苹果iPad Air是最好的平板？

苹果iPad Air即将正式发售。业界测评普遍反映，这款新产品更薄、更快、更轻，电池续航时间也更长，堪称有史以来最好的平板电脑。不过，不少人认为，指纹识别这项新功能的缺席是一个很大的遗憾。

苹果（Apple）公司内部流传着一个老笑话，那就是史蒂夫·乔布斯周围是一片“现实扭曲力场”：你离他太近的话，就会相信他所说的话。苹果的数百万用户中已经有不少成了该公司的“信徒”，而很多苹果投资者也赚得盆满钵满。不过，Elmer-DeWitt认为，在报道苹果公司时有点怀疑精神不是坏事。听他的应该没错。要知道，他自从1982年就开始报道苹果、观察史蒂夫·乔布斯经营该公司。


    10月22日， iPad Air发布当天，苹果（Apple）发出了一批评测机。

    美国东部时间本周三晚9点——距离iPad Air预定发售时间还有一天半，关于这款设备的新闻封锁解除，苹果公司如愿以偿的获得了如潮水般涌来的好评。

    相关评测节选如下：

    沃尔特•莫斯伯格，All Things D网站：iPad Air极致纤薄，速度与动力俱佳。“近一周来，我一直在测试iPad Air，我发现这台设备非常好用。这款iPad新品并不是一款颠覆性的平板产品，但它是对一款成功产品的重大改进。iPad Air是我评测过的最好的平板电脑。不仅仅是因为它更轻薄的设计，而是因为苹果拥有475,000款适合平板使用的应用程序，数量远远高于其它平板平台。（iPhone适用的近百万款应用程序也都可以在iPad上运行。）相比之下，Android平板电脑所适用的绝大部分应用程序不过是手机应用程序的拉伸版。总之，如果你预算足够，我强烈推荐你购买新款iPad Air。

    大卫•波格，来自波格的便笺：波格评测iPad Air：“苹果这一次推出的iPad Air没有什么让人不得不掏腰包的新功能——没有什么视网膜屏幕、Siri语音识别甚至（iPhone 5s上那样的）指纹识别器这种级别的新功能。公众大感乏味，肯定会令苹果公司的工程师们十分恼火。不过，重要的是，在不牺牲电池寿命以及造型美感的前提下能让iPad体积缩小、重量减轻、运行速度加快，是一个了不起的成就。因为iPad Air不像微波炉，也不像电视机，一直就固定摆放在一个地方。人们在使用iPad Air时，必须拿着它，而在不用时，必须随身带着它。因此，它的大小和重量很重要。不过，鉴于它500美元的定价，iPad大概不需要每年、甚至每两年一换；假如你有2012年或2013年款的iPad产品，就不用买新的了。

    达蒙•达林，《纽约时报》（New York Times）：iPad Air：更轻、更快。“iPad Air明显要比之前的iPad产品轻。如果你对苹果这款新品哪怕稍稍有些兴趣，那你很可能已经知道这一点了。苹果公司的工程师成功地将早前版本iPad的重量减轻了近三分之一；新款9.7寸屏iPad Air的重量仅1磅。但你可能不知道的是：当你斜倚着看东西或者看电影，然后睡着了，iPad倒下来砸在你鼻子上时，那减掉的6.4盎司十分关键。iPad Air不会像老款iPad那样砸伤你。”

    安娜德•拉尔•希姆皮，科技博客AnandTech：iPad Air评测。“许多人在叫嚣：10英寸平板不行了，如今的热点是更小巧，但性能毫不逊色的7英寸或8英寸平板。似乎很多年前就一直在说15英寸笔记本电脑完蛋了，但苹果却逆势推出了高清版MacBook Pro。同样，上周iPad Air闪亮登场。这是对9.7英寸iPad的重大升级，Air赋予了iPad新的活力。”


    On Oct. 22, the day the was unveiled, Apple (AAPL) handed out a bunch of review units.

    When the news embargo lifted Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern -- a day and half before the device was scheduled to go on sale -- the company got what it was hoping for: A flood of positive reviews.

    Excerpts:

    Walt Mossberg, All Things D:Speed and Power Packed Into a Thin iPad Air. "I've been testing the iPad Air for about a week and found it a pleasure to use. This new iPad isn't a radical rethinking of what a tablet can be, but it's a major improvement on a successful product. It is the best tablet I've ever reviewed. That isn't just because of its slimmer, lighter design, but because Apple boasts 475,000 apps optimized for tablet use — far more than any other tablet platform. (The iPad also can run all of the million or so apps available for the iPhone.) By contrast, the vast majority of apps available for rival Android tablets are just stretched versions of phone apps... Bottom line: If you can afford it, the new iPad Air is the tablet I recommend, hands down."

