Chapter 173 New Mode (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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The domestic online disk market is indeed undergoing a major cleanup.

Network disk providers consume a significant amount of bandwidth and hard disk space, resulting in astronomical monthly expenses.

However, on one hand, domestic users generally cannot accept fees for online disk services. After all, when online disks were initially introduced in China, they aimed to attract as many fans as possible by offering free sharing.

Simultaneously, the current domestic policies have become unfavorable for the sharing and dissemination of internet content. The government's crackdown on explicit, violent, homosexual, and even terrorist videos and files, coupled with the efforts of domestic and international cultural communication companies to combat piracy, has brought an end to the golden age of online disks.

Sun Cheng's eyes carried a faint smile. While the online disk market appeared to be in the midst of a harsh winter for others, it was a fertile ground for him because he held three winning cards.

"I never said that Cybertronics is just a software company..."

Silently chuckling in his heart, Sun Cheng got up and moved the ultra-thin notebook that Safeguard had transformed in front of Lu Nan.

After powering on the computer, the screen immediately lit up, displaying an impressively fast startup speed.

This quick startup speed caught the attention of Lu Nan, who was quite knowledgeable in technology. He couldn't help but glance at the keyboard and screen, but couldn't find any brand identification. Surprised, he asked, "Brother Sun, what brand of computer is this? Has the system been optimized? It's so fast..."

"Yes, it's a custom-built machine, and the system has been optimized..."

Sun Cheng replied casually, then pushed the computer back in front of him and pointed to a prominent icon on the screen, saying, "This is the test version of our network disk client that we rushed to complete. You can give it a try!"

Lu Nan nodded, adjusted his posture, and began exploring the computer.

After clicking on the network disk client icon, a simple and clean login page immediately appeared.

Since Sun Cheng didn't log in with his own account, Lu Nan had to apply for an account before being able to log in and take a look.

He clicked on the registration button, and a registration page promptly appeared.

Lu Nan carefully examined the registration page for a while, then looked at Sun Cheng in surprise and asked, "Brother Sun, is the company planning to adopt a paid model?"

The registration page had nothing particularly unusual. It was slightly different from the prevalent mobile phone registration method, as Cybertronics' online disk accounts did not require mandatory mobile phone or email registration. Instead, below the optional registration fields, there were choices for binding a mobile phone or an email address.

Lu Nan was surprised because behind the options for binding a mobile phone or email address, there was a reminder for each that read, "Extend your trial experience by one month!"

Such a conversation clearly wouldn't occur on a free online disk platform.

"That's right!" Sun Cheng responded promptly, "The era of free online disk usage has come to an end. One Hundred Online Disks, the largest online disk technology provider in China, has been experiencing monthly losses of over tens of millions. Relying solely on advertising revenue cannot cover the losses, so they have resorted to imposing speed limits to compel users to purchase memberships. To be honest, their methods may not be entirely legitimate, but they have no other choice. Even during the internet era that heavily relies on hype, few companies can sustain continuous losses, and the beautiful bubble cannot remain intact forever!"

Lu Nan nodded. In recent years, everyone in the country has been experiencing losses. Despite this, numerous online storage companies have sprung up like mushrooms. It all comes down to the internet economy where

everyone tries to inflate numbers, present registration data, and seek investments everywhere.

As the market becomes increasingly rational and venture capital evaluates market value more accurately, fewer people are deceived by fancy PowerPoint presentations. As the primary income sources for online disks become restricted, these companies can only face closure.

Membership fees are indeed the guarantee for the survival of online storage, but Lu Nan still has doubts. How can a startup company like yours, with limited resources and no customer base, afford to charge fees?

Sun Cheng clearly noticed the subtle change on Lu Nan's face, but instead of answering immediately, he gestured for him to continue.

Lu Nan proceeded to explore further, but he didn't provide his mobile phone number or email address during the registration process. He was just observing the situation.

After confirming the registration, the page quickly underwent changes. However, instead of directly entering the client, it paused at a brand new selection page.

This page was somewhat unique. Lu Nan pushed his glasses up and examined it with a pensive expression.

On the newly displayed page, three options appeared prominently: [Private Mode], [Shared Mode], and [Confidential Mode], each accompanied by its own explanation.

[Private Mode]: 1TB capacity, allows the upload of documents, images, and data, with a maximum file size of 1GB. It permits sharing and remote login, but prohibits the dissemination of files, images, and data prohibited by law. The maximum size for sharing image data is limited to 500MB, with a daily sharing limit of 3 times (unlimited).

[Shared Mode]: 1TB capacity, allows the upload of documents, images, and data, and permits the sharing of disk files. There are no restrictions on daily uploads and sharing, except for the prohibition of disseminating files, images, and data prohibited by law. The company reserves the right to directly delete copyrighted works that infringe upon others' copyrights and intellectual property rights (requires real-name authentication).

[Confidential Mode]: 1TB capacity, allows the upload of documents, images, and data. An intelligent detection system automatically blocks any files, images, and data prohibited by national laws. Apart from that, there are no restrictions. However, all files uploaded to the client are strictly prohibited from being shared. Remote login requires completion of a password protection process, with a daily limit of 1 time (requires real-name authentication).

