一 | On the one-year anniversary of US forces’ hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan after a 20-year deployment, there is renewed focus on the decision-making made by the Joe Biden administration that resulted in the swift fall of the Afghan government and the eventual return to power of the Taliban* Islamist group.,With the Democratic POTUS’ approval rating hitting historic lows and eating away at his party’s November midterm prospects, it is commonly believed that his handling of the Afghan crisis at the time of the pull-out created the momentum that began to drag down Americans’ confidence in Biden’s leadership.,The United States-led military offensive "Operation Enduring Freedom" was originally launched by former US President George W. Bush in pursuit of terrorists from Al Qaeda** - including leader Osama bin Laden - for masterminding the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US.,At the time, a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamist terrorist group Al Qaeda killed 2,996 people in the US as hijackers crashed two planes into the World Trade Center, hijacking another that failed to reach its target, crashing in Shanksville, Pa., and a third that struck the west side of the Pentagon.,© AP Photo / AMY SANCETTASmoke billows from the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center before they collapsed on September 11, 2001 in New York, NYSmoke billows from the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center before they collapsed on September 11, 2001 in New York, NY© AP Photo / AMY SANCETTA,After suspicion fell onto Al Qaeda, the United States responded by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan under the pretext that the Taliban had failed to comply with Washington’s demands to expel Al Qaeda from the country and extradite the terrorist group’s leader, Osama bin Laden. American-led forces overthrew the Kabul-based Taliban government, which had been in control of large parts of the country since 1996.,Bin Laden was eventually killed nearly a decade later, in 2011, by a group of Navy SEALs who raided his compound in Pakistan. As Washington's attempt to impose Western ideas and forms of government on the country increasingly failed and the situation deteriorated for the Western-backed government in Kabul, the Donald Trump administration opened peace talks with the Taliban.,In February 2020, the Donald Trump administration signed an agreement in Doha, Qatar, between the US and the Taliban on drawing down US involvement based on a "reduction in violence." The "Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan" set out a series of commitments from the US and the Taliban regarding troop levels, counterterrorism, and intra-Afghan dialogue seeking to bring about "a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.",The deal stipulated a deadline of May 1 the next year for all US troops to leave the country.,However, in April 2021, President Joe Biden, just seven months into his presidency, unilaterally deviated from the peace deal by extending the timeframe to September 11 and ordered all troops to withdraw from the country by an end of August 2021 deadline, with his decision triggering chaos and bloodshed.,‘Failed Intel’,As the US military began their pull-out, sending home troops and equipment, the emboldened Taliban proceeded with a lightening-swift onslaught. They took over huge swathes of the country, facing