蘋果(Apple)的死忠粉絲都深信這家公司絕對不會做錯事，這種奉承在一家公司獨大的狀況下可能沒事，但對于立足像是消費性電子這樣競爭激烈市場的企業(yè)來說，會是很危險的；蘋果應(yīng)該要聽聽那些批評者的聲音。 在 2011年底，筆者參加了一場投資者會議，與會者討論了各嵌入式平臺陣營的缺失，以及什么原因可能會讓蘋果無法持續(xù)擴張市場版圖。在該場會議上，不只一個人認為蘋果在關(guān)鍵市場領(lǐng)域(包括智能手機、可攜式音樂播放器以及平板裝置)有流失市占率的危險；這些人手上都握有數(shù)百萬美元的資金，他們的分析也反映了這種“優(yōu)勢”。 其 中有人是這么說的：“我懷疑有很多人都為蘋果產(chǎn)品的“好用”留很多余地，蘋果產(chǎn)品實際上似乎只是比其它競爭產(chǎn)品“好用一點”，但在使用者感受與體驗上并沒 有非常大的差異。這是蘋果與其它廠牌之間“神奇差距(magic gap)”的一部分，而對于蘋果產(chǎn)品“就是好用”的感知經(jīng)驗，是一個很值得追蹤的訊號?！?如果你曾經(jīng)開放追蹤那種“感知經(jīng)驗”，你可能也注意到，其它競爭對手都在加緊腳步縮短與蘋果之間的設(shè)計差距。根據(jù)市場研究機構(gòu)comScore的統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)，在智能手機操作系統(tǒng)領(lǐng) 域，Google的 Android 平臺在 2011年11月的市占率由8月時的43.8%成長為46.9%，同時間蘋果iOS的市占率則由27.3% 增加為28.7%。 在平板裝置領(lǐng)域，其它競爭對手也在蠶食蘋果的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)地位；根據(jù)Semico Research分析師Tony Massimini的統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)，亞馬遜(Amazon)的 Kindle Fire ：“在不到兩個月的時間內(nèi)拿下了7.5%的市占率?！痹摍C構(gòu)估計，蘋果在平板裝置市場的占有率目前為67%，略低于 2010年的87%。但這意味著蘋果的市場版圖正逐漸被侵蝕嗎？Semico并不這么肯定。 其它分析師則預(yù)測了蘋果在 2012年的一些悲慘命運。如Brian Deagon在《Investor's Business Daily》投稿的一篇報告指出，蘋果產(chǎn)品現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)有“過氣(stale)”跡象；他表示： “蘋果的iPod、iPhone與iPad等產(chǎn)品重新定義了市場與‘酷’這個形容詞，但接下來呢？iPhone外觀仍舊是四四方方平平，感覺有點過時，三星 (Samsung)的 Galaxy系列智能手機似乎還比較酷。隨著Google的Android 平臺躍居成長最快的手機操作系統(tǒng)，蘋果的軟件優(yōu)勢正在衰減；當(dāng)智能手機與平板裝置成為成熟產(chǎn)品，蘋果將被Android大軍吞蝕?！?針對Deagon的這篇文章，蘋果粉絲陣營的反應(yīng)如預(yù)期的──激烈；其中讓我印象最深刻的一則留言，他為蘋果辯護的觀點是指該公司：“可利用銀行帳戶內(nèi)的數(shù)十億美元現(xiàn)金來鎖定供應(yīng)鏈來源，取得最頂級的零組件?！睕]錯，蘋果手頭是有850億美元左右的現(xiàn)金以及長期投資，可用以確保零組件來源，但現(xiàn)在問題在于設(shè)計，并不是如何有效利用資金。 有一些消息來源指證，競爭對手為了縮小與蘋果的設(shè)計差距，對于創(chuàng)新的反應(yīng)更快；我用我自己作為一個最不科學(xué)的例子，以下是我對EBN社群編輯Barbara Jorgensen談?wù)撐易钚氯胧蛛娮赢a(chǎn)品的內(nèi)容(提示：那不是一款蘋果產(chǎn)品)： “我買了一支新手機──Samsung Galaxy S2，這是我曾擁有過最酷的裝置之一，我用得非常開心，因為它具備除了煮飯之外我所需的所有功能。我用它下載電子書、安排個人約會、用實時通、玩‘憤怒的小鳥’、上網(wǎng)，還在去紐約旅行時查詢離我最近的餐廳、作為衛(wèi)星導(dǎo)航設(shè)備使用，連我的一個(已經(jīng)有iPhone的)家人也十分贊賞它。我還需要一臺平板裝置， 但我知道我不想要屏幕像筆電那么大的iPad；這意味著我可能會選擇Kindle Fire！” 如果我個人的感受可以代表某個足夠比例的市場消費者，我想我得建議蘋果在設(shè)計策略上面提高戰(zhàn)備了。 編譯：Judith Cheng 本文授權(quán)編譯自EBN Online，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 參考英文原文：Is Apple Losing Its 'Cool' Design Edge?，by Bolaji Ojo；本文作者為EBN總編輯

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{pagination} Is Apple Losing Its 'Cool' Design Edge? Bolaji Ojo Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) diehard fans believe the company can never do anything wrong. That kind of adulation may be fine when you head a dictatorship, but it can be dangerous for a business enterprise operating in a field as keenly competitive as the consumer electronics market. Apple should listen to what critics are saying. Late last year, I attended an investors' conference at which participants discussed platform failures and what could derail continued sales expansion at Apple. Of course, not a single person at the conference thought Apple was in jeopardy of losing to anyone in its key market segments (smartphones, portable music players, and tablet PC), but participants were people with millions of dollars at stake, and this was reflected in their analysis. The comment made by one of them is relevant for our discussion here: I have a suspicion lots of folks give Apple products leeway for "working" when really it seems the products are simply really working "just a bit" better than the alternative, not the monumental difference users may