The Apple Genius: Tim Cook | Tick-Tock | 3
发布时间 2023-03-02 08:01:00 来源
摘要
Tim Cook tries to banish doubts about his leadership with a new type of product which he hopes will be as revolutionary and influential as the original iPhone.To listen to Business Movers ad-free, join Wondery+ in the Wondery App. Click here to download the app: https://wondery.app.link/businessmovers.Support us by supporting our sponsors!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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嘿,Prime会员们,你们可以在亚马逊音乐上无广告地收听Business Movers。今天就下载应用程序吧。
意思是告诉Prime会员们可以在亚马逊音乐上免费收听Business Movers,同时鼓励他们下载该应用程序。
It's January 2012 at Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, California. Apple's Vice President of Design, Johnny Ive, marches down an empty corridor lined with dark tinted windows, reaching a thick, locked door. The British designer swipes his ID card and enters the most secret and restricted area of the Apple campus, the design studio. Johnny nods to the assistant at the reception desk and then heads toward the main room.
现在是2012年1月,地点在加州库比蒂诺的苹果总部。苹果的设计副总裁乔尼·艾维沿着排列着深色挡光窗户的空旷走廊走到一扇厚重的上锁门前。这位英国设计师刷了一下自己的身份证,进入了苹果总部最机密、最受限制的区域,即设计工作室。乔尼向接待桌的助手点了点头,然后走向主房间。
The large workshop is lined with six long steel tables displaying prototypes and half finished models of future designs. This is where Johnny spent hours working and obsessing over every detail with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. But since Steve's death, Johnny has found it difficult to summon up his old enthusiasm, until now.
这个大工作室里排列着六张长桌,展示着未来设计的原型和半成品模型。这是约翰尼与苹果联合创始人史蒂夫·乔布斯一起工作和精雕细琢每一个细节的地方。但是自从史蒂夫去世以来,约翰尼发现自己很难激发起旧日的热情,直到现在。
At the far end of the room, Johnny's design team has gathered around a table, one of them spots their boss. Oh, morning, Johnny. But Johnny doesn't answer. Instead, he strides up to a large whiteboard on the wall. He grabs an eraser and starts wiping the scribbled remains of a previous meeting off the board as he speaks.
在房间的最远端,约翰尼的设计团队聚集在一张桌子周围,其中一人看到了他们的老板。哦,早上好,约翰尼。但是约翰尼没有回答。相反,他大步走到墙上的一个大白板前。他拿起一个橡皮擦,开始擦掉以前会议的涂鸦,同时说话。
What we make describes us. It describes the things we care about. It describes our values. Everything around us speaks to who made it. Whether they were preoccupied and driven by price and schedule or whether they were driven by care and trying to make a product that would make our lives genuinely better. With the whiteboard clear, Johnny turns to face his team. And so many other companies, ideas and great designs get lost in the process. Here, they are the process. Now, watch you remember that, because this morning, we're starting something.
我们所制造的东西能够描述我们。它展示了我们所关心的事情,描述了我们的价值观。周围的一切都在展现制造者的身份。无论他们是否受到价格和进度的干扰,还是致力于关心和努力制造出真正能够改善我们生活的产品。Johnny把白板擦干净,转身面对他的团队。然而,在许多其他公司、想法和伟大的设计中,往往会在制造过程中流失。但在这里,他们就是这个过程的一部分。现在,请记住这一点,因为今天早上,我们要开始做一些事情。
He pauses a moment, and his team stares back, hanging on every word. I've been thinking a lot recently about clocktowers. Now, what happened to that medieval technology over the centuries? Steadily, the clock became a household object. Not something you'd have in every room, not at first. You might have won for the whole house. But as technology improved, the mechanisms became smaller.
他停了一会儿,他的团队注视着他,聚精会神地听他说话。最近我一直在思考钟楼。现在,那种中世纪的技术在几个世纪中发生了什么变化呢?渐渐地,时钟变成了一种家庭用品。起初并不是每个房间都有时钟,你可能会为整个房子买一个。但随着技术的改进,机制变得越来越小。
Time-telling migrated to your pocket, like the Victorian gentleman with her fog watches on a chain. Johnny pulls out his iPhone. We've made technology more personal and more accessible. We're all routinely carrying around these incredibly powerful computers in our pockets. But this isn't the end point of that technology. This, Johnny waves his iPhone. This is a fog watch. Tell me what happened to clocks after the fog. What came next?
时间告知已经从口袋中迁移,就像维多利亚时期的绅士脖链上戴着雾表一样。约翰尼拿出了他的iPhone。我们让技术更加个人化和更加容易接近。我们现在通常都随身携带着这些功能强大的电脑。但这并不是技术的终点。约翰尼挥舞着他的iPhone。这是一只雾表。告诉我在雾之后时钟发生了什么。接下来会发生什么?
One of his team members calls out from the back of the room. The wristwatch? Precisely. That's the journey of timekeeping. Like time itself, always forward, from the clock tower to the wristwatch. Computers are no different. From a mainframe the size of a room to a smart device that you can wear. Johnny turns back to the whiteboard. Takes up a marker and starts to write. This is it. This is our next project.
他的团队成员中有一个人从房间后面叫了起来。手表?确切地说,那就是时间记录的旅程。就像时间本身一样,始终向前,从时钟塔到手表。计算机也一样。从房间大小的大型机到可以佩戴的智能设备。约翰尼转身回到白板前,拿起记号笔开始写。这就是了,这就是我们的下一个项目。
John taps his marker over the single word he's just written. Smartwatch. The designers around the table flick open their notebooks. A few share a half-hidden smile. Their boss is back. In that moment, it certainly looked as if Johnny I, the genius who played a vital role in the designs of the iPod, the iPhone, and the MacBook to name a few, was back.
约翰用马克笔轻轻敲打他刚刚写下的一个单词——“智能手表”。围坐在桌子旁的设计师们纷纷翻开他们的笔记本,有些人掩饰着微笑。他们的老板回来了。在那一瞬间,约翰尼·艾维(Johnny I),这位参与了iPod、iPhone和MacBook等产品设计的天才,似乎已经回来了。
For the next six months, Johnny and his team iterated and developed ideas for a new smart watch. In Johnny's imagination, the Apple Watch would be more than a timekeeping device. It would be a fashion accessory and a tool for health and fitness. The watch would be constructed out of innovative new materials that could measure a heartbeat or even detect cancer.
在接下来的六个月里,约翰尼和他的团队不断反复推敲和开发新智能手表的构想。在约翰尼的想象中,苹果手表不仅仅是一个计时设备,还应该是一个时尚配饰和健康健身的工具。这个手表将由创新材料制成,可以测量心跳,甚至可以检测癌症。
And after months of work in the summer of 2012, Johnny and his team presented their prototypes to the company's decision makers. CEO Tim Cook eagerly gave the Apple Watch the green light, but knew what was at stake with this new product. The last time Apple had unveiled a truly revolutionary device was under the tenure of the late co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs. Many critics doubted whether Apple's culture of innovation had survived under its new chief executive. Tim Cook hoped the Apple Watch might change that conversation. Silence his critics, improve that under his leadership, Apple still had the ability to change the world.
2012年夏天,经过数月的工作,约翰尼和他的团队向公司决策者呈现了他们的原型。首席执行官蒂姆·库克热切地批准了Apple Watch,但知道这个新产品面临的风险。上一次苹果发布真正革命性的设备是在已故联合创始人和前首席执行官史蒂夫·乔布斯执掌时期。许多批评家怀疑苹果的创新文化是否在新任首席执行官领导下得以存活。蒂姆·库克希望苹果手表能够改变这种说法,沉默他的批评者,展示在他的领导下,苹果仍然具有改变世界的能力。
In a four-part series, The Generation Y Podcast unravels the story of Khalif Browder, a young boy falsely accused of stealing a backpack and held it records island for three years without trial. This is a story about a young life caught in the middle of the justice system. Listen to Generation Y on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.
