, with a market cap of $218.6 billion.
Verizon gained 1.3%, reaching $171.9 billion.
In contrast, Microsoft, heavily weighted in the Westeros portfolio, opened 3.9% lower, with a market cap of $282.1 billion.
Intel rose 0.3%, hitting $236.3 billion.
SUN Microsystems climbed 0.8%, reaching $116.3 billion.
Oracle gained 1.5%, hitting $79.3 billion.
And then everything froze.
At the Rockefeller Center headquarters of Cersei Capital, Laurence Fink, having just concluded a weekly executive meeting, was approached by an assistant rushing toward him. The assistant shared alarming news: just minutes after 10:00 AM, the securities trading department detected an unusually large sell order of Microsoft shares worth over $300 million.
Before the assistant could finish speaking, another executive rushed over, shouting, "It's collapsing! It's collapsing!"
By the time Fink and his colleagues reached a trading terminal displaying live stock prices, it was barely 10:05 AM. Microsoft's stock had plummeted 12%, with sell orders surpassing $20 billion.
The crash in Microsoft's stock triggered a chain reaction: shares of HP, Compaq, Dell, and other Windows-based PC manufacturers fell sharply, dragging the entire NASDAQ Composite Index downward.
In hindsight, historians examining the history of the internet industry would undoubtedly mark this day.
March 24, 1997.
At 10:00 AM, spurred by the weekend's overwhelming response to Tinkerbell's product launch, what began as a promising new week for tech stocks abruptly unraveled as a massive selloff of Microsoft shares sent the NASDAQ into freefall. Having briefly touched 7,045 points, the index's bubble finally burst.
This collapse seemed both sudden and inevitable.
From its modest 300-point level in 1990 to the 7,045-point peak in 1997, the NASDAQ had surged 23-fold in seven years.
Even with the transformative growth of the tech industry, such an extraordinary rise was unsustainable.
Warnings of a tech bubble had circulated as early as 1995, yet the rally continued into 1997, astonishing even the most skeptical observers. The 7,045-point peak seemed almost fantastical.
But bubbles are, by nature, ephemeral.
The collapse of Microsoft's stock was merely a trigger. In truth, everyone knew this day would come.
IT'S THE TIME NOW!
Los Angeles.
Simon received the news at the breakfast table at his Dume Point estate. While the development sparked some reflection, he also found it somewhat ironic.
Microsoft again.
In the past, the NASDAQ collapse had also involved Microsoft. And now, once more, it was the catalyst.
Still, the world had changed.
Janet, however, expressed disappointment. "$923.3 billion—just $76.7 billion short of the trillion-dollar milestone. Such a shame."
She was, of course, referring to Eaglet.
Simon himself had also believed that Eaglet might break the trillion-dollar mark this time, predicting it as a potential turning point for the NASDAQ. But it had stopped at $923.3 billion, 8% shy of the milestone.
Unpredictable, as always.
Still, it didn't matter.
"This time, it didn't happen, but it's just a matter of time," Simon thought. Turning to Janet, he said, "Even if this bubble bursts, the trajectory of the information age won't change. Over the coming years, Eaglet alone—after being split according to my plans—could produce several trillion-dollar giants. And Tinkerbell has similar potential. In fact, it's not impossible for Tinkerbell to surpass Eaglet's market cap in the next few years."
Across the table, Jennifer looked up and said, "Tinkerbell? That won't be easy."
Despite the enthusiastic response to the Spring Product Launch, many people still subconsciously believed that Tinkerbell, as a hardware company, lacked the sophistication and growth potential of pure internet firms like Eaglet.
Simon couldn't prove otherwise.
However, the iMac's market reception had already confirmed that Tinkerbell had secured the market position once held by Apple during its prime. Following Simon's meticulously planned roadmap, Tinkerbell reaching a trillion-dollar valuation—or even two trillion—was only a matter of time.
After breakfast, Simon headed to Danelys Studios, where everyone was buzzing about the NASDAQ's sudden turn.
Simon, however, stuck to his routine.
Upon arriving at the office, his first task of the day was related to Tinkerbell. Over the weekend, after hearing about the iMac-10's exceptional preorder performance, Simon had an idea.
Tinkerbell was ready to open its own branded retail stores.
This, of course, was inspired by Apple's stores in his previous life.
When Tinkerbell's first iCam succeeded, Simon had considered the idea, but the product lineup at the time wasn't diverse enough to support large branded stores.
Now, with iCam, iPlayer, iRec as core products, the addition of the iMac as a centerpiece, and accessories like iVid and iDisk, Tinkerbell's product line was robust.
With the idea taking root, Simon spent part of his Sunday drafting a proposal for Tinkerbell stores. Upon arriving at the office that morning, he instructed his assistant to send it to the team in San Francisco.
Meanwhile, due to the three-hour time difference between the coasts, the North American stock market closed at 1:00 PM Los Angeles time. The NASDAQ, shaken by the crash of Windows-related stocks like Microsoft, ended the day down 7.9%, closing at 6,403 points—a drop of over 600 points from the morning peak of 7,045.
At its peak of 7,045 points, the NASDAQ's total market capitalization had reached $9.3 trillion.
With a single-day drop of over 600 points, the market wiped out $730 billion in value in just one day.
The devastation was palpable.
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