perceive/experience. This is part of the "magic gap" Apple has, and that "perception" of Apple products "just working" is a great signal to track. If you've been open-tracking that "perception," you might have noticed rivals are hurrying to close the design gap. In smartphone OS, the Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android, as at the end of last November, had 46.9 percent market share, up from 43.8 percent in August, comScore Inc. reported. Apple's market share rose to 28.7 percent from 27.3 percent during the period (at the expense of RIM, which tumbled more than three percentage points). In tablet PCs, competitors are chewing at Apple's (still significant) leadership position. EBN blogger and Semico Research Corp. analyst Tony Massimini noted Amazon "carved out a 7.5 percent market share in less than 2 months" with the Kindle Fire. Semico projects Apple's share in tablet PCs is likely in the 67 percent range, down from 87 percent in 2010. (See: Is Amazon's Kindle Fire Burning Apple?.) But does this translate into a slow market erosion for Apple? Semico doesn't necessarily think so. But another analyst had some dire predictions about Apple for 2012. Apple, according to Brian Deagon, who wrote an article on the subject for Investor's Business Daily, currently has "stale products." Here's more from the article: With the iPod, iPhone and iPad, Apple (AAPL) redefined markets and defined cool. But what's left? The iPhone is boxy, flat and feeling stale. The Samsung Galaxy smartphone seems cooler. With Google's (GOOG) Android platform now the fastest-growing mobile OS, Apple's software advantage will diminish. Smartphones and tablets will become commodity items and Apple will be eaten by the collective Android gang. The reaction from the Apple fan base has been as expected -- fierce. Click here for a review of the comments. My favorite was a writer who in his defense of Apple noted the company "uses its billions of dollars in the bank to lock down its supply line resources for top notch components." OK, Apple has $85 billion or so in cash and long-term investments and has leveraged that to secure components, but the issue is about design, not the effective use of money. The anecdotal evidence suggests rivals are responding faster to innovations from Apple, thereby closing the design gap between them and the company. I'll use myself as the purely unscientific example. Here's how I gushed to EBN Community Editor Barbara Jorgensen about my latest purchase. Hint: It's not an Apple product. I bought a new personal phone -- the Samsung Galaxy S2. It's one of the coolest devices I've had the pleasure of playing with because it does everything I need aside from cook a five-course meal. I have downloaded books on it; do my personal appointments on it (separate from work-related appointments, which is liberating); dictated IM on it (I speak, it types -- awesome!); played Angry Birds on it (definitely addictive); surfed the Web; asked it for the nearest restaurants during a trip to New York; navigated myself to places around home and well outside of my home state (the GPS is crystal clear and accurate); and even caught a member of the family (who owns an iPhone) admiring it secretly. I may still get a tablet but I know now I don't want a laptop-screen size iPad. Which means? It may be a Kindle Fire! If I am representative of a large enough portion of the market, I would suggest Apple jacks up its design game.