酷兔英语


Microsoft is still stumbling along. But PC troubles should trip it up eventually, unless new products catch on faster than they are today.


软(Microsoft)仍然在蹒跚前行。但个人电脑方面的麻烦最终会令其失足跌到,除非其推出的新产品获得普遍接受的速度能比眼下更快。



The software giant late Thursday reported results for its fiscal second quarter ended in December. It said sales of the Windows operating system and Office software, Microsoft's two key profit drivers, increased 11% and 3%, respectively, versus the prior year and factoring in deferred revenue. That was despite a 6% fourth-quarter drop in world-wide PC sales, according to IDC.


这家软件巨头周四晚些时候公布了截止于去年12月的第二财季业绩报告。微软表示,其两个关键的利润增长点Windows操作系统和Office办公软件的销售收入分别同比上升11%和3%(已将递延收入计算在内)。国际数据公司(IDC)的数据显示,去年四季度全球个人电脑销售下滑6%。



Microsoft can buck the PC trend a little while since some PC users still need to upgrade soon-to-be-unsupported versions of Windows. But 60% already have moved to the more-recent Windows 7, according to Microsoft, so those upgrades should slow before long.


由于部分个人电脑用户仍然需要将很快就不会得到微软支持的老版Windows系统进行升级,因此虽然个人电脑势头疲软,但微软还是能在未来一段时间内逆势前行。但微软称,60%的用户已经升级到较新一代的Windows 7操作系统,所以不要多久用户升级的速度就会降下来。



When that happens, touch-friendly Windows 8, the latest version, has to pick up the slack. But it isn't clear from the latest quarter, the first in which Windows 8 was available, whether it can catch on.


届时有利于触屏操作的最新一代Windows 8操纵系统就要接过提振公司业绩的重担。但从刚刚公布的季报看(这也是Windows 8上市销售的首个季度),目前还不清楚Windows 8是否能获得用户普遍接受。



And if Microsoft's new Surface tablet had sold well in what was also its first quarter on the market, the company would likely have disclosed unit sales. It didn't. And a potentially more popular version of the Surface, which is compatible with more apps, won't be released until February.


如果微软推出的全新Surface平板电脑销售状况良好(这也是Surface上市销售的首个季度),那么微软可能披露其销售数据。但事实并非如此。而可能更受欢迎且兼容更多应用程序的新一代Surface要到今年2月才会推出。



Meanwhile, Microsoft's oft forgotten but plenty profitable 'server and tools' business didn't perform as well as some had hoped. This segment selling server and other corporate software generates a quarter of revenue and operating profit. It probably should have seen a bigger lift in the December quarter considering the release of new server software.


与此同时,微软那常常被人遗忘却十分有利可图的"服务器系列产品和工具"业务并没有像一些人此前希望的那样表现出色。微软这一销售服务器和其它企业软件的业务为该公司贡献了四分之一的收入和运营利润。考虑到微软推出了新服务器软件,在截止于去年12月的第二财季里该业务本应有更大的提升。



What's more, Microsoft still looks a long way from grabbing meaningful market share in smartphones. That, plus traction from other new products, would allay fears the company's prospects are soft.


更重要的是,微软离占据智能手机市场具有意义的份额这一目标还有很长的距离。此外加上其它几款新产品的势头良好,这都可能减轻市场关于其前景疲软的担忧。



ROLFE WINKLER


ROLFE WINKLER