苹果新品发布会亮点多,iPhone仍是明星
Apple Unveils New iPhone 6S
苹果新品发布会亮点多,iPhone仍是明星
SAN FRANCISCO ― On a day when Apple showed off lots of new devices, the iPhone was still the star of the show.
旧金山― 苹果公司(Apple)在发布会上展示了大量的新设备,但iPhone仍是其中的明星。
Timothy D. Cook, Apple’s chief executive, presented the latest version of the company’s iPhone on Wednesday, along with several revamped devices in an event in the spacious Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.
本周三,在比尔・格雷厄姆市政礼堂宽敞的大厅里,苹果首席执行官蒂莫西・ D・库克(Timothy D. Cook)展示了最新版iPhone,以及其他几款升级设备。
Mr. Cook called the new phones, “the most advanced smartphones in the world.”
库克称新iPhone是“世界上最先进的智能手机”。
Apple executives demonstrated most of the anticipated new features of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, including an upgraded, 12-megapixel camera and a new capability called 3D Touch. It can sense how hard a user is pressing a button, allowing for easier access to different menus and information. It also gives users “tactile feedback” when they touch their screens. Pressure-sensitive touch screens are already available on the Apple Watch and the new MacBook.
苹果高管演示了iPhone 6S及6S Plus的新功能,其中大多在外界的预期之中,包括升级的1200万像素摄像头,以及名为3D Touch的三维触控新功能。它能感知用户按下按钮的力度有多大,可以更方便地打开各种菜单,获得不同信息。当用户触碰屏幕时,它还可以提供“触觉反馈”。Apple Watch和新的MacBook已经在使用对压力敏感的触摸屏。
The new iPhones will also come in a new rose gold finish, with a new glass that company describes as the strongest in the industry.
新 iPhone会推出一款新的玫瑰金配色,还配备了新的玻璃屏。苹果称之为业内最坚固的玻璃屏。
The touch ID sensor has been upgraded and the phone will feature iOS 9, the newest version of Apple’s mobile operating system.
新iPhone还升级了Touch ID传感器,并将搭载苹果移动操作系统的最新版本iOS9。
The new iPhone 6S will cost $199 and the iPhone 6S Plus will cost $299 with a phone contract. Prices for previous versions of the iPhone will drop by $100.
新iPhone 6S合约价为199美元(约合人民币1300元),iPhone 6S Plus合约价299美元。老款 iPhone将降价100美元。
Apple introduced its own payment plan called Apple Care Plus. Starting at $32 a month, customers can upgrade their phones every year if they buy them through Apple. The new phones will be available in 12 countries, including the United States, on Sept. 25. They will be available for pre-order starting Sept. 12.
苹果还推出了公司自己的付款方案Apple Care Plus。用户如果通过苹果购买iPhone,每年可以获得升级,而此项服务的起步价是每月32美元。新iPhone将于9月25日在包括美国在内的12个国家推出。预购时间将从9月12日开始。
When Apple unveils its latest iPhones each September, investors closely watch changes to the device in the hope they will be enough to draw in new or repeat buyers. The iPhone, which was first sold in 2007, accounted for 56 percent of the company’s sales in fiscal 2014, making it far and away Apple’s most important product.
每年9月苹果推出最新款iPhone时,投资者都会密切关注升级状况,希望它们足以吸引新老买家。iPhone最初上市是在2007年,到了2014财政年度,它对苹果总销售额的贡献达56%,无疑是公司最重要的产品。
Thanks to the first iteration of the larger-screen iPhone 6 that hit shelves last year, Apple’s fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, when the company had an $18 billion profit, was the most profitable quarter ever for a publicly traded company.
去年推出的第一代大屏iPhone 6,帮助苹果在2014财年第四季度赚取了180亿美元的利润,创下了上市公司历史上最高单季盈利的记录。
“Investors have been rewarded by assuming Apple can continually push the envelope on what a phone and the company can do,” said Michael A. Sansoterra, the chief investment officer at Silvant Capital Management, which owns Apple stock.
“一些投资者觉得苹果可以不断推进iPhone和公司的境界,他们也一直在获得回报,”Silvant资本管理公司首席投资官迈克尔・A・桑索特拉(Michael A. Sansoterra)说。这家公司持有苹果股份。
But meeting those expectations is becoming a bigger challenge. In its most recent quarter, Apple posted quarterly revenue of $49.6 billion and a $10.7 billion profit; iPhone revenue was up 59 percent from the previous year. But those results still fell short of Wall Street estimates, and Apple’s share price tumbled 4 percent in the following day of trading.