在四部分系列中,《Y世代播客》揭开了哈利夫·布劳德的故事,这是一个年轻男孩被错误指控偷了一个背包,并在未经审判的情况下在囚禁了三年的犯罪岛中度过的故事。这是一个关于一个年轻生命被卷入司法制度的故事。请在亚马逊音乐或任何您获取播客的地方收听《Y世代》。
Since his death in 2009, the world has struggled with how Michael Jackson should be remembered as the King of Pop or as a monster. I'm Leon Nefak. My new podcast Think Twice, Michael Jackson, offers a new perspective on the art and the artist. Follow Think Twice, Michael Jackson, on Audible or the Amazon Music App.
自从迈克尔·杰克逊2009年去世以来,全世界都在努力思考他应该被认为是流行之王还是怪物。我是里昂·内法克。我的新播客“重新思考,迈克尔·杰克逊”为这位艺术家和他的创作提供了一种新的视角。请在Audible或亚马逊音乐应用程序上关注“重新思考,迈克尔·杰克逊”。
From Wondery, I'm Lindsay Graham and this is Business Members. Music
我是Lindsay Graham,来自Wondery公司,欢迎收听“Business Members”节目。接下来请欣赏音乐。
本段话的意思是,Lindsay Graham 是 Wondery 公司的成员,主持“Business Members”节目,并开头播放音乐。
The first few years after the death of Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO Tim Cook oversaw a period of rapid growth. The smartphone market Apple had created was maturing fast. Sales of the iPhone helped push Apple revenues from 108 billion in 2011 to 170 billion just two years later. With that remarkable financial performance was clouded by doubts over Apple's long-term future.
在史蒂夫·乔布斯去世后的前几年,苹果CEO蒂姆•库克见证了公司的快速增长期。苹果创造的智能手机市场正在快速成熟。iPhone的销售推动了苹果收入从2011年的1080亿美元增长到仅两年后的1700亿美元。然而,这种显着的财务表现也被对苹果未来长期发展的疑虑所笼罩。
Since the launch of the iPad in 2010, the company hadn't released any genuinely unique or innovative products. Tim Cook was under pressure to find new markets or new products to keep the company expanding. When Steve Jobs was alive, he always cast himself as the genius creator, the visionary. That reputation was earned, but it was also a useful piece of marketing.
自2010年iPad推出以来,该公司没有发布任何真正独特或创新性的产品。蒂姆·库克面临着找到新市场或新产品来保持公司扩张的压力。当史蒂夫·乔布斯还在世时,他总是把自己塑造成天才创造者和远见卓识的形象。这个声誉是通过自身的努力赢得的,但也是一种有用的营销手段。
The aura around Steve helped Apple sell its products. But with Steve gone, that aura had vanished. Many wondered whether Tim Cook's Apple was even capable of true innovation, or whether its future lay in churning out slightly modified versions of the iPhone each and every year. But those questions wrangled inside of his Apple.
史蒂夫周围的氛围帮助苹果销售产品。但是随着史蒂夫离去,这种氛围也消失了。很多人怀疑蒂姆·库克领导下的苹果公司是否还能够进行真正的创新,或者它的未来是否只会生产微调版的iPhone。但是这些问题困扰着他的苹果公司。
They knew Steve didn't bring those iconic devices to life on his own. Those products were created through a collaborative development process involving many talented designers and engineers, most notable among them, Johnny Ive.
他们知道Steve并非独自把那些标志性的设备创造出来。这些产品是通过合作开发过程而创造的,其中涉及众多有才华的设计师和工程师,其中最著名的是Johnny Ive。
He was the one who had worked closest with Steve, and he didn't appreciate the criticism being leveled at Apple. He was convinced that the new Apple Watch would prove to be just as groundbreaking as the earlier creations had been. And Tim Cook hoped Johnny was right, giving his blessing to the watch.
他是与史蒂夫合作最密切的人,他不喜欢人们对苹果公司提出的批评。他相信新的苹果手表将会像之前的创意一样具有划时代的意义。蒂姆·库克希望约翰尼是对的,并且赞成这款手表。
But Tim was smart enough to know his own limitations. Tim's strengths were not Steve's strengths, and he knew it. Tim didn't share his predecessor's knack or obsession with design. So instead of trying to be someone he was not, Tim let Johnny take the lead on the new product. It was the latest sign of the designers growing influence and responsibility at Apple.
但是蒂姆很聪明,他知道自己的局限性。蒂姆的优势并不是史蒂夫的优势,他清楚这一点。蒂姆没有分享他的前任对设计的天赋或迷恋。所以,蒂姆没有试图成为他不是的人,而是让约翰尼在新产品中领导。这是设计师在苹果公司日益增长的影响力和责任感的最新迹象。
But building a smart watch would prove more challenging than anyone predicted. Development would drag on for years. So in the meantime, if Tim wanted to prove that Apple under his leadership was still a pioneer, he would have to take the company in a bold new direction.
然而,要制造一款智能手表的难度比任何人预测的都要大。开发就要拖延数年。因此,如果蒂姆想证明他在领导下的苹果仍然是先锋,他就必须带领公司朝着一个大胆的新方向发展。
This is the third episode of our four-part series on Tim Cook. Tick-tock. It's early summer, 2013, 18 months after Johnny Ive began developing a smart watch.
这是我们有关蒂姆·库克的四集系列的第三集。滴答滴答。现在已经是2013年初夏,距离乔尼·艾维开始开发智能手表已经有18个月了。
In his office on the Apple campus in Cupertino, Tim Cook reads through the latest reports on the Apple Watch. Tim has taken a hands-off approach to this new product, but development is not going well. Designer Johnny Ive has been forced to cut many of the watches more advanced features. But Johnny refuses to budge on one issue, marketing.
在位于库比蒂诺苹果园区的办公室里,蒂姆·库克正在阅读最新的Apple Watch报告。蒂姆一直采取一种不干涉的态度对待这个新产品,但是开发进展不顺利。设计师约翰尼·艾夫不得不删减许多更为先进的手表功能。但是,约翰尼在推广营销方面拒绝让步。
He doesn't think Apple's in-house team, led by an executive named Phil Schiller, knows how to promote the watch properly. So to spearhead the launch, Johnny wants to hire the CEO of the luxury fashion house Euson L'Rolle, Paul Beniff.
他认为苹果公司的内部团队,由菲尔·席勒领导,不知道如何正确推广手表。因此,为了带头推出手表,约翰尼想雇佣豪华时尚品牌 Euson L'Rolle 的首席执行官保罗·本尼夫。
But Tim is concerned. If the watch is marketed solely as a fashion accessory, it may alienate Apple's traditional customers in the tech industry. At his desk, Tim finishes reading the most recent report on the watch's progress. And then looks up as Johnny Ive is shown into the office.
但蒂姆感到担忧。如果这只手表只被市场推销为时尚配饰,可能会疏远苹果在科技行业的传统客户。在他的桌子前,蒂姆完成了对手表进展的最新报告的阅读。接着,他看向进入办公室的乔尼·艾维。
Hey Tim, thanks for saying me. Hi Johnny, take a seat.
嗨,蒂姆,感谢你找到我。嗨,约翰尼,坐下来。
对话内容大致是,蒂姆对约翰尼说感谢他找到自己,然后约翰尼让蒂姆坐下来。
So, Paul Beniff. Yes, interesting guy. Yeah, I just feel he'd bring the right experience for the roll-out.
所以,保罗·贝尼夫。是的,他是个有趣的人。是的,我觉得他会为推出带来正确的经验。
Tim looks down at his notes. I do see S'On the Rolle has a couple of really strong years. Revenue, up more than 30% profits up to. Yeah, he understands the fashion world, Tim. But he also understands Apple. He was here in the 90s, I think. A little before my time. Still, Paul has this really delicate understanding of fashion. How he interacts with the marketplace. It's almost an act of translation. Taking this high-end, hot-cuture product, a visionary product in many ways. Bring it to the masses, but without losing its essence. That's not simple to do.
