Windows 7没能增加电脑厂商利润

微软新的Windows 7操作系统大大提振了该公司收益以及百思买等零售商的个人电脑销售，但惠普、戴尔等PC巨头的利润却未能因此而增加。
Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows 7 operating system has fattened the company's earnings and boosted personal-computer sales at retailers like Best Buy Co. But it hasn't increased the profits of PC giants Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc. and others.
　　
分析师们说，在微软发布Windows 7的假日购物季期间，消费者购买了逾9,000万台新PC，较上年同期增长22%，然而PC收入增幅仅仅仅为一位数字。
While consumers purchased more than 90 million new PCs during the holiday quarter, when Microsoft released Windows 7, up 22% from a year earlier, PC revenue grew at just a single-digit rate, analysts say.
　　
市场研究公司NPD Group的数据显示，这种情况在很大程度上是由于笔记本电脑的价格大幅下滑，上季度平均价格为581美元，较上年同期下降23%。
That's largely because laptop prices posted a record year-over-year drop, falling 23% to an average of $581 last quarter from a year ago, according to market-research firm NPD Group.
　　
PC生产商为Windows 7而欢呼，认为可以借此推出加载新功能的新机型，实现更高的利润率。戴尔副总裁格鲁增去年10月说，Windows 7面世后，PC市场就不会再出现大打价格战的情况。
PC makers had hailed Windows 7 as a way for them to launch feature-laden new machines that they could sell for bigger margins. With Windows 7, said Dell Vice President Alex Gruzen in October, the PC market would no longer be a 'race to the bottom' in terms of prices.
　　
然而现实正好相反，PC生产商撞上了捂紧钱包的消费者和在假日购物季以很大力度打折销售PC的零售商。由于PC价格迅速下滑，分析师们现在预期戴尔和惠普本月晚些时候公布季度业绩时会宣布PC利润下滑。
But the opposite happened as PC makers ran into tight-fisted consumers and retailers that were selling PCs at deep discounts over the holiday quarter. Since PC prices dropped so quickly, analysts now expect Dell and H-P to announce slimmer PC profit margins when they report quarterly results later this month.
　　
随着奉行低价战略的竞争对手宏碁步步紧逼，一直试图坚持不降价的戴尔销售增幅已经放缓。戴尔发言人说，公司的重点在于利润增长，而不是与竞争对手抢夺市场份额。
Dell, which tried to resist cutting its prices, has already seen slower sales growth as low-cost competitor Acer Inc. has stepped up. A Dell spokeswoman says the company is focused on profitable growth rather than undercutting rivals to gain market share.
　　
但宏碁副总裁阿格尼霍特里说，现在价格下降是潮流，与大势对抗是无济于事的。以产量计，宏碁是全球第二大PC生产商，仅次于惠普。
But price declines are now 'the trend,' says Sumit Agnihotry, a vice president at Acer, the second-biggest PC maker by units behind H-P. 'You can't fight too much against the trend.'
　　
面对不断下滑的价格，惠普试图通过挤压供应商来保持自身利润空间。惠普发言人说，公司利用其规模优势，通过谈判压低零部件价格，从而得以保证低价销售的利润。
In the face of the falling prices, H-P has tried to maintain its profit margins by putting the squeeze on suppliers. An H-P spokeswoman says the company has used its huge size to negotiate lower component prices, allowing it to profit on lower-priced sales.
　　
PC生产商难以借Windows 7的东风提振利润的情况与其他相关公司形成鲜明对比。上周，微软宣布季度收益跃升60%，在很大程度上归功于Windows 7的销售。
The inability of the PC makers to boost profits with Windows 7 stands in stark contrast to the impact on other players. Last week, Microsoft reported a 60% jump in quarterly earnings, largely because of Windows 7 sales.
　　
与此同时，为PC生产商供应芯片的英特尔上个月宣布，由于芯片销售强劲，其收入较上年同期增长28%，利润暴增9倍。
Meanwhile, Intel Corp., which supplies chips to PC makers, last month reported a 28% jump in revenue and a tenfold increase in profit from a year earlier thanks to strong chip sales.
　　
为了应对利润下滑，PC生产商推出了具备新功能的产品，并进入新的业务领域。惠普重点向消费者推介触摸屏电脑，并表示计划推出没有实体键盘的触摸屏“平板”电脑。该公司还向采购PC的小公司提供最低1,500美元的融资。
To counter the falling profits, PC makers have introduced products with new features and entered new businesses. H-P has been heavily marketing touchscreen computers to consumers and has said it plans to introduce a touchscreen 'tablet' machine with no keyboard. It is also offering financing to small businesses on PC purchases as low as $1,500.