苹果发布iPad平板电脑

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 reuters.com, 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.

苹果公司首席执行官史蒂夫．乔布斯日前揭开iPad平板电脑的神秘面纱，当天公布的产品定价远低于预期。对于苹果公司而言，开发填补智能手机和手提电脑之间空白的新型系列产品是一个很大的赌注。

周三当天，iPad发布会现场座无虚席，去年成功接受肝脏移植手术、重返工作岗位的乔布斯在台上向众人展示了这款平板电脑。iPad平板电脑外观线条流畅，仅有半英寸（1.27厘米）厚，配备一个9.7英寸的触摸屏，带有播放电影、电子书阅读、游戏等功能以及一系列的应用软件。

一台存储量为16GB的iPad仅售499美元。如配备3G无线上网功能则需额外支付130美元。

NPD市场调查机构的分析师内德．梅说：“以前占据客厅一半空间的东西现在只需放在一个包里。这款产品娱乐功能全面，满足了各种需求。”

iPad的定价公布后，苹果公司的股价上涨1.7%，涨至209.4美元，接近今年1月5日创下的215.59美元的历史最高纪录。

这款平板电脑是苹果公司自三年前推出iPhone手机后所推出的一款最具分量的新产品，足以挑战iPhone手机作为苹果公司史上最受期待产品的地位。

当天的发布会在旧金山举行，现场座无虚席，乔布斯走上台，以其出色的展示技巧向众人演示了这款产品的特点，结束了网民和投资者数月以来不断升温的猜测。

乔布斯称，我们需要一款介于智能手机和手提电脑之间的新产品，人们可以用它来上网、玩游戏、看电子书等。

他说：“如果有这样一种第三类产品，那么它在这些方面的功能就应该更先进。”

iPad配备接近真实键盘大小的触摸键盘，并支持网页浏览。此外，它还配有内置日历和通讯簿，乔布斯称其“超赞”。

路透社网站针对一千多名受访者开展的一项在线调查显示，37%的受访者称他们愿意花费500至699美元购买iPad。近30%的受访者不感兴趣，20%的受访者称愿意花700至899美元。

分析人士对于iPad销售前景的预测存在很大分歧，其中很多人认为这款产品的首年销量有望达到200万至500万台。

Vocabulary:

take the wraps off: to make something known that had been secret （揭开秘密；公布于众）

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

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

life-sized：of the natural size of an object, person, etc.（与原物一样大小的）