考研英語時文賞讀：蘋果COO將執掌產品設計，下一代iPhone能否依舊驚艷?

考研英語來源：同源外刊 2019-08-05　

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.

現在，他有了一項新的責任：創造出能讓蘋果公司繼續繁榮的標志性產品。這對于他和蘋果公司來說都是一個關鍵的考驗，因為蘋果公司需要推出一款新的熱門產品。

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年擔任蘋果公司首席營運官以來，威廉姆斯一直被視為未來首席執行官的可能人選。蘋果公司上周宣布，首席設計官喬尼·伊夫將于今年離職，屆時威廉姆斯將接管軟件和硬件設計的管理工作。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將成為庫克的接班人。

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目、拒絕錯誤項目、推動軟件和工業設計師向前發展的能力，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90年代史蒂夫·喬布斯在伊夫的協助下重振蘋果公司以來，設計一直是蘋果公司發展模式的核心。讓威廉姆斯執掌這項任務標志著蘋果公司的一大轉變：此前核心產品創新從來沒有由一個在運營層面(包括規劃、采購和物流的一個古板的領域)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，在產品開發過程中，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，威廉姆斯對產品的外觀和感覺表現出了興趣，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，轉變為一款支持無線聯網和更多健康功能的產品，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，威廉姆斯本質上是一位運營高管，他在物流和規劃方面的才能讓他看起來更像是一位實干家，而非發明家。

“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：“他看到的是我們現在所處的位置，而不是未來幾年我們需要達到的位置。”他還贊揚了威廉姆斯的領導力、多才多藝和廣博的記憶力。

(全文共339個詞，華爾街日報)

重難點詞匯：

pragmatist n. 實用主義者;愛管閑事的人

procurement n. 采購;獲得，取得

anticipation n. 預料，預期;預感;預支;盼望，希望;先發制人

logistic adj. 后勤的;安排協調方面的;組織上的 n. 數理邏輯;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