为了迎来苹果的下一篇章苹果一直在改革

2014-09-25 16:05:33来源：可可英语

　　If Apple were simply a hardware-maker, there would be reason to worry. It is losing marketshare to rivals such as Samsung of South Korea and Xiaomi of China, which make cheaperdevices, and to Google's Android operating system, which runs on 71% of the world'ssmartphones. Apple's average selling price is $609, compared with $249 for smartphonesworldwide, according to IDC, a market-research firm. That is good for profits, but it makesApple increasingly a niche player, somewhat like a luxury-goods firm, says Colin Gillis of BGC,a stockbroker.

　　如果苹果只是一家简单的硬件制造商，那么情况是让人担忧的。苹果的市场份额正在缩小，相反的韩国的三星和中国的小米因为价格低廉而占据着越来越多的市场份额，并且谷歌的安卓操作系统占领了全球70%的只能手机。据市场调研公司IDC的数据，苹果手机的平均售价为609美元，而全球智能手机均价为249美元。一名来自BGC的股票经纪人科林.吉利斯认为：这样利润固然客观，但是这使得苹果市场越来越成为一种缝隙市场，有点类似于奢侈品企业。

　　As with Apple's existing products, much effort went into the watch's design. Its backplatecontains sensors that measure the user's vital signs; and people can send their heartbeat toother watch-wearers—as a new sort of expressive message. But starting at $349, and onlyusable in conjunction with an iPhone, it looks unlikely to be a serious competitor to otherexpensive watches (see article).

　　与现有的产品一样，苹果为设计这款手表做出了很大努力。它的后板装有感应器，可以测量出佩带者的生命特征;作为一种新的信息表达方式，人们可以将心率数据发送给其他的手表用户。但是它的售价为349美元起，而且只能与iphone联合使用，这使得它难以敌对其他名贵手表。

　　Still, many are likely to stick with their iPhones and even plunk down the money for an AppleWatch, because of the firm's ecosystem. Apple is considered a laggard in online offerings,especially since it bungled the launch of its map service. Its services and apps can bemaddening. But iTunes, Apple's media store, now boasts more than 800m active users, threetimes as many as Amazon's. Apple's software and services category, which includes iTunes, itsApps Store, revenue from warranties and other businesses, brought in sales of more than $16billion in 2013 and is growing steadily.

　　但是许多人仍然愿意坚守苹果阵营，继续使用iPhone,甚至是为了苹果的“生态系统”而大手笔地花钱购买AppleWatch。在线服务方面，苹果被认为是落后者，尤其是它粗制滥造的地图服务。它的服务和应用有时候让人抓狂。但是，苹果的媒体商店iTunes，它的活跃用户现在已经飙升超过了8亿，是亚马逊的三倍之多。苹果的软件和服务，包括iTunes、应用Store，来自授权和其他业务的收入等，2013年超过160亿美元，并依然在稳定增长。

　　Apple's watch is supposed to help the firm expand into new areas. One example is a mobilewallet. It aims to replace swiping credit cards with the tap of an Apple watch (or an iPhone)on a device connected to a retailer's cash register. Apple's new health and fitnessapplications help people monitor their workouts. The firm's new operating systems, due outsoon, will allow its devices to work together seamlessly: an e-mail started on an iPhone can befinished on an iMac.

　　苹果试图通过智能手表拓展到新领域，移动钱包就是一个例子，它的目标是用苹果手表(或手机)轻触与收款机相连的设备来取代划信用卡。苹果新的健身应用可以帮助人们监视自己的运动过程。另外，新的操作系统即将推出，它将实现设备的无缝操作：如在iPhone上开始写的电子邮件可以在iMac电脑上继续写完。

本文关键字: 苹果的下一篇章