经济学人225:史蒂夫·乔布斯逝世 天才涅槃

 　　IT WAS always going to be a hard act to follow. On October 4th Apple staged a press conference to launch its latest iPhone and other gadgets¹. Tim Cook, the computing² giant’s new chief executive, and his colleagues did a perfectly³ competent job of presenting its latest wares⁴. But it was inevitable⁵ that comparisons would be drawn⁶ between Mr Cook’s understated approach on stage and that of Steve Jobs, his predecessor⁷, whose sense of showmanship had turned so many Apple product launches into quasi-religious experiences. The news the following day that Mr Jobs had finally died following a long battle with cancer turned the feeling of disappointment into one of deep sadness.

　　大师的后继者注定要相形见绌。10月4日，苹果举办媒体发布会，推出其最新版的iPhone及其他设备。这家计算机巨头的新首席执行官提姆·库克（Tim Cook）联同他的同事们非常称职地完成了最新产品的发布。然而，人们难免要将库克先生在台上低调的表述方式与其前任史蒂夫·乔布斯（Steve Jobs）所具有的将众多苹果产品发布会变幻成为近乎宗教仪式的强大展现力进行比较。而次日关于乔布斯先生在与癌症长期抗争之后去世的消息则将失望的情绪演化成为一抹深深的哀伤。

　　Many technologists have been hailed as visionaries. If anyone deserves that title it was Mr Jobs. Back in the 1970s, the notion that computers might soon become ubiquitous seemed fanciful. In those days of green-on-black displays, when floppy⁸ discs were still floppy, he was among the first to appreciate the potential that lay in the idea of selling computers to ordinary people. More recently, under his guidance,Apple went from being a company on the brink⁹ of bankruptcy¹⁰ to a firm that has reshaped entire industries and brought rivals to their knees. Rarely incorporate history has a transformation¹² been so swift. Along the way Mr Jobs also co-founded Pixar, an animation¹³ company, and became Disney’s biggest shareholder¹⁴.

　　很多科技人员都被称作具有远见卓识。如果说有谁是当之无愧的，那就是乔布斯。回首20世纪70年代，那时候计算机很快会走入千家万户的信念看似是一个空想。当电脑显示还处在黑底绿字的时候，当软盘还是软塌塌的时候，他就已站在深信要将计算机卖到寻常百姓家的先驱者行列中。若干年后，在他的引领下，苹果从一个处于破产边缘的公司一跃成为重塑整个行业、让竞争者臣服的黑马。在公司发展史上，能够实现如此迅速的转变实属罕见。其间，他还与别人共同创建了皮克斯动画公司，并成为迪士尼的第一大股东。

　　Few corporate¹¹ leaders in modern times have been as dominant—or, at times, as dictatorial—as Mr Jobs. His success was the result of his unusual combination of technical smarts,strategic vision, flair¹⁵ for design and sheer force of character. But it was also because in an industry dominated by engineers and marketing¹⁶ people who often seem to come from different planets, he had a different and much broader perspective. Mr Jobs had an unusual knack¹⁷ for looking at technology from the outside, as a user, not just from the inside, as an engineer—something he attributed to the experiences of his wayward youth.

　　现代的公司领导者鲜有像乔布斯一样主宰市场，甚至在某些时刻成为市场的独裁者的。他的成就源于他在技术才能、战略远见、设计天赋以及纯粹的性格力量方面的非凡结合。此外还应归因于在这个由工程师和市场销售这两个鸡同鸭讲的人群主导的产业中，他所具有的与众不同的更为广阔的视角。乔布斯具有站在消费者的角度，从外部观察科技的独特能力，而不仅仅是像工程师一样将研究囿于科技内部。他将这一特点归因于多舛的年少经历。

　　An adopted child, Mr Jobs caught the computing bug¹⁸ while growing up in Silicon¹⁹ Valley. As a teenager in the late 1960s he cold-called his idol²⁰, Bill Hewlett, and talked his way into a summer job at Hewlett-Packard (HP), where he met Steve Wozniak (pictured above with Mr Jobs). But it was only after dropping out of college, travelling to India, becoming a Buddhist²¹ and experimenting with psychedelic drugs that Mr Jobs returned to California to co-found Apple with Mr Wozniak, in his parents’ garage, on April Fools’ Day 1976. “A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences,” he once said. “So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions.”His great rival, Bill Gates, he suggested, would be “a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger.”