蒂姆看着他的笔记。我确实看到S’On the Rolle有几年非常强劲的业绩。收入增长超过30%,利润上涨。是的,蒂姆理解时尚世界。但他也了解苹果。我想他是90年代来这里的。比我稍微早一点。然而,保罗对时尚有着非常微妙的理解。他如何与市场互动。这几乎是一种翻译行为。将这种高端、热门的产品,一个在许多方面具有远见卓识的产品带给大众,但不失其本质。这并不是一件简单的事情。
Frankly, it's something I think we lack right now. Johnny leans forward in his chair. We have got great relations with the tech community. But our future is not in their hands. It's fashion publishers and taste makers like Inna Windtour and Karl Lagerfield. They are going to determine the success of the watch. And Paul knows them. He gets them.
坦白地说,我认为这是我们现在缺乏的东西。约翰尼向椅子前倾。我们与科技社区建立了良好的关系。但是我们的未来不在他们手中。而是在时尚出版商和品味大师们手中,如伊娜·温德图尔和卡尔·拉格菲尔德。他们将决定手表的成功。保罗认识他们,了解他们。
I don't know Johnny, we've got a good team here already. We can give them a chance.
我不认识约翰尼,我们的团队已经很棒了,我们可以给他们一个机会。
I'm not denigrating anyone's work. And I'm not muscling in on anyone's turf. Phil Schiller, if this were a new phone, a new iMac, yeah, he'd be the guy. But the watch is different. Johnny, why? Because the watch will be worn and not carried. It is a piece of fashion.
我并没有贬低任何人的工作,也不会侵犯任何人的领地。如果这是一款新手机或新的iMac,Phil Schiller可能是最适合负责的人选。但手表不同。Johnny,为什么呢?因为手表需要佩戴,而不是携带。它是一件时尚配饰。
It's an expression of what preoccupies and individual. They are taste. That's new for us. And I think it makes some people here at the company uncomfortable. Johnny, are you saying that I'm not fashionable? Tim gestures at his loose and wrinkled button down shirt. Not Tim, that's not it. The watch will move us into product spaces we have not been in before. But I am convinced, 100%, that this is the only way the watch can work. Paul's the man to do it.
这是一个人内心所关注的表达,就是他们的品味。这对我们来说是新的,我认为这让公司里的一些人感觉不舒服。乔尼,你是在说我不时尚吗?提姆指着他宽松皱巴巴的衬衫。不是提姆,不是这个意思。这款手表将让我们进入以前没有进入过的产品领域。但是我确信,百分之百地相信,这是这款手表能够工作的唯一方式。保罗是能做到的人。
One of Tim's strengths as chief executive was knowing when to step back and let others take the lead. He had already determined to back Johnny's vision for the Apple Watch. So in this conversation, he said yes to Johnny again. In July 2013, Apple announced the hiring of Paul Deneff. Tim put the Belgian executive in charge of the marketing and release strategy for the Apple Watch. And despite his private concerns, Tim did everything he could to support Johnny and get the Apple Watch ready for its highly anticipated launch.
作为首席执行官,蒂姆的优势之一就是知道何时让其他人接管领导。他已经决定支持约翰尼对苹果手表的愿景。因此,在这次谈话中,他再次同意了约翰尼的提议。2013年7月,苹果宣布聘请保罗·丹涅夫。蒂姆让这位比利时执行官负责苹果手表的推广和发布战略。尽管他私下担忧,但蒂姆尽一切所能支持约翰尼,并为备受期待的苹果手表的推出做好准备。
More than a year later, in the fall of 2014, Tim would be unveiling the Apple Watch at a press event set to take place at DeAnza Community College, located close to Apple's headquarters in Cupertina. The location was chosen as a deliberate callback to two of the most successful product launches in the company's history. Inside that college's 2000 seat theater, Steve Jobs had revealed the first Mac and Touch computer back in 1984. He returned 14 years later in 1998 to launch the iMac. To Apple's marketing team, the college auditorium seemed a perfect location for Tim to show off the company's newest product.
2014年秋天,一年多以后,蒂姆将在一个媒体发布会上推出苹果手表,地点设在苹果总部位于库伯蒂诺附近的DeAnza社区学院。这个地点是有意引用公司历史上最成功的两个产品发布会之一。在这所大学的2000个座位的剧院内,史蒂夫·乔布斯在1984年揭示了第一台Mac和Touch计算机。14年后,他于1998年回到同一地点发布了iMac。对于苹果的营销团队来说,这所大学的礼堂似乎是一个展示公司最新产品的完美场所。
But the watch's creator, Johnny I, had been worried. This wasn't meant to be a tech event. This was a fashion show as well. And if the Apple Watch was to be a success, the guests needed to be able to see the device up close to touch it, hold it, even to wear it. That was impossible in the cramped theater building. But Johnny had an idea. He suggested to Tim that Apple put up a temporary building on the grounds of the college, and there the hordes and journalists could admire the new watch in person. It wouldn't be easy or cheap.
但制表师Johnny I很担心。这场活动不仅仅是科技展,也是时尚秀。如果苹果手表想要成功,客人需要能够近距离地看到设备、触摸、拿着甚至佩戴它。但在狭小的剧院内这是不可能的。但Johnny有一个想法。他建议Tim在学院场地上建立一个临时建筑,这样人群和新闻记者就可以亲自欣赏新手表了。这并不容易也不便宜。
The site outside the theater, which Johnny had in mind, was studded with trees. The college said they could be removed as long as Apple re-planted them afterwards. With the landscaping work and construction, the total cost of the temporary structure would be $25 million. Some Apple executives bought it at the price. It seemed decadent to spend so much. But Tim knew the cost was nothing compared to the billions of dollars in profit Apple made every year. And if the tent helped make the watch a success, then it would be money well spent. Tim ultimately approved construction on what many at Apple called the moat, the moat, or mother of all tents.
约翰尼心中所想的剧院外的场地到处绿树成荫。学院表示,只要苹果在之后重新种植这些树木,就可以将其移除。加上景观工作和建筑,临时结构的总成本为2,500万美元。一些苹果高管对此价格表示疑虑,觉得用这么多钱太奢侈了。但蒂姆知道这与苹果每年收益数十亿美元相比算不了什么。如果这个帐篷能帮助推动手表取得成功,那么这些钱就花的很值。最终,蒂姆批准了建造这个被苹果内部称作“护城河”的帐篷,即所有帐篷中的“母帐篷”。
On September 9, 2014, Tim welcomed 2000 guests from the world of fashion and technology to the campus. The throng as celebrities and journalists were greeted by a massive temporary structure that was pure white, square edged, and two stories high. As the invited guests were ushered into the auditorium, many wondered what would be waiting inside the alien-looking pavilion. Later that morning, Tim took to the stage and delivered a two-hour presentation. He announced new versions of the iPhone, which delivered larger screens which customers had long requested. He unveiled the Apple Pay system, which allowed iPhone users to make purchases and stores merely by waving their device over a scanner. But that was all a prelude to the main event.
2014年9月9日,蒂姆欢迎来自时尚和科技界的2000名客人来到校园。身为名人和记者的人们被一座巨大的临时建筑所迎接,这座建筑完全是白色的,有方边,两层高。当受邀嘉宾走进礼堂时,许多人好奇这个外形怪异的亭子里面会有什么。接下来的早晨,蒂姆上台发表了为期两个小时的演讲。他宣布了新版本的iPhone,提供了顾客长期要求的更大屏幕。他还推出了苹果支付系统,让iPhone用户只需在扫描器上简单地挥动设备就可以购买商品。但所有这些都只是主要活动的前奏。
When Steve Jobs had been Apple CEO, he often waited until the end of a show to unveil a surprise new product with the words, we have one more thing. It was Code Apple fans' new well. So now, as Tim came to the end of his speech at Deans of College in September 2014, he was so confident that he boldly dared to emulate his much more charismatic predecessor. But we're not quite finished yet. We have one more thing. As the crowd cheered, Tim smiled and introduced what he called the next chapter in Apple's story. The lights in the auditorium dimmed and a slick video announced the Apple Watch. Tim hailed it as a new frontier, a product to enrich the lives of users in ways they had previously never imagined. He claimed the watch was more than just a miniature computer. It was a piece of jewelry to be treasured. It was technology made personal.
