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With Jony Ive’s Successor, Apple Bets a Pragmatist Can Turn Prophet

作為喬尼·伊夫的繼任者，蘋果押注實(shí)用主義者能否成功

In two decades at Apple Inc, Jeff Williams has gone from heading procurement to leading all of the tech giant’s operations.

在為蘋果公司效力20年里，杰夫·威廉姆斯的身份已從采購主管變身為這家科技巨頭的首席運(yùn)營官了。

Now he has a new responsibility: creating the iconic gadgets that make Apple hum. That will be a critical test for both him and the company, which is in need of a new hit.

現(xiàn)在，他有了一項(xiàng)新的責(zé)任：創(chuàng)造出能讓蘋果公司繼續(xù)繁榮的標(biāo)志性產(chǎn)品。這對于他和蘋果公司來說都是一個關(guān)鍵的考驗(yàn)，因?yàn)樘O果公司需要推出一款新的熱門產(chǎn)品。

Apple’s chief operating officer since 2015, Mr Williams has long been seen as a possible future CEO. Last week’s announcement that he will take over management of software and hardware design when chief design officer Jony Ive leaves this year—the company’s biggest executive change in years—fueled anticipation that Mr Williams is the heir apparent to Tim Cook.

自2015年擔(dān)任蘋果公司首席營運(yùn)官以來，威廉姆斯一直被視為未來首席執(zhí)行官的可能人選。蘋果公司上周宣布，首席設(shè)計官喬尼·伊夫?qū)⒂诮衲觌x職，屆時威廉姆斯將接管軟件和硬件設(shè)計的管理工作。這將是蘋果多年以來最大的一次高管變動，人們由此猜測威廉姆斯或?qū)⒊蔀閹炜说慕影嗳恕?/p>

Meanwhile, Mr Williams’s ability to identify the right projects and reject the wrong ones, and to push software and industrial designers forward, will go a long way to determining Apple’s success.

與此同時，威廉姆斯甄別正確項(xiàng)目、拒絕錯誤項(xiàng)目、推動軟件和工業(yè)設(shè)計師向前發(fā)展的能力，將在很大程度上決定蘋果公司能否成功。

Design has been central to Apple’s formula since Steve Jobs, with help from Mr Ive, revived the company in the 1990s. Putting Mr Williams in charge marks a departure for Apple: Never before has core product creation been directly managed by someone who ascended through the operating ranks—a staid domain of planning, procurement and logistics.

自上世紀(jì)90年代史蒂夫·喬布斯在伊夫的協(xié)助下重振蘋果公司以來，設(shè)計一直是蘋果公司發(fā)展模式的核心。讓威廉姆斯執(zhí)掌這項(xiàng)任務(wù)標(biāo)志著蘋果公司的一大轉(zhuǎn)變：此前核心產(chǎn)品創(chuàng)新從來沒有由一個在運(yùn)營層面(包括規(guī)劃、采購和物流的一個古板的領(lǐng)域)提拔上來的人直接管理過。

Apple didn’t make Mr Williams available for this article, but people who have worked with him say he has been more visible in the product-development process than Mr Cook.

蘋果公司沒有讓威廉姆斯就這篇文章置評，但與他共事過的人表示，在產(chǎn)品開發(fā)過程中，他比庫克更引人注目。

Mr Williams has shown interest in products’ look and feel, they said, and helped steer the Apple Watch from being a fashion- and fitness-focused product tethered to the iPhone to one that boasts wireless connectivity and more health features, one of his priorities.

他們表示，威廉姆斯對產(chǎn)品的外觀和感覺表現(xiàn)出了興趣，并幫助Apple Watch從一個附屬于iPhone的以健身功能為主的時尚配件，轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)橐豢钪С譄o線聯(lián)網(wǎng)和更多健康功能的產(chǎn)品，這是他的功績之一。

Still, Mr Williams is an operations executive at his core, the people said, and his skills at logistics and planning make him more implementer than inventor.

但知情人士稱，威廉姆斯本質(zhì)上是一位運(yùn)營高管，他在物流和規(guī)劃方面的才能讓他看起來更像是一位實(shí)干家，而非發(fā)明家。

“He sees where we are, not where we need to be in years to come,” said a former colleague, who also praised Mr Williams’s leadership, versatility and encyclopedic memory.

一位前同事說：“他看到的是我們現(xiàn)在所處的位置，而不是未來幾年我們需要達(dá)到的位置。”他還贊揚(yáng)了威廉姆斯的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力、多才多藝和廣博的記憶力。

(全文共339個詞，華爾街日報)

重難點(diǎn)詞匯：

pragmatist n. 實(shí)用主義者;愛管閑事的人

procurement n. 采購;獲得，取得

anticipation n. 預(yù)料，預(yù)期;預(yù)感;預(yù)支;盼望，希望;先發(fā)制人

logistic adj. 后勤的;安排協(xié)調(diào)方面的;組織上的 n. 數(shù)理邏輯;符號邏輯

tether n. 系鏈;拴繩 v. (用繩或鏈)拴住

versatility n. 多功能性;多才多藝;用途廣泛

encyclopedic adj. 淵博的;知識廣博的