　　乔布斯是个被收养的孩子，他成长在硅谷。其间，他找到了计算机程序错误。20世纪60年代末，少年乔布斯主动打电话给并不认识他的偶像比尔·休利特，并且说服他提供了一个惠普的暑期职位。在惠普，他遇到了Steve Wozniak（上图与乔布斯合影者）。但是与Wozniak共同创建苹果公司是乔布斯在经历了从大学辍学、去印度旅行、成为佛教徒，试过致幻药物之后，重返加州时才着手去做的。他们在1976年愚人节那一天在乔布斯父母的车库里创建了苹果。乔布斯曾说过：“在我们这个产业里，很多人不具有丰富的阅历。这导致他们缺少丰富的思考角度，最终只能得出线性结论。”对于他强大的竞争对手比尔·盖茨，他曾暗示道，“假如他能有一次不那么刻薄，或者在他年轻些的时候去静修”，他会成为“一个更为豁达的人”。

　　Dropping out of his college course and attending calligraphy²² classes instead had, for example, given Mr Jobs an apparently²³ useless love of typography. But support for a variety of fonts was to prove a key feature of the Macintosh, the pioneering mouse-driven, graphical computer that Apple launched in 1984. With its windows, icons²⁵ and menus, it was sold as “the computer for the rest of us”. Mr Jobs expected to sell “zillions”of his new machines. But the Mac was not the swift, mass-market success that he had hoped for, and Mr Jobs was ousted²⁶ from Apple by its board in 1985. Deprived of hallucinogenic drugs though he might have been, Mr Gates emerged as the undisputed champion of the personal-computer era. Most of the world adopted Microsoft-compatible PCs. The Mac became a niche²⁷ product, much loved by graphic²⁴ designers, artists and musicians.

　　放弃大学课程，而参加书法课给乔布斯带来的影响之一就是使他爱上了看似没有什么用处的版式设计。但当1984年苹果公司推出先锋式的鼠标驱动的图形式电脑——苹果机的时候，支持多种字体确实是苹果机的一个关键特征。这款电脑具有独特的视窗、图标以及菜单，它的广告语是“给大家的电脑”。乔布斯期待着销售出无数台新产品，但是苹果机并没有带来他所期望的迅速横扫广大市场的成功。1985年，乔布斯被苹果公司的董事会票选出局。之后他被迫戒掉了致幻药物。盖茨则成为个人电脑时代毋庸置疑的胜者，而乔布斯本可以代替他站在巅峰。（译者注：原文这句话是译者根据上下文推测所译。如有疑问，欢迎讨论。同时，根据有关乔布斯的报道，他是主动戒除毒品的，此处为终于原文，译为被动。）世界绝大部分市场采用了兼容微软系统的电脑。苹果机成了一种特殊产品，深受图形设计者、艺术家和音乐家的喜爱。

　　Yet this apparently disastrous²⁸ turn of events proved to be a blessing²⁹: “the best thing that could have ever happened to me”, Mr Jobs later called it. He co-founded a new firm, Pixar, which specialised in computer graphics³⁰. It eventually went on to produce a string of hugely successful movies, including “Toy Story” and “Cars”. Mr Jobs also established NeXT, another computer-maker, which produced sophisticated workstations. Its products were admired for their elegant software, but the company struggled to make money and changed direction repeatedly.

　　然而这个似乎是灾难性的转折点最终成为了他人生中的一个福祉。乔布斯后来将其成为“可能发生的最佳情况”。他与别人共同创立了皮克斯，这家新公司专攻电脑制图。后来皮克斯生产了包括《玩具总动员》和《汽车总动员》在内的一连串获得巨大成功的影片。乔布斯还创建了另一家电脑制造公司NeXT，这家公司制造高端复杂的工作站电脑。它的产品由于精良的软件而深受喜爱，但这家公司疲于赚钱，而且频繁改变发展方向。

　　Mr Jobs’s remarkable³¹ second act began in 1996 when Apple, having lost its way, acquired NeXT, and Mr Jobs returned to put its software at the heart of anew range of Apple products. And the rest is history: Apple launched the iMac,the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad, and (briefly, in August) became the world’s most valuable listed company. “I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple,” Mr Jobs said in 2005. When his failing health forced him to step down as Apple’s boss in August, he was hailed by some as the greatest chief executive in history.

