打算添置笔记本的读者们，这次我的秋季选购指南有个好消息：下滑中的笔记本市场此前那些令人困惑的变化已经足够明朗；如果你需要添置笔记本，那现在或许就是出手的时候。微软(Microsoft)和苹果(Apple)先后发布了他们改进后的操作系统，不过这些调整并不大，不需要花很多时间上手。英特尔(Intel)也推出了新的处理器，能够显著提升Windows和Mac笔记本的电池续航时间。
There's good news for laptop buyers in my fall guide this time: The confusing changes in the sagging laptop industry have settled down enough that if you need one, now may be the time to buy one.
尽管触摸屏Windows 8笔记本的价格仍然高达1000美元以上，尤其是那些最为轻薄的款式，但它们似乎也有所降价，而且你也可以找到很多售价600至900美元的产品选择。各家商店已经停止推广大多数较为笨重的融合笔记本与平板电脑的笔记本。
Microsoft and Apple are launching tweaked versions of their operating systems, but they aren't radical changes this time that require a lot of new learning. And Intel has introduced new processors, which greatly enhance laptop battery life on both Windows and Mac models.
简单的说，如果你以前觉得融合两种用户界面的Windows 8让你困惑，那情况还是没有改变。新的改进版操作系统叫Windows 8.1，也是构建在同样的基础设计上。微软仍然把大部分精力放在平板风格的开始界面上，这是为触摸屏优化的，在平板上运行比笔记本更好。
While prices of touch-screen Windows 8 laptops can still surge above $1,000, especially for the thinnest models, they seem to have eased a bit and you can find plenty of choices between $600 and $900. The stores have stopped pushing most of the clumsier tablet-laptop hybrids.
但微软也对抱怨的用户做出了让步，允许开机的时候跳过开始界面，直接进入熟悉的Windows桌面——如果你能找到这一隐藏选项的话。
Let me be clear: If you found Windows 8 with its dual user interfaces confusing, you still will. The new, modified version called Windows 8.1 is built on the same fundamental design. And Microsoft is still putting most of its emphasis on the tabletlike Start screen, which works best with a touch screen and much better on a tablet than on a laptop.
以下是这个秋季选购笔记本的一些建议。和往常一样，本篇选购指南是面向从事常规任务的普通用户，而不是企业IT员工或是从事视频制作等重度任务的用户。
But in a concession to rebellious users, the company has made it possible to bypass the Start screen at startup and go right to the familiar Windows desktop-provided you can find the buried setting that permits this.
处理器
So here are some tips on what to look for in a laptop this fall. As always, this guide is meant for average users doing typical tasks, not corporate IT staffs, or people doing heavy-duty work like video production.
如果你在意笔记本的电池续航时间，那就找配备英特尔称之为第四代酷睿(Core)处理器的机型。今年6月，我曾测试过最早使用这一芯片的一款笔记本——苹果新款Macbook Air。当时在我的严格电池测试中，新款Air电池续航时间延长了65%，一次充电坚持了超过10个小时。而极为轻薄的索尼Windows 8笔记本坚持了近六个小时。
Processors
由于和上一代芯片一样被命名为酷睿i3、i5和i7，因为很难辨别哪些笔记本使用了新一代处理器。但可以看笔记本上是否有重新设计的"Intel Inside"标贴。
If you care about battery life in a laptop, look for what Intel calls its 4th Generation Core processors. Back in June, when I tested one of the first laptops to adopt this chip-Apple's MacBook Air-it racked up a 65% gain in battery life and lasted over 10 hours on a single charge in my harsh battery test. A paper-thin Sony running Windows 8 lasted nearly six hours.
配备新的电池性能更强芯片的笔记本机型会带有一个纵长形的蓝色标贴，顶部有一个金色条；而以前的标贴是横着的，金色条出现在中部。普通用户应该选择i5处理器的笔记本。
It can be hard to tell which laptops have these new processors since they are still named Core i3, i5 and i7, just like the last generation. Look for a redesigned 'Intel Inside' sticker on the laptop.
Windows和Mac
Models with the new, battery-boosting chips have a more vertical blue sticker with a gold band across the top edge, as opposed to the older horizontal sticker with a gold band in the middle. Typical users should choose an i5 version.