在史蒂夫·乔布斯担任苹果CEO时,他经常在演示的最后揭示一个惊喜新产品的同时说出“我们还有一件事”。这是苹果粉丝们期待的惊喜。因此,当蒂姆在2014年9月的大学院长演讲中结束时,他是如此自信以至于大胆模仿他更加魅力的前任。但我们还没有结束。我们还有一件事。当人群欢呼时,蒂姆微笑着介绍了他称之为苹果故事的下一章。礼堂里的灯光变暗,一段精美的视频展示了Apple Watch。蒂姆称其为一个新的前沿,一种能够以前所未有的方式丰富用户生活的产品。他声称这只手表不仅仅是一个微型电脑,还是一款珠宝,值得珍视,是让科技更加个性化的产物。
As Apple's first truly new product in more than four years, expectations for the watch were high. The iPhone and iPad had carved out new markets, sold millions, and rocketed Apple to never before seen growth.
作为苹果四年来的第一个真正新产品,人们对手表的期望很高。iPhone和iPad开拓了新的市场,销售了数百万台,使苹果公司实现了前所未见的增长。
But the glitzy launch event and the confidence Tim displayed on stage concealed a secret. The Apple Watch wasn't ready. In fact, it wouldn't be available to consumers for another seven months. And at Apple, far away from the crowds and the cameras, doubts were growing.
然而,在华丽的发布会和蒂姆在台上展示的自信中,掩盖了一个秘密。苹果手表还没有准备好。实际上,消费者要再等七个月才能购买到它。此外,在苹果公司,远离人群和相机,怀疑正在增长。
Although the watch was more than three years in the making, Apple engineers still hadn't conquered a myriad of problems that had plagued its development. The watch had limited battery life and a slow microprocessor. But there was another even more fundamental issue. Nobody at Apple could decide what the watch was actually for. Most understood that the watch had to do more than tell the time, otherwise it was pointless. But nobody could identify the precise problem it was designed to solve.
尽管苹果手表耗时三年以上研发,但工程师们仍未克服一系列困扰其开发的问题。手表电池续航能力有限,微处理器速度较慢。但还有一个更根本的问题,就是苹果公司没有人能确定这个手表到底是干什么用的。大多数人认为,手表必须做的不仅仅是告诉时间,否则就毫无意义。但没有人能够确定它被设计出来要解决的具体问题。
The iPhone had quickly become indispensable, a device people could not leave home without. But the watch seemed forgettable. Still Tim pushed development forward, eager to prove that the company he ran could still innovate and astonish.
iPhone快速成为必不可少的设备,人们离开家也不能没有它。但是手表似乎是被遗忘的。尽管如此,蒂姆还是推动着开发,渴望证明他所领导的公司仍然能够创新并引人瞩目。
In April 2015, seven months after the launch at Deanza College, the Apple Watch finally went on sale. Tim hoped to sell 40 million of them in the first year. It was an ambitious target. And one that soon seemed impossible. The Apple Watch was a complex product.
2015年4月,在Deanza学院推出七个月之后,苹果手表终于开始销售了。Tim 希望在第一年销售 4000 万只,这是一个雄心勃勃的目标。但很快这似乎变得不可能。苹果手表是一个复杂的产品。
Apple offered customers a choice of watch case, band, and size. In total, there were 54 possible configurations. And this may have been a benefit to the buyer, but for Apple's factories in China, it was a burden. The plethora of configurations slowed down the production process, and the factories struggled to find enough workers to deliver enough watches to supply Apple's stores across the world.
苹果为顾客提供了手表外壳、表带和尺寸的选择。总共有54种可能的配置。虽然这可能对买家有益,但对苹果在中国的工厂来说却是一种负担。这么多的配置减缓了生产过程,工厂们很难找到足够的工人来生产足够数量的手表,以供应苹果在全球的商店。
But these operational problems were what Tim Cook was best at. He was not a design guru like his predecessor, but he was an expert at process and supply chains. Still though, Tim couldn't solve the problems overnight.
然而,这些业务问题正是蒂姆·库克所擅长的。他不像他的前任那样是设计大师,但他精通流程和供应链。不过,蒂姆也不能在一夜之间解决这些问题。
As the release date approached, the company tried to make a virtue of this shortage. Tim gave the go-ahead for an unusual strategy devised by Paul DeNove, the former E. Solorong executive. Apple would not seek to put the new product in front of as many customers as possible. Instead, the watch would only be made available in the most upmarket department stores in a few major cities around the world. Apple hoped this would create a buzz around the product and make the watch seem exclusive and desirable, like the other luxury brands it was sold beside.
随着发布日期的临近,该公司试图利用这种短缺来表现其优势。蒂姆批准了前E.Solorong高管保罗·德诺维(Paul DeNove)提出的一种不同寻常的策略。苹果不会试图让新产品尽可能地出现在更多客户面前。相反,手表只会在全球少数几个主要城市的最高档百货商店中出售。苹果希望这将在产品周围营造出一种兴奋感,并使手表看起来像其他奢侈品牌一样独特而令人向往。
But Paul's strategy backfired. Tech reviewers were left confused by the fashion-focused sales approach. Many fashion writers didn't see the appeal of a computer strapped to their wrists. Just as Tim had feared, the watch seemed to be pleasing nobody.
但是保罗的策略失败了。科技评论家对以时尚为主的销售方法感到困惑。许多时尚作家并不觉得将电脑绑在手腕上有吸引力。正如蒂姆所担心的那样,这款手表似乎没有让任何人感到满意。
Eventually, Tim Cook saw the supply chain problems. But just as production in China finally increased, sales failed to keep up. In response, Tim was forced to cut back. Just weeks after the release of the watch, production plans were slashed by more than 70%. Johnny I, if the man who had pushed Apple toward the high fashion strategy, urged patients. In the past, other new Apple products had struggled before suddenly taking off. And Johnny was certain that would be true of the watch as well. But Tim Cook wasn't nearly as confident.
最终,蒂姆·库克看到了供应链问题。但是就在中国生产最终增加时,销售未能跟上。作为回应,蒂姆被迫削减生产。就在手表发布几周后,生产计划被削减了超过70%。推动苹果朝高端时尚战略迈进的约翰尼·艾夫,敦促大家保持耐心。过去,其他新的苹果产品也曾经吃过苦头,然后突然取得了成功。约翰尼确信手表也会如此。但是蒂姆·库克则没有那么自信。
At the same time, the Apple watch was struggling. The company's most important product, the iPhone, was at a crossroads as well. Apple had fallen into a production rhythm known as the Tick Talk Model. The production pattern was first adopted by the chip manufacturer Intel. The iPhone followed a classic pattern. A major upgrade was delivered one year, so-called Tick. Before minor modifications, the talk followed the next year. But under Tim's tenure as CEO, this cycle of innovation and consolidation was falling away.
与此同时,苹果手表遇到了困境。公司最重要的产品 iPhone 也处于十字路口。苹果陷入了所谓的“滴答生产模式”。这种生产模式最初是由芯片制造商英特尔采用的。iPhone 遵循了经典的模式。一年进行重大升级,被称为“滴答”,然后在下一年进行小的修改,被称为“滔滔”。但在蒂姆担任CEO期间,这种创新和巩固的周期正在消失。
In 2014, the iPhone 6 was a major tick, but Apple planned to follow with two talks. In the face of vocal public criticism, Tim frequently insisted that the company was planning a major update for 2017, the 10th anniversary of the original iPhone. But in the media and to many tech insiders, it was a growing sense that the company was stagnating.
2014年,iPhone 6是一个重要的里程碑,但苹果计划分别推出两款新手机。尽管面临大量公众批评,蒂姆经常坚称公司正在为2017年的原始iPhone十周年进行重大升级。但在媒体和很多技术内部人士看来,有一种日益增长的感觉,即公司正在停滞不前。
The watch couldn't be dismissed as a total failure. It was one of the best-selling wearable devices in history. But it had failed to crack open a vast, undiscovered market for Apple in the way the previous products like the iPhone had. Additionally, Tim was under growing pressure from investors to find new sources of revenue. If new hardware wasn't going to do it, then he would have to look elsewhere.
