Chapter 36 The second quarter four grid strategy

During his first month as Apple's interim CEO, Jobs was in a state of extreme busyness and retreat "meditation".During the day, I talked to each product team one by one, and thoroughly investigated each project. At night, I locked myself in the office and thought hard, and I didn't even go home for a month. Zen monks often use the method of retreat and meditation to seek epiphany.What Jobs was looking for in this month of penance was actually just a breakthrough, a breakthrough to reinject vitality into the scarred Apple. Linghu Chong, who walked out of Huashan Siguo Cliff, received Feng Qingyang's guidance, and his move was a set of Dugu Nine Swords that is invincible in the world.Jobs, who came out of the "meditation" in the office, did not seem to have received any guidance from senior experts, but he came up with a set of immediate strategic decision-making methods-four grid strategy.

Joe Gang first told the board of directors and Apple management: "The problem lies in the product! The company's product is really terrible!" So, what kind of products does Apple need and what kind of products does it not? With a swipe of his pen, Joe drew four large grids on the whiteboard to form a simple two-dimensional coordinate system.On one dimension of the coordinate system, "Desktop" and "Porta-ble" are written, and on the other dimension are "Consumer" and "Pro-fessional". The four grids formed by the intersection of the two dimensions are question marks for the management to think about. In 1997, computers were nothing more than desktop computers and portable computers, and Apple’s target users were price-sensitive mass consumers who also pursue fashion, and those in business, education, publishing, design and other industries. professional.So, what desktops and laptops do mass consumers want, and what desktops and laptops do professionals want?

If one of the main products that Apple must focus on is filled in each of the four grids, then Apple's product strategy in the next few years will be on paper. After sorting out the chaotic Apple product line, Mr. Joe effortlessly filled the four boxes with four products: Professional + Desktop: A more powerful Mac computer, later released, because it used the PowerPC G3 processor, this computer was named Power Macintosh G3. Professional + Laptop: An upgrade to the already successful PowerBook laptop, later the PowerBook G3. General consumer + desktop: For general consumers, Qiao Gangzhu hopes to have a computer with a cheap price and a stylish design.Before long, that idea gave birth to a colorful and compact all-in-one computer—the iMac.

Mass consumer + portable computer: This should be a low-end fashion version of PowerBook. Later, the officially released product was named iBook. With this clear four-frame strategy, Mr. Qiao said to the board of directors and management with confidence: "In the next few years, most of Apple's resources will be invested in these four main products. Anyone who does not meet these four The software and hardware projects of the four-block strategy will all be cut off." Not every CEO can maintain such a calm and sharp gaze in the face of chaotic product lines, not every manager can have the courage to build a strategic position when the company is in a desperate situation, and not every designer can be intoxicated when indulging in product details. Can remember to examine whether the product direction is reliable from a strategic height.

When Jobs drew these four grids on the whiteboard, the setbacks, hardships, experiences, and lessons he had experienced in the previous 12 years of wandering, all turned into a kind of strategic courage.At that moment, Jobs seemed to be possessed by strategic masters such as Octavian, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Napoleon.In his eyes, there are no more chaotic product lines, endless market demands, and quickly replaced popular technologies. What he sees are the clear and simple four grids. As long as you focus on these four things, Apple's product line will naturally return to clarity from chaos, and Apple users will naturally re-recognize the value of Apple.

In November 1997, Apple officially released the Power Macintosh G3 desktop computer and the PowerBook G3 notebook computer for high-end users.Because of their strong performance and accurate positioning, the sales of the two computers are in good shape. The Power Macintosh G3 sold 133,000 units in its first quarter. In August 1998, Apple released the revolutionary color computer iMac. With its colorful and beautiful shape, the iMac became the fastest-selling Mac computer as soon as it came out, with 800,000 units sold within six months. In July 1999, the colorful appearance of the iMac was also carried forward on the notebook computer, and the colorful and transparent iBook made a high-profile appearance.

All of this stems from Jobs' four-compartment strategy.