本月蘋果iPhone迎來了它的十周歲生日。在這個處處以講“顛覆”為時髦的年代，可以說iPhone是通過科技創新顛覆一個行業的最經典案例了。iPhone的推出迅速終結了當年諾基亞在手機市場的主導地位。它也是世界上第一部名符其實的智能手機。

iPhone也是“第四次工業革命”的一個典型象征。所謂“第四次工業革命”，指的是計算機處理能力、存儲容量和網絡連接能力的巨大增長。它也是在1月17日開幕的世界經濟論壇的主題。

蘋果是第四次工業革命的領路人之一，iPhone的問世則是第四次工業革命的一個關鍵點。然而企業能否在這一輪工業革命中取得成功，并非僅僅取決于一兩個創新產品（如iPhone）。能夠在第四次工業革命中繁榮發展的公司，必定是那些能夠不斷完善自身業務的公司。

蘋果本身就是一個極好的例子。它是目前世界上最有價值的公司之一，但它的成功并非建立在一個單一的產品上。早在iPhone問世之前，蘋果就憑借iPod重新定義了個人音樂市場，隨后又憑iTunes徹底改變了人們對音樂的消費模式。

蘋果成功的另一個原因，是發明了一些消費者根本沒有意識到自己會需要的東西，并且建立了全新的市場。蘋果并非是第一家考慮做APP的公司，但2008年蘋果App Store的上線重新定義了這個市場。目前蘋果App Store里已經擁有200多萬個APP。iPad剛剛問世時曾遭遇到不少冷嘲熱諷，很多人認為這個“大號iPhone”完全沒有存在的道理。但iPad依然取得了巨大的成功。很多人可能以為iPad是從iPhone上脫胎而來的，然而事實上，iPad的研發甚至還早于iPhone。換句話說，蘋果之所以成功扮演了一個顛覆者的角色，是因為它能不斷地自我調整、不斷顛覆現有業務。

有些企業想出了另一種“顛覆”方法——把行業的顛覆者買下來。比如近幾年，Facebook已經相繼收購了WhatsApp、Instagram和Oculus VR等顛覆性創新企業，目的都是為了擴大Facebook的影響力。首先，收購像WhatsApp這樣的應用軟件公司，能使Facebook更快地接觸到一個迅速增長的年輕用戶群體。

Facebook的其他幾筆收購還是有很大風險的。Oculus是一家做VR的公司，雖然很多消費者都對VR技術抱有濃厚興趣，但沒人知道這項技術是否有穩定的前景，抑或只是另一個大泡沫。不過如果VR技術真的大獲成功了，那么提前收購一家行業領軍企業，肯定有助于Facebook主宰這個新興媒介。

Instagram則為Facebook提供了接觸到另一批用戶的渠道。有了Instagram這個平臺，Facebook也得以與Snapchat等圖片型社交網絡進行競爭（Facebook也曾試圖收購過Snapchat）。Facebook的最大挑戰就是在競爭極度激勵的社交網絡市場保持龍頭老大的地位。為此，Facebook要時刻牢記這個清晰的目標，并且為此不懈努力。

正是這種堅持將一件事做到極致的努力，才使這些顛覆者始終保持著市場的領軍地位。比如宜家公司改變了歐洲很多地區的家具消費模式。宜家成立于1943年，雖然現在它的業務已經擴展到全球各地，但它始終不懈地堅持產品簡約、平板包裝，設計為先的理念。

正是由于它不斷傾聽、不斷改進做一件事情的方法，宜家才能成為今日之宜家。宜家的這種專注從它的公司博物館上就能體現出來。學生們通過參觀宜家博物館，能夠學習到宜家引以為傲的企業家精神、技術和歷史。

近年來的許多顛覆性技術，都是互聯網的誕生與計算機處理能力的快速提升的結果。金融服務業也無法逃脫被顛覆的命運。交易大廳的人聲鼎沸已經被計算機的嗡嗡聲代替了；智能手機APP已經搶走了大量銀行柜員的工作；支票簿也早就成了老黃歷。

資產管理行業也在變革。如今，各種指數基金和被動管理策略使客戶有了更多投資工具可供選擇，而且管理費用也比傳統的主動管理基金低廉得多。有些人甚至預言主動管理基金時代已經結束了。

然而主動管理基金還沒到退出歷史舞臺的時候。只要個股選擇得好，主動管理基金的收益是要高于被動管理基金的，這就是主動管理存在的價值。客戶也明白這一點，而且他們現在也有了更多的選擇。我們的公司也根據這種轉變進行了調整，可以同時為客戶提供主動和被動型產品。

