The Rise of Apple 苹果的崛起
In years to come our current era may be remembered as The Epoch of Apple. The sleek, minimal design on their gadgets has proved a huge hit with young professionals everywhere in Britain.
In May Apple released the iPad in the UK. This is a tablet computer that attempts to combine the computing power of a laptop with the portability and usability of a smartphone. Some critics have called it a compromise, but that didn't stop Apple selling 300,000 units on the first day of trading in the US.
Now Apple have launched a new version of their successful iPhone. The new handset contains a front-facing camera for video conferencing and a gyroscope to allow users to play games by waving the device about.
The first quarter of 2010 proved to be the most successful yet for the iPhone, showing that Apple will not become a victim to a tougher economic climate.
Indeed, two weeks ago Apple's market value overtook that of its arch-rival, Microsoft, for the first time since 1989. In 2000, Microsoft was worth £382 billion (3.8 trillion yuan) while Apple was worth just £11 billion (109 billion yuan). Now both companies are worth around £150 billion (1.5 trillion yuan).
The economist and blogger Mark J. Perry writes that if someone who bought a $5,700 (39,000 yuan) Apple PowerBook in 1997 had spent that money on Apple stock instead, it would now be worth $321,000 (2.2 million yuan).
Many link Apple's rise to the guile and foresight of its CEO, Steve Jobs. Jobs was forced out of the company in the 1980s but he was brought back a decade later to reverse its fortunes.
It is a sign of the importance of Jobs to the company that when his health took a turn for the worse last year, Apple's share prices fluctuated.
Now Steve Jobs is fighting fit again but even he is not immune to frustrating computer problems. At the launch of the iPhone 4, he appeared in his trademark blue jeans and black turtleneck. When he tried to get the new gizmo to access the internet a notice appeared on the screen: "Cannot open page. Safari cannot open the page because it is not connected to the Internet".
"Well Jeez" said Jobs, "I don't like this."
在未来的岁月里,我们现在的时代可能会被称为“苹果时代”。这种造型优美,设计简洁的小型产品受到英国许多人的欢迎。
5月份,苹果在英国发行了iPad。这是一种平板电脑,集笔记本电脑的电脑功能和智能手机的便捷性和可用性于一体。一些评论家称这是一个折衷案,但是这并不妨碍苹果公司在美国交易的第一天就出售了300,000台。
现在,苹果公司又发布了他们的成功产品iPhone的新版本。这种新的手持机包括用于视频会议的前置摄像头,还有一个螺旋仪,使用户可以通过移动相关装置来玩游戏。
2010年的第一季度是iPhone最成功的一年,这表明苹果公司不会成为更加严峻的经济形势的受害者。
实际上,两周前,苹果的市场价值已经超过了它的宿敌微软,这在1989年以来还是首次。2000年,微软总价值高达3820亿美元(3.8兆人民币),而苹果仅有110亿美元(1090亿人民币)。现在,两家公司的价值均在1500亿美元左右(1.5兆人民币)。
经济学家和博主Mark J. Perry写道,如果1997年花费5,700美元购买Apple PowerBook的人将这笔钱用来购买苹果股票,现在的价值将是321,000美元(220万元人民币)。
许多人认为苹果的崛起是由于苹果CEO Steve Jobs的策略和远见。80年代,Jobs被迫离开公司,但是十年后返回公司,改变该公司的命运。
去年,Jobs的健康状况出现转变,苹果的股价也出现波动,这说明的Jobs对苹果公司的重要性。
现在,Steve Jobs的健康状况好转,但是他似乎也不能摆脱令人沮丧的电脑问题的影响。iPhone 4发行的时候,他身穿标志性的蓝色牛仔,黑色高领套头毛衫出现在现场。当他试图将iPhone 4连接网络时,屏幕上出现提示:不能打开网页。Safari不能打开网页,因为机器没有连接到网络。
Jobs说,“天哪,我不喜欢这样。”