????現在硅谷開始盛傳這樣一句話：硬件就是新的軟件。也就是說，多年以來，在無數網站、應用和云計算紛紛閃亮登場，而硬件創新只能叨陪末座后，硬件創新又開始升溫了。真是這樣嗎？事實上，幾個高調亮相的新產品已經舉步維艱了。本文茲舉三例，以說明硬件創新有多么困難。

????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，當位于舊金山的無線設備生產商Jawbone公司推出令人驚艷的、能感知動作的腕帶后，該公司立即陷入了一場輿論風暴。簡單地說，就是用戶紛紛抱怨這款設備不好用（比如，這個產品剛推出的那段時間里，我碰到的每5個用戶中就有3個向我抱怨這個問題）。這種負面反映極為普遍，Jawbone只好在一個月后召回這款產品，向用戶退款，并在去年年末重新發布了新版本。對Jawbone來說這么做當然十分明智，但對UP這款產品來說，它肯定是已經受到損害了。

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.