1000美元iPhone將考驗“果粉”忠誠度

Apple will this week test its customers’ loyalty, buying power and enthusiasm for innovation when it unveils the first iPhone to cost as much as $1,000.

蘋果(Apple)本周將考驗客戶的忠誠度、購買力以及對創(chuàng)新的熱情，發(fā)布第一款售價高達1000美元的iPhone。

Tuesday’s event at Apple’s new Cupertino headquarters is expected to reveal its much-anticipated 10th-anniversary iPhone, offering significant upgrades to the smartphone’s display, camera and overall design.

9月12日，蘋果將在位于庫比蒂諾(Cupertino)的新總部舉行產(chǎn)品發(fā)布會，屆時備受期待的10周年紀(jì)念版iPhone預(yù)計將會亮相，這款智能手機的顯示屏、攝像頭和總體設(shè)計都會有重大升級。

The high-end model is an addition to Apple’s line-up, alongside more incremental updates to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus released last year.

這款高端機型將成為蘋果產(chǎn)品陣容的一名新成員，加入去年發(fā)布的、升級步伐較小的iPhone 7和iPhone 7 Plus的行列。

Analysts believe the launch will help Apple to overcome its growth problem of the last two years. In markets such as America and Europe, where smartphone ownership is close to saturation and many customers are holding on to their existing handsets for longer, the best way to drive faster revenue growth is by charging more for each device, rather than simply relying on unit growth.

分析師們認(rèn)為，這次新機發(fā)布將有助于蘋果克服過去兩年的增長問題。在像美國和歐洲這樣的市場上，智能手機的擁有量已趨近飽和，很多客戶不再頻繁更換現(xiàn)有手機，推動更快收入增長的最佳途徑就是提高單位價格，而不是單純地依靠出貨量。

At the same time, Apple is bringing in costly new components. These include an OLED display that makes the front of the phone into one continuous screen. Depth-sensing cameras will offer new “augmented reality” features and allow the device to be unlocked by face recognition, instead of fingerprint.

與此同時，蘋果正在引入昂貴的新組件，包括OLED顯示屏，使手機正面成為一個連續(xù)屏幕。深度感應(yīng)攝像頭將提供“增強現(xiàn)實”新功能，并允許手機通過人臉識別(而不是指紋)解鎖。

At least one model of the next iPhone is expected to feature image-capture technology that can sense depth, and track faces and expressions. A range of new emojis include monkeys and robots, whose animated expressions can mirror the iPhone user’s face as Apple battles for users’ attention with the likes of Facebook and Snapchat.

預(yù)計新一代iPhone中，將至少有一款采用人臉識別技術(shù)，這種圖像捕捉技術(shù)能夠感知深度，并追蹤人臉及表情。隨著蘋果與Facebook和Snapchat等公司爭奪用戶的關(guān)注度，新一代iPhone將增加一系列包括猴子和機器人的新表情符號，其動畫表情能夠反映iPhone用戶的臉。

More advanced components are in short supply, however, which could leave many customers waiting long after September to get hold of the new iPhone. That presents an opportunity for rivals such as Samsung’s new Note 8 or Essential, the smartphone maker led by Android co-founder Andy Rubin, which is targeting premium customers such as Apple’s with its slick $699 device. Google is also said to be preparing a new version of its Pixel smartphone, which has proved popular with early adopters.

然而，由于這些先進的新組件供應(yīng)緊張，可能會讓許多客戶在9月之后才能等到新款iPhone。這給Essential或三星(Samsung) Note 8等競爭對手帶來了機會;Essential是由安卓(Android)操作系統(tǒng)的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人安迪•魯賓(Andy Rubin)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的智能手機制造商，該公司正以其售價699美元的時尚新機型瞄準(zhǔn)蘋果等競爭對手的高端客戶。據(jù)信谷歌(Google)也在籌備新版Pixel智能手機，這款手機很受早期試用者歡迎。