little resistance and picking up weapons and vehicles paid for by the US government which Afghan government troops left behind.,US 'Lost Track' of Afghan War Aims, Says Retired Marine General12 August, 17:00 GMT,Afghan officials, including the country’s president, Ashraf Ghani, fled, as the country’s capital, Kabul, was taken over by the militants on August 15, 2021 in a matter of hours.,None of the US intelligence assessments had predicted such a swift collapse, with American officials insisting in June that Kabul could capitulate within six to 12 months after the start of the withdrawal. Amid reports of failed intel forecasts, then-Pentagon spokesman John Kirby acknowledged that security in some parts of Afghanistan was “certainly deteriorating, and that’s of concern.” Washington continued to emphasize “commitment to the people of Afghanistan” and the goal of “ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups who pose a threat to the US homeland.”,Amid the developments, the Biden administration debated whether to delay the American departure from Bagram Air Base, 35 miles north of Kabul, but eventually opted to go ahead. Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had told the House Armed Services Committee that “it is not necessary for the United States to stay at Bagram for what we’re going to try to do here with Afghanistan.”,Civilians Caught in Crossfire,As the Taliban regained full control, more than 120,000 people, including Afghans and foreigners, were frantically evacuated in a vast airlift operation from Kabul International airport. Thousands of Afghan citizens desperately sought to flee the country in fear of the Islamist group’s return to rule.,Exclusive- A clear video (from other angle) of men falling from C-17. They were Clinging to some parts of the plane that took off from Kabul airport today. #Talibans #Afghanistan #Afghanishtan pic.twitter.com/CMNW5ngqrK— Aśvaka - آسواکا News Agency (@AsvakaNews) August 16, 2021,Searing images from the capital’s airport showed desperate people trying to cling to the wings of planes that were taking off amid the huge airlift operation. Many Afghans who collaborated with the occupying US forces and feared retribution from the Islamist group were left behind in the hasty evacuation. Between 100 and 200 Americans remained in Afghanistan, despite wanting to get out.,© AP Photo / Wali SabawoonSmoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. © AP Photo / Wali Sabawoon,Furthermore, 13 US troops were killed on August 26 in a suicide bomb attack blamed on an Afghan offshoot of Daesh***.,The explosive device detonated by a single bomber who was able to approach Kabul International Airport's Abbey Gate killed at least 170 Afghan civilians and 13 US service members. The bomber was not stopped as Afghans had begun using alternate routes to the gate due to the difficulty of getting through Taliban checkpoints.,In another deadly incident that marred the withdrawal, a botched US drone strike killed 10 civilians - seven of them children - on August 29.,WorldCIA Reportedly Warned US Military of Likely Presence of Children Near Afghan Drone Strike Target 19 September 2021, 08:56 GMT,The US claimed it had been targeting a Daesh operative with a car full of explosives linked to the terrorist group’s affiliate, planning an imminent attack on American forces during the final days of the evacuation. However, the man turned out to be a longtime