这款手表并不能被视作彻底的失败。它是历史上销量最高的可穿戴设备之一。但是,它并没有像之前的产品(如iPhone)一样成功地打开苹果在尚未发掘的广阔市场的局面。此外,蒂姆受到投资者不断增加的压力,需要寻找新的收入来源。如果新的硬件无法实现这一点,那么他将不得不寻找其他的途径。
So to keep Apple growing, Tim set out to expand and neglected an often overlooked part of the company. It's services division. But Tim's new strategy would be a departure from Apple's pioneering culture of the past. If Steve Jobs had left his mark on the company as an innovator, Tim would be putting his brand on Apple by moving in a new direction.
为了让苹果公司持续发展,蒂姆开始着手扩大公司的服务部门,这是公司经常被忽略的一部分。但是,蒂姆的新战略将是苹果公司过去开创性文化的一个分离。如果史蒂夫·乔布斯留下的印记代表他是公司的创新者,那么蒂姆通过引领苹果公司朝着一个新方向的方向前进,将会成为苹果的品牌。
Tim Cook's Aptime
It's early 2015. Tim Cook is in Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, making his way to a conference room. He called a meeting with Apple's senior executives to talk about where things stand with one of Tim's passion projects. Last year, Apple bought the electronics manufacturer of Beats for more than $3 billion. It wasn't only the company's advanced and popular headphones that Tim Cook was after, though. In January 2014, Beats launched a subscription music streaming service to rival the industry leader Spotify. Apple was working on a similar app of its own, but Tim wasn't happy with its progress. By purchasing Beats, Tim hoped to rebrand its software as Apple's and enter the market much more quickly. Now, with the release date of the new software approaching, Tim wants to discuss the business plan with his team.
蒂姆·库克的应用时间
时间是2015年初。蒂姆·库克正在苹果公司总部的库比蒂诺前往会议室。他约了苹果公司的高级高管开会,讨论他激情项目之一的发展状况。去年,苹果以超过30亿美元收购了音频产品制造商Beats。但蒂姆·库克追求的并不仅仅是公司先进、受欢迎的耳机。2014年1月,Beats推出了一项订阅音乐流媒体服务,与行业领袖Spotify竞争。苹果也在开发类似的应用程序,但蒂姆对其进展不满意。通过购买Beats,蒂姆希望将其软件重新品牌为苹果的,并更快地进入市场。现在,新软件的发布日期逼近,蒂姆想与他的团队讨论商业计划。
When Tim steps inside the conference room, the chatty executives fall silent. Tim gets right to business by addressing one of the executives in the room. Ian, you ready to begin? Sure, Ian. Alright, we're all ears. Tim takes his seat, leans back and listens as Ian Rogers, the 42-year-old former CEO of Beats Music, begins his brief presentation. After the acquisition, Ian stayed on to head up development of Apple Music. When Ian finishes his pitch, Tim leans forward in his chair. Well, Ian, I'd like to start by querying your numbers a bit. Of course, Tim. Ian swallows nervously. Tim Cook is notorious for his surgical attention to detail.
当蒂姆走进会议室时,喋喋不休的高管们安静了下来。蒂姆直奔其中一个高管,准备开始。伊恩,你准备好了吗?当然了,伊恩。好的,我们都在听。蒂姆坐下来,向后倚着椅子,静静倾听42岁的前 Beats Music CEO 伊恩·罗杰斯的简短演示。在被收购后,伊恩留任负责苹果音乐的开发工作。等伊恩结束演示后,蒂姆向前倾听。好了,伊恩,我想先询问一下你的数字。当然,蒂姆。伊恩紧张地咽了口口水。因为蒂姆·库克出了名的精准注意力。
10 million subscribers. That's your one goal? It is, and we think that's a realistic target. Yeah. If everything comes together as we hope. But I don't think that's right. The rest of the room turns to Ian, who seems to deflate. Tim shakes his head and continues. Based on my analysis, 10 million is not a realistic target at all. I believe we can do far, far better. Ian glances at his colleagues who look at Tim with surprise, Tim smiles, and then defers. But you're the expert Ian, you tell me.
1000万订阅者。这是你的唯一目标吗?确实是,我们认为这是一个现实的目标。是啊,如果一切都按我们的计划进行的话。但我认为这不是正确的。伊恩转向其他人,他似乎有些泄气。蒂姆摇了摇头,继续说道。根据我的分析,1000万根本不是一个现实的目标。我相信我们可以做得更好。伊恩瞥了一眼他的同事,他们惊讶地看着蒂姆,蒂姆微笑了一下,然后让位给伊恩。但你是专家,伊恩,你告诉我吧。
Well, 10 million is a lot. I mean, that's 100 times what we had with Beats. Yeah. But with respect to Beats, we ship 200 million iPhones every year. We can pre-load this app onto those new devices. Are you telling me that just one and 20 of those customers will sign up for Apple Music? But Tim doesn't wait for an answer. Instead, he presses his argument. I see, I think we need to be more ambitious. Spotify has what? 18 million subscribers? Let's make beating them the target, okay? Ian clears his throat.
10百万是一个很大的数字。我的意思是,这是Beats所拥有的100倍。没错。但是相对于Beats,我们每年会销售2亿台iPhone。我们可以将这个应用程序预装到这些新设备上。你告诉我,只有20个顾客中的1个会注册使用Apple Music吗?但是蒂姆没有等待回答。相反,他坚持自己的观点。我明白,我认为我们需要更有雄心壮志。Spotify有多少订阅者?1800万?让我们的目标是超过他们,好吗?伊恩清了清嗓子。
Well, Tim, with respect, Spotify subscribers will be iPhone users as well, and we're effectively starting from scratch. Tim shakes his head and then chuckles. Come on, Ian. Do you have that little confidence in the product? You've just shown me a presentation, a great presentation, about how Apple Music will be different from what's out there, how it would be better than what's out there. So let's have some faith in our own words here, right? Ian takes a moment before making a new suggestion, okay? Or what if the target worked 20 million? That's more like it. We have to be ambitious. This is about changing our relationship with our customers. We are no longer asking them to make a big one-off purchase of an iPhone or an iPad every other year. This is going to be an ongoing commitment to a new relationship. Apple Music is just the beginning.
提供翻译:
"嗯,蒂姆,恕我直言,Spotify订阅者也将是iPhone用户,我们实际上要从零开始。" Ian说道。蒂姆摇了摇头,然后笑了笑。 "来吧,Ian,你对这个产品失去信心了吗?你刚刚给我展示了一个非常棒的演示,讲述了苹果音乐如何不同于市场上其他产品,如何更好地比其他产品。那我们应该对自己说的话有一些信心,对吧?" Ian沉吟片刻后提出了一个新的建议,好吧,或者我们的目标是2000万?这更像是。我们必须有雄心壮志。这是要改变我们与客户的关系。我们不再要求他们每隔一年购买一个iPhone或iPad的大笔一次性支出。这将是与一个新关系的长期承诺。苹果音乐只是一个开始。"
On June 8, 2015, Tim Cook took to the stage in San Francisco to introduce Apple Music to the world. He built the new software as a revolution. But to most people, Apple Music looked like an underwhelming clone of the existing streaming service Spotify. It still seemed like Apple was not innovating. It was mimicking. Tim didn't see it that way. He didn't think Apple was following the pack. Apple was following the money.
2015年6月8日,蒂姆·库克在旧金山的舞台上推出了苹果音乐,向全世界介绍了这项革命性的新软件。尽管如此,对于大多数人来说,苹果音乐看起来只是现有流媒体服务Spotify的一个毫不出彩的复制品。它仍然似乎没有创新,只是在模仿。但蒂姆不这么看。他认为苹果并不是在跟风,而是在跟钱走。
By 2015, subscription services were becoming more and more popular. People could use their smartphone, tablet computers and televisions to stream whatever entertainment they wanted, whenever they wanted it. There were popular video on demand services like Netflix, which had transitioned its business from sending out DVDs in the mail to streaming television and film over the internet. But it was music that Tim Cook was most interested in.