　　乔布斯出类拔萃的第二乐章开始于1996年。那一年，迷失了前行方向的苹果公司收购了NeXT。乔布斯重返苹果，将一系列新的苹果产品的核心软件换上了他的设计。接下来的历史有目共睹：苹果发布了iMac、iPod、iPhone，以及iPad，并在不久前的8月成为世界最有价值的上市公司。“我非常确信假如我不被苹果解雇的话，这一切将不可能发生”，乔布斯在2005年说道。当他由于每况愈下的健康状况而不得不从苹果老板的席位上退下来的时候，他已成为一些人口中的有史以来最伟大的首席执行官。

　　Three-way marriage 三位一体，让心灵歌唱

　　In retrospect³², Mr Jobs was a man ahead of his time during his first stint³³ at Apple. Computing’s early years were dominated by technical types. But his emphasis on design and ease of use gave him the edge later on.Elegance³⁴, simplicity³⁵ and an understanding of other fields came to matter in a world in which computers have become fashion items, carried by everyone, that can do almost anything. “Technology alone is not enough,” said Mr Jobs at the end of his speech introducing the iPad 2, in March 2011. “It’s technology married with liberal arts, married with humanities, that yields the results that make our hearts sing.” It was an unusual statement for the head of a technology firm.

　　回溯既往，乔布斯在苹果的第一段时期是一个超越其时代的人。计算机技术早期是为技术指标所主导的。但他对设计与使用舒适度的强调成为他后来所具有的优势。在这个计算机逐渐变为人人拥有而无所不能的时尚潮物的世界，优雅的设计、简便的操作，以及对其他领域的理解开始产生重要作用。“仅有科技已经不够”，乔布斯在2011年3月iPad 2发布会致闭幕辞时说道，“只有科技与文艺、与人性相结合的结晶才能让我们的心灵放声歌唱。”作为一位科技公司总裁，这样的一番话是很不寻常的。

1 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

2 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

3 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

4 wares   

n. 货物, 商品

参考例句：

• They sold their wares at half-price. 他们的货品是半价出售的。
• The peddler was crying up his wares. 小贩极力夸耀自己的货物。

5 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

6 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

7 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

8 floppy   

adj.松软的，衰弱的

参考例句：

• She was wearing a big floppy hat.她戴了顶松软的大帽子。
• Can you copy those files onto this floppy disk?你能把那些文件复制到这张软盘上吗？

9 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

10 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

11 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

12 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

13 animation   

n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作

参考例句：

• They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
• The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

14 shareholder   

n.股东，股票持有人

参考例句：

• The account department have prepare a financial statement for the shareholder.财务部为股东准备了一份财务报表。
• A shareholder may transfer his shares in accordance with the law.股东持有的股份可以依法转让。

15 flair   

n.天赋，本领，才华；洞察力

参考例句：

• His business skill complements her flair for design.他的经营技巧和她的设计才能相辅相成。
• He had a natural flair for business.他有做生意的天分。

16 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

17 knack   

n.诀窍，做事情的灵巧的，便利的方法

参考例句：

• He has a knack of teaching arithmetic.他教算术有诀窍。
• Making omelettes isn't difficult,but there's a knack to it.做煎蛋饼并不难，但有窍门。

18 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

19 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

20 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

21 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

22 calligraphy   

n.书法

参考例句：

• At the calligraphy competition,people asked him to write a few characters.书法比赛会上，人们请他留字。
• His calligraphy is vigorous and forceful.他的书法苍劲有力。

23 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

24 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

25 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

26 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

27 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

28 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

29 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

30 graphics   

n.制图法，制图学；图形显示

参考例句：

• You've leveraged your graphics experience into the video area.你们把图形设计业务的经验运用到录像业务中去。
• Improved graphics took computer games into a new era.经改进的制图技术将电脑游戏带进了一个新时代。

31 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

32 retrospect   

n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯

参考例句：

• One's school life seems happier in retrospect than in reality.学校生活回忆起来显得比实际上要快乐。
• In retrospect,it's easy to see why we were wrong.回顾过去就很容易明白我们的错处了。

33 stint   

v.节省，限制，停止；n.舍不得化，节约，限制；连续不断的一段时间从事某件事

参考例句：

• He lavished money on his children without stint.他在孩子们身上花钱毫不吝惜。
• We hope that you will not stint your criticism.我们希望您不吝指教。

34 elegance   

n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙

参考例句：

• The furnishings in the room imparted an air of elegance.这个房间的家具带给这房间一种优雅的气氛。
• John has been known for his sartorial elegance.约翰因为衣着讲究而出名。

35 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。