理財顧問行業也同樣在變革。現在網上的各種金融預測撲天蓋地，很多傳統型顧問都沒了生意。然而未來并不是非黑即白的。新一代的網絡技術使理財顧問們有機會向客戶提供一些更令人感興趣的信息。因此理財顧問們應該學會利用科技做加法，而不是做減法。

一談起以前的事，人們很容易就會變成“星星眼”。然而變革已然發生了。第四次工業革命正在改變世界上所有人的生活。任何抗拒新技術的人都應該記住，如果一項技術能改善很多人的生活，它就必然會蓬勃發展。某樣東西之所以會成功，是因為它有需求。只要企業可以拿來競爭的某個新資源合乎道德和法律，企業領導們就應該認真予以關注。躺在過去的功勞薄上固步自封是不可取的。第四次工業革命不會在電視上出現，但你會在你的智能手機里看到它。（財富中文網）

本文作者Martin Gilbert是阿伯丁資產管理公司的CEO。

譯者：樸成奎

The launch of Apple’s iPhone, announced 10 years ago this month, is a classic example of technology disrupting an industry. It ended Nokia’s dominance of the mobile phone market and created the first smartphone worthy of the name.

It is typical of the so-called ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’, a theme of the World Economic Forum meeting starting on 17 January. This revolution is being defined by the vast increases in computer processor power, storage capacity and Internet connectivity that we are experiencing.

Apple is harnessing this technology and the iPhone’s launch was a key point in the revolution. But long-term success for companies is not about one disruptive invention like the iPhone. The companies that thrive in this new revolution will be the ones who constantly refine what they do.

Apple itself is one of the best examples. It is one of the world’s most valuable companies but its success is not built on one product. It created the iPod before the iPhone and, in doing so, reinvented the personal audio market. They would later reinvent the way that people bought music with iTunes.

Apple also created a market for things that people didn’t really think they needed. They were not the first company to consider apps but it once again reinvented a market when it launched its App Store in 2008. There are now about 2 million apps on the App Store. The iPad was met with some initial cynicism when it was announced. They saw it as an unnecessary bulky big brother. It was in fact a roaring success and in spite of appearing to have been spawned from the iPhone, was actually in development before the phone. In other words, Apple’s success as a disrupter is because it continues to disrupt by adapting.

Other technology companies show another way that companies keep disrupting: buy the new disrupters. Facebook has acquired WhatsApp, Instagram and Oculus VR in recent years. Each has been an attempt to expand the influence of Facebook. Apps like WhatsApp allowed Facebook to reach a rapidly growing base of younger users than Facebook’s.

Others are pretty big bets. Oculus is a virtual reality company and no one knows whether interest in the technology will prove durable or just a fad. But buying an industry leader will help them dominate this new medium if it really does take off.

Instagram gives Facebook access to another set of users, and their information, and a platform on which to compete with companies like Snapchat (which it tried to buy). The challenge for Facebook is to stay on top of the competition, with a clear purpose in mind that it pursues tirelessly.

It is this ceaseless drive to do on0e thing persistently well that has helped other disrupters to remain leaders in their market. IKEA has changed the way that much of Europe consumes furniture. It was founded in 1943 and is now a sprawling business but has consistently done one thing very well: produced simple, flat pack design led products.

IKEA is a product of constantly listening and refining the way it does one thing to ensure that it does it very well. This focus is reflected in the company’s museum, where school children can learn about the entrepreneurialism, technology and history that the company considers to be its bedrock.

Much of the disruption in recent years has been down to the invention of the Internet and rapid increases in computer processing power. Financial services have not been immune. Rowdy trading floors have been replaced by the hum of bank computers; smartphone apps have done away with a great many bank tellers and cheque books are a thing of the past.

The asset management industry is changing, too. Index and passive strategies are providing investments much more cheaply than traditional active management. This has led to predictions that the days of active management are over.

But active management is not dead. When it is done well it produces returns in excess of what passive strategies are capable, and that comes with a price. Clients understand that and simply have more choice now. Our business has adapted to this shift by offering both active and passive products.

The business of financial advice is changing too. Predictions abound that online platforms will put traditional advisers out of business. But the future is never black and white. The reality is that new online technology presents an opportunity for advisers to offer something more compelling to clients. Technology can add to, rather than detract from, what they can offer.

It is easy to get starry eyed about how things used to be. But change is happening. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is transforming peoples’ lives all around the world. Anyone resisting new technology should remember that it usually thrives when it improves the lot of customers. Something takes off because there is demand for it. Provided the source of new competition is ethical and legal, it should make every business leader sit up and pay attention. No one can rest on their laurels. The Fourth Industrial Revolution will not be televised. But it might be streamed on your smartphone.

Martin Gilbert is CEO of Aberdeen Asset Management.