苹果将在2018年发布三款新手机

苹果公司（Apple）计划在今年晚些时候发布三款新智能手机：史上最大的iPhone，与目前的iPhoneX尺寸相同的升级版，以及配备部分旗舰手机功能的低价版。

据知情人士透露，越来越多的消费者看中所谓“平板手机”的多任务处理功能，苹果希望通过新品吸引这批消费者，同时迎合对低价版iPhone X替代品存在需求的消费者。

苹果公司正在与供应商进行生产测试，预计将在今年秋季发布新品。知情人士称，苹果仍有可能改变计划。由于讨论公司内部计划，爆料人要求匿名。

去年发布的iPhone X，虽然经过了几个月的连续炒作，但其销量却不及预期。2017年最后一个季度，苹果iPhone手机的销量为7,730万部，低于分析师预测的8,020万部。有消费者虽然喜欢iPhone X的设计，但其1,000美元的售价却令人望而却步，尽管他们想要比售价更低的iPhone 8更尖端的设备。苹果希望通过新品，满足所有消费者的需求，以此来提高手机销量。

Loup Ventures的联合创始人吉尼·姆斯特表示：“这是大手笔。当屏幕尺寸有明显升级时，许多人都会选择对手机进行更新换代。当初的iPhone 6就是这种情况，我们认为这一次也会带来类似的促增长效果。”姆斯特一直在密切关注苹果公司。

他预测苹果新品将带来一个“超级周期” — 10%以上的现有iPhone用户会选择更新换代。他说道：“亚洲市场的销售可能迎来最大增幅，因为许多亚洲消费者只用一部手机，而且他们喜欢大屏手机。”

苹果发言人拒绝发表意见。纽约时间下午2:16，苹果公司的股价上涨了2.1%，涨至179.18美元。

苹果的新款大屏iPhone，屏幕将接近6.5英寸，将是目前市面上最大的主流智能手机之一。这款手机的机身尺寸虽然与iPhone 8 Plus接近，但通过采用iPhone X中的无边框设计，屏幕尺寸扩大了约1英寸。（苹果不会将其称为平板手机。“平板手机”这种说法因为三星（Samsung）的宣传而广为流传。）

更大的屏幕尤其会受到商务人士的欢迎，他们可以在接近小型平板电脑的屏幕上写邮件和管理电子表格。这款新手机可能与iPhone 8 Plus类似，支持个别应用的分屏模式。但更大的手机会侵蚀iPad的销量，这依旧是个问题。iPad的销量最近开始恢复增长。

知情人士透露，大屏iPhone的内部代码为D33，至少部分原型的屏幕分辨率达到1242 x 2688。这将使屏幕的清晰度接近5.8英寸的iPhone X。另外，苹果计划沿用普通款iPhone X采用的OLED技术，但该技术的造价更高。

大屏iPhone将包括iPhone X中的面容ID扫描仪，用于设备解锁和付款。知情人士表示，苹果还准备推出一款普通尺寸iPhone X的升级版，内部代码为D32。这两款手机都将采用下一代A12处理器，并沿用不锈钢边框设计，将是苹果的高端智能手机产品。

苹果公司正在考虑为iPhone X升级版和大屏iPhone手机推出金色版。苹果曾经尝试开发当前iPhone X的金色版，但由于生产问题而被迫放弃。自5s之后推出的所有新款iPhone手机都有金色版，包括iPhone8。金色版尤其受到亚洲消费者的欢迎，这或许有助于促进亚洲市场的销售。但苹果最终仍有可能放弃这种配色。

另外，苹果考虑至少在部分地区，大屏iPhone将支持双卡双待。双卡双待使个别国家的iPhone用户，不需要换卡即可使用不同运营商的网络。该功能尤其在欧亚市场变得日益重要和普遍，因为商务人士经常要往返于不同国家。

不过，苹果尚未最终决定是否支持双卡双待，其也可能会等待E-SIM卡技术成熟。E-SIM卡不需要可更换的电话卡，也能够连接到不同网络。苹果一直希望提供E-SIM卡技术（iPad和Apple Watch中已经采用了这项技术），但部分运营商拒绝将其用于iPhone手机，而苹果需要运营商的支持。双卡双待功能将提供一个折中的解决方案。

苹果新推出的手机将升级操作系统，新系统可能被命名为iOS 12，内部代码为Peace。升级的内容包括更新增强现实功能，深度整合Siri语音助手，增加数字健康监控，支持在FaceTime中使用Animojis等。

苹果推出低价版手机的决定，也表明其意识到目前的入门版iPhone 8与2014年发布的iPhone 6过于类似。这款iPhone 8的边框较厚，没有采用无边框屏幕，与iPhone X和最新款的三星手机相比明显落伍。新款低价版手机将沿用iPhone X的无边框屏幕和面容ID，取消指纹传感器。

姆斯特认为，推出低价版iPhone“是明智的决定，可以完善苹果的产品线。”但他认为低价版iPhone并不会对需求产生明显的影响，因为许多消费者会选择大屏iPhone。

为了降低成本，低价版iPhone将采用与iPhone 8类似的LCD屏幕技术，以及铝合金边框和玻璃背板，而不是iPhone X中使用的更华丽的不锈钢材质。

苹果曾经尝试过低价版iPhone，可惜销售不佳。2013年，苹果推出了聚碳酸酯机身的iPhone 5c，并提供了多种配色。但消费者很快发现，他们只需要多花100美元就可以买一部铝合金机身并且配有慢动作镜头和指纹识别器的5s。因此iPhone 5c很快停产。

这一次，苹果进行了不同的尝试：在价格更低的机身内，包含了消费者最想要的功能 — 面容ID和无边框屏幕。（财富中文网）

译者：刘进龙/汪皓

Apple Inc. s preparing to release a trio of new smartphones later this year: the largest iPhone ever, an upgraded handset the same size as the current iPhone X and a less expensive model with some of the flagship phone’s key features.

