设计总监离职，苹果展开公关攻势

乔尼·伊夫辞去苹果设计总监职务的影响成了一个重大的争论话题。

《华尔街日报》在上周报道称，伊夫已经于6月27日宣布离职，他认为苹果的首席执行官蒂姆·库克不明白设计的重要性。报道称，伊夫还对苹果的董事会感到不满，因为大多数董事会成员都缺少技术背景。

蒂姆·库克就该报道及其引发的讨论做出了回应，称其很“荒谬”。至于他的这番言论能否成功扑灭了这场舆论“大火”，谁也说不准。

虽然伊夫的离职占据了上周的新闻头条，但却并非唯一的话题。同样在上周，有报道称苹果正在研发新款13英寸MacBook Pro。此外，苹果即将推出Apple TV+，而就其试图控制Apple TV+原创内容创意过程的报道，苹果的高级服务副总裁艾迪·库伊对此予以了反驳。

以下是过去一周有关苹果的头条报道：

乔尼·伊夫在苹果过得不开心？

《华尔街日报》称，近年来库克对利润的兴趣远远超过了产品设计，为此伊夫感到“心灰意冷”。报道援引几位消息人士的言论称，由于对苹果董事会许多成员缺乏技术经验感到不满，伊夫有时会选择追求自己的兴趣，而不是领导设计团队。其中一名消息人士称，他“疏远”了设计团队。其他消息人士则表示，伊夫不喜欢Apple Watch，他原本想把其变成一种“时尚配饰”。相比之下，库克和其他高管则认为，Apple Watch应该是iPhone的扩展。

蒂姆·库克回应

库克不喜欢上周《华尔街日报》的报道，在向NBC新闻发出的电子邮件中表示，《华尔街日报》的报道是“荒谬的”，并称其 “对设计团队和苹果公司的工作方式缺乏了解”。库克补充道，伊夫离开后留下的设计团队“比以往任何时候都更强大”。

艾迪·库伊谈Apple TV+

苹果的服务高级副总裁艾迪·库伊上周接受了两次采访，他表示苹果即将推出的流媒体视频服务Apple TV+将把重点放在内容的质量而非数量上。库伊先是在接受《泰晤士报》采访时表示，苹果Apple TV+服务不会刻意增加内容。相反，苹果正在依靠内容团队来为这项服务寻找最好的内容。这就意味着节目数量比较少，但质量更高，库伊说道。在接受《GQ》杂志采访时，库伊否认了有关库克曾经发函要求苹果原创内容的制作人不要“那么刻薄”的报道。

新款13英寸MacBook？

据苹果追踪网站9to5Mac报道，美国联邦通信委员会在上周的一份清单中提到了一款之前未对外宣布的13英寸MacBook Pro。这份清单并未提供关于这款设备的任何具体内容，而是指向一个尚未上市的新型号。科技公司必须先获得联邦通信委员会的批准，才能发布使用公共无线频道的产品。通常来说，苹果会通过保密的联邦通信委员会清单来隐藏其产品，但不知为何这一次会泄露信息。目前还不清楚这款MacBook Pro将于何时推出，甚至是否会推出也不得而知。

苹果支持LGBTQ立法

上周苹果加入了Facebook和谷歌等200多家大公司的行列，呼吁美国最高法院允许现行的反性别歧视法涵盖LGBTQ（女同性恋者、男同性恋者、双性恋者、跨性别者以及对自己性别认同感到疑惑的人）员工。这些公司希望美国最高法院将现行法律规定扩大到LGBTQ员工，而不需要出台新的立法，此事可能会因为政治争执而拖延数年。今年晚些时候，最高法院将审理三起有关这一问题的案件。

还有一件事

在日历上做个标记吧：苹果于上周表示，将在美国东部时间7月30日美股市场收盘后公布第三财季财报，随后将于同日下午5点召开财报电话会议。（财富中文网）

译者：艾伦

审校：夏林

The impact of Jony Ive stepping down as Apple’s design chief is a big topic of debate.

At last week, The Wall Street Journal suggested that Ive, who announced his departure on June 27, thought Apple CEO Tim Cook had failed to grasp the importance of design. Ive, according to the article, also bristled at Apple’s board because most members lacked technology backgrounds.

The report, and the chattering it caused, prompted Apple CEO Tim Cook to respond by calling it “absurd.” Whether his comments succeeded in dousing the fire is anyone’s guess.

While Ive’s story dominated headlines last week, it wasn’t the only topic. We also read last week that Apple is working on a new 13-inch MacBook Pro. And in another bid to counter news articles, Apple senior vice president of services Eddy Cue disputed reports that Apple is trying to control the creative process behind its upcoming Apple TV+ original series.

Read on for more on that and other Apple headlines from the past week:

Jony Ive Is Unhappy at Apple?

The Wall Street Journal said that Ive was “dispirited” in recent years that Cook took far more interest in profits than product design. Citing several sources, the report said that Ive disliked that many of Apple’s board members had little experience in technology and that he would sometimes go off to pursue other interests instead of leading the design team. One person called him “distant.” Others said Ive wasn’t a fan of Apple Watch and that he had wanted instead to turn it into a “fashion accessory.” In contrast, Cook and other executives thought it should be an extension of the iPhone.

Tim Cook Responds

Cook didn’t like the Journal report last week. In an e-mail to NBC News, Cook called the Journal’s report “absurd” and said it showed a “lack of understanding about how the design team works and how Apple works.” Cook added that the design team Ive leaves behind is “stronger than ever.”

Eddy Cue Talks Apple TV+

In two interviews last week, Apple senior vice president of services Eddy Cue said that Apple is focusing on content quality over quantity with its upcoming streaming-video service Apple TV+. In the first interview with The Times, Cue said that Apple’s service won’t look to add content for the sake of adding content. Instead, he said Apple is relying on its content team to find the best content to bring to the service. That means fewer shows, but better shows, Cue said. In an interview with GQ, Cue denied reports that Cook had sent notes to showrunners for original Apple series to not “be so mean.”

A New 13-Inch MacBook?

Mention of a previously unannounced 13-inch MacBook Pro appeared in a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) listing last week, according to Apple-tracking site 9to5Mac. The listing doesn’t say anything concrete about the device, but instead points to a new model number that isn’t yet available. Tech companies are required to obtain FCC certification before releasing products that use public airwaves. Usually, Apple keeps its products hidden though private FCC listings. Somehow, this one slipped out. There’s no telling when, or even if, this MacBook Pro will be introduced.

Apple Supports LGBTQ Legislation

Apple last week joined more than 200 other major companies, including Facebook and Google, in calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to allow current sex discrimination laws to cover LGBTQ workers. The companies want the U.S. Supreme Court to extend current regulations to LGBTQ workers without requiring new legislation, which could be held up for years by political wrangling. The Supreme Court will hear three cases on the topic later this year.

One More Thing

Mark your calendar: Apple said last week that it will announce its fiscal third-quarter earnings on July 30 after the market closes. It will hold its quarterly earnings call following the announcement at 5 p.m. ET.