遲到的道歉: 蒂姆•庫克致歉使蘋果在華重贏尊重

Tim Cook's public apology to Apple's (AAPL) Chinese customers was being quoted at length Tuesday in the very print and broadcast media that for a fortnight had been ripping the company apart for its greed, dishonesty and "unparalleled arrogance."

過去兩週以來，國內的平面媒體和廣播媒體都對蘋果公司（Apple）進行了強烈的抨擊，譴責它貪婪、不誠實和“無與倫比的傲慢”；週二，這些媒體用大量篇幅引用了蘋果CEO蒂姆?庫克向中國消費者發出的公開道歉信。

"The company's apology letter has eased the situation, softening the tense relationship between Apple and the Chinese market," wrote theGlobal Times. "Its reaction is worth respect compared with other American companies."

《環球時報》（the Global Times）發表文章指出，“蘋果公司的道歉信讓局勢得到了緩解，使蘋果與中國市場的緊張關係有所改善。在這一點上，蘋果公司比有些美國公司更值得尊重。”

The Foreign Ministry praised Apple for "conscientiously" responding to consumers' demands, according to Reuters. "We approve of what Apple said," spokesman Hong Lei told reporters at his daily news briefing.

路透社（Reuters）報道稱，中國外交部（The Foreign Ministry）對蘋果“認真”迴應消費者的需求表示讚揚。外交部發言人洪磊在例行記者會上稱：“我們認可蘋果公司的道歉”。

There were plenty of critics Monday who said Cook's letter and the changes he made in Apple's repair policies in China were a big mistake. Steve Jobs, they said, would never have apologized for customer service that, as most of Apple's customers in China know, is second to none.

但是，許多批評人士指出，庫克的道歉信和對蘋果在華維修政策的調整是嚴重的錯誤。他們認爲，如果史蒂夫?喬布斯在世，他絕對不會因爲售後服務道歉，因爲蘋果的大多數中國消費者知道，蘋果的售後服務是首屈一指的。

But Jobs never set foot in China. Cook, on the other hand, built Apple's Asian supply chain, and he knows something about navigating the complexities of official relations in the Far East.

但是，喬布斯從未來過中國。而庫克打造了蘋果在亞洲的供應鏈，對於如何處理遠東地區複雜的正式關係，他心裏更有數。

It won't cost the company very much to repair broken iPhones with new parts or extend their warranties -- basically giving China's state-run media everything they asked for.

更換問題iPhone手機部件，或者延長保修期，並不會花費蘋果太多資金，這麼做主要是爲了滿足中國國家媒體。

It cost Cook nothing "sincerely apologize" and to say, as he did in his letter:

“真誠地道歉”以及道歉信中的措辭（如下文），並不會讓庫克有所損失：

"We recognize that we have much to learn about operating and communicating in China, but we want to assure everyone that we bring the same deep commitment and passion to China as we do to any other part of the world. This commitment, a desire to delight all of our customers and provide them with an extremely high-quality experience, is deeply rooted in the culture of our company. And we will not rest until we achieve this goal."

“我們意識到，關於在華運營和溝通工作，還有許多需要我們學習的地方。在此，我們向大家保證，蘋果對於中國的承諾和熱情與其他國家別無二致。爲消費者帶來最佳用戶體驗及滿意的服務，是我們的理想，更是我們的承諾，它已深深植根於蘋果的公司文化之中。我們會不懈努力，以實現這一目標。”

That kind of language can save a lot of face, on both sides of the Pacific.

這種措辭能讓雙方都極大地保留了顏面。