發佈廉價版iPhone 蘋果開打價格戰

Tim Cook used the launch of a cheaper Apple iPhone to set out the principles behind its fight with the US government over encryption, as well as announcing new environmental and digital health initiatives.

蒂姆•庫克(Tim Cook)利用廉價版蘋果(Apple) iPhone的發佈會闡明瞭該公司在加密問題上與美國政府抗爭背後的原則，同時還宣佈了新的環境和數字化健康倡議。

In a rare move downmarket as it tries to stimulate growth, Apple cut the price of its Apple Watch Sport by $50 and introduced a new 4-inch iPhone at $399, $250 less than its flagship 6s model. Apple also unveiled a new 10-inch iPad Pro costing $599, $200 below the 13-inch productivity-focused tablet the company launched last year.

在爲了刺激增長而採取的面向低端市場的罕見舉動中，蘋果將其Apple Watch Sport價格下調50美元，並推出了新款4英寸版iPhone，售價爲399美元，較其旗艦版6s型號的價格低250美元。蘋果還公佈了新款10英寸的iPad Pro，售價爲599美元，較其去年推出的面向工作的13英寸平板電腦的價格低200美元。

“We are always pushing forward and innovating and doing things that positively affect many people — something Apple has been doing for over 40 years,” Mr Cook said.

“我們總是向前推進、創新、做出正面影響很多人的事情——這些是蘋果做了40多年的事情，”庫克稱。

The new iPhone SE looks nearly identical to the 5 series first introduced in 2012 but includes its latest A9 chip, Apple Pay and a much improved camera module. The device is intended to appeal to customers buying their first smartphone in emerging markets, with around a third of 4-inch iPhone customers buying their first Apple handset, as well as consumers who prefer a smaller form factor.

新款iPhone SE看起來與2012年首次推出的iPhone 5系列幾乎相同，但是iPhone SE配備了最新的A9芯片、Apple Pay以及性能好得多的攝像頭模塊。該產品旨在吸引新興市場的顧客購買其首部智能手機，並迎合那些更喜歡較小尺寸手機的消費者。約有三分之一的4英寸iPhone用戶是首次購買蘋果手機。

“Many, many customers have asked for this,” said Mr Cook.

“很多很多顧客要求這種尺寸的手機，”庫克稱。

However, hype around Monday’s event has been more subdued than for many Apple product launches, ahead of a more substantial update for its flagship device in September.

然而，圍繞週一發佈會的宣傳相比以往多次蘋果產品發佈會更爲低調，9月蘋果將推出其旗艦產品更具技術含量的更新版本。

Apple’s product launch has been partly overshadowed by its high-profile fight with the FBI over whether the company should be forced to help investigators break into the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone. Monday’s event came just a day before Apple and the FBI will meet in court near San Bernardino, when a magistrate will hear evidence from security experts and law enforcement officials.

蘋果此次產品發佈會因其與聯邦調查局(FBI)之間令人矚目的爭執而蒙上了些許陰影，爭執的焦點在於該公司應不應該被強制要求幫助調查人員破解聖貝納迪諾(San Bernardino)槍手的iPhone。發佈會舉行次日，蘋果和FBI將在聖貝納迪諾附近的法庭面對面，屆時法官將聽取安全專家和執法官員的證詞。

Moments after taking to the stage at Apple’s headquarters in Silicon Valley, Mr Cook positioned its legal battle with the FBI as a political one: “We get to decide as a nation how much power the government should have over our data and over our privacy.”

在走上硅谷蘋果總部的講臺後不久，庫克就將蘋果與FBI的法律戰定性爲一場政治抗爭：“我們作爲一個國家，需要決定政府應當對我們的數據和隱私擁有多大的權力。”

“We did not expect to be in this position — at odds with our own government . . . But we believe strongly that we have a responsibility to help you protect your data and protect your privacy,” he said. “We owe it to our customers and we owe it to our country. We will not shrink from this responsibility.”

“我們沒有想到自己會處於這種境地——與我們自己的政府產生爭執……但是我們堅信我們有責任幫助你保護自己的數據，保護自己的隱私，”他稱，“這是我們應該爲我們的客戶做到的，也是我們應該爲我們的國家做到的。在這個責任面前，我們絕不退縮。”

Yet amid its privacy campaign, Wall Street remains more concerned about Apple’s sales.

不過，在其隱私戰爭進行之際，華爾街更關心的是蘋果的銷量。

Analysts have forecast that the new iPhone will provide only a modest boost to iPhone sales at a time when the company is under pressure from investors to deliver faster growth. Apple is expected to report its first quarter of declining iPhone sales next month, after units were flat year-on-year in the December quarter.

分析師預計，新款iPhone只會給iPhone銷量帶來小幅提升，而該公司正面臨投資者要求其實現更快增長的壓力。蘋果預計將於下月公佈首個iPhone銷量下滑的季度財報。去年第四季度iPhone銷量同比持平。

“Pricing is the most significant component of these announcements. Apple will always prioritise margins but we’re seeing Apple price more aggressively across all products and categories,” Geoff Blaber, analyst at CCS Insight.

“定價是這些發佈會上最重要的部分。蘋果總是會優先考慮利潤率，但是我們正看到蘋果在所有產品和品類的定價上更加咄咄逼人，”CCS Insight的分析師傑夫•布拉波(Geoff Blaber)稱。