Most people didn’t know

Woman: Are you going to launch simply yet another hot-drinks machine?
Man: Definitely not. Some of you may think we’re going to launch simply yet another hot-drinks machine. Can you tell me what hot-drinks machine you use daily is like?
Woman：Well, you put a coin in a slot and out comes a cup of something which tastes terrible. It’s supposed to be tea or coffee—but it doesn’t taste anything like either of these two drinks.
Man: Oh, that is too bad. You know—and I feel the same way—we did an experiment recently involving a wide range of hot-drinks machines. And we found that over two-thirds of the people using them couldn’t tell whether they were drinking tea or coffee. That’s how awful the taste of the drink was in each case!
Woman: So how about the hot—drinks machine in the past? Were they multi-functional?
Man: Such machines have been in use far too long. Even the Ancient Greeks had such machines.
Woman: Even the Ancient Greeks!? What did their machines provide?
Man: Their machines didn’t provide you with tea or coffee when you put a coin in. They gave you something much better—holy water. And it seems they were used for a long time without any of the breakdowns that are so common today. Now this was over 2，000 years ago. And I’m sure they had similar machines long ago in Ancient China．
Woman: What is new of your product?
Man: So what is new? Well, this morning we are introducing a modern, hi-tech hot-drinks machine.
Woman: So what is the difference between the normal and the new?
Man: With the normal machines, you put a coin in the slot, press the appropriate button and the machine puts powder—tea, coffee, chocolate, milk—into a cup. Then it pours hot water over the powder. Well, unlike these old vending machines, our new vending machine uses boiling water and serves fresh coffee—not instant coffee—and fresh tea made with high quality tea-leaves rather than tea bags.
Woman: It sounds wonderful. Anytime, anywhere there is such a machine I can enjoy a cup of fresh coffee or tea．
Man: And there’s another feature. People don’t need coins to operate the new machine. Instead, they can use a special kind of credit card. In the machine itself there is a small computer. This computer makes a record of each card that is inserted—and, of course, the number of times the card is used. This is far more convenient than having to use a coin.
Woman: It seems to be practical too—since most of hot-drinks machines are used in the workplace—that is, in offices, factories and warehouses. And some are used in clubs and leisure centers. So it’s an easy matter for my company to charge users like me at the end of every month—or every week.
Man: We’ve now produced a free book containing advice about using the machine. You may take and have a look at it.
Woman: Your machine must be very expensive. Can every workplace afford to own one?
Man: No. Our company proposes to make it very easy for companies to buy the machine. We shall charge even less than the cost of making the machine, and so it will be very cheap. But we shall be the only people who can regularly service the machine. The special parts required for services and repairs are manufactured by us. No one else will be supplied with these parts. We shall also charge a realistic price to re-stock the machine each time it runs out of tea and coffee. All this is where our profits will come from.
Woman: Well, I understand. If I have interest, I will contact you later.