酷兔英语


The boom in laptop computer sales is losing some steam, and not only because of a still-sluggish economy. Some shoppers are spending their money on Apple Inc.'s iPad tablet rather than the low-priced laptops that have fueled sales in recent years.


笔记本电脑销售的旺盛之势正在失去一些热度,这不仅是因为经济迟滞不前。一些买家在购买苹果公司(Apple Inc.)的iPad,而不是价格低廉的笔记本电脑,而近几年笔记本电脑热销。



One is Vanessa Cole, a 31-year-old sales representative in Detroit, whose husband bought her an iPad as a gift in April. She had considered getting a low-priced laptop but said she prefers the iPad 'for the bigger screen and apps' even though the tablet cost more at $499.


一个例子是科尔(Vanessa Cole),她今年31岁,是一名住在底特律的销售代表。她丈夫今年4月给她买了一台iPad作为礼物。此前她曾考虑买一台价格便宜的笔记本电脑,但现在她说,尽管iPad平板电脑价格更高,为499美元,但她更喜欢iPad,因为这种平板电脑屏幕更大、应用程序更多。



Analysts expect Apple to sell 11 million to 12 million iPads this year, more than double many initial estimates, and reach 20 million next year. Samsung Electronics Inc., Dell Inc. and other companies are racing to introduce their own tablets.


分析师预计今年苹果公司将销售1,100万-1,200万台iPad,比许多人的初步预估高出一倍多,明年销量将达到2,000万台。三星电子(Samsung Electronics Inc.)和戴尔(Dell Inc.)等其他公司正竞相推出自己的平板电脑。



The tabletfrenzy contrasts with some indicators for laptops. NPD Group estimates that laptop unit sales in U.S. retail channels rose 12.3% in the first eight months of the year -- well below 30% growth of the year-earlier-period -- and were down 1% in July and August, the peak of the important back-to-school shopping season.


平板电脑狂热与笔记本电脑的一些指标形成鲜明对比。市场调研公司NPD Group估计今年前八个月笔记本电脑在美国零售渠道的销量增长12.3%,远低于上年同期30%的增幅,另外在重要的开学采购季节的高峰期7月和8月,销量下降1%。



Big computer chip suppliers, Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc., have recently warned of weak consumer demand and lowered their revenue forecasts for the third quarter.


大型电脑芯片供应商英特尔(Intel Corp.)和超微半导体(Advanced Micro Devices Inc.)近期都对消费者需求疲弱发出警告,并双双调降了第三季度营收预估。



Market researcher Gartner has trimmed its global forecasts for laptop shipments, but still expects a 26% increase to 214 million units this year. The firm says the average selling price of portable PCs has fallen 6% to $668 from $710 a year ago.


市场研究机构Gartner调降了笔记本电脑的全球出货量预估,但仍预计今年销量将增长26%至2.14亿台。该机构表示,笔记本电脑的平均售价已从上年同期的710美元下降6%至668美元。



'Laptops are not the blazing growth category they were five years ago, but they're not going away either,' Staples Inc. Chief Executive Ronald Sargent said in an interview. 'For business use, you are still going to need a laptop.'


办公用品销售商史泰博(Staples Inc.)首席执行长萨金特(Ronald Sargent)在接受采访时说,笔记本电脑不再是五年前销售强劲增长的用品,但它们也没有消失。在商业用途上,人们还需要笔记本电脑。



IPad sales remain just a fraction of total portablecomputer sales, but industry executives expect the competition for consumer dollars to become more important next year, as more tablet options emerge.


IPad销售目前仍只占笔记本总销量的一小部分,但业界高管预计,明年对消费者资金的争夺将更重要,因为届时将有更多平板电脑的选择。



The biggest impact so far appears to be on 'netbook' computers, which run the same software as conventional laptops but have smaller displays and typically cost less than $400.


迄今受影响最大的似乎是上网本,这种电脑运行与传统电脑一样的软件,但显示屏更小,售价通常不到400美元。



Intel Chief Executive Paul Otellini said in a recent interview that netbook growth is now 'sloping off.' The Consumer Electronics Association predicts U.S. retail sales of netbooks, which more than doubled last year, will decline 12% this year.


英特尔首席执行长欧德宁(Paul Otellini)最近在接受采访时说,目前上网本的销售增幅正在下降。美国消费电子协会(Consumer Electronics Association)预计,今年美国上网本的零售销售将下降12%。去年上网本的销售增长逾一倍。



Both netbooks and tablets have been promoted with a similar pitch: that many consumers only need a simple device for surfing the Web and enjoying Internet content. Apple's device pushes the notion the furthest, dispensing with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system and a keyboard.


人们以相似的优点为卖点推销上网本和平板电脑:许多消费者只需要可以上网浏览和查看网络内容的简单设备。苹果IPad在最大程度上推动了这一理念,甚至摒弃了微软(Microsoft Corp.)的视窗操作系统和键盘。



But some customers say they don't mind. Meghan Allen, a 31-year old New York resident said she has been using her iPad as her primary computing device since she received it as gift in June.


但一些客户说他们并不在意。今年31岁的纽约居民艾伦(Meghan Allen)说,自从6月作为礼物获得iPad以来,她就把这种平板电脑当作她的主要电脑设备使用。



'I carry it around everywhere,' Ms. Allen said, adding that she has stopped using her MacBook laptop. She liked her iPad so much she persuaded her husband to buy another one for himself.


艾伦说,我带着它四处走。并补充说,她已不再使用她的MacBook笔记本电脑了,她非常喜欢iPad,以致于劝说丈夫为他自己买一台。



Tablets are far from the only factor weighing on laptop sales. Some consumers view laptops as a commoditized necessity, rather than sexy or stylish.


平板电脑远不是打压笔记本电脑销售的唯一因素,一些消费者认为,笔记本电脑是商业需求,既不性感也不时髦。



'Unless you are a gamer or have some special need for horsepower, you may not see a reason to upgrade what you have,' said Stephen Baker, NPD's chief electronics analyst.


NPD首席电子产品分析师贝克(Stephen Baker)说,除非你是一位玩家,或对功率有一些特殊要求,否则你可能没有理由升级你目前的电脑。



Mr. Baker, who recently conducted a survey examining the impact of the iPad, said the research suggests a substantial but far less sizable impact from Apple's device: roughly 13% of iPad buyers would otherwise have purchased a new PC.


贝克近期进行了检验iPad影响的调查,他说研究显示,iPad有实质的、但远未成规模的影响:大约13%的iPad买家还另外购买了一台新电脑。



'It's not a number to sneeze at, but it's obviously not the only reason the PC market went south,' he said.


他说,这是不能轻视的数据,但显然不是电脑市场下滑的唯一原因。



Consumers will have even more tablet choices to consider next year, which Mr. Baker and others expect to add pressure on laptop sales. Research in Motion Ltd., Samsung, Acer Inc., Toshiba Corp. and Dell have all announced tablets.


消费者明年将有更多平板电脑选择,贝克和其他人预计这将使笔记本电脑销售承受更多压力。Research in Motion Ltd.、三星电子、宏基(Acer Inc.)、东芝(Toshiba Corp.)和戴尔均宣布了推出平板电脑的计划。



Yukari Iwatani Kane / Miguel Bustillo