新一代 Apple TV 九月份发布

 　　In March of this year, BuzzFeed News told you that Apple had a new Apple TV in the pipeline¹ and planned to unveil it in June at its annual Word Wide Developers Conference. Two months later we told you the company scrapped² that plan, delaying the device to do a bit more work on it. It opted³ instead to focus its keynote-address attentions on its next generation operating systems and Apple Music streaming service.

　　今年三月，BuzzFeed就报道过苹果正在筹备Apple TV的面市，并且打算在六月的世界开发者大会上发布。三月份之后的两个月，苹果却改变了计划，延迟发布AppleTV，为的是再打磨一下产品。在主题演讲里，苹果公司把注意力集中在了下一代操作系统和苹果音乐流媒体服务。

　　Now, as Apple heads toward its annual fall event, the successor to its superannuated⁴ set-top box is once again top of mind and at last headed to market — and for real this time.

　　现在，苹果公司正着力准备其一年一度的秋季活动。新产品也将取代之前老旧的机顶盒，这一次这个机顶盒又成了焦点，并且最终要面市了——这次是真的。

　　新一代 Apple TV 九月份发布

　　Sources familiar with Apple’s plans tell BuzzFeed News that the company intends to announce its next-generation Apple TV in September, at the same event at which it typically unveils its new iPhones. The device itself is pretty much as we described it to you in March, sources say, but “more polished” after some additional tweaks. Expect a refreshed and slimmer chassis⁵ and new innards; Apple’s A8 system on chip; a new remote that sources say has been “drastically improved” by a touch-pad input⁶; an increase in on-board storage; and an improved operating system that will support Siri voice control. Crucially, the new Apple TV will debut⁷ alongside a long-awaited App Store and the software development kit⁸ developers need to populate it.

　　据熟悉苹果计划的消息来源，苹果公司打算在今年9月份发布下一代Apple TV，而这个时间段也正是苹果发布新iPhone的时间。Apple TV和我们今年三月份报道中的描述相差无几，但是消息称其在打磨之后“更完美”了。全新和外壳和内置；苹果芯片的A8系统；触控输入使得遥控性能“大大提高”；机载内存提升；支持Siri声控系统。最重要的是，随Apple TV发布的还有让人等待已久的应用商店，以及开发者用来普及该产品的软件开发工具箱。

　　It’s a significant overhaul⁹ of the diminutive¹⁰ set-top box, which hasn’t seen a material refresh since 2012, and one that Apple hopes will inspire a big upgrade cycle through the annual winter holiday consumer binge, setting the stage for the subscription¹¹ internet-TV service Apple’s been trying to get off the ground for years. While that service is most certainly in the offing, sources tell BuzzFeed News that Apple does not currently plan to announce it alongside the new Apple TV.

　　这应该是这个小小机顶盒的一次大翻新。自2012年以来，机顶盒并没有实质性的改变。苹果也希望通过这次Apple TV的发布，能够趁着一年一度的冬季消费热引发一场设备大型的设备的更新。这样也能为之后苹果努力已久的互联网电视订阅服务打下基础。消息称，虽然订阅服务的发布近在咫尺，苹果公司并没有打算和Apple TV一起发布。

　　While launching new Apple TV hardware apart from a new subscription TV service might seem counterintuitive, it does make strategic sense if Apple doesn’t yet have the deals in place to field such a service. Certainly, Apple doesn’t need to debut the two things together. By rolling out the new Apple TV and SDK ahead of the service, Apple is giving developers some lead time to develop compelling apps for the device — and taking good advantage of a holiday shopping season that will likely drive sales, further growing the Apple TV installed base to which it will someday sell streaming service subscriptions¹².

　　有点违背直觉的是，这次要发布的是Apple TV这么一个硬件，而不是全新的电视订阅服务。然而，苹果在无法落实订阅服务之前，这样的策略也是可以理解的。当然，苹果也没有必要非得让Apple TV和订阅系统同时发布。在订阅服务发布之前，通过先发布Apple TV和软件开发工具包，苹果也给了开发者一些前置时间，用以为该设备开发更优秀的应用。同时也可以利用假日消费季刺激销量，进一步普及Apple TV，从而等待某天流媒体订阅服务的到来。

　　Apple declined comment.

　　苹果公司未表态。

1 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

2 scrapped   

废弃(scrap的过去式与过去分词)； 打架

参考例句：

• This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
• It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。

3 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

4 superannuated   

adj.老朽的，退休的；v.因落后于时代而废除，勒令退学

参考例句：

• Are you still riding that superannuated old bike?你还骑那辆老掉牙的自行车吗？
• No one supports these superannuated policies.没人支持这些过时的政策。

5 chassis   

n.汽车等之底盘；（飞机的）起落架；炮底架

参考例句：

• The new parts may include the sheet metal,the transmission,or the chassis.新部件可能包括钢壳，变速器或底盘。
• Can chassis and whole-vehicle manufacturers co-exist peacefully?底盘企业和整车企业能相安无事吗？

6 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

7 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

8 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

9 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

10 diminutive   

adj.小巧可爱的，小的

参考例句：

• Despite its diminutive size,the car is quite comfortable.尽管这辆车很小，但相当舒服。
• She has diminutive hands for an adult.作为一个成年人，她的手显得非常小。

11 subscription   

n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方）

参考例句：

• We paid a subscription of 5 pounds yearly.我们按年度缴纳5英镑的订阅费。
• Subscription selling bloomed splendidly.订阅销售量激增。

12 subscriptions   

n.（报刊等的）订阅费( subscription的名词复数 )；捐款；（俱乐部的）会员费；捐助

参考例句：

• Subscriptions to these magazines can be paid in at the post office. 这些杂志的订阅费可以在邮局缴纳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Payment of subscriptions should be made to the club secretary. 会费应交给俱乐部秘书。 来自《简明英汉词典》