到了2015年,订阅服务变得越来越受欢迎。人们可以使用智能手机、平板电脑和电视随时随地播放他们想要的娱乐内容。例如比较流行的点播服务如Netflix,它从邮寄DVD转向通过互联网进行电视和电影的流媒体播放。但是蒂姆·库克对音乐最感兴趣。
Apple had long styled itself as a champion of the music industry. In the early 2000s, the company introduced the iPod music player and the iTunes store where customers could buy songs for 99 cents a piece. These two innovations changed the face of the music industry and helped adapt it to the internet age. And over the next decade, Apple made billions of dollars.
苹果公司长期以来一直自认为是音乐行业的冠军。在21世纪初,该公司推出了iPod音乐播放器和iTunes商店,顾客可以以99美分一首的价格购买歌曲。这两项创新改变了音乐行业的面貌,并帮助其适应了互联网时代。在接下来的十年中,苹果赚了数十亿美元。
But in more recent years, iTunes sales had begun to dip as streaming services emerged to challenge Apple's dominance. Companies like Spotify offered users a nearly infinite catalog of songs in exchange for a low monthly fee. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once dismissed the idea that customers would want to rent their music collections. But the growing popularity of Spotify and other competitors proved that this was one area where the great visionary had failed to predict the shape of the future.
然而,在最近几年,因为流媒体服务的出现挑战了苹果的霸主地位,iTunes的销售开始下降。像Spotify这样的公司提供用户一个几乎无限的歌曲目录,只需支付低廉的月费。苹果联合创始人史蒂夫·乔布斯曾经否认顾客想租用他们的音乐收藏的想法。但是Spotify和其他竞争对手越来越受欢迎,证明这是一个伟大的远见失败预测未来的领域。
But Tim Cook was able to see what Steve Jobs could not. He saw that the rise of music streaming services was a threat to Apple but also an opportunity. Web-based services like iCloud and the App Store were already a small but growing part of Apple's business. In 2014, they had recorded revenues of almost $18 billion under a tenth of Apple's total income. But looking at companies like Spotify and Netflix, Tim saw the potential for rapid growth in the area. Instead of relying on new hardware alone to open up new markets, Tim decided to pivot and grab a slice of the growing market in streaming technology. The first phase of this new strategy would be Apple Music.
蒂姆·库克能够看到史蒂夫·乔布斯所没有看到的东西。他意识到音乐流媒体服务的崛起对苹果是一种威胁,但也是一种机遇。基于Web的服务,如iCloud和App Store已经是苹果业务的一小部分,但正在快速增长。2014年,它们的营收已经达到近180亿美元,不到苹果总收入的十分之一。但是看着像Spotify和Netflix这样的公司,蒂姆看到了这一领域快速增长的潜力。他决定不再仅依靠新硬件来开拓新市场,而是转向抓住流媒体技术增长市场的一部分。这一新策略的第一阶段就是推出了Apple Music。
Still development of the streaming software was not easy. Having purchased beats in 2014, Apple retained the team behind Beatz Music and planned to use that software as the basis for the new Apple Music. But porting Beatz Music into Apple's systems proved more difficult than expected. There were frequent squabbles between the newcomers and the old guard of Apple engineers. And as the summer 2015 release date approached, the app was still far from ready. And it wasn't just the software that was unfinished. The app's library of songs and albums was incomplete as well. Licensing deals were yet to be signed, and there was a danger Apple's new music service would have to launch without some major artists.
开发流媒体软件并不容易。在2014年购买了Beats之后,苹果公司保留了Beats Music的团队,并计划将该软件作为新版苹果音乐的基础。但是将Beats Music移植到苹果系统中的过程比预期更加困难。新来者与苹果工程师的老一代之间经常发生争吵。随着2015年夏季发布日期的临近,该应用程序仍然远未准备就绪。不仅软件未完成,歌曲和专辑的库存也是不完整的。许可协议尚未签署,并且存在着苹果新音乐服务可能在没有一些重要艺术家的情况下推出的风险。
Then as fraught negotiations with the record labels continued, details of Apple's proposed contract lead to disaster's effect. To lure customers in, Apple was promising new users a free three month trial. But to help pay for that, the company's negotiators came up with a brilliant solution. They wouldn't pay musicians for that period either. No matter how many times their songs were listened to during the trial period, no artist would see a penny.
随着与唱片公司的艰苦谈判继续,苹果提出的合同细节导致了灾难性的影响。为了吸引新用户,苹果承诺提供三个月的免费试用。但为了支付这笔费用,公司的谈判代表想出了一个聪明的解决方案。他们在这段时间内也不会向音乐家支付费用。无论试用期间他们的歌曲播放多少次,任何音乐家都看不到一分钱。
On June 21, 2015, just days before the planned release of Apple Music, the pop star Taylor Swift took to her social media accounts to slam Apple for this policy. She wrote, we don't ask you for free iPhones. Please don't ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation. She announced she wouldn't allow her most recent album to feature on Apple's new streaming service. Taylor Swift's appeal attracted huge media attention, and her intervention threatened to completely overshadow the launch of Apple Music. And this was bad news. For Tim Cook, Apple Music was more than just a new streaming service. The app was the first step in what he hoped would be a whole new direction for the entire company.
在2015年6月21日,正值Apple Music计划发售的几天前,流行歌手泰勒·斯威夫特在社交媒体上抨击Apple的政策。她写道:“我们不向你们要免费的iPhone,请不要要求我们不偿地提供音乐。”她宣布不允许她最近的专辑出现在Apple的新流媒体服务中。泰勒·斯威夫特的呼吁引起了巨大的媒体关注,她的干预威胁到完全掩盖Apple Music的推出。这是一个坏消息。对于蒂姆·库克来说,Apple Music不仅仅是一个新的流媒体服务。这款应用程序是他希望整个公司朝着一个全新的方向迈出的第一步。
So Tim stepped in to end the public relations disaster. After investigating the issue, Tim determined that Taylor Swift's argument was right. It wasn't fair to the artists. So he ordered his team to change the contracts. And just a day after Taylor Swift published her open letter, Apple announced a complete turnaround. The company agreed to pay for all songs streamed by customers during their free trial of Apple Music. To avoid a damaging mutiny by the artist's Apple claim to champion, the company went even further than that, and agreed to pay a higher fee for each song streamed. As a result, Apple ended up paying around double what its rival Spotify did for the exact same music. But to Tim, this was a price worth paying to get the app off the ground.
所以,蒂姆介入了这场公共关系灾难,经过调查,他确定泰勒·斯威夫特的说法是正确的,对艺术家来说是不公平的。所以他命令他的团队修改合同,就在泰勒·斯威夫特发布公开信的一天后,苹果公司宣布彻底反转了态度。该公司同意为客户在免费试用苹果音乐期间流媒体播放的所有歌曲付费。为了避免艺术家们的反叛,苹果公司甚至进一步同意支付更高的歌曲流媒体费。结果,苹果支付的费用是其竞争对手 Spotify 支付费用的两倍左右,但对蒂姆来说,这是一份值得付出的代价,为了让这款应用程序起飞。
On June 30, 2015, Apple Music was released in 100 countries worldwide, with a catalog of 30 million songs, including those of Taylor Swift. The library of music was as large as that of the dominant platform Spotify. But where Apple hoped to stand out from the crowd of competitors was with curated playlists, tracks chosen by music experts. Internally, Tim had set a goal of reaching 20 million subscribers within the first 12 months.
2015年6月30日,苹果音乐在全球100个国家发布,拥有3000万首歌曲,包括泰勒·斯威夫特的歌曲。音乐库的规模与主导平台Spotify相当。但是苹果希望从竞争对手中脱颖而出的地方在于策划好的播放列表,由音乐专家选择的曲目。在内部,蒂姆设置了在第一年内达到2000万订阅者的目标。
But even with its curated playlists, the new software won underwhelming reviews. The app was slow and buggy. Some reviewers even called it ugly, a damning verdict for a company which prided itself on the beauty of its products. But Tim did not lose hope. There were half a billion iPhones and pockets all around the world. And Tim believed those devices were a gateway to a huge customer base who would see what Apple Music had to offer. In the end, he would be proven right.
