How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph.Page)
Quote #10
Making the prototype in the U.S. had been catastrophically expensive, but they'd found a supplier in Korea who could build the lenses to their specs, at about a fifth of the cost in America, even cheaper if they shopped it out to a Chinese factory. (XXIV.96.214)
We don't know it yet, but this little economics lesson is going to become an important factor in Reliant's failure in Saudi Arabia. While Alan seems to be oblivious to the possibility that the Chinese could horn in on Reliant's hologram technology, he's kinda been warned by previous experience. His friend Terry experienced firsthand how it was to lose a major manufacturing bid to the Chinese because his company licensed foreign interests to use their technology. Lessons, it seems, are hard to learn.