    David Pogue, A note from Pogue:The Pogue Review: iPad Air. "This time around, there's no gotta-have new feature—nothing on the level of the Retina screen, Siri voice recognition, or even a fingerprint reader (like the one on the iPhone 5s). That big public yawn must drive Apple's engineers crazy. The thing is, making the iPad smaller, lighter, and faster without sacrificing battery life or beauty is a tremendous achievement. This isn't a device that sits or hangs in one place its whole life. It's not a microwave or a TV. You have to hold this thing while you're using it, and carry it around when you're not. So size and weight matter a lot. Still, at $500, an iPad probably doesn't need replacing every year or even every other year; if you have a 2012 or 2013 model, stick with what you've got."

    Damon Darlin, New York Times:Lighter and Faster, It's iPad Air. "The iPad Air is noticeably lighter than its predecessors. If you are the least bit interested in the new tablet computer from Apple, you probably already know that. The company's engineers shaved just short of a third off the weight of the earlier version; the 9.7-inch Air weighs only a pound. What you may not know is this: Those 6.4 ounces make all the difference when, as you recline while reading or watching a movie, you conk out and the iPad falls forward to bonk you on the nose. The Air won't hurt you the way the old iPad did."

    Anand Lal Shimpi, AnandTech:The iPad Air Review. "It seemed like a foregone conclusion that the 10-inch tablet market was done for, with all interest and excitement shifting to smaller, but equally capable 7 or 8-inch tablets instead. It also seemed like 15-inch notebook computers were done for a couple of years ago, then Apple launched the MacBook Pro with Retina Display. In a similar vein, last week Apple introduced the iPad Air. A significant re-imagining of the original 9.7-inch iPad, the Air breathes new life into the platform."




    吉姆•达尔利普，Loop杂志：评测。“刚开始我还怀疑苹果（10月22日）展示的新款iPad仅仅是工程机，完全不能正常工作，只是外形和即将发布的产品一样。我必须承认我错了。它们是货真价实的量产机。”

    本•巴加宁，科技网站Techpinions：真正面向大众的个人电脑。“iPad Mini重量为310克，iPad Air重量为450克。不过当你一手拿起一个，几乎感觉不到两者的区别。iPad Air真是名副其实，用起来的感受和更轻薄iPad Mini并没两样。iPad Air是最美最好的iPad。”


    Jim Dalrymple, The Loop:Review. "I must admit, at first I was wondering if the new iPads Apple had on display at the event were prototypes—empty fakes that didn't actually work, but showed what the form-factor would be like when they were released. I'm pleased to say that they were the real thing."

    Ben Bajarin, Techpinions:A Truly Mass Market Personal Computer. "The iPad Mini weighs .69 pounds and the iPad Air weighs 1 pound. But when you hold them at the same time the weight difference feels negligible. The iPad Air distributes its weight in a way that holding it and using it feels about as light as the iPad Mini. The iPad Air is easily the best designed iPad yet."




    达雷尔•埃瑟林顿，科技博客TechCrunch：苹果再一次重新定义了大屏幕平板电脑。“得益于64位处理器，新的iLift和iWork套件在iPad Air上性能有显著提升。应用程序各方面的速度都变快了，反应也更加敏捷。64位处理器并不意味着所有应用的速度都要比老的32位处理器快一倍。相比于32位平台，专为64位平台设计的软件能获得如闪电般的反应速度。”

    克莱顿•莫里斯，《福克斯新闻》（Fox News）：尺寸非常重要。“我最大的不满是iPad Air没有Touch ID，即苹果最新推出的指纹扫描器。一旦体验过这个功能，绝对没人再想一个键一个键地敲入密码了。我认为Touch ID是2013年最重大的技术突破。iPhone 5s的热卖从一个方面验证了这项技术的成功，我们很难想象这两部新推出的iPad竟然没有它。苹果iPhone的销量要比iPad好很多，所以它的平板电脑上看不到Touch ID似乎也合情合理。总之，我比较失望。”

    爱德华•C.贝格，《今日美国》（USA Today）：iPad Air是最棒的平板电脑。“最新推出的全尺寸iPad Air是迄今为止最棒的平板电脑。上几代iPad虽然同样出色，但如今也不得不甘拜下风。我测试了不少大屏幕平板，iPad Air明显要胜出一筹。苹果仍然在主宰平板电脑生态圈。iPad依旧是最好用的平板。不过，竞争对手在迅速缩小差距，它们推出了不少让人眼前一亮的新功能，我希望苹果能借鉴一二。我的结论：即便是苹果的死忠，也没有必要一定升级到iPad Air。”

    哈里•麦克莱肯，《时代周刊》（Time）：iPad Air评测：苹果的全尺寸平板不再是真正的全尺寸。“总算不需要在苹果零售店前支个帐篷去排队等候64位的iPad了。iPad Air性能提升的真正意义在于，iOS的开发者们今后可以写一些更复杂的应用，而无需再顾及目前的性能瓶颈。像往常一样，我丝毫不认为自己的老款iPad落伍了。不过在体验过iPad Air后，我发现自己错了。某些场景下，新款iPad表现非常给力，例如iOS 7复杂的动画效果，iPad Air完全无压力。”


    Darrell Etherington, TechCrunch: Apple Makes Big Tablets Beautiful All Over Again. "When using the new iLife and iWork suites, performance is considerably bolstered by the 64-bit retrofits they got with their recent redesigns – everything feels faster and more responsive. 64-bit processing doesn't mean that every app necessarily gets a 2x boost in performance over those made for the traditional 32-bit architecture used in previous iPads, but it does mean that software made for those processors will feel even more instantly responsive than it has in the past."

