苹果邀媒体参加9月12日产品发布活动

Apple Inc. invited the media to a product announcement Sept. 12 at which it is widely expected to announce a new iPhone.

苹果公司(Apple Inc.)邀请媒体参加9月12日举行的一个产品发布会。外界普遍预计苹果将在发布会上宣布推出新一代iPhone。

Several media outlets had already reported on the date of the event, which coincides with when Apple typically introduces a new version of its flagship device.

数家媒体机构已经报道了这次活动的日期。活动日期恰好与苹果通常推出新款旗舰设备的时间吻合。

The email invitation had a few subtle hints. It read 'It's almost here' on a white background with a big number 12 that casts a shadow of the number five. That's likely an allusion to the probability that the device, which follows the iPhone 4S, will be called the iPhone 5.

电子邮件邀请函中还有一些微妙的暗示。在邀请函中，白色的背景下写着“即将推出”，并且大大的数字“12”的阴影下有一个数字“5”。这可能暗示继iPhone 4S之后推出的这款产品可能将被称为“iPhone 5”。

Apple faces pressure for the device to be a hit. The iPhone is the main driver of the company's business, and corporate results rise and fall based on the iPhone's sales. Apple chalked up disappointing iPhone sales last quarter, in part because potential customers were holding out for a new device, an indication of how critical product launches are for the company.

苹果面临着必须使这款设备成为热卖产品的压力。iPhone是该公司业务的主要推动力，公司业绩的好坏也取决于iPhone的销售情况。苹果上个季度的iPhone销量令人失望，部分原因在于潜在客户都在等待苹果推出新产品时再出手，这暗示出新产品发布对苹果来说有多重要。

At the same time, a slew of new smartphones from Samsung Electronics Co. and others have recently hit the market and garnered strong reviews. In the second quarter, Android smartphones accounted for 68% of global smartphone shipments, compared with just 17% for the iPhone, according to IDC.

与此同时，三星电子(Samsung Electronics Co.)等公司最近推出了一系列新款智能手机并获得了好评。据国际数据公司(IDC)的数据显示，今年二季度，安卓(Android)智能手机在全球智能手机发货量中所占比重为68%，iPhone只有17%。

Expectations about the new device have helped drive Apple's stock price to record levels.

外界对苹果新设备的期待助推苹果股价屡创历史新高。

The new iPhone is expected to have a slightly larger screen but look fairly similar to the current model, the 4S, which is roughly a year old, according to people familiar with the matter. It will also run the latest version of Apple's mobile software, which developers have been testing. It features a new mapping application and updates to Apple's virtual assistant Siri, among other things.

据知情人士透露，预计新一代iPhone将有一个稍大一些的屏幕，但看起来与已经推出了约一年的iPhone 4S很相似。它还将搭载苹果最新版移动软件，开发者一直在对这款软件进行测试。另外，它还将有一个新的地图应用程序以及苹果语音助手Siri的升级版。

Apple said the Sept. 12 event will begin at 10 a.m. Pacific time at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

苹果说，9月12日的活动将在旧金山芳草地艺术中心(Yerba Buena Center for the Arts)举行，开始时间为美国西部时间上午10点。