尽管拥有细心策划的播放列表,这款新软件却并未获得令人满意的评价。该应用程序运行缓慢且存在漏洞。一些评论者甚至称其难看,对于一个以产品美丽为傲的公司来说是一个毁灭性的评价。但蒂姆并没有失去希望。全球有数十亿的iPhone用户,蒂姆相信这些设备是通向大量潜在客户的门户,他们会发现苹果音乐所提供的优势。最终,他的信念得到了证明。
Day by day, Tim watched subscription figures rise. Within six months of launch, Apple Music Service would sign up 10 million subscribers, and number Spotify had taken six years to reach. Soon, the new Music Service was on track to hit Tim's target of 20 million subscribers by the end of 2016. But the growing success of Apple Music masked a secret crisis brewing in Cupertino.
一天天地,蒂姆观察着订阅数字的上升。在推出后的六个月内,苹果音乐服务将吸引不少于1000万的用户,而这个数字斯波蒂花费了六年时间才达成。很快,苹果音乐服务注定会在2016年底前达到蒂姆的目标——2000万用户。然而,苹果音乐的成功成长掩盖了库比蒂诺所面临的一个潜在危机。
Behind the scenes, the British designer Johnny I, the brilliant mind behind the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad, and the recently released Apple Watch, had grown disillusioned with life at Apple. He had always seen himself as a torchbearer for the design legacy of Steve Jobs. But now, Johnny wanted to leave Apple behind. Soon, Tim Cook would be blindsided with a difficult reality. He might lose his most talented designer, one of the best of all time.
在幕后,英国设计师约翰尼·艾,iPod、iPhone、iPad和最近发布的Apple Watch的伟大思想的背后,逐渐对苹果公司的生活感到失望。他一直把自己视为史蒂夫·乔布斯设计遗产的火炬传递者。但现在,约翰尼想要抛开苹果。不久,蒂姆·库克会被一种困难的现实迎面而来。他可能会失去他最有天赋的设计师,史上最好的之一。
So as Tim shepherded Apple toward a future oriented around software and services, he would have to convince its master to design that he would not be left in the past.
随着Tim的引领,苹果公司未来的焦点是软件和服务,他必须说服主管们设计新科技,以免落后于潮流。
It's spring 2015 at Apple's campus in Cupertino, California. Tim Cook is making a rare visit to the company's story Design Studio. There, he stands over a molding device. Tim crouches down and leans in for a closer look as the machine clarves a prototype out of foam, a quick way for Apple's design team to get a feel for the size and shape of a potential new product.
现在是2015年春天,在位于加利福尼亚库比蒂诺的苹果总部,蒂姆·库克罕见地来到公司的设计工作室。在那里,他站在一个制模设备上方。蒂姆蹲下身子,俯身靠近机器,观察着它用泡沫雕刻出一个原型模型,这是苹果设计团队快速了解潜在新产品尺寸和形状的方式。
As the machine finishes its work, Tim stands up straight, amazed. That is incredible. Tim turns back to the man whose his guide to the studio today, British designer Johnny Ive. Johnny nods his head in agreement. Yeah, it is incredible. Steve always loved the models. And he was right, with something you can hold and you can feel you instantly get a sense of the problems you don't see on a computer screen. God, I wish I had the bandwidth to spend more time down here. Johnny gives a roofal laugh.
当机器完成它的工作时,蒂姆站直了身子,惊叹不已。这太不可思议了。蒂姆转向今天工作室导游——英国设计师约翰尼·艾夫。约翰尼点头表示同意。是啊,真是令人难以置信。乔布斯总喜欢这些模型。他是对的,拥有一些你可以触摸、感受到的东西,你立马就能意识到在电脑屏幕上看不到的问题。天哪,我真希望我有更多的空余时间能够待在这里。约翰尼发出爽朗的笑声。
Oh, me too. Hearing this, Tim looks Johnny in the eyes. Is everything all right, Johnny? Yeah, of course. But it's clear that there's something on his mind, so Tim asks again. Johnny, you know you can be honest with me, right? The stocky designer runs a hand over his shaved head. Looks around the workshop. Well, this isn't where I plan to have this conversation. We can go upstairs. No, no, it's fine. No, it's always coming in here.
哦,我也是。听到这句话,蒂姆盯着约翰尼的眼睛问道:“约翰尼,你还好吗?”“嗯,当然。”但很明显他有些心事重重,所以蒂姆再次问道:“约翰尼,你知道你可以坦诚地跟我说话,对吧?”这位健壮的设计师抚摸着他剃过的头,四处环顾车间:“唔,这不是我想要谈的话题。我们可以去楼上。”“不,不,没关系的。来来,总是来到这里。”
Johnny takes a deep breath. Look, to tell you the truth, Tim, I'm tired. I'm just really tired. You need to vacation? Undoubtedly, but that's more than that. I'm spending less and less time in the two places I actually want to be. Here in the studio or at home. Instead, I'm in meeting, after meeting. But Johnny, I thought that's what you wanted, more responsibility. A bigger say. I thought so too. I did. But all the administrative management work, it's not me. I want to be here. Johnny gestures to the mold maker. I want to be with these machines and with my team. And the truth is, I just don't feel I'm delivering my best work.
约翰尼深呼吸一口气,坦白地告诉蒂姆说:“说实话,我累了。我真的很累。你需要度假吗?当然,但问题不止于此。我在我真正想待的两个地方——工作室和家里——的时间越来越少。相反,我只是不断地开会。但是,约翰尼,我以为这正是你想要的,更多的责任和发言权。我也是这样想的。但所有的行政管理工作不是我的风格。我想呆在这里,”约翰尼指了指制模厂的机器,“和我的团队在一起。事实是,我感觉我没有发挥出最好的工作。”
Well, Johnny, I have no complaints. Whatever issues there may be with the watch, that's a beautiful piece of engineering. Johnny fiddles with the cuff of his jacket. Well, you think he'd like it? Steve would have loved it. I miss him too, you know. I don't think I ever gave myself the opportunity to grieve him properly. I understand, Johnny. Take as much time as you need. No, no. I want to leave Apple.
嗯,约翰尼,我没有任何抱怨。不管手表可能存在的问题,那是一个美丽的工程品。约翰尼弄弄他夹克袖口。那么,你认为他会喜欢吗?史蒂夫会喜欢的。你知道,我也很想念他。我觉得我从来没有给自己哀悼他的机会。我理解,约翰尼。你需要多少时间就多少时间。不,不。我想离开苹果。
Team is silent for a moment. Losing the world's greatest industrial designer is not what he expected from his tour of the studio today. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. And I appreciate your honesty, but I...We don't want to lose you, okay? What can I do to change your mind? I don't know. Well, we can look at ways to reduce your workload, get you back where you really belong. Let's just not rush into any decisions, okay? I don't want you to leave, Johnny. And I know that's not what Steve would want either.
团队沉默了片刻。失去世界顶级工业设计师并不是他今天参观工作室时期望的结果。哦,很抱歉听到这样的消息。我感激您的诚实,但我……我们不想失去您,好吗?有什么我可以做来改变您的想法吗?我不知道。嗯,我们可以看看有没有办法减轻您的工作量,让您回到您真正应该待的位置。让我们不要匆忙做出任何决定,好吗?我不希望您离开,约翰尼。而我知道这也不是史蒂夫所期望的。
On May 26th, 2015, Apple released a statement to the press. Officially, Johnny I was being promoted from senior vice president of design to chief design officer. But only those at the top of the company knew the truth. Johnny's new position was a part-time role that had only been agreed to as a compromise to stop the designer leaving Apple altogether.
2015年5月26日,苹果公司发布了一份声明。正式宣布,乔尼·艾维得到晋升,从设计高级副总裁晋升为首席设计官。但是只有公司高层知道实情。乔尼的这个新职位是兼职的,只是为了妥协阻止设计师完全离开苹果而达成的。
Tim made sure the managerial tasks that had worn Johnny down were delegated to others so the designer could focus solely on his creative duties. But the restructuring didn't solve the ongoing problems with Johnny's creation, the Apple Watch. So with his lead designer taking a new, more backseat role, Tim decided it was time to make another change.
