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专栏 - 苹果2_0

听乔布斯讲石头的故事

Philip Elmer-DeWitt 2011年11月15日

苹果(Apple)公司内部流传着一个老笑话,那就是史蒂夫·乔布斯周围是一片“现实扭曲力场”:你离他太近的话,就会相信他所说的话。苹果的数百万用户中已经有不少成了该公司的“信徒”,而很多苹果投资者也赚得盆满钵满。不过,Elmer-DeWitt认为,在报道苹果公司时有点怀疑精神不是坏事。听他的应该没错。要知道,他自从1982年就开始报道苹果、观察史蒂夫·乔布斯经营该公司。
本周,一段寻找回来的乔布斯采访片段将给广大果粉们带来一个石头的故事。这段采访摄于1995年,将在全美19个城市的电影院上映。

    视频截屏:罗伯特•克林格利

    在这段失而复得的70分钟采访录像中,史蒂夫•乔布斯面对罗伯特•克林格利的提问确实展现出了独特的魅力。这段视频原本是美国公共广播公司(PBS)1996年特别节目《书呆子的胜利》(Triumph of the Nerds)的录像素材,一度以为已经丢失。本周,这段录像将原汁原味、不加编辑地登陆全美Landmark Theaters院线。

    这段采访中我最喜欢的部分是乔布斯对“你认为产品开发什么最重要?”这个问题的回答。他对约翰•斯卡利时代的苹果(Apple)表示了理解,并讲述了一个有关一罐石头的故事。

    真正让苹果公司蒙受伤害的是在我离开(苹果)后,约翰•斯卡利犯了一个非常严重的错误。这个错误就是认为,好的想法就是完成了90%的工作。只要告诉别人,“我有个绝妙的想法,”他们自然就会行动起来,付诸实施。

    问题是从绝妙的想法到伟大的产品需要有出色的技艺保证。随着我们推进这个绝妙的想法,想法本身也会发生变化,不断成长。它不会一成不变,随着想法得到细化和完善,我们会了解到更多的东西。而且,我们还会发现必须要做出很多折衷和取舍。有些事情电子技术就是达不到,有些事情塑料达不到。要么是因为玻璃达不到。要么是因为工厂做不到。要么是机器人做不到。

    设计产品就像是同时把5,000件东西放在脑子里,然后用全新的、不同的方式将它们组合起来,最后获得想要的东西。而且,每天我们都会有新发现,可以用略微不同的方式将它们组合起来,这也许意味着新的问题,也许意味着新的机会。

    Steve Jobs really turned on the charm for Robert X. Cringely in the newly rediscovered 70 minute interview shot for Cringely's 1996 PBS special "Triumph of the Nerds" and being prepared, in unedited form, for theatrical release next week.

    My favorite part part is when Jobs answers the question "What's important to you in the development of a product?" with a dig at John Sculley's Apple (AAPL) and a parable about a can of rocks:

    You know, one of the things that really hurt Apple was after I left John Sculley got a very serious disease. It's the disease of thinking that a really great idea is 90% of the work. And if you just tell all these other people "here's this great idea," then of course they can go off and make it happen.

    And the problem with that is that there's just a tremendous amount of craftsmanship in between a great idea and a great product. And as you evolve that great idea, it changes and grows. It never comes out like it starts because you learn a lot more as you get into the subtleties of it. And you also find there are tremendous tradeoffs that you have to make. There are just certain things you can't make electrons do. There are certain things you can't make plastic do. Or glass do. Or factories do. Or robots do.

    Designing a product is keeping five thousand things in your brain and fitting them all together in new and different ways to get what you want. And every day you discover something new that is a new problem or a new opportunity to fit these things together a little differently.

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