发布廉价版iPhone 苹果开打价格战

Tim Cook used the launch of a cheaper Apple iPhone to set out the principles behind its fight with the US government over encryption, as well as announcing new environmental and digital health initiatives.

蒂姆•库克(Tim Cook)利用廉价版苹果(Apple) iPhone的发布会阐明了该公司在加密问题上与美国政府抗争背后的原则，同时还宣布了新的环境和数字化健康倡议。

In a rare move downmarket as it tries to stimulate growth, Apple cut the price of its Apple Watch Sport by $50 and introduced a new 4-inch iPhone at $399, $250 less than its flagship 6s model. Apple also unveiled a new 10-inch iPad Pro costing $599, $200 below the 13-inch productivity-focused tablet the company launched last year.

在为了刺激增长而采取的面向低端市场的罕见举动中，苹果将其Apple Watch Sport价格下调50美元，并推出了新款4英寸版iPhone，售价为399美元，较其旗舰版6s型号的价格低250美元。苹果还公布了新款10英寸的iPad Pro，售价为599美元，较其去年推出的面向工作的13英寸平板电脑的价格低200美元。

“We are always pushing forward and innovating and doing things that positively affect many people — something Apple has been doing for over 40 years,” Mr Cook said.

“我们总是向前推进、创新、做出正面影响很多人的事情——这些是苹果做了40多年的事情，”库克称。

The new iPhone SE looks nearly identical to the 5 series first introduced in 2012 but includes its latest A9 chip, Apple Pay and a much improved camera module. The device is intended to appeal to customers buying their first smartphone in emerging markets, with around a third of 4-inch iPhone customers buying their first Apple handset, as well as consumers who prefer a smaller form factor.

新款iPhone SE看起来与2012年首次推出的iPhone 5系列几乎相同，但是iPhone SE配备了最新的A9芯片、Apple Pay以及性能好得多的摄像头模块。该产品旨在吸引新兴市场的顾客购买其首部智能手机，并迎合那些更喜欢较小尺寸手机的消费者。约有三分之一的4英寸iPhone用户是首次购买苹果手机。

“Many, many customers have asked for this,” said Mr Cook.

“很多很多顾客要求这种尺寸的手机，”库克称。

However, hype around Monday’s event has been more subdued than for many Apple product launches, ahead of a more substantial update for its flagship device in September.

然而，围绕周一发布会的宣传相比以往多次苹果产品发布会更为低调，9月苹果将推出其旗舰产品更具技术含量的更新版本。

Apple’s product launch has been partly overshadowed by its high-profile fight with the FBI over whether the company should be forced to help investigators break into the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone. Monday’s event came just a day before Apple and the FBI will meet in court near San Bernardino, when a magistrate will hear evidence from security experts and law enforcement officials.

苹果此次产品发布会因其与联邦调查局(FBI)之间令人瞩目的争执而蒙上了些许阴影，争执的焦点在于该公司应不应该被强制要求帮助调查人员破解圣贝纳迪诺(San Bernardino)枪手的iPhone。发布会举行次日，苹果和FBI将在圣贝纳迪诺附近的法庭面对面，届时法官将听取安全专家和执法官员的证词。

Moments after taking to the stage at Apple’s headquarters in Silicon Valley, Mr Cook positioned its legal battle with the FBI as a political one: “We get to decide as a nation how much power the government should have over our data and over our privacy.”

在走上硅谷苹果总部的讲台后不久，库克就将苹果与FBI的法律战定性为一场政治抗争：“我们作为一个国家，需要决定政府应当对我们的数据和隐私拥有多大的权力。”

“We did not expect to be in this position — at odds with our own government . . . But we believe strongly that we have a responsibility to help you protect your data and protect your privacy,” he said. “We owe it to our customers and we owe it to our country. We will not shrink from this responsibility.”

“我们没有想到自己会处于这种境地——与我们自己的政府产生争执……但是我们坚信我们有责任帮助你保护自己的数据，保护自己的隐私，”他称，“这是我们应该为我们的客户做到的，也是我们应该为我们的国家做到的。在这个责任面前，我们绝不退缩。”

Yet amid its privacy campaign, Wall Street remains more concerned about Apple’s sales.

不过，在其隐私战争进行之际，华尔街更关心的是苹果的销量。

Analysts have forecast that the new iPhone will provide only a modest boost to iPhone sales at a time when the company is under pressure from investors to deliver faster growth. Apple is expected to report its first quarter of declining iPhone sales next month, after units were flat year-on-year in the December quarter.

分析师预计，新款iPhone只会给iPhone销量带来小幅提升，而该公司正面临投资者要求其实现更快增长的压力。苹果预计将于下月公布首个iPhone销量下滑的季度财报。去年第四季度iPhone销量同比持平。

“Pricing is the most significant component of these announcements. Apple will always prioritise margins but we’re seeing Apple price more aggressively across all products and categories,” Geoff Blaber, analyst at CCS Insight.

“定价是这些发布会上最重要的部分。苹果总是会优先考虑利润率，但是我们正看到苹果在所有产品和品类的定价上更加咄咄逼人，”CCS Insight的分析师杰夫•布拉波(Geoff Blaber)称。