微软借Windows Phone 8再战智能手机市场

    微软（Microsoft）的幸运之处在于，Windows Phone 8的推介会没有安排在飓风桑迪肆虐的纽约举行。但这并不意味着其最新款手机操作系统的前景一片光明。

    科技巨头微软正拼尽全力，试图重新主导不断变化的计算机市场。如今，这个市场上唱主角的不再是PC机，而是平板电脑和智能手机。微软在本周一上午举行的发布会上公布了若干新手机功能，但没有公布任何此前尚未发布的新款手机。不过，最令人印象深刻的还是微软在吸引开发者方面所取得的进展。Windows Phone 8将搭载经过优化的新版Facebook、Twitter及潘多拉（Pandora）等应用。而《神庙逃亡》（Temple Run）、《愤怒的小鸟》（Angry Birds）、Urban Spoon和LivingSocial等大受欢迎的应用也将首次亮相。微软表示，Windows Phone应用程序商店已拥有12万应用，最受欢迎的前 50款应用程序中，有46款都可以在微软应用程序商店找到。

    微软Windows Phone项目经理乔•贝尔菲奥里在周一的活动中称：“这对我们而言是一个巨大的进展。”

    不少即将上市的Windows Phone 8手机，例如诺基亚（Nokia）的Lumia系列，已经收获了不少积极评价。相比于其它智能手机，Windows Phone 8的用户界面令人耳目一新。不过，缺少足够的应用程序仍是不争的事实。虽然微软承诺更多应用程序即将上市，但许多开发者都坦言对最新款的Windows Phone系统仍持“观望态度”。 Windows Phone 8目前的应用程序数为12万，与苹果（Apple）iPhone高达70万的应用数相比，仍然相去甚远。

    Windows Phone 8还带来了一系列新功能：个性化锁屏界面，可以在锁屏时显示Facebook通知；磁贴界面将提供更多的个性化选项，此外，还有“儿童中心”，家长可以专门为孩子定制智能手机。诺基亚（Nokia）、宏达电（HTC）和三星（Samsung）的Windows Phone 8手机将在接下来几个月陆续上市。

    不过，微软投下重注的不仅仅是智能手机。全新的Windows 8战略横跨PC、平板电脑和手机三大平台，将向用户提供一致的、以磁贴界面和应用程序驱动为中心的体验。图片和文档能在三大平台上随时同步，用户将获得“天衣无缝的”体验。

    毫无疑问，微软目前已经到了性命攸关的时刻。它孤注一掷，豪赌消费者们将在其所有个人设备上安装新的Windows 8系统。微软首席执行官史蒂夫•鲍尔默在参加公司发布会时称，看到微软零售店前排起的长龙时，自己非常“振奋”。调研机构弗雷斯特研究公司（Forrester Research）称，虽然微软到2016年时仍能占据90%的PC市场份额，但预计它在智能手机市场仅能占据14%的销售份额。当然，微软一定会不遗余力地推广Windows 8：例如重金招揽开发者为其开发应用程序、耗费巨资进行广告推广活动。

    鲍尔默许诺说：“Windows 8、Surface和Windows Phone 8推广期间，不论是观看电视还是翻阅杂志，肯定都会看到Microsoft Windows的广告。”

    译者：项航

    Lucky for Microsoft, its Windows Phone 8 launch event was not scheduled for stormy New York. But that doesn't mean prospects for the latest version of its mobile operating system aren't cloudy.

    The tech giant is throwing all its weight behind new efforts to reclaim dominance in the changing computing market, where tablets and smartphones -- not PCs -- rule. At its launch event on Monday morning, Microsoft (MSFT) unveiled several new mobile features, but no phones that hadn't already been announced. Most impressive though, was the progress Microsoft has made with getting more developers on board. Windows Phone 8 will come with new, optimized Facebook (FB), Twitter and Pandora (P) apps. For the first time, it will also feature popular apps like Temple Run, Angry Birds, Urban Spoon and LivingSocial. According to the company, 46 of the top 50 apps will be available on its app store, which now has a total 120,000 apps.

    "That's huge progress for us," said Joe Belfiore, manager of Microsoft's Windows Phone program, at Monday's event.

    Some of the upcoming Windows Phone 8 devices, like Nokia's (NOK) Lumia line of phones, have received decent reviews, and the operating system's interface offers a different approach to the look and feel of most smartphones. But Microsoft has been criticized for its lack of mobile applications. The new apps are promising, but many developers say they are still taking a "wait and see approach" with the latest version of Windows Phone. And 120,000 is still a far cry from the 700,000 apps found on Apple's (AAPL) iPhones.

    Other new Windows Phone 8 features include a personalized lock screen that shows Facebook notifications, more personalization options for its "tile" interface and "Kid's Corner," a child-friendly mode for smartphones. Devices that run on Windows Phone 8, made by Nokia, HTC and Samsung, will be launching over the next few weeks.

    But Microsoft's big bet isn't just on smartphones. Its new, Windows 8 strategy encompasses PCs, tablets and phones, which will all have a similar, tiles and app-centric feel. Photos and documents will sync across all three platforms, giving users a "connected experience."

    It's clear the company has a lot at stake, and is making a gamble on consumers embracing the new platform across all of their personal devices. Chief executive officer Steve Ballmer, who also took the stage at the company's launch event, said he is "heartened" to see the lines at Microsoft stores. But while Microsoft will still own nearly 90% of the PC market in 2016, it is expected to take in just 14% of smartphone sales by that year, according to analyst firm Forrester Research (FORR). Still, there's no doubt Microsoft will do whatever it takes -- paying developers to create apps for its platform, and shelling out millions of dollars on an aggressive ad campaign, for example -- to get some momentum behind Windows 8.

    "Between Windows 8, Surface and Windows Phone 8," Ballmer promised, "you won't be able to turn on a TV or open a magazine withough seeing a Microsoft Windows ad."