????如果你是無可爭議的平板電腦市場領(lǐng)袖，你要如何超越自己？重新設(shè)計暢銷產(chǎn)品，讓它更快、更薄、更輕，再給它起一個彰顯“改變”的名字。

????這就是蘋果（Apple）在iPad Air上采取的策略。這款上周末開始發(fā)售的9.7英寸平板電腦只有1磅（約0.45千克）重，0.29英寸（約0.7厘米）厚——比去年的款式幾乎輕了一半，薄了20%。16GB Wi-Fi版售價499美元，16GB的4G蜂窩網(wǎng)絡(luò)版售價629美元，往上直到128GB的4G蜂窩網(wǎng)絡(luò)版售價929美元。

????多年來，蘋果的設(shè)計師對iPad的升級往往比較謹(jǐn)慎，通常是一些小修小改：這里把機(jī)身改薄一點(diǎn)，那里把后背弄平一點(diǎn)。Air如今已經(jīng)近似于7英寸的iPad mini了，甚至連鉆石切割的削邊都非常像——這是件好事。它不僅讓整個系列產(chǎn)品看起來更加統(tǒng)一，還關(guān)注了微小的設(shè)計細(xì)節(jié)。比如，屏幕兩旁的寬邊現(xiàn)在也變窄了。

????Air的重量已經(jīng)與iPad Mini 0.75磅（約0.34千克）的羽量級相去不遠(yuǎn)，這個改變引人注目。盡管用戶仍然可能會把它放在膝蓋，或是身邊的平面上，但這個改變也意味著長時間拿著它已經(jīng)不再是一個問題。

????機(jī)身內(nèi)部，Air使用了A7處理器，芯片與iPhone 5s一樣。蘋果表示，64位元架構(gòu)可以讓用戶期待整體性能的提高。不過，當(dāng)更多開發(fā)者專門為這款設(shè)備編寫應(yīng)用時，性能的提高將會更加顯而易見。盡管有著高速A6X處理器的上一代iPad并不遜色，但如今在iOS 7上運(yùn)行的一切應(yīng)用，包括流行的虛擬格斗游戲《無盡之刃3》（Infinity Blade III），都會更加出色。比如，絢麗的動畫效果會讓老款的iPhone 4和4s運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)吃力，但在這款機(jī)器上卻非常流暢。應(yīng)用的加載速度更快，各應(yīng)用間的切換也毫無延遲。而且，更高的性能并不以更快的耗電量為代價：我用了幾天Air，每次充電都可以用10個半小時。

????不過，考慮到市場的競爭之激烈——競爭者還包括蘋果自己的現(xiàn)有產(chǎn)品iPad Mini——Air并不像兩年前那樣是當(dāng)仁不讓的購買選擇?？紤]到用戶的需求和偏好，更小的平板電腦如Mini也許會更加適合。同時，亞馬遜（Amazon）也進(jìn)取心十足，發(fā)布自己的新款Kindle Fire，提供了一個更便宜的選擇。它的軟件盡管不夠精美，卻足夠好用，硬件速度也很快。而且，價格也比蘋果便宜。

????不過，這些并不意味著Air的用戶就會對他們新買的輕薄產(chǎn)品失望，可能正好相反。不過顧客在掏腰包之前，已經(jīng)有更多可靠的選擇可以考慮了。(財富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：嚴(yán)匡正????????

????If you're the undisputed tablet market leader, how do you one-up yourself? Redesign your bestselling product so that it's faster, thinner, and lighter and give it a name that screams "change."

????That's what Apple (AAPL) did with the iPad Air. The 9.7-inch tablet, which began shipping late last week, now weighs 1 lb and is just 0.29 inches thick -- almost half a pound lighter and 20% thinner than last year's model. Pricing starts at $499 for the 16-gigabyte Wi-Fi version and $629 for the 16 GB version with 4G cellular network connectivity, going all the way up to $929 for a 128 GB version with 4G cellular network capability.

????Over the years, Apple's industrial designers have approached the iPad somewhat gingerly, with some minor nips and tucks: a slightly thinner body here or flatter back there. The Air closely resembles the 7-inch iPad mini now, down to the diamond-cut chamfered edges -- and that's a good thing. Not only does this give the product line a more uniform look, it also takes care of minor design quibbles. The thick borders on either side of the screen are slimmer, for one.

????The Air's new weight brings it within spitting distance of the iPad Mini's 0.75 lb. featherweight status, and the change is immediately noticeable. Although users are still likely to prop it in their laps or on a surface close to them, it also means holding it for long periods is much less of an issue.

????Inside, the Air uses an A7 processor, the same chip found in the iPhone 5s. With 64-bit architecture, Apple says users can expect improvements in overall performance, but huge performance gains will become noticeable as more developers code apps specifically for it. While the previous iPad was no slouch with its brisk A6X processor, now everything on iOS 7, including the popular virtual brawler Infinity Blade III, hums along. For instance, all those whiz-bang animations, which make older model iPhones 4 and 4s struggle, are buttery-smooth here. Apps launch faster, and switching among them is lag-free. The faster performance doesn't come at the expense of battery life: I used the Air for several days and scored 10.5 hours of use between charges.

????Still, given how competitive the market has become -- including incumbents like Apple's own iPad Mini -- the Air isn't the surefire purchase it would have been just two years ago. Depending on users' needs and preferences, a smaller tablet like the Mini might be a better fit. And Amazon's (AMZN) aggressively updated Kindle Fire line finally offers a viable cheaper alternative that weds capable, if somewhat less-polished software, with blazing fast hardware -- and at a cheaper price point than Apple, too.

????That doesn't mean Air users will be disappointed with their new, chamfered purchase. Likely far from it. But there are more solid tablet options for shoppers to consider before they spend the cash.