蘋果發佈迷你iPad,對中國消費者沒啥大不了

APPLE'S iPad mini, with its smaller screen and thinner design, is expected to fill a niche of Apple products but doesn't seem to excite Chinese consumers due to a lack of innovation and a higher price than its rivals.

蘋果的迷你iPad，更小的屏幕和更薄的設計，有望填補蘋果產品的小衆市場，但由於缺乏創新以及比競爭對手更高的價格似乎並沒有刺激到中國消費者。

Half the weight of the third-generation iPad, the new product is mostly in line with what was expected, with a 7.9-inch, or 20-centimeter, screen and slower processor as an entry-level product.

新產品是第三代iPad重量的一半，大體上符合預期，7.9英寸即20釐米的屏幕，作爲入門級產品較慢的處理器。

The official prices, ranging from US$329 for the bottom-of-the-line 16G Wi-Fi model to US$659 for a 64G product with both Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, are higher than expected. They are also more expensive than rival products such as Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7.

官方價格從16GWi-Fi機型的329美元到64G支持Wi-Fi和蜂窩連接的659美元，都高於預期。他們也比競爭對手的產品更昂貴，如烈火和谷歌的Nexus7。

The iPad mini will be launched in Hong Kong on November 2, while no debut date has been set for the Chinese mainland. But sellers on Taobao, the online marketplace, are already taking pre-orders by asking for a down payment between 1,800 yuan (US$295) and 5,000 yuan. Most of the products will be shipped from Hong Kong.

迷你iPad將在11月2日在香港推出，而登陸中國大陸的日期還沒有確定。但賣家在淘寶這一網上市場上已經通過要求1800元（295美元）到5000元之間的降價採取預定。大部分貨源將來自香港。

"Based on previous experience with Apple products, prices for the first batch of new models available on the mainland will be quite high," one of the sellers said.

“根據蘋果產品以往的經驗，第一批在大陸獲得的新款機價格是相當高的，”一個賣家說。

Li Yanyan, a researcher with Analysys International, said she expected the gadget to lift Apple sales by appealing to lower-end users, after the market share of iPads dipped to 71.42 percent in the third quarter from 72.66 in the second. "Apple is still dominating the current high-end tablet market," said Li. "But Kindle and Android tablets are grasping a large share on the sizable lower-end market. The launch of mini may open up new profit sources for Apple."

李豔豔，一個易觀國際的研究人員說，她預期這件小玩意是通過吸引低端用戶來提升蘋果銷售份額，iPad的市場份額從第二季度的72.66%下降到了第三季度的71.42％。 “蘋果仍然佔據着目前的高端平板電腦市場，”李說。 “但Kindle和Android平板電腦正在搶奪相當大的低端市場份額。迷你的推出可能會爲蘋果開闢新的利潤來源。”

But consumers do not seem to buy it. "Apple now seems to be more defensive rather than really splash out something new," said Jenny Mao, a tech-savvy white-collar worker in Shanghai. "While previous Apple products are innovative in functions, recent ones are mere changes in sizes and display. I'm not interested."

但消費者似乎並不買賬。 “蘋果現在似乎在防守，而不是真正創新一些東西，”珍妮.毛說，一個在上海技術熟練的白領。 “雖然以前的蘋果產品在功能上創新，最近只是在大小和外觀上做改變。我不感興趣。”

Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs had denounced a small-sized tablet, saying they will be "dead-on-arrival" as they lack the flexibility of phones and visual effect of large tablets.

蘋果已故的聯合創始人史蒂夫•喬布斯曾譴責過小型的平板電腦，說他們將“見光就死”，因爲他們缺乏手機的靈活性和大平板電腦的視覺效果。

Apple yesterday also surprised the market by introducing a fourth-generation iPad, equipped with a faster processor and smaller connector than the third generation, to replace the older iPad and make it the "most short-lived Apple product" as dubbed by Internet users.

蘋果公司昨天也通過推出第四代iPad令市場大吃一驚，比第三代配備了更快的處理器和更小的連接器，以取代舊的iPad，使其被互聯網用戶稱爲“最短命的蘋果產品”。

The previous "new iPad" is no longer available on official Apple websites in markets such as the US and Hong Kong, and will be wiped off these markets once the latest model debut on November 2.

以前的“新iPad”在美國和香港市場的蘋果官網上不再出現，一旦11月2日最新款上市他們將被下架。

Local Apple stores yesterday cut retail prices for the third-generation 16G Wi-Fi iPad by 300 yuan, but there is no date set for the latest iPad's debut on the mainland.

昨天當地的蘋果專賣店將第三代16G的Wi-Fi iPad零售價降了300元，但最新iPad在大陸的首次亮相日期沒有確定。

Reports said that some US Apple stores are offering replacement services for consumers who bought a third-generation iPad in the past 30 days.

有報道稱，一些美國的蘋果專賣店正爲過去30天裏買了第三代iPad的消費者提供更換服務。

A customer service official of Apple in Shanghai said yesterday that owners of the older iPad may consult their place of purchase for possibilities of replacement, but whether mainland stores have similar policies will only be decided after the local debut of the new device.

一位在上海的蘋果官方客服昨天表示，舊iPad的擁有者可以諮詢購買行爲後更換的可能性，但大陸的專賣店是否有類似的政策要等新設備在當地發佈後才能決定。