Afghan aid worker, Zamarai Ahmadi, employed by Nutrition and Education International, a nongovernmental organization focused on food security.,Approximately three weeks after the strike, the military acknowledged its "tragic mistake," yet a subsequent Air Force review around the strike found "no violation of law, including the law of war.",The last US aircraft left Kabul on August 30, 2021.,AfghanistanKirby Under Fire After He 'Takes Issue With Premise' US Handed Afghanistan to 'Terrorist Group'3 August, 09:54 GMT,Joe Biden’s administration faced bipartisan criticism for the Afghan withdrawal.,On August 17, just two days after the fall of Kabul, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan promised the White House would “conduct an extensive hot wash” and “look at every aspect of this from top to bottom.” But it remains unclear when any progress will be made by the congressionally-ordered bipartisan 16-member commission on the 20-year Afghan war, US media reported.,NBC News: Biden Admin Prepping Unified Message on Anniversary of Botched Afghan Withdrawal11 July, 16:09 GMT,The White House is believed to have geared up for congressional investigations into the Afghanistan withdrawal if Republicans win the House or the Senate in November’s midterm elections, according to sources cited in US media reports.,* The Taliban is an organization under UN sanctions over terrorist activities.,**Al-Qaeda is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.,*** Daesh, also known as ISIS/IS/Islamic State, is a terrorist group banned in Russia.。北京时间1月11日晨报，《华尔街日报》今天发表文章称，苹果（以下简称“苹果”）正在彻底改变公司战略，准备在其坚实的花园墙上打几个洞。
二 | 多年来，苹果无与伦比的用户体验主要是通过将软件和服务与硬件捆绑在一起实现的。在今年的CES展上，很明显苹果准备尝试一些不同的东西。三星周一宣布，苹果的iTunes软件将在三星的智能电视上发布。从今年春天开始，三星智能电视将提供iTunes电影和电视节目，并支持苹果的无线标准AirPlay2，允许内容通过iPhone和其他设备直接传送到这些电视上。随后，包括LG、Vizio和Sony在内的其他电视制造商宣布支持AirPlay2。去年12月，亚马逊还宣布苹果音乐音乐将进入亚马逊的Echo智能扬声器。一位敏锐的苹果观察家可能会问：苹果电视会是什么样子？homepod呢？他们似乎在风中摇摆不定，而且有了这些更受欢迎的设备（三星和亚马逊等），苹果电视和homepod似乎没有什么不同。尽管苹果在2003年将iTunes移植到了Windows上，并帮助推动了新的服务和iPod的发展，但这一策略在很大程度上对苹果来说并不熟悉。但对于谷歌（使用Gmail不一定需要安卓手机）、亚马逊（阅读亚马逊的电子书不一定需要Kindle），甚至近几年来的微软，这些都很熟悉。在史蒂夫鲍尔默（SteveBallmer）的领导下，微软的特点是“视窗无处不在”战略。
三 | 根据这一策略，微软的大多数产品必须运行在或至少支持公司的核心操作系统上。但在SatyaNadella时代，微软的特点是将微软的服务快速应用于所有可能的设备，特别是那些运行苹果或谷歌操作系统的设备。这一战略取得了良好的回报，如今微软的价值超过了苹果。苹果并不是第一家试图控制其生态系统所有部分的大公司，微软和索尼以前也有过类似的经历。但这种策略并不是永久性的。随着苹果在中国市场步履蹒跚，智能手机面临寒冬的销售，开放不仅可能是维持苹果增长的一种手段，而且最终也是一种生存手段。今天，苹果似乎愿意牺牲一些硬件收入来发展自己的服务业务。当然，这些只是初步的步骤，在苹果感受到压力之前还有很长的路要走，例如，将iOS许可给华为。”在某种程度上，这有点像苹果的辩护，”技术分析师帕特里克·莫赫德说。他补充说，并不是每个人都会为苹果的品牌娱乐设备支付高额费用。因此，苹果现在希望在更广阔的市场（即开放战略）上下赌注，以增加其整体用户群。当然，苹果将硬件销售与服务收入脱钩的行动不太可能很快发生。上周，苹果将其第一季度（2018年第四季度）盈利预测调整为840亿美元，从890亿美元降至930亿美元。苹果表示，这主要是由于iPhone在大中华区的销量下滑。苹果股价在宣布后大幅下跌。但与此同时，苹果重申其服务业务的增长：比一年前增长18%，尽管分析师预计增长24%。
四 | 这表明，苹果的硬件销售和服务收入密切相关。那么，我们如何才能增加服务收入来弥补移动电话销售的下降，正如库克最近提出的那样？Murhead说，苹果宣布收入低于预期的时机似乎与将其服务扩展到竞争对手的设备有关，但像这样的硬件和软件集成交易可能需要数年时间。例如，苹果取消了设备中的特殊芯片必须经过苹果认证才能支持AirPlay2的要求。这促使一些顶级电视品牌开始支持AirPlay2。这不是真正的内容合作关系，但现在，至少在Vizio上，“嘿，Siri，玩间谍6：完全解体。”与三星的交易相对来说比较深入。它包括一个允许100多个国家的用户下载和播放苹果iTunes电影和电视节目的应用程序。此外，不仅今年的新设备，通过固件升级，2018年三星电视也支持。
五 | 苹果可能在美国的高端智能手机市场占据主导地位，但在世界其他地区，安卓系统是一种常态。”这可能是世界其他四分之三的人第一次尝到苹果，”Mulhead说。如果“苹果正在开发类似于Netflix的流媒体服务”的报告是真的，那么所有这些都更有意义。
六 | 无论采用何种形式，苹果都准备投资10亿美元用于原始程序设计。
七 | 如果苹果想要获得足够的注册用户，它必须与苹果电视的界限相冲突。目前，苹果的市场份额很弱：仅占美国流媒体设备客户的15%，低于2016年的19%。从长远来看，苹果的服务迁移策略可能会对公司有所帮助，但也有潜在的负面影响：在某种程度上，苹果正在复制其竞争对手的策略，并在某种程度上依赖于这些策略。因此，值得一问：苹果是否缺乏创新？。
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