苹果高层地震内幕
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蒂姆•库克在苹果的蜜月期已经结束了。 这位苹果（Apple）的首席执行官宣布了负责移动产品软件开发的主管斯科特•福斯托的离职。与此同时，他还解雇了约翰•布劳伊特。后者来自英国的电子零售集团Dixons，在苹果已经工作了八个月。随着其他高管分摊福斯托原有的职责，这次变动成为了自史蒂夫•乔布斯1997年接替吉尔•阿梅里奥之后最大规模的一次管理层改组。 确实，飓风“桑迪”登陆美国东海岸的同时，一场愈演愈烈的风暴也在席卷苹果。这么说吧，虽然从市值上看，苹果已是世界第一，公司最近几个月的表现却难称完美。那些看起来并不起眼、互无关联的错误一点点发生，已经累积到公司必须采取行动的时候了。我们且来看看下面这些问题： * 苹果的表现已经连续两个季度没有达到华尔街的预期。从金融角度而言，这两次“不达标”都不是什么大事。但心怀大志的苹果一定会尽力而为。 * 苹果在中国的销售业务拓展缓慢。布劳伊特跟他的员工斤斤计较。而苹果的观察家也挠头纳闷：一个电子产品折扣店的主管，怎么会是运营该行业最大名牌公司的合适人选呢？显然他不是。 * 史蒂夫•乔布斯逝世前一天推出的Siri服务并不够好，虽然也谈不上糟糕。但是这里要再次声明，我们讨论的是苹果，不是微软（Microsoft）或者谷歌（Google）。只有那些公司才喜欢发布测试版的软件。 * 广告专家批评苹果在奥运期间播放的广告不仅索然无味，还轻视用户。三星（Samsung）随即制作了幽默的广告来讽刺苹果。怎么弄成这样了呢？ * 再说说苹果地图（Apple Maps）。这真是一个糟糕透顶的产品，苹果甚至必须为此道歉。为了向苹果著名的简洁风格致敬，本文就此打住，不再赘述。 据传闻，福斯托和设计师乔纳森•艾夫爵士不和，而后者在这场斗争中获胜。苹果在本周一任命其为所有“人机界面”的主管，这意味着他以后将同时负责硬件和软件的设计。设计爱好者讨厌苹果Passbook推出的“碎纸机”功能。艾夫作为极简艺术的粉丝，想必也很讨厌它。等着吧，倒要看看苹果打算如何取消这项功能。 我还听说，福斯托拒绝在搞砸地图应用的道歉信上签字，结果注定了他在苹果的命运。（他在职业生涯中曾为两家公司工作，这两家公司都由乔布斯建立：Next和苹果。他还是旧金山巨人队的狂热粉丝。有赢家就有输家吧。）福斯托是Siri和地图服务的主管，而公众对这两项应用普遍不满。我们知道至少苹果的企业文化没有变：福斯托是这两项业务的直接负责人。现在他走了。苹果在盘后发布新闻，称他一直到明年都会继续担任库克的顾问。这不过是阻止福斯托马上联系三星公司（Samsung）的一个形式罢了。 另一个变化同样重要。Mac软件的主管克雷格•费德里希目前接替了移动产品的软件业务。众所周知，福斯托在苹果备受争议，这意味着他忠心耿耿的团队已经开始为他人效力了。苹果把Siri和地图这两项饱受诟病的服务交给了互联网服务部门的总裁艾迪•库，他在苹果公司常年担任“救火员”。（他曾负责苹果糟糕的应用MobileMe的善后工作，并最终撤掉了这项服务。）最后，苹果邀请留任的鲍勃•曼斯菲尔德负责技术开发，尤其是无线技术。这并不是说所有经验丰富的高管要退休时，库克都不会同意，只是这个关键职位对公司未来的战略方向至关重要，库克只能这么做。 |
Tim Cook's honeymoon at Apple is over. Apple's (AAPL) CEO announced the departure of mobile software chief Scott Forstall on Monday. He also booted retail chief John Browett, who lasted all of eight months after having been hired from the U.K. retailer Dixons. The moves, together with the divvying up of Forstall's responsibilities among four other executives, constitute the biggest management shakeup at Apple since the Steve Jobs putsch that eliminated Gil Amelio in 1997. Indeed, as Hurricane Sandy barreled toward the East Coast, a worsening storm embroiled Apple too. Suffice it to say that even as Apple's stock-market valuation has made the company the biggest in the world, these past few months haven't been Apple's finest. Little by little, mistakes that, taken in isolation, might have seemed trivial have added up to represent a company that needs to get its act together. Consider: * Apple has missed Wall Street's expectations for two consecutive quarters. Neither "miss" was meaningful from a financial perspective. But Apple exceeds. It doesn't underperform. * Apple has been slow to expand its retail presence in China. Browett also tried to nickel-and-dime his employees. Apple observers scratched their heads as to why the chief of an electronics discounter was the right guy to run the Tiffany's of the device world. Apparently he wasn't. * Siri, the service introduced the day before Steve Jobs died, just wasn't that good. It wasn't terrible either. But again, we're talking about Apple here, not Microsoft (MSFT) or even Google (GOOG), which has a habit of releasing software in beta. * Advertising mavens criticized ads that Apple ran during the Olympics for being unfunny and for belittling Apple's own customers. Then Samsung created legitimately humorous spots that lampooned Apple. What's wrong with this picture? * Then came maps. A profoundly bad product. So bad that Apple had to apologize for them. As an ode to Apple's famous simplicity, nothing more really needs to be said on the subject. It is being said that Forstall didn't get along with Jony Ive. The knighted designer won that battle. Apple named him the chief of all "human interface" on Monday. Reading between the lines, that means software in addition to hardware. Design lovers hated the paper "shredder" that Apple introduced with its Passbook product. Ive, a fan of minimalism, must have hated it too. Watch for Apple to kill it. I also heard that Forstall refused to sign the letter apologizing for the mapping fiasco, sealing his fate at Apple. (He has worked for two companies in his career, both founded by Steve Jobs: Next and Apple. He's also a big San Francisco Giants fan. Win some, lose some.) Seeing as Forstall oversaw and publicly demoed Siri and maps, we know at least that the Apple culture is intact: Forstall was the directly responsible individual, or DRI, on Siri and maps. Now he is gone. He will remain an advisor to Cook until "next year," Apple said in a post-market news release. This is a formality intended to keep Forstall from ringing up Samsung. The other changes are just as significant. Craig Federighi, the head of Mac software, takes over mobile software as well. Forstall was known to be a polarizing figure at Apple, meaning that his loyal team now reports to someone else. Apple assigned Siri and maps -- the two black eyes -- to Eddy Cue, head of online services and long Apple's Mr. Fix-it. (He cleaned up and eventually killed MobileMe too.) Lastly, Apple signaled that the recently unretired Bob Mansfield will oversee technology, notably wireless technology. It does not suggest that Cook's hands are firmly on the steering wheel when a veteran executive announces his retirement, only to be placed in a critical role overseeing initiatives key to the company's future. |
