????微軟（Microsoft）的幸運(yùn)之處在于，Windows Phone 8的推介會(huì)沒有安排在颶風(fēng)桑迪肆虐的紐約舉行。但這并不意味著其最新款手機(jī)操作系統(tǒng)的前景一片光明。

????科技巨頭微軟正拼盡全力，試圖重新主導(dǎo)不斷變化的計(jì)算機(jī)市場(chǎng)。如今，這個(gè)市場(chǎng)上唱主角的不再是PC機(jī)，而是平板電腦和智能手機(jī)。微軟在本周一上午舉行的發(fā)布會(huì)上公布了若干新手機(jī)功能，但沒有公布任何此前尚未發(fā)布的新款手機(jī)。不過，最令人印象深刻的還是微軟在吸引開發(fā)者方面所取得的進(jìn)展。Windows Phone 8將搭載經(jīng)過優(yōu)化的新版Facebook、Twitter及潘多拉（Pandora）等應(yīng)用。而《神廟逃亡》（Temple Run）、《憤怒的小鳥》（Angry Birds）、Urban Spoon和LivingSocial等大受歡迎的應(yīng)用也將首次亮相。微軟表示，Windows Phone應(yīng)用程序商店已擁有12萬應(yīng)用，最受歡迎的前 50款應(yīng)用程序中，有46款都可以在微軟應(yīng)用程序商店找到。

????微軟Windows Phone項(xiàng)目經(jīng)理喬?貝爾菲奧里在周一的活動(dòng)中稱：“這對(duì)我們而言是一個(gè)巨大的進(jìn)展?！?/p>

????不少即將上市的Windows Phone 8手機(jī)，例如諾基亞（Nokia）的Lumia系列，已經(jīng)收獲了不少積極評(píng)價(jià)。相比于其它智能手機(jī)，Windows Phone 8的用戶界面令人耳目一新。不過，缺少足夠的應(yīng)用程序仍是不爭(zhēng)的事實(shí)。雖然微軟承諾更多應(yīng)用程序即將上市，但許多開發(fā)者都坦言對(duì)最新款的Windows Phone系統(tǒng)仍持“觀望態(tài)度”。 Windows Phone 8目前的應(yīng)用程序數(shù)為12萬，與蘋果（Apple）iPhone高達(dá)70萬的應(yīng)用數(shù)相比，仍然相去甚遠(yuǎn)。

????Windows Phone 8還帶來了一系列新功能：個(gè)性化鎖屏界面，可以在鎖屏?xí)r顯示Facebook通知；磁貼界面將提供更多的個(gè)性化選項(xiàng)，此外，還有“兒童中心”，家長可以專門為孩子定制智能手機(jī)。諾基亞（Nokia）、宏達(dá)電（HTC）和三星（Samsung）的Windows Phone 8手機(jī)將在接下來幾個(gè)月陸續(xù)上市。

????不過，微軟投下重注的不僅僅是智能手機(jī)。全新的Windows 8戰(zhàn)略橫跨PC、平板電腦和手機(jī)三大平臺(tái)，將向用戶提供一致的、以磁貼界面和應(yīng)用程序驅(qū)動(dòng)為中心的體驗(yàn)。圖片和文檔能在三大平臺(tái)上隨時(shí)同步，用戶將獲得“天衣無縫的”體驗(yàn)。

????毫無疑問，微軟目前已經(jīng)到了性命攸關(guān)的時(shí)刻。它孤注一擲，豪賭消費(fèi)者們將在其所有個(gè)人設(shè)備上安裝新的Windows 8系統(tǒng)。微軟首席執(zhí)行官史蒂夫?鮑爾默在參加公司發(fā)布會(huì)時(shí)稱，看到微軟零售店前排起的長龍時(shí)，自己非常“振奮”。調(diào)研機(jī)構(gòu)弗雷斯特研究公司（Forrester Research）稱，雖然微軟到2016年時(shí)仍能占據(jù)90%的PC市場(chǎng)份額，但預(yù)計(jì)它在智能手機(jī)市場(chǎng)僅能占據(jù)14%的銷售份額。當(dāng)然，微軟一定會(huì)不遺余力地推廣Windows 8：例如重金招攬開發(fā)者為其開發(fā)應(yīng)用程序、耗費(fèi)巨資進(jìn)行廣告推廣活動(dòng)。

????鮑爾默許諾說：“Windows 8、Surface和Windows Phone 8推廣期間，不論是觀看電視還是翻閱雜志，肯定都會(huì)看到Microsoft Windows的廣告。”

????譯者：項(xiàng)航

????Lucky for Microsoft, its Windows Phone 8 launch event was not scheduled for stormy New York. But that doesn't mean prospects for the latest version of its mobile operating system aren't cloudy.

????The tech giant is throwing all its weight behind new efforts to reclaim dominance in the changing computing market, where tablets and smartphones -- not PCs -- rule. At its launch event on Monday morning, Microsoft (MSFT) unveiled several new mobile features, but no phones that hadn't already been announced. Most impressive though, was the progress Microsoft has made with getting more developers on board. Windows Phone 8 will come with new, optimized Facebook (FB), Twitter and Pandora (P) apps. For the first time, it will also feature popular apps like Temple Run, Angry Birds, Urban Spoon and LivingSocial. According to the company, 46 of the top 50 apps will be available on its app store, which now has a total 120,000 apps.

????"That's huge progress for us," said Joe Belfiore, manager of Microsoft's Windows Phone program, at Monday's event.

????Some of the upcoming Windows Phone 8 devices, like Nokia's (NOK) Lumia line of phones, have received decent reviews, and the operating system's interface offers a different approach to the look and feel of most smartphones. But Microsoft has been criticized for its lack of mobile applications. The new apps are promising, but many developers say they are still taking a "wait and see approach" with the latest version of Windows Phone. And 120,000 is still a far cry from the 700,000 apps found on Apple's (AAPL) iPhones.

????Other new Windows Phone 8 features include a personalized lock screen that shows Facebook notifications, more personalization options for its "tile" interface and "Kid's Corner," a child-friendly mode for smartphones. Devices that run on Windows Phone 8, made by Nokia, HTC and Samsung, will be launching over the next few weeks.

????But Microsoft's big bet isn't just on smartphones. Its new, Windows 8 strategy encompasses PCs, tablets and phones, which will all have a similar, tiles and app-centric feel. Photos and documents will sync across all three platforms, giving users a "connected experience."

????It's clear the company has a lot at stake, and is making a gamble on consumers embracing the new platform across all of their personal devices. Chief executive officer Steve Ballmer, who also took the stage at the company's launch event, said he is "heartened" to see the lines at Microsoft stores. But while Microsoft will still own nearly 90% of the PC market in 2016, it is expected to take in just 14% of smartphone sales by that year, according to analyst firm Forrester Research (FORR). Still, there's no doubt Microsoft will do whatever it takes -- paying developers to create apps for its platform, and shelling out millions of dollars on an aggressive ad campaign, for example -- to get some momentum behind Windows 8.

????"Between Windows 8, Surface and Windows Phone 8," Ballmer promised, "you won't be able to turn on a TV or open a magazine withough seeing a Microsoft Windows ad."