蒂姆确保烦扰约翰尼的管理任务被分派给其他人,这样设计师就可以完全关注他的创意职责。但是重组并没有解决约翰尼的创作中遇到的持续问题,即苹果手表。因此,随着他的首席设计师扮演新的更被动的角色,蒂姆决定是时候做出另一个改变了。
In the summer of 2015, Tim cooked called a meeting with some of his top executives at Apple Headquarters. As they gathered in the boardroom, they all knew what they were there to discuss. After a disappointing launch in the spring, sales at the Apple Watch had not recovered. Production targets were slashed as media reports speculated that Apple was selling only a tenth of what the company had once expected. The executives in the boardroom at Cupertino looked over the sales figures with grim faces.
2015年夏天,蒂姆在苹果总部召集了一些高级主管开会。当他们聚集在会议室时,大家都知道这次会议的目的是讨论什么。在春季的不尽如人意的推出之后,苹果手表的销售没有恢复。随着媒体报导称,苹果销售的只有公司曾经预期的十分之一,生产目标被大幅削减。库比蒂诺会议室里的高管们面带沮丧地查看着销售数据。
The watch was supposed to be a coveted piece of jewelry, a personalized timepiece and a technological marvel all wrapped up into one beautifully engineered package. But the public wasn't behind it. The sales numbers were bad and Tim and the other executives knew something had to give. Although the Apple Watch had quickly grabbed a large portion of the wearable tech market, it was still being outsold by products made by one of Apple's rivals. The small San Francisco-based electronics company Fitbit. Fitbit specialized in wearable products aimed at the fitness markets.
这块手表本应成为令人瞩目的珠宝,它集个性化、科技神器于一身,精美的设计令人叹为观止。但公众并不热衷,销售数字糟糕,蒂姆和其他高管们知道必须有所作为。尽管苹果手表迅速夺得了可穿戴科技市场的一大部分,但它仍然被苹果竞争对手之一的小型旧金山电子公司Fitbit所超越。Fitbit专注于针对健身市场的可穿戴产品。
Its devices could track users' workouts, their diet, and their weight through apps which synced with their smartphones. Fitbit's buoyant sales had shown that fitness was a market which Apple could exploit, but the watch, with its advertising focus on high fashion, had failed to take full advantage. During the development of the Apple Watch, the company's head of product marketing, Phil Schiller, had wanted to highlight the fitness feature of the new device. But the product's chief, Johnny Ive, had firmly opposed the move.
Fitbit的设备可以通过应用程序跟踪用户的运动、饮食和体重,并与他们的智能手机同步。Fitbit销售火爆表明,健身是苹果可以利用的市场,但是由于苹果手表的广告重点在于高端时尚,未能充分利用健身市场。在开发苹果手表期间,公司的产品营销负责人菲尔·席勒想突出新设备的健身特性。但产品负责人乔尼·艾维坚决反对这一举措。
Johnny had little personal interest in fitness. It was fashion that excited him and he believed that was the true selling point. But with his new hands-off role as chief design officer, Johnny was no longer in Cupertino to push his perspective. So inspired by the success of their competitor Fitbit, Tim and the other Apple executives decided to center the watch's new marketing on its fitness features. Soon a new advertising strategy was developed.
约翰尼对健身没有多少个人兴趣。他热衷于时尚,而他认为这是真正的卖点。但是,在他担任首席设计官这一“不介入”的职位后,约翰尼不再在库比蒂诺推动他的观点。因此,受到竞争对手Fitbit的成功启发,蒂姆和其他苹果高管决定将手表的新营销重点放在其健身功能上。很快,一个新的广告策略被制定出来了。
The initial rollout would be expanded from upmarket boutiques to Apple stores worldwide, and from there to traditional mainstream retailers. The next version of the watch was already under development, with battery improvements and better waterproofing. Apple would also collaborate with Nike on a special sports edition of the second generation device, and they would seek out high-profile athletes to endorse it. But to many the pivot from fashion to fitness seemed to be further proof that under Tim Cook, the tech company no longer embraced innovation.
最初推出的手表将从高档精品店扩展到全球的苹果店,然后再扩展到传统的主流零售商。下一款手表已经在开发中,配备了更好的电池和更好的防水。苹果还将与耐克合作推出第二代设备的特别运动版本,并寻找高知名度运动员来代言。但对许多人来说,从时尚到健身的转变似乎是证明在蒂姆·库克的领导下,这家科技公司不再拥抱创新。
Whether it was Apple Music in the footsteps of Spotify or the Apple Watch, now treading behind Fitbit, the company seemed content to follow the crowd. Tim was stung by this criticism. He found it unfair. In Tim's mind, he did not believe his company was losing its cutting edge as a creator of new hardware. And that was in large part because Tim, new Apple was working on something special. A secret project that Tim hoped would be as transformational as anything released during Steve Jobs' tenure.
无论是 Apple Music 跟随 Spotify 的步伐,还是 Apple Watch 落后于 Fitbit,公司似乎都满足于跟随众人。蒂姆对此指责感到不满。他认为这是不公平的。在蒂姆的心中,他不认为他的公司正在失去作为新硬件创造者的尖端优势。这在很大程度上是因为蒂姆知道 Apple 正在开发一些特别的东西。这是一项保密的项目,蒂姆希望它能像 Steve Jobs 经营期间发布的一些东西一样具有转型意义。
The company had moved into consumer electronics with the iPod. It had moved into telecommunications with the iPhone. Now it was targeting one of the last large consumer industries it had yet to conquer. Apple was building a core.
公司通过iPod进军消费电子市场,通过iPhone进军电信领域。现在,它将瞄准它尚未征服的最后一个大型消费行业。苹果公司正在构建核心。
From Wondery, this is Episode 3 of the Apple Genius Tim Cook for Business Members. On the next episode, when Apple's top secret car project ends up on a road to nowhere, Tim is forced to chart a new route into the future. Hey, Prime Members, you can listen to Business Movers add free on Amazon Music, download the Amazon Music Cap today. Or you can listen Add Free with Wondery Plus and Apple Podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at Wondery.com slash survey. If you'd like to learn more about Tim Cook, we recommend After Steve by Trip Mikkel and Haunted Empire, Apple After Steve Jobs by Yukari Iwatami Kane.
这是由Wondery制作的苹果公司高管蒂姆·库克商业成员第三集。在下一集中,当苹果公司的顶级保密汽车项目陷入泥潭时,蒂姆被迫规划一条通往未来的全新道路。亲爱的Prime会员,您可以在亚马逊音乐上免费收听商业变革者,下载亚马逊音乐应用程序即可。或者您可以通过Wondery Plus和苹果播客平台免费收听。在您离开之前,请通过Wondery.com/survey完成一份简短的调查,告诉我们您的个人信息。如果您想了解更多关于蒂姆·库克的信息,我们推荐Trip Mikkel的《Steve之后》和Yukari Iwatami Kane的《苹果公司:史蒂夫·乔布斯离世之后的挣扎》。
This episode contains reenactments and dramatized details. And while in most cases we can't know exactly what was said, all our dramatizations are based on historical research. Business Movers is hosted, edited and executed produced by me, Lindsay Graham for Airship, audio editing and sound design by Molly Bach, music by Lindsay Graham. This episode is written and researched by William Simpson. Executive producers are Stephen Walters for Airship and Aaron O'Flaherty, Jenny Lauer Beckman from Marshall Louis for Wondery.
本节目包含的是重演和虚构的细节。尽管在大多数情况下,我们无法确定说了些什么,但我们所有的虚构都是基于历史研究的。“商业巨头”由我,林赛·格雷厄姆主持、编辑和执行制作,音频编辑和音效设计由莫莉·巴赫完成,音乐由林赛·格雷厄姆创作。本集节目的撰写和研究由威廉·辛普森完成。执行制片人是艾尔船公司的史蒂芬·沃尔特斯和Wondery的艾伦·奥弗拉赫蒂和詹妮·劳尔·贝克曼。