With the new lineup, Apple wants to appeal to the growing number of consumers who crave the multitasking attributes of so-called phablets while also catering to those looking for a more affordable version of the iPhone X, according to people familiar with the products.

Apple, which is already running production tests with suppliers, is expected to announce the new phones this fall. The plans could still change, say the people, who requested anonymity to discuss internal planning.

Despite months of breathless hype, the iPhone X hasn’t sold as well as expected since its debut last year. Apple sold 77.3 million iPhones in the final quarter of 2017, below analysts’ projections of 80.2 million units. Some consumers were turned off by the iPhone X’s $1,000 price despite liking the design even as they wanted something more cutting-edge than the cheaper iPhone 8. With its next lineup, Apple is seeking to rekindle sales by offering a model for everyone.

“This is a big deal,” says Gene Munster, a co-founder of Loup Ventures and a long-time Apple watcher. “When you have a measurable upgrade in screen size, people go to update their phone in droves. We saw that with the iPhone 6, and we think this is setting up to be a similar step up in growth.”

Munster predicts a supercycle — which he defines as upgrades by 10 percent or more of Apple’s existing iPhone customers. “The market that will see the biggest jump in sales is likely Asia,” he says. “That market has many single-device consumers, and they love big phones.”

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment. The shares gained 2.1 percent to $179.18 at 2:16 p.m. in New York.

With a screen close to 6.5 inches, Apple’s big new handset will be one of the largest mainstream smartphones on the market. While the body of the phone will be about the same size as the iPhone 8 Plus, the screen will be about an inch larger thanks to the edge-to-edge design used in the iPhone X. (Apple is unlikely to refer to the phone as a phablet, a term popularized by Samsung.)

The larger screen should especially appeal to business users, letting them write emails and manage spreadsheets on a screen about as big as a small tablet. Like the iPhone 8 Plus, the new handset will probably enable split-screen modes for certain apps. Still, the larger phone could cannibalize iPad sales, a category that recently started growing again.

The big phone is code named D33, a person familiar with its development says, and at least some prototypes include a screen resolution of 1242 x 2688. That would make the screen about as sharp as the one on the 5.8-inch iPhone X. Apple also plans to use OLED technology, the same, more expensive type of screen in the regular iPhone X.

Like the iPhone X, the larger model will include a Face ID scanner that unlocks the device and enables payments. Apple is also preparing an update to the regular-sized iPhone X that is internally dubbed D32, people familiar with the product said. Both of these phones are expected to use next-generation A12 processors and will continue to include stainless steel edges, they say, and will be Apple’s high-end smartphone offerings.

Apple is considering a gold color option for the update to the iPhone X and the larger model. The company tried to develop gold for the current X handset, but abandoned it because of production problems. All new iPhones since the 5s came in gold, including the iPhone 8. The gold option is especially appealing to consumers in Asia and may help boost sales in the region. Still, Apple may ultimately decide not to proceed with the color.

In at least some regions, Apple is considering offering a dual-SIM card option for the larger model. That would let people use their phones in countries with different carrier plans without having to swap out cards. Such a feature has been growing in importance and popularity, especially in Europe and Asia where business people routinely visit multiple countries.

Apple hasn’t made a final decision on including the feature and could choose to wait for E-SIM technology, which will connect phones to multiple networks without the need for a removable chip. Apple has wanted to offer E-SIM technology (it already exists in the iPad and Apple Watch), but some carriers are resistant to including it in iPhones, and Apple needs their support. A dual-SIM capability would provide a compromise.

The phones will have an updated operating system, probably called iOS 12 and code named Peace, which will include upgraded augmented reality capabilities, deeper integration of the Siri digital assistant, digital health monitoring and the ability to use Animojis in FaceTime.

Apple’s decision to also build a cheaper phone is an acknowledgment that the current entry-level 8 models too closely resemble the iPhone 6 introduced back in 2014. With their thick bezels and lack of edge-to-edge screens, they seem dated next to the iPhone X and the latest Samsung devices. The new lower-cost model will feature the same edge-to-edge screen as the iPhone X as well as Face ID instead of a fingerprint sensor.

“It’s good that they’re rounding out the product line” with a less expensive phone, Munster says. But he doesn’t think it will have a measurable impact on demand because many consumers will want the bigger model.

To keep costs down, the cheaper phone will use LCD screen technology similar to the type employed in the iPhone 8. It will also have aluminum edges and a glass back like the iPhone 8, not the flashier stainless steel used in the iPhone X.

Apple has tried selling cheaper phones in the past with poor results. In 2013, the company debuted the iPhone 5c, which had a polycarbonate body and came in various colors. Consumers quickly discovered that for a mere $100 more they could buy a 5s, which had an aluminum body, a slow-motion video camera and a fingerprint scanner. Apple soon discontinued the 5c.

This time, the company is trying something different: using a cheaper body but including the features — Face ID and an edge-to-edge screen — that consumers most prize.