但是,达到这些期望的难度也在与日俱增。上个季度,苹果公司的营收为496亿美元,利润为107亿美元,iPhone带来的营收同比增长了59%。但这样的业绩仍低于华尔街预期,苹果公司的股价在接下来的那个交易日下跌了4%。
Mr. Cook also presented a new, beefed-up Apple TV, which represents the company’s most ambitious effort yet to become the focal point of home entertainment systems. Apple TV already streams videos and music. Now it is set to offer up video games, shopping and travel tools, and user-generated content like live streaming through an expanded array of apps.
库克还在发布会上展示了加强版的新款Apple TV。这款产品代表着苹果公司为成为家庭娱乐系统的中心而进行的最为进取的努力。Apple TV已具备播放视频和音乐流媒体的功能,现在将通过扩容的应用来提供视频游戏、购物和旅游工具,以及用户生成的实时流媒体等内容。
“Our vision for TV is simple,” Mr. Cook said. “We believe the future of television is apps.
“我们对TV的设想很简单,”库克说。“我们相信电视的未来就是应用。”
The new version of Apple TV also includes a remote control that could be used as a video game controller. The product now comes with a higher price tag that starts at $149, up from $69, indicating that the company is betting that consumers will think all of the new bells and whistles are worth the higher price.
新款Apple TV还包括一个遥控器,可以用来操控视频游戏。新产品的起售价从之前的69美元提至149美元。这表明苹果确信,消费者会认为所有这些新功能对得起更高的价钱。
Apple also introduced a new iPad Pro tablet device, which Mr. Cook called “the most capable” tablet the company has ever created. With a larger screen and optional keyboard (a feature already found in other tablet devices, like the Microsoft Surface), it becomes a device that’s more useful for the creation of content rather than simply the consumption of content.
苹果还推出了新款平板设备iPad Pro。它被库克称为公司开发的“功能最强大的”平板。这款设备屏幕变大了,并配备了可选键盘(其他一些平板设备,如微软的Surface已具备这一功能),变得更有利于内容生成,而不是单一的内容消费。
“It makes sense for Apple to reveal a new keyboard along with new, larger-screen iPads with faster processors,” said Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company. “The message being that Apple is trying to push the iPad to be more of a PC replacement, a converged device of a tablet notebook that has broader computing powers.”
“苹果推出新键盘和处理器更快的新款大屏iPad是情理之中的事,”桑福德・C・伯恩斯坦公司(Sanford C. Bernstein & Company)的分析师托尼・萨克纳吉(Toni Sacconaghi)说。“它传达的讯息是,苹果正在尝试推动iPad成为更像替代个人电脑的产品,一款平板笔记本的聚合体,拥有更强大的计算能力。
Mr. Sacconaghi added that Apple had long rejected the idea that it would create such a device, but that some of the pieces were already in place. The iPad now runs Microsoft Office software and has a faster processor so it can handle more complex computing tasks.
萨克纳吉还表示,长期以来,苹果一直没有采纳推出这样一款设备的主意,但实际上,其中的一些元素已经有了。iPad现在可以运行微软(Microsoft)的Office软件,处理器也更快,能处理更复杂的计算任务。
Apple’s senior vice president of operations, Jeff Williams, also talked about improvements to the Apple Watch, including a spate of new apps including Facebook Messenger and Airstrip, a health care app that lets doctors coordinate patient care and monitor health data.
苹果负责运营的高级副总裁杰夫・威廉斯(Jeff Williams)还宣讲了对Apple Watch的改进,包括新涌现出的Facebook Messenger和Airstrip等应用。Airstrip是一款健康应用,可以让医生协调对病人的照护,并监测健康数据。
Drawing all of these devices together is Apple’s voice assistant technology, called Siri, with improved search capabilities that were prominently displayed throughout the event, especially on the new Apple TV.
把所有这些设备联系在一起的是苹果的语音助手技术Siri。苹果对其搜索功能进行了改进,并在整场发布会上进行了突出的展示,特别是在新款Apple TV上。
Befitting the Graham auditorium’s history as a music venue, the Apple event also featured a performance from the pop band OneRepublic.
苹果的此次发布活动还有流行乐队OneRepublic的表演,呼应了格雷厄姆礼堂作为音乐厅的历史。