离开乔布斯的苹果真心无力续航?

The story follows an archetypal pattern—a pattern familiar in both history and myth. A struggling empire, on the brink of dissolution, recalls one of its founders from exile and casts him as a savior. The ruler, ruthless and cunning as Odysseus, gathers the faithful and emboldens them to take startling risks that allow the empire to reach even greater heights than before. Amid the celebrations, the emperor grows sick. Knowing that he is the living embodiment of his kingdom's fortunes, he tries to hide his illness until he is finally forced to accept that he is not immortal. Left to carry on in his name, the emperor's lieutenants fall prey to complacency and confusion, lapsing into disarray and paralysis. Bound to the way things have always been done, these new leaders become less flexible and ignore the warning signs. Their emperor is gone, but ever present. Though they are still at war with enemy armies, these lieutenants cannot find their own way forward. They are tired. They are uncertain. The well of ingenuity has run dry.
这个故事遵循着一个在历史和神话中常见的模式。一个陷于困境、濒临解体的帝国召回了一位在外流亡的创始人，把他封为救世主。这位犹如奥德修斯般无情和狡猾的统治者将忠诚的部下们召集在一起，激励他们大胆冒险，放手一搏。这个帝国很快就迎来了前所未有的辉煌岁月。随后，被一片庆贺声包围的皇帝生病了。皇帝深知他自己是帝国命运的鲜活象征，于是就尝试着掩饰自己的病情，直到他终于被迫接受一个事实：他不是长生不老的神仙。皇帝归天后，以他之名延续帝国事业的副官们坠入了自满和迷茫之中，整个帝国随即乱作一团，动弹不得。这些束缚于昔日运营方式的新任领导人变得不那么灵活，忽略了业已出现的警告信号。皇帝已经永远地离开了他们，但他的魂魄依然无处不在。尽管这些副官仍然在与敌军作战，但他们无法靠自己开辟一条前行的道路。他们累了，对一切都不那么确定。巧夺天工的创意之源已经干涸。

She may be right. But the fact is we don't actually know. And because Yukari Kane didn't manage after two years of reporting to get to the center of the story, neither does she.
她说的可能没错。但事实是，我们确实不知道苹果公司未来的命运。由于凯恩耗费两年时间也未能抵达故事的核心，她其实也不知道。

Serious students of Apple Inc. may want to read this book for the fresh details she adds to the growing literature on the subject. But there are three other recent books they'll want to read first:
论述这个主题的著作犹如汗牛充栋，而且数量还在不断增长。那些正在认真研究苹果公司的人们或许希望在这本书中找到凯恩发掘出的新鲜细节。但我建议他们还是先读读近期出版的另外三本著作：

Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs, for its unparalleled access to the book's reclusive subject.
沃尔特•艾萨克森的《乔布斯传》(Steve Jobs)。推荐理由：对于这位深居简出的主人公，作者的接触次数和了解程度是其他人望尘莫及的。

Adam Lashinsky's Inside Apple, for what he learned about the company's internal structure.
亚当•拉辛斯基的《苹果解密》(Inside Apple)。推荐理由：作者对这家公司内部结构进行了深入分析。

Leander Kahney's Jony Ive, for what it reveals about Apple's processes for creating new products.
利恩德•卡尼的《乔纳森•艾维》(Jony Ive)。推荐理由：这本书披露了苹果公司创造新产品的流程。