库克的自卫反击战怎么打？

    我可以打包票，蒂姆•库克是个极其能干、出色的企业领导人，也是个绝对的好人。

    不过，对于担任全球最受尊敬的高科技公司首席执行官一职来说，他却只能说是成事不足，败事有余。

    接替传奇人物史蒂夫•乔布斯接掌苹果公司（Apple）帅印后，两年来这位新上任的首席执行官干了两桩震惊业界的大事：一是让苹果引领创新的美名一败涂地，二是让苹果高高在上的股价跌跌不休。（不瞒您说，我本人也持有苹果的股票！）

    库克最近一次的滑铁卢在本周二不期而至。当时，就在库比蒂诺挤得满满当当的媒体发布会现场，面对大家对苹果一贯抱有的无限期待，他亲自宣布了所谓的“苹果下一代重大成果”。

    可惜，它实在配不上这个称号。

    他所揭幕的既不是颠覆性的全新iPhone，也不是革命性的全新电视，也不是太空时代的iWatch，甚至也不是一直盛传的与中国移动公司（China Mobile）达成合作的消息——呈现在大家眼前的只是两台升级版的手机，一台是廉价版，塑料材质，色彩丰富；另一台则搭载了更快的处理器和更出色的摄像头。

    “妙不可言，”库克先生在发言中这么说了大概有十次之多。

    然而这实在言过其实。说它们“平庸无奇”可能才更确切。

    而第二天，在整个股市普遍上涨之际，苹果股价却下跌了27点。

    到底怎么走到了这一步？

    1. 苹果产品仍然让世人称羡。

    2. 苹果零售店及其员工仍是热情和专业的典范。

    3. 竞争确实在加剧——尤其是来自三星公司（Samsung）的GalaxyS系列手机——不过在那些尚有充分增长空间的市场，尤其是中国和印度，苹果仍占主导地位。

    4. 苹果的市盈率——通常用来衡量一个公司的市场“价值”——仅有区区12，而谷歌（Google）达到了27，IBM为13，通用电气（General Electric）为17。就算是毫无希望的戴尔（Dell），市盈率也有18。

    那么，到底是什么让苹果开始走上下坡路呢？

    答案只有一个：公共关系。

    苹果是有史以来最擅长营销的公司之一，但它的公关工作一直乏善可陈。

    I'm sure Tim Cook is hugely competent, a wonderful operating executive, and a real nice guy.

    But as CEO of the world's most respected high-tech franchise, he has been an unmitigated disaster.

    In the two years since Cook assumed the reins of Apple from iconic Steve Jobs, the new CEO has presided, shockingly, over the dismantling of Apple's pristine reputation for innovation and the crumbling of Apple's high-flying stock. (Full disclosure, I own the stinkin' stock!!)

    Cook's latest catastrophe came Tuesday, when, with typically-unbridled Apple anticipation before a packed media house in Cupertino, he personally announced what was billed as "Apple's next big thing."

    Only it wasn't.

    Rather than unveiling a game-changing new iPhone or revolutionary new TV or space-age iWatch or even a long-rumored deal with China Mobile -- instead, Apple introduced two phone iterations, one cheaper, plastic and colorful; the other with a faster processing chip and better camera.

    "Incredible," gushed CEO Cook about 10 times in his keynote.

    Only it wasn't. "Underwhelming" would have been more like it.

    And the next day, Apple stock dropped 27 points in a day the rest of the market soared.

    How could this happen?

    1. Apple's products are still the envy of the world.

    2. Apple's stores and personnel are still the model of enthusiastic competence and professionalism.

    3. Sure competition has increased -- especially from the Samsung Galaxy S phone -- but Apple is still the dominant force in a market that has ample room to grow, particularly in China and India.

    4. Apple's price/earnings ratio -- which generally measures the market's "valuation" of a company -- is a paltry 12, compared to Google's 27 (GOOG), IBM's 13 (IBM), or General Electric's 17 (GE). Even the hopeless Dell (DELL) has been awarded an 18 P/E by the market.

    So what has caused Apple's fortunes to tumble?

    Two words:Public relations.

    Apple, one of the greatest marketing companies of all time, has never been known for good public relations.