极限平板承担极限任务

    苹果公司（Apple）的iPad也许是上班时携带的便利工具，但如果你的工作是管理海上油井或在飓风中处理保险索赔，它就不那么便利了。一种名为“坚固平板”的新型产品已经问世，面向那些需要比iPad更坚固的平板的人群。这类耐用移动设备，大多被设计成能抵抗雨、雪、沙子甚至是真菌的侵蚀。但与消费型平板一样，它们外形纤薄，配有触摸屏和对用户友好的界面。

    松下公司（Panasonic）产品管理主管基普·沃尔斯（Kyp Walls）说：“iPad问世后，引发了对外形轻薄的产品的迷恋。我们借鉴了近年来出来的一些平板电脑。”

    坚固平板电脑的问世，远在iPad之前。松下自1996年起就生产了一系列厚重、耐用的设备。但在2012年春天，这家电子消费品生产商将推出Toughpad A1——一款瘦身的平板电脑，运行安卓操作系统（Android），重966克，比590克的iPad重，但比传统的“坚固平板”轻很多。摩托罗拉（Motorola）也在尝试一种轻薄而坚固的平板。2011年10月，公司发布了ET1，重635克。摩托罗拉称，ET1尽管身段纤细，但拥有多层防刮擦玻璃，并能承受多次摔碰。

    得克萨斯州的Xplore Technologies公司15年前开始为叉车操作员和公共安全人员生产计算设备。它也在研发一种功能类似于iPad的设备，比如具备多点触控功能。新产品将采用未来的Windows 8系统（公司目前的产品C5用的是Windows 7系统）。

    分析机构VDC研究集团（VDC Research Group）预计，到2013年，坚固移动设备市场的销售额将由到2010年的46亿美元上升到61亿美元。但是，随着这些设备在外观上越来越像iPad，它们有输给iPad（对了，就是iPad）的风险。一些行业，比如零售或医疗，需要的并非超级坚固的平板电脑，而是企业级设备。这些行业的公司正在尝试应用热销的苹果产品。当然，iPad也有它的局限。说实在的，它的工作温度只能在-35℃和35℃ 之间。所以，如果你的工作要求配备更极端的设备，你也许会想要更加坚固耐用的产品，哪怕它的样子不是那么漂亮。

    译者：古正

    FORTUNE - An Apple iPad can be a handy tool to bring to work -- unless, of course, your job is managing an offshore oil rig or handling insurance claims in the middle of a hurricane. Enter a new breed of so-called rugged tablets, designed to meet the computing needs of folks who require something a little more macho than the iPad. Many of these durable mobile devices are designed to withstand rain, snow, sand, and even fungus. But like consumer-centric tablets, they are slim and sport touchscreen capabilities and user-friendly interfaces.

    "Since the iPad came out there's been a fascination with lightweight products," says Kyp Walls, director of product management at Panasonic (PC). "We're taking a cue from some of the tablets that have come out in recent years."

    Rugged tablets made their debut long before the iPad -- Panasonic has been making a range of thick, durable devices since 1996. But next spring the electronics maker will launch the Toughpad A1, a slimmed-down tablet that runs on the Android operating system and weighs in at 2.13 pounds (heavier than the 1.3-pound iPad 2 but much lighter than traditional rugged tablets). Motorola (MSI) is also experimenting with a trim, tough tablet. In October the company unveiled the ET1, a 1.4-pound device. Despite its relatively petite build, Motorola says the ET1 features an extra-thick layer of scratch-resistant glass and can survive multiple drops.

    Even Texas-based Xplore Technologies (XLRT), which began making computing devices for forklift operators and public safety workers 15 years ago, is looking into incorporating iPad-like features, such as multitouch capabilities, on future Windows 8-powered devices (its most recent tablet, the C5, runs on Windows 7).

    The rugged mobile computing market is expected to hit $6.1 billion by 2013, up from $4.6 billion in 2010, according to analyst firm VDC Research Group. But as these devices take on more iPad-like appearances, they run the risk of losing out to, well, the iPad. Industries that need enterprise-grade but not ultra-rugged devices (think retail or health care) are already experimenting with Apple's (AAPL) popular tablet, which is less than half the price of most rugged tablets. Of course, the iPad has its limits -- 32° to 95° F, to be exact. So if your job calls for something a little more extreme, you may want to opt for a device that's a little more durable, even if it is a little less pretty.