Apple Inc.'s ailing chief executiveSteve Jobs is officially stepping down from the helm of the company, an historic shift that hands the reins to chief operating officer Tim Cook.
苹果公司(Apple Inc.)病中的首席执行长乔布斯(Steve Jobs)即将正式离任。这个历史性转变将公司大权转到首席运营长库克(Tim Cook)手中。
The company said Mr. Jobs submitted his resignation to the board of directors on Wednesday and 'strongly recommended' that the board name Mr. Cook as his successor. Mr. Jobs has been elected chairman of the board and Mr. Cook will join the board, effective immediately, the company said.
'The Board has complete confidence that Tim is the right person to be our next CEO,' said Art Levinson, chairman of Genentech and Apple board member, in a statement. He added that Mr. Jobs will 'continue to serve Apple with his unique insights, creativity and inspiration.'
生物工程公司Genentech董事长、苹果公司董事列文森(Art Levinson)发表声明说，董事会完全相信库克是担任下任CEO的合适人选。他还说，乔布斯将继续以其独特眼光、创造性和灵感为苹果公司服务。
Mr. Cook, 50, has been widely considered as the leading candidate to succeed Mr. Jobs, who has been on medical leave since January. The 13-year Apple veteran, who joined the company shortly after Mr. Jobs took over the company for the second time in 1997, has been running the day to day operations during this period as he has done during two prior medical leaves of absence by Mr. Jobs in the last seven years.
乔布斯今年1月以来一直请病假，50岁的库克曾被普遍视为最有可能接替乔布斯的人选。库克是资深苹果人，于乔布斯在1997年第二次接管公司之后不久加入苹果，迄今已13年。乔布斯请病假的这段时间内，库克一直负责公司的日常运营。过去七年中乔布斯前两次请病假期间，也是由库克负责日常运营。
'I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know,' Mr. Jobs said in his resignation letter. 'Unfortunately, that day has come.'
乔布斯在辞职信里说，我一直说，如果有一天我再也不能履行作为苹果CEO的职责并满足人们对这个角色的期望，我会第一个告诉你们；不幸的是，这一天已经到来。
The timing of the announcement, however, was a surprise and raised questions about the health of Mr. Jobs, who was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004 and underwent a liver transplant two years ago. Mr. Jobs has not commented on his health since he said in a letter in January that he was taking another leave of absence to 'focus on my health'. He made an appearance at the launch of the iPad 2 in March and Apple's annual developers' conference in June but appeared thin both times.
但宣布乔布斯辞职的时间让人意外，并引起人们对乔布斯健康状况的疑问。乔布斯在2004年被诊出一种罕见的胰腺癌，两年前做了一次肝脏移植手术。他在1月份的一封信里说，他将再次请假把精力放在自己的健康上面，此后就再也没有谈论过自己的身体状况。乔布斯曾现身今年3月的iPad 2发布会和6月的苹果年度开发者大会，但两次都显得很瘦弱。
People familiar with the situation have said that Mr. Jobs continues to be active at Apple and is closely involved in the company's product strategy. Apple watchers don't expect that to change even after Mr. Cook takes over.
据知情人士透露，乔布斯继续积极参与苹果的事务，密切参与公司的产品战略。苹果观察人士预计，即使是在库克接任首席执行长之后，情况也不会改变。
Still, Mr. Cook faces a big challenge in stepping into Mr. Jobs's shoes because he must prove that Apple can succeed without Mr. Jobs. Mr. Jobs not only co-founded the company, but brought Apple back from near bankruptcy when he returned to the company in 1997. He is considered the visionary behind the company and has played a key role in reviving the Macintosh computer business and developing new products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad.
尽管如此，对库克来说，接替乔布斯将是一项巨大的挑战，因为他必须证明苹果能够在没有乔布斯的情况下取得成功。乔布斯不仅是苹果的创始人之一，1997年重返公司时还将其从濒临破产的边缘上拯救了回来。他被视为苹果背后那个目光远大之人，在重振Macintosh电脑业务和开发iPod、iPhone和iPad等新产品方面发挥了重要的作用。
'Great companies rarely go from strength to strength,' said Charles O'Reilly, a managementexpert, at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, adding that Apple faces a particular challenge in that Mr. Jobs has had an unusually strong influence in setting Apple's corporate culture and strategy.
斯坦福大学商学研究生院管理专家奥莱利(Charles O'Reilly)说，伟大的公司很少长盛不衰。他还说，苹果面临一项特别的挑战，因为乔布斯对苹果的公司文化建设和战略制定有着异常强大的影响。
Mr. Cook, an Alabama native who previously worked for International Business Machines Corp. and Compaq Computer Corp., is known as an operational genius, who was instrumental in wringing out inefficiencies in Apple's manufacturing and setting up its supply chain in China. Since then he has gradually increased his responsibilities, becoming chief operating officer in 2005. He has also ably led the company during Mr. Jobs's absences in the past.
