Jobs hated to cede control of anything, especially when it might affect the customer experience. But he faced a problem. 乔布斯不喜欢失去对任何事情的控制，尤其是关系到顾客体验的事情。但是他面临着一个问题。

There was one part of the process he didn't control: the experience of buying an Apple product in a store. 在这个过程中有一个部分他还没有控制到：那就是在商店里购买苹果产品的体验。

The days of the Byte Shop were over. Byte Shop的时代已经结束了。

Industry sales were shifting from local computer specialty shops to megachains and big box stores, 计算机行业的销售已经从本地的计算机专卖店过渡到了大型连锁商店和量贩店，

where most clerks had neither the knowledge nor the incentive to explain the distinctive nature of Apple products. 但是在这些地方，大部分店员既不具备苹果产品的基本知识，也没有意愿去为顾客解释产品的独特性能。

"All that the salesman cared about was a $50 spiff," Jobs said. 乔布斯说：“所有的销售员都只关心那50美元的销售提成。”

Other computers were pretty generic, but Apple's had innovative features and a higher price tag. 其他的计算机都很普通，但是苹果计算机有一些创新的功能，价格也更高。

He didn't want an iMac to sit on a shelf between a Dell and a Compaq while an uninformed clerk recited the specs of each. 他不希望iMac被放在戴尔和康柏的旁边，然后不懂行的店员向顾客背诵出每台计算机的配置。

"Unless we could find ways to get our message to customers at the store, we were screwed." “除非有办法在商店里就把我们的理念传达给顾客，否则我们就完蛋了。”

In great secrecy, Jobs began in late 1999 to interview executives who might be able to develop a string of Apple retail stores. 1999年中后期，乔布斯开始秘密地面试一些能开发苹果零售店的管理人员。

One of the candidates had a passion for design and the boyish enthusiasm of a natural-born retailer: 其中一个候选人热爱设计，他就像是天生的零售商一般拥有孩童般的热情，

Ron Johnson, the vice president for merchandising at Target, 罗恩·约翰逊当时是塔吉特公司负责销售规划的副总裁，

who was responsible for launching distinctive-looking products, such as a teakettle designed by Michael Graves. 主要工作是发布有特色的新产品，比如迈克尔·格雷夫斯设计的茶壶。

"Steve is very easy to talk to," said Johnson in recalling their first meeting. 约翰逊回忆起他们的第一次会面时说：“史蒂夫非常平易近人。

"All of a sudden there's a torn pair of jeans and turtleneck, and he's off and running about why he needed great stores. 他穿着髙领衫和破旧的牛仔裤，开门见山地谈起他为什么想要开零售店。

If Apple is going to succeed, he told me, we're going to win on innovation. 他告诉我，如果苹果想要成功，那一定是通过创新取胜。

And you can't win on innovation unless you have a way to communicate to customers." 但如果你无法把创新之处传达给顾客，你就无法通过创新取胜。”