iPad Air遭遇尴尬的优秀

    如果你是无可争议的平板电脑市场领袖，你要如何超越自己？重新设计畅销产品，让它更快、更薄、更轻，再给它起一个彰显“改变”的名字。

    这就是苹果（Apple）在iPad Air上采取的策略。这款上周末开始发售的9.7英寸平板电脑只有1磅（约0.45千克）重，0.29英寸（约0.7厘米）厚——比去年的款式几乎轻了一半，薄了20%。16GB Wi-Fi版售价499美元，16GB的4G蜂窝网络版售价629美元，往上直到128GB的4G蜂窝网络版售价929美元。

    多年来，苹果的设计师对iPad的升级往往比较谨慎，通常是一些小修小改：这里把机身改薄一点，那里把后背弄平一点。Air如今已经近似于7英寸的iPad mini了，甚至连钻石切割的削边都非常像——这是件好事。它不仅让整个系列产品看起来更加统一，还关注了微小的设计细节。比如，屏幕两旁的宽边现在也变窄了。

    Air的重量已经与iPad Mini 0.75磅（约0.34千克）的羽量级相去不远，这个改变引人注目。尽管用户仍然可能会把它放在膝盖，或是身边的平面上，但这个改变也意味着长时间拿着它已经不再是一个问题。

    机身内部，Air使用了A7处理器，芯片与iPhone 5s一样。苹果表示，64位元架构可以让用户期待整体性能的提高。不过，当更多开发者专门为这款设备编写应用时，性能的提高将会更加显而易见。尽管有着高速A6X处理器的上一代iPad并不逊色，但如今在iOS 7上运行的一切应用，包括流行的虚拟格斗游戏《无尽之刃3》（Infinity Blade III），都会更加出色。比如，绚丽的动画效果会让老款的iPhone 4和4s运转吃力，但在这款机器上却非常流畅。应用的加载速度更快，各应用间的切换也毫无延迟。而且，更高的性能并不以更快的耗电量为代价：我用了几天Air，每次充电都可以用10个半小时。

    不过，考虑到市场的竞争之激烈——竞争者还包括苹果自己的现有产品iPad Mini——Air并不像两年前那样是当仁不让的购买选择。考虑到用户的需求和偏好，更小的平板电脑如Mini也许会更加适合。同时，亚马逊（Amazon）也进取心十足，发布自己的新款Kindle Fire，提供了一个更便宜的选择。它的软件尽管不够精美，却足够好用，硬件速度也很快。而且，价格也比苹果便宜。

    不过，这些并不意味着Air的用户就会对他们新买的轻薄产品失望，可能正好相反。不过顾客在掏腰包之前，已经有更多可靠的选择可以考虑了。(财富中文网）

    译者：严匡正        

    If you're the undisputed tablet market leader, how do you one-up yourself? Redesign your bestselling product so that it's faster, thinner, and lighter and give it a name that screams "change."

    That's what Apple (AAPL) did with the iPad Air. The 9.7-inch tablet, which began shipping late last week, now weighs 1 lb and is just 0.29 inches thick -- almost half a pound lighter and 20% thinner than last year's model. Pricing starts at $499 for the 16-gigabyte Wi-Fi version and $629 for the 16 GB version with 4G cellular network connectivity, going all the way up to $929 for a 128 GB version with 4G cellular network capability.

    Over the years, Apple's industrial designers have approached the iPad somewhat gingerly, with some minor nips and tucks: a slightly thinner body here or flatter back there. The Air closely resembles the 7-inch iPad mini now, down to the diamond-cut chamfered edges -- and that's a good thing. Not only does this give the product line a more uniform look, it also takes care of minor design quibbles. The thick borders on either side of the screen are slimmer, for one.

    The Air's new weight brings it within spitting distance of the iPad Mini's 0.75 lb. featherweight status, and the change is immediately noticeable. Although users are still likely to prop it in their laps or on a surface close to them, it also means holding it for long periods is much less of an issue.

    Inside, the Air uses an A7 processor, the same chip found in the iPhone 5s. With 64-bit architecture, Apple says users can expect improvements in overall performance, but huge performance gains will become noticeable as more developers code apps specifically for it. While the previous iPad was no slouch with its brisk A6X processor, now everything on iOS 7, including the popular virtual brawler Infinity Blade III, hums along. For instance, all those whiz-bang animations, which make older model iPhones 4 and 4s struggle, are buttery-smooth here. Apps launch faster, and switching among them is lag-free. The faster performance doesn't come at the expense of battery life: I used the Air for several days and scored 10.5 hours of use between charges.

    Still, given how competitive the market has become -- including incumbents like Apple's own iPad Mini -- the Air isn't the surefire purchase it would have been just two years ago. Depending on users' needs and preferences, a smaller tablet like the Mini might be a better fit. And Amazon's (AMZN) aggressively updated Kindle Fire line finally offers a viable cheaper alternative that weds capable, if somewhat less-polished software, with blazing fast hardware -- and at a cheaper price point than Apple, too.

    That doesn't mean Air users will be disappointed with their new, chamfered purchase. Likely far from it. But there are more solid tablet options for shoppers to consider before they spend the cash.