与Windows笔记本厂商不同，苹果在Macbook上坚持使用标准屏幕，而把诸多触控手势内置到了面积巨大、运转顺畅的触控板上。
Windows vs. Mac
Mac从来都不是最便宜的笔记本，999美元起售。而且只有两个系列，外形轻薄的Macbook Air和性能强劲的Macbook Pro。
Unlike Windows vendors, Apple has stuck with standard screens and built its many touch gestures into the large, smooth-running touch pads on its MacBooks.
如果你更喜欢Window 8，寻求多种款式，或是想省钱，那你应当选择Windows笔记本。
As always, Macs aren't the cheapest laptops, starting at $999. And they only come in two lines, the thinner, lighter MacBook Air and the beefier MacBook Pro.
但苹果笔记本性能卓越、可靠、多能，比Windows PC不容易遭受病毒侵袭。苹果新品笔记本都使用了新的第四代英特尔处理器。
If you prefer Windows 8, are looking for variety, or are on a budget, you want a Windows laptop.
苹果还推出了新版操作系统Mavericks，据称运行速度更快，改进了内置应用，还加入了两个iPhone和iPad应用的Mac版本：iBooks和Maps。
But the Macs are excellent, reliable, versatile products and far less susceptible to viruses than Windows PCs. Apple is using the new 4th Generation Intel processors.
触摸屏
The company has a new version of its operating system, called Mavericks, which claims greater speed, improvements to the built-in apps and Mac versions of two iPhone and iPad apps: iBooks and Maps.
你不再需要购买触摸屏款式才能充分利用Windows 8笔记本。Windows 8.1可以让你直接进入熟悉的桌面模式，更适合键盘与鼠标使用。而鼠标与键盘也适用于Windows基于触控的功能。
Touch Screens
如果你预计自己会花很多时间在开始界面以及上面的平板风格应用，那我建议你使用触摸屏笔记本。
You no longer need to buy a touch-screen laptop to get the most out of a Windows 8 laptop. Windows 8.1 allows you to boot directly into the familiar desktop, which is best used with a keyboard and mouse. And the mouse and keyboard will work for the touch-centric parts of Windows.
可插拔
If you expect to spend a lot of time in the Start screen and the tabletlike apps that live there, I advise using a touch screen.
另一方面，我确实喜欢屏幕可插拔、可用作平板的Windows 8笔记本设计。这些被称为可插拔笔记本(detachable)的机型正在不断改进，价格也在逐渐下调。
Detachables
我曾短暂测试过一款有趣的可插拔机型——349美元起售的华硕(Asus)Transformer Book T100，但我没有进行详尽评测。这是一款搭载完整Windows 8.1系统的10英寸平板，可以扣入一个笔记本键盘中。
On the other hand, I do like the idea of Windows 8 laptops in which the screen can be removed and used as a tablet. These machines, called detachables, are getting better and less expensive.
价格
One interesting model I tried briefly-but did not thoroughly test-is the Asus Transformer Book T100, which starts at $349. It's a 10-inch tabletrunning full Windows 8.1 that snaps into a laptop keyboard.
你依然可以花250美元或300美元的低价买到一台Windows笔记本，但我并不建议这样做，因为它们通常使用过时或质量较差的部件。
Price
价格适中的区间是500美元到700美元左右。配备触摸屏、最新处理器或者外形最为轻薄的笔记本价格最高。
You can still buy Windows laptops for as little as $250 or $300, but I don't recommend it because they tend to use old or lower-quality components.
结论
A good midrange price is around $500 to $700. Touch-screen models and those with the latest processors, or the thinnest and lightest bodies, run highest.
现在可以放心再次购买笔记本了。但要注意一下笔记本上的英特尔标贴。
Bottom Line
Walt Mossberg
It's safe to buy a laptop again. Just pay attention to those Intel stickers.
Walt Mossberg
- learning [´lə:niŋ]
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- enhance [in´hɑ:ns] vt.提高，增加；增进 (英语六级单词)
- rebellious [ri´beljəs] a.造反的；反叛的 (英语六级单词)
- susceptible [sə´septəbəl] a.敏感的；易受影响的 (英语六级单词)
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