????現(xiàn)在硅谷開(kāi)始盛傳這樣一句話：硬件就是新的軟件。也就是說(shuō)，多年以來(lái)，在無(wú)數(shù)網(wǎng)站、應(yīng)用和云計(jì)算紛紛閃亮登場(chǎng)，而硬件創(chuàng)新只能叨陪末座后，硬件創(chuàng)新又開(kāi)始升溫了。真是這樣嗎？事實(shí)上，幾個(gè)高調(diào)亮相的新產(chǎn)品已經(jīng)舉步維艱了。本文茲舉三例，以說(shuō)明硬件創(chuàng)新有多么困難。

????To hear some in Silicon Valley tell it, hardware is the new software. In other words, after years of taking a backseat to the splashy launches of countless websites, apps, and the cloud, innovation on the hardware side is ramping up again. Is it? Several high-profile launches have stumbled. Here are three examples that prove how hard hardware really is.

例證A：電子腕帶Jawbone UP

????2011年，當(dāng)位于舊金山的無(wú)線設(shè)備生產(chǎn)商Jawbone公司推出令人驚艷的、能感知?jiǎng)幼鞯耐髱Ш?，該公司立即陷入了一?chǎng)輿論風(fēng)暴。簡(jiǎn)單地說(shuō)，就是用戶紛紛抱怨這款設(shè)備不好用（比如，這個(gè)產(chǎn)品剛推出的那段時(shí)間里，我碰到的每5個(gè)用戶中就有3個(gè)向我抱怨這個(gè)問(wèn)題）。這種負(fù)面反映極為普遍，Jawbone只好在一個(gè)月后召回這款產(chǎn)品，向用戶退款，并在去年年末重新發(fā)布了新版本。對(duì)Jawbone來(lái)說(shuō)這么做當(dāng)然十分明智，但對(duì)UP這款產(chǎn)品來(lái)說(shuō)，它肯定是已經(jīng)受到損害了。

Exhibit A: The Jawbone UP

????When Jawbone, the San Francisco-based purveyor of wireless devices, originally launched its head-turning, movement-sensing wristband in 2011, the company found itself in the middle of a firestorm. Put simply, users complained that the device didn't work. (Anecdotally, every 3 out of 5 users I spoke to in the device's early days complained to me about the problem.) The outcry was so widespread, Jawbone recalled the product just a month after, offered refunds, and relaunched a redesigned version late last year. Certainly that was a smart move on Jawbone's part, but for UP, it's fair to say the damage has been done.