蘋果發佈iPad平板電腦

Apple Inc CEO Steve Jobs took the wraps off an "iPad" tablet with a lower-than-expected price tag, placing a big bet on a new breed of gadgets that aim to bridge the gap between smartphones and laptops.

Jobs, who returned to the helm last year after a much-scrutinized liver transplant, took the stage at packed theater on Wednesday and showed off a sleek, half-inch thick tablet computer with a 9.7-inch touchscreen. It can run movies, books, games and a gamut of applications.

The iPad will sell for as low as $499 for 16 GB of storage. An extra $130 is needed to equip it with third-generation wireless capability.

"What once occupied half your living room can now be dropped in a bag," said NPD analyst Ned May. "It's pulling together a variety of needs (in) a universal entertainment device."

Shares of Apple were up 1.7 percent after the pricing details were announced to trade at $209.40, within reach of their all-time high of $215.59 logged on Jan. 5.

The tablet is Apple's biggest product launch since the iPhone three years ago, and arguably rivals the smartphone as the most anticipated in Apple's history.

Culminating months of feverish speculation on the Internet and among investors, Jobs took the stage at a jam-packed theater in San Francisco and, with his famed showman's flair, began displaying the device's features.

Jobs said there was a need for a new type of device that would sit between a smartphone and laptop computer, and that can perform tasks like browse the Web, play games and display electronic books.

"If there's going to be a third category of device, it's going to have to be better at these kinds of tasks," he said.

The iPad has a near life-sized touch keyboard and supports Web browsing. It comes with a built-in calendar and address book, Jobs said, calling it "awesome."

In an online poll on , 37 percent of more than 1,000 respondents said they would pay $500-$699 for the tablet. Nearly 30 percent weren't interested, while 20 percent said they would pay $700-$899.

Analysts' sales predictions for the tablet vary widely, with many believing Apple can sell 2 million to 5 million units in the first year.

蘋果公司首席執行官史蒂夫•喬布斯日前揭開iPad平板電腦的神祕面紗，當天公佈的產品定價遠低於預期。對於蘋果公司而言，開發填補智能手機和手提電腦之間空白的新型系列產品是一個很大的賭注。

週三當天，iPad發佈會現場座無虛席，去年成功接受肝臟移植手術、重返工作崗位的喬布斯在臺上向衆人展示了這款平板電腦。iPad平板電腦外觀線條流暢，僅有半英寸（1.27釐米）厚，配備一個9.7英寸的觸摸屏，帶有播放電影、電子書閱讀、遊戲等功能以及一系列的應用軟件。

一臺存儲量爲16GB的iPad僅售499美元。如配備3G無線上網功能則需額外支付130美元。

NPD市場調查機構的分析師內德•梅說：“以前佔據客廳一半空間的東西現在只需放在一個包裏。這款產品娛樂功能全面，滿足了各種需求。”

iPad的定價公佈後，蘋果公司的股價上漲1.7%，漲至209.4美元，接近今年1月5日創下的215.59美元的歷史最高紀錄。

這款平板電腦是蘋果公司自三年前推出iPhone手機後所推出的一款最具分量的新產品，足以挑戰iPhone手機作爲蘋果公司史上最受期待產品的地位。

當天的發佈會在舊金山舉行，現場座無虛席，喬布斯走上臺，以其出色的展示技巧向衆人演示了這款產品的特點，結束了網民和投資者數月以來不斷升溫的猜測。

喬布斯稱，我們需要一款介於智能手機和手提電腦之間的新產品，人們可以用它來上網、玩遊戲、看電子書等。

他說：“如果有這樣一種第三類產品，那麼它在這些方面的功能就應該更先進。”

iPad配備接近真實鍵盤大小的觸摸鍵盤，並支持網頁瀏覽。此外，它還配有內置日曆和通訊簿，喬布斯稱其“超讚”。

路透社網站針對一千多名受訪者開展的一項在線調查顯示，37%的受訪者稱他們願意花費500至699美元購買iPad。近30%的受訪者不感興趣，20%的受訪者稱願意花700至899美元。

分析人士對於iPad銷售前景的預測存在很大分歧，其中很多人認爲這款產品的首年銷量有望達到200萬至500萬臺。

Vocabulary:

take the wraps off: to make something known that had been secret （揭開祕密；公佈於衆）

helm: the place or post of control（掌舵，掌管）

flair：a natural talent, aptitude, or ability; bent; knack（才能，本領）

life-sized：of the natural size of an object, person, etc.（與原物一樣大小的）