蘋果9月發(fā)布會(huì)的5大傳聞盤點(diǎn)
????秋天對(duì)于不同的人來說具有不同的意義。然而,對(duì)于很多科技文化人來說,他們可能會(huì)在今年的9月迎來新一代iPhone的發(fā)布。確實(shí),如果猜測(cè)沒有錯(cuò)的話,下個(gè)月的新聞應(yīng)該要比過去幾年的新聞更有看頭。蘋果(Apple)最終會(huì)推出新的廉價(jià)iPhone嗎?高端機(jī)型會(huì)配備指紋感應(yīng)技術(shù)嗎?蘋果商店里還有什么別的新產(chǎn)品?然而,在蘋果所公布的9月10日發(fā)布會(huì)召開之前,我們也只能拿傳聞來安慰一下自己?,F(xiàn)將各大博客圈津津樂道的傳聞總結(jié)如下: 全新的廉價(jià)iPhone 消息到底屬實(shí)還是誤導(dǎo)性傳聞?一年來,分析師、權(quán)威人士和各大博客一直都在討論全新的“廉價(jià)”iPhone,也就是被媒體普遍提到的iPhone 5C。去年1月,Topeka Capital Markets公司分析師布萊恩?懷特向《財(cái)富》雜志(Fortune)透露,這類產(chǎn)品在中國有著巨大的市場(chǎng)機(jī)遇,因?yàn)楫?dāng)?shù)仄胀ㄏM(fèi)者的可支配收入并不多。最近,美國投資銀行派杰的吉恩?蒙斯特指出,這款新機(jī)型可以取代上一代的4S機(jī)型,而且可能不會(huì)安裝語音助手Siri這類軟件。 指紋感應(yīng)器 去年,蘋果以3.5億美元收購了指紋感應(yīng)器制造商奧森科技(AuthenTec Inc.),一些人曾經(jīng)琢磨過這種技術(shù)會(huì)通過什么樣的方式整合到iPhone、iPad和相關(guān)產(chǎn)品當(dāng)中。凱基證券(KGI Securities)認(rèn)為,新的高端iPhone——姑且稱其為iPhone5S——將整合一種感應(yīng)器,從而讓用戶在登錄的時(shí)候只需簡(jiǎn)單地把手指按在屏幕上即可。這種安全功能無疑更為迅速、便捷,而且比目前輸入4位密碼的方法更安全。 不同的顏色 蘋果偶爾也會(huì)使用繽紛的色彩。(遠(yuǎn)的不用說,如今iPod Touch或iPod nano就是例證。)而關(guān)于iPhone的傳聞顯示,新機(jī)型可能會(huì)在黑白顏色基礎(chǔ)上增加其他的顏色。但不管怎么說,按照科學(xué)家的說法,黑與白在嚴(yán)格意義上來說并不能算是顏色。5C可能會(huì)擁有一系列顏色,跟Touch和Nano差不多;5S可能會(huì)增加金色邊框的機(jī)型。 更大的屏幕 蘋果去年秋天推出iPhone5時(shí),公司的工業(yè)設(shè)計(jì)高級(jí)副總裁喬納森?艾維曾解釋了為什么4英寸是屏幕的甜蜜地帶:“通過拉長而不是加寬屏幕,人們可以看到更多的內(nèi)容,而且可以舒適地用單手操作?!钡歉?jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的機(jī)型證明,很大一部分用戶更愿意使用屏幕更大的智能手機(jī)。也就是說,雖然三星(Samsung)5寸屏機(jī)型Galaxy S4的銷量低于分析師的預(yù)期,但它還是在推出后一個(gè)月內(nèi)賣出了1,000萬部。至于蘋果,有報(bào)道稱新iPhone——或者至少是iPhone的其中一種——可能會(huì)配備4.5-5英寸的屏幕。 新iPod Touch 一些博客呼吁蘋果完全停產(chǎn)iPod Touch,然而,蘋果很有可能不會(huì)在短期內(nèi)抹殺這款外觀酷似iPhone的音樂播放器。5月,蘋果宣布,自2007年底Touch上市以來,這款設(shè)備的銷量已經(jīng)達(dá)到了1億部。很明顯,此類設(shè)備的需求依然存在。因此蘋果有可能會(huì)引進(jìn)新的Touch,同時(shí)對(duì)它的內(nèi)部元件進(jìn)行小幅度的升級(jí),從而沿襲公司的一貫傳統(tǒng),即在發(fā)布會(huì)行將結(jié)束時(shí)來一句喬布斯式的“還有件事”。(喬布斯在蘋果發(fā)布會(huì)快要結(jié)束時(shí)都會(huì)說“還有件事”——譯注)(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))??? |
????Fall holds different meanings for different people, but for many technorati, this September will likely see the unveiling of another all-new iPhone. Indeed, next month's news may prove more newsworthy than years past if some of the speculation is right. Will Apple (AAPL) finally introduce a new, cheaper iPhone? Could the high-end model sport fingerprint-sensing technology? What else is in store? ????Until Apple's reported September 10 event, we'll have to content ourselves with the rumors. Here's a roundup of what the blogosphere is currently salivating over: An all-new, cheap iPhone Truth or misguided gossip? Analysts, pundits, and blogs have long talked about a new, "cheap" -- largely dubbed in the press as the iPhone 5C -- iPhone for over a year now. Last January, Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White told Fortune that there's substantial market opportunity abroad in China for such a product, where the average consumer doesn't have as large a discretionary income. More recently, Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster suggested such a device would replace the older 4S model and possibly exclude software features like the voice-activated assistant Siri. Fingerprint sensor When Apple acquired fingerprint-sensor maker AuthenTec Inc. for $350 million last year, some wondered how such technology could find its way into iPhones, iPads and the like. KGI Securities argues the new high-end iPhone -- let's just call it the iPhone 5S -- will integrate a sensor allowing users to potentially log in by simply pressing a finger to the screen. A security feature like that would prove even quicker, easier, and more secure than the current method of inputting a four-digit code. Different colors Once in a while, Apple likes to get colorful. (Look no further than today's iPod Touch or iPod nano as proof.) The buzz around the crop of iPhones is that they may come in flavors other than black and white, which let's face it, aren't even technically colors, according to scientists. The 5C could come in an array of hues not unlike the Touch or nano; the 5S could expand to models with a gold frame. A larger screen When Apple announced the iPhone 5 last fall, Jony Ive, senior vice president of design, explained why 4 inches was a sweet spot: "By making the screen taller, but not wider, you can see more of your content but still comfortably use it with one hand." But as devices from competitors bear out, there's a large swath of users who prefer their smartphones screens even larger. To wit, although sales of Samsung's 5-inch Galaxy S4 are lower than analysts expected, the company still sold 10 million units within a month of launch. In Apple's case, reports claim the new iPhone -- or at least one iPhone -- may sport a screen between 4.5- to 5-inches. New iPod Touch Some bloggers are calling for the end of the iPod Touch entirely, but more likely than not, Apple won't kill its iPhone-like music player any time soon. This May, Apple reported it had sold 100 million units since the Touch hit the market in late 2007. Clearly, demand for the device is still there, so chances are Apple will introduce a new Touch with slightly-beefed up parts inside, keeping in lockstep with the company's oft-held tradition of tossing in a Jobs-ian "one more thing" toward the end. |