库克是亚拉巴马州人，此前曾供职于国际商业机器公司(IBM)和康柏电脑公司(Compaq Computer Corp.)。他被认为是一个运营天才，帮助苹果消除了制造业务中的低效并在华建立了供应链。此后，他逐渐增加了担负的责任，2005年成为首席运营长。过去乔布斯不在公司的时候，他还精干地领导着公司。
But people who know him don't consider him to be a visionary. Unlike Mr. Jobs, who is a legendary showman, Mr. Cook has also tended to stay outside of the spotlight apart from quarterly earnings calls with analysts.
不过，了解他的人认为他不是一个有远见的人。与善于表现的传奇人物乔布斯不同的是，库克还常常置身公众关注的焦点之外，只是与分析师们就季度收益举行电话会议。
'I believe Apple's brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it,' Mr. Jobs wrote. 'And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
乔布斯写道，我相信苹果会迎来最光辉、最富创新的未来，同时我也希望以一个新的角色见证苹果的成功并为之贡献一己之力。
'I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you,' he added.
他还说，我的人生至交有一些就是在苹果结识的，能与大家共事这么多年，我感谢你们。
Yukari Iwatani Kane
- executive [ig´zekjutiv]
a.行政的 n.行政官 (初中英语单词) - wednesday [´wenzdi] n.星期三 (初中英语单词)
- effective [i´fektiv] a.有效的；有力的 (初中英语单词)
- candidate [´kændideit] n.候选人；投考者 (初中英语单词)
- medical [´medikəl] a.医学的；医疗的 (初中英语单词)
- shortly [´ʃɔ:tli] ad.立刻，马上；不久 (初中英语单词)
- running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
- absence [´æbsəns] n.不在，缺席；缺乏 (初中英语单词)
- cancer [´kænsə] n.癌；毒瘤 (初中英语单词)
- annual [´ænjuəl] a.每年的 n.年刊 (初中英语单词)
- conference [´kɔnfərəns] n.讨论(会)；会谈 (初中英语单词)
- challenge [´tʃælindʒ] n.&vt.向....挑战；怀疑 (初中英语单词)
- computer [kəm´pju:tə] n.计算机；电子计算器 (初中英语单词)
- rarely [´reəli] ad.难得；非凡地 (初中英语单词)
- management [´mænidʒmənt] n.管理；处理；经营 (初中英语单词)
- expert [´ekspə:t] n.&a.专家；内行 (初中英语单词)
- culture [´kʌltʃə] n.修养；文化；饲养 (初中英语单词)
- international [,intə´næʃənəl] a.国际的，世界的 (初中英语单词)
- genius [´dʒi:niəs] n.天才(人物)；天赋 (初中英语单词)
- unlike [,ʌn´laik] a.不同的 prep.不象... (初中英语单词)
- historic [his´tɔrik] a.有历史意义的 (高中英语单词)
- resignation [,rezig´neiʃən] n.辞职(书)；放弃；顺从 (高中英语单词)
- successor [sək´sesə] n.继承人，接班人 (高中英语单词)
- unique [ju:´ni:k] a.唯一的 n.独一无二 (高中英语单词)
- veteran [´vetərən] n.老兵 a.老练的 (高中英语单词)
- announcement [ə´naunsmənt] n.通告；宣布；言谈 (高中英语单词)
- launch [lɔ:ntʃ] vt.发动 n.发射；汽艇 (高中英语单词)
- previously [´pri:viəsli] ad.预先；以前 (高中英语单词)
- instrumental [,instru´mentəl] a.有帮助的 (高中英语单词)
- alongside [əlɔŋ´said] ad.在旁 prep.横靠 (高中英语单词)
- officially [ə´fiʃəli] ad.以职员身份；正式 (英语四级单词)
- bankruptcy [´bæŋkrʌptsi] n.破产 (英语四级单词)
- unusually [ʌn´ju:ʒuəli] ad.异常地；非常 (英语四级单词)
- setting [´setiŋ] n.安装；排字；布景 (英语四级单词)
- alabama [,ælə´bæmə] n.亚拉巴马(州) (英语四级单词)
- transplant [træns´plɑ:nt, -plænt] vt.移植(种)；迁移 (英语六级单词)
- taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)
- strategy [´strætidʒi] n.兵法；战略 (英语六级单词)
- earnings [´ə:niŋz] n.收益；报酬；获得 (英语六级单词)
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