2014年不宜购买的十种商品

　　1. Cable TV

　　1. 有线电视

　　Cable television's heyday is over. Subscribers have been declining since 2004, and analysts say there's no end in sight. Roughly 54.8 million households currently pay for cable TV, down 3.3% from 2012 and down 17.6% from a decade prior, according to research firm IHS. Cable companies are expected to shed roughly 1.3 million subscribers in 2014.

　　有线电视的黄金时代已经结束了。有线电视用户2004年以来一直在减少，分析师称，预计这种态势还将继续保持下去。研究公司IHS的数据显示，目前约有5,480万个家庭付费收看有线电视，较2012年减少3.3%，较十年前减少17.6%。预计在2014年有线电视公司将损失约130万用户。

　　The decline is due in part to so-called cord-cutters: consumers who are canceling cable and transitioning to lower-cost services, such as Hulu and Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) , which provide much of the same programming at a fraction of the price. Using an Internet connection, consumers can stream many cable shows, news programs and sports games, as well as movies, directly to their TVs. Some channels' websites also provide viewers access to their shows. (MarketWatch recently launched a calculator - Are you ready to cut the cord? - that allows consumers to find the shows they normally watch through such lower-cost options.)

　　有线电视用户的减少在一定程度上要归因于所谓的“剪线族”(cord-cutter)：这些消费者取消有线服务，转向Hulu和Netflix等费用较低的服务，后者提供的节目与有线电视基本相同，但价格要便宜得多。通过互联网连接，用户可以将许多有线电视节目、新闻报道、体育比赛和电影直接串流到电视上观看。一些电视频道还允许观众通过其网站收看节目。(MarketWatch近期推出了一个名为“你为剪线做好准备了吗?”的计算工具，可让消费者通过这类费用较低的选择方案找到他们通常收看的节目)

　　These services are mostly beneficial for people who do not mind watching shows after they've aired and are willing to part with most live programming.

　　这些服务主要适合那些不介意观看非实时节目，愿意与大多数直播节目挥手告别的人士。

　　2. Landline service

　　2. 固定电话

　　Fewer households are holding on to their landlines. Two in every five U.S. homes had wireless phones only during the first half of the year, up slightly from the first half of 2012, according to data released this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number has been rising over the past decade: Roughly 90 million adults, or 38% of the population, are now wireless-only, versus 21% during the first half of 2009 - and fewer than 3% during the first half of 2003.

　　还在继续使用固定电话的家庭比以前少了。美国疾病控制与预防中心(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 上月发布的数据显示，2013年上半年有五分之二的美国家庭仅使用手机，比例较2012年上半年小幅上升。在过去十年里，这一比例一直在上升：约有 9,000万成年人(占美国人口的38%)目前仅使用无线通讯，而2009年上半年为21%――2003年上半年更是还不到3%。

　　Ditching the landline allows households to shed a monthly bill - but it doesn't mean they're restricted to their cellphones. There's also Skype, which is free and allows video chatting via smartphones and other devices with friends and family anywhere in the world at no cost. FaceTime video can also be free with a Wi-Fi connection. Separately, magicJack Plus provides phone service when it's connected to a USB port, computer, or regular phone router; it costs $49.95 in total for the device and for the first six months, after which service costs range from about $1.67 to $2.50 per month. (In contrast, most traditional telephone providers charge at least $10 a month.)

　　放弃固定电话让美国家庭甩掉了一项月度账单――但这并不意味着他们只有手机可用。可供选择的还有Skype，这项免费服务允许人们通过智能手机和其他设备与世界各地的亲朋好友进行视频聊天。如有无线网络连接，还可以免费使用FaceTime进行视频聊天。另外还有magicJack Plus，这款设备在连接USB接口、电脑或普通电话路由器时可提供电话服务;购买该设备外加前六个月的服务费用总计49.95美元，之后的服务费用在每月1.67美元至2.50美元之间。(而多数传统电话运营商收费至少为每月10美元。)

　　To be sure, these services require an Internet connection. Consumers who want the security of a landline - many Americans were without phone service after Hurricane Sandy disrupted cellphone and Internet service in some areas - may want to consider holding on to their home phone.

　　当然，这些服务需要有互联网连接。对固定电话的安全性有需要的消费者(由于飓风桑迪(Hurricane Sandy)导致一些地区的手机和互联网服务中断，许多美国人都无法进行电话通讯)也许应该考虑在家中保留固定电话。

　　3. GPS devices

　　3. GPS设备

　　Up until a few years ago, personal navigation systems were considered a must-have for most drivers since they drastically reduced the chances of getting lost. But the tides have turned and demand for these gadgets is plummeting: 7.5 million personal navigation devices sold in 2012 in North America, down from a peak of 18 million in 2009, according to the latest data from Berg Insight, a Swedish research company.

　　直到几年前，个人导航系统还被多数驾车者视为必需品，因为它们可以大大降低迷路的几率。但当前潮流发生了逆转，对这类设备的需求在直线下降：瑞典研究公司Berg Insight的最新数据显示，2012年北美卖出了750万台个人导航设备，低于2009年1,800万台的峰值。

　　The need for this service still exists, but consumers can get it for a lot cheaper. Rather than paying $70 to $300 for a new GPS device, drivers can use map apps to get around. They're available on most smartphones or free to download.

　　对导航服务的需求仍然存在，但消费者现在能以便宜得多的价格获得此项服务。驾车者不必花费70到300美元购买新的GPS设备，他们可以使用地图应用程序来导航。多数智能手机都有这些应用，也可以免费下载。

　　Separately, many new cars come with built-in navigation systems: 49% of 2013 model-year vehicles have a standard navigation system (in at least one of their styles), up from 33% of 2010 models, according to Edmunds.com.

　　另外，许多新车配有内置导航系统：汽车资讯网站Edmunds.com 的数据显示，2013车型年的车辆有49%配有标准导航系统(至少有一款车型会配置)，高于2010年的33%。