With Lu Nan's discerning eye, it was easy to recognize the advantages of these three modes.

[Private Mode] is sufficient for most ordinary users. For them, the online storage serves primarily as a storage tool, and they don't have a strong desire for daily sharing. This type of user generally wouldn't consider upgrading, making them a challenging demographic to attract.

[Shared Mode] is self-explanatory. It is designed for users who enjoy searching for and sharing resources on the internet and for certain types of businesses. However, Lu Nan had to acknowledge that this category represents 95% of all online storage member purchases in the domestic market, making them the most sought-after but also the most vulnerable to crackdowns.

As for [Confidential Mode], Lu Nan was somewhat perplexed. At first glance, this mode appeared to have minimal restrictions on users. Wasn't Sun Cheng afraid of legal complications after its launch?

Unable to fully comprehend, Lu Nan lifted his gaze to Sun Cheng.

Sun Cheng didn't keep him waiting and pointed to the selection page on the screen, explaining, "By using these three options, we've segmented users from the beginning. We believe that genuine users with specific needs will eventually realize what they truly require. Personally, I'm more optimistic about [Private Mode]. Although it treads the line of legality, it has tremendous potential."

Lu Nan wore a listening expression, but he suddenly noticed that he had absentmindedly started sipping his tea again, feeling a bit perplexed.

Feel free to ask again if you want. However, considering your concerns about the other person's identity as their own boss, Lu Nan reluctantly shifted his gaze back to the screen and chose the [Secret Mode] option.

After a short buffering period, the clean client interface finally loaded.

Lu Nan explored the client interface, clicking around here and there. However, he couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed as the basic functions of this client were similar to those of other cloud storage services available in the market.

Just as he was about to click the close button in the upper right corner, his gaze unintentionally fell upon the reminder in the lower left corner indicating "Remaining trial period: 30 days" followed by the renewal options. After a brief hesitation, he decided to click on it.

Sun Cheng, who was watching him intently, couldn't help but smile in his heart. He put down his half-empty glass and continued to observe Lu Nan.

Soon, to his delight, Sun Cheng saw Lu Nan's eyes widen and his face fill with disbelief as he suddenly stood up, pointing at the computer screen and looking up at Sun Cheng, he exclaimed, "How is this possible?"

"Nothing is impossible, Lu Nan. I never said that Cybertron Technology Company is solely a provider of cloud storage technology. According to our registration information, our business scope includes smart devices," Sun Cheng explained while enjoying the sight of the surprised expression on Lu Nan's face. Though he explained, his own gaze was also involuntarily drawn to the computer screen.

Upon clicking the renewal option, the client automatically opened a purchase page. The page displayed three simple purchase options: [1-month Membership Recharge], [Lifetime Membership Upgrade], and [Permanent Disk Expansion].

Among them, the [1-month Membership Recharge] allows users to renew their membership for one month at a very low price of only three yuan, which is quite attractive to regular users.

The [Lifetime Membership Upgrade] is priced at 199 yuan. Upon purchase, users not only gain lifetime access to the cloud storage, but Cybertron Technology Company also gifts them a 1TB hard drive for free.

The [Permanent Disk Expansion] offers different expansion options exclusively for lifetime members. For an additional 299 yuan, users can increase their cloud storage capacity by 2TB and receive a 2TB hard drive as a bonus. Likewise, for an additional 599 yuan, users can expand their storage by 5TB and receive a 5TB hard drive. Finally, for an additional 1099 yuan, users can expand their storage by 10TB and receive a 10TB hard drive as well.

With such generous offerings, it is safe to say that anyone with common sense would know which option to choose.

However, Lu Nan looked at Sun Cheng with an incredulous expression. Despite hesitating for a moment, he finally voiced his concerns, "Even if the goal is to attract users to upgrade their membership, offering a hard drive as part of the deal would definitely lead to losses. The cost of a 1TB hard drive alone is well over a hundred yuan, and even with large quantities, it's impossible to obtain a finished product for just 199 yuan. Moreover, if we were to opt for substandard goods, once exposed, it would be a devastating blow to the company..."

He didn't even mention the 2TB, 5TB, and 10TB hard drives. It seemed that Lu Nan was starting to question if Sun Cheng had lost his mind. Being an electronics enthusiast, Lu Nan was well aware that, let alone spending 1099 yuan on a 10TB hard drive, even that amount wouldn't cover the manufacturing cost.

However, that was the cost for others.

Smiling, Sun Cheng walked over to his desk and took out a few hard drives from the drawer. He approached Lu Nan and handed them to him, saying, "These are our future flagship products. Take them with you today for testing. I need to correct your preconceived notion that the cost of hard drives cannot be controlled. For instance, by adopting new technologies..."

As he thought to himself, "When I return from the world of Transformers next time, I'll be able to mass-produce them!"

With that in mind, he picked up the glass in front of him and finished the remaining water. Sun Cheng knew it was time for him to leave.

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 174 Takeover