2006年VOA标准英语-Electronics Companies Battle for Share of Holid

By Ernest Leong
Washington, D.C.
24 November 2006
 
watch Electronics report

The holiday season is here in the United States.  For many, it is a time for seeing family and friends, and exchanging gifts.  But in the electronics business, the holiday season means war, as industry giants battle for consumer dollars. 

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A store clerk holds up a Wii box on its first day available for sale

In recent weeks, it has become a familiar scene across the United States -- hundreds of people lined up for days outside electronics retail¹ stores, waiting for the newest product. 

At this Circuit City store in New York, they were waiting for Sony Entertainment's PlayStation 3, PS3 for short. One man admitted, "I took three days off work, so if my boss finds out, I get fired, but PlayStation 3 is worth it, so hey."

The PS3 sells for approximately $600 in the U.S.  A high price tag, yet gaming experts say Sony is losing $300 per console because of the high definition video technology and delays in putting the product out on the market. 

Despite Sony's short-term losses, Jean-Pierre Auffret, Director of Technology Management Programs at George Mason University, says Sony had to look long-term, and put the console out now.  "Having the games available, having a broad range of games, for a broad set of ages.  By having the Play Station on the market, it encourages publishers to develop games for them."

The video gaming industry is a $20 billion a year business.  Rival companies, like Microsoft and Nintendo, are battling Sony for a piece of the market.

Nintendo released its new game console, the Wii, in time for holiday shoppers.  Visually, it is not as sophisticated as the PS3.  But Nintendo's strategy is to focus on game content, not graphics².

Auffret explained. "The Nintendo is more strictly³ a game console.  Their target market, the Nintendo, is a younger market than perhaps, the Microsoft market, or the Play Station market."

Another advantage for Nintendo:  the Wii is the lowest priced game console on the market.

Electronics wars are not just limited to video games. Last Tuesday, Microsoft launched the Zune.  The Zune is a portable music player and digital music storage device -- similar to rival Apple's popular iPod.

At a pre-launch party, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said the Zune, with its music sharing capabilities⁴, offers something special the iPod does not.  "We think that music fans like you will really appreciate this ability to share things with each other.  So in fact when you open the Zune box what it says is welcome to the social because that is something new and different we are bringing to this space."

In addition, the Zune has a larger screen than the iPod, and an FM radio, but Auffret says there are disadvantages that may hinder initial sales.

"I think it [Zune] is going to be slow to start, because the number of songs Microsoft has available for downloading is a lot fewer than Apple."

From games to music, there is much for the electronics manufacturer and consumer to consider, as the busy holiday purchasing season begins.

1 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

2 graphics   

n.制图法，制图学；图形显示

参考例句：

• You've leveraged your graphics experience into the video area.你们把图形设计业务的经验运用到录像业务中去。
• Improved graphics took computer games into a new era.经改进的制图技术将电脑游戏带进了一个新时代。

3 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

4 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