    Clayton Morris, Fox News: Size now matters. "My biggest disappointment with the Pad Air is the lack of Touch ID, Apple's fingerprint sensor. Once you use it you'll never want to peck out a passcode again. I see Touch ID as one of the most important technological breakthroughs of 2013. It's both a testament to how well it works on the iPhone 5s and how difficult the technology was to pull off for one product, let alone two different iPad sizes. Apple sells millions more iPhones than they do iPads, so it's no wonder Touch ID didn't make it onto the tablets. Still, I'm disappointed."

    Edward C. Baig, USA Today: Thin iPad Air is most tempting tablet yet. "This latest full-size Apple tablet is the most tempting iPad yet, better than its already best of breed predecessors, superior still to each and every rival big screen slate that I've tested. Apple dominates the tablet apps ecosystem. Its tablet remains the easiest to use. But rivals are closing the gap with clever features that I wish Apple would adopt. And even for Apple aficionados, the iPad Air isn't a must-do upgrade."

    Harry McCracken, Time: iPad Air Review: Apple's Full-Sized Tablet, No Longer So Full-Sized. "Nobody needs to pitch a tent in front of the local Apple Store to be the first on the block with a 64-bit iPad: The real point of Apple's speed improvements for iOS devices is about allowing developers to write ever-more ambitious apps in the future, not correcting an existing deficiency. As usual, it didn't occur to me that my old iPad might be the least bit poky until I tried the new iPad. I did, however, notice that the Air was snappier in some instances, including when it chugged its way through the animated effects in iOS 7′s interface."




    里奇•杰洛夫斯基，彭博社（Bloomberg）：苹果office给力。“苹果推出了专为触摸屏优化的办公套件：包括文档、电子表格和PPT软件，让微软相形见绌。后者自称一直在开发iPad版Office，不过迄今为止我们只看到了一款功能有限、制作粗糙的iPhone office。苹果的办公套件完全能取代Office。例如Pages和微软Word功能相当。我能用Pages创建和编辑文档，还能把它保存在iCloud上。这样一来，我就能在别的Mac上打开它。我还可以把文档分享给别的非苹果用户。他们只需点击一个链接，就能在浏览器中打开文档，还能通过网页版的Pages编辑文档，我能实时在iPad上看到这些改动。虽然微软的设备也支持类似功能，但用户必须购买100美元一年的Office服务。在苹果iPad上，一切都免费，包括最新版的iPhoto和iMovie，通通免费。”

    蒂姆•史蒂文斯，科技资讯网（CNET）：更薄、更轻、更快、更好。优点：iPad Air拥有难以置信的纤薄身形，但性能得到了大幅提升，续航时间也非常给力。升级后的前置摄像头让FaceTime聊天更顺畅；视网膜显示屏的效果也依旧出色。缺点：iPhone 5S的Touch ID指纹扫描器不幸缺席。这一点真的非常遗憾，用户在解锁和购物时只好一遍遍地输入密码了。起售价16GB版499美元，与竞争对手产品相比稍显昂贵。我的建议：从功能来看：iPad Air和上代产品几乎完全一样，仅仅是处理器性能更强，视频聊天更加清晰而已。不过从设计上来看：iPad Air完全是焕然一新。它是目前市面上最棒的全尺寸平板电脑。

    布拉德•莫伦，瘾科技（Engadget）：iPad Air评测。“虽然身材娇小，体重又轻，但iPad Air摸上去却很结实。一体成型的铝合金外壳一如既往的结实。全新的钝角化边框比前几代的渐变式边框要更好把握；而且苹果增加了钻石削边，在斜面和iPad Air的主体之间形成一条分界线，使它更显高档。不过，我们的经验显示，削边的缺点在于常常容易产生凹痕或被划痕。”

    马特•沃玛，《每日电讯报》（Telegraph）：苹果最棒的平板。“极具销售天赋的苹果将一款变动不大的产品重新命名，使消费者更容易觉察到自己还没有最新款的iPad。”

    文森特•阮，科技网站SlashGear：续航给力。“iPad Air续航时间惊人。苹果宣称在充满电后，iPad Air可以支撑10小时WiFi上网、视频和音乐播放，就算在蜂窝网络中，也可以支撑9小时。而在实际应用中，我和我的小伙伴们都惊呆了。完全充电后，经过7个多小时的折腾——通过WiFi和蜂窝网络浏览网页、播放视频和音乐、不断使用应用和FaceTime，以及14个半小时的待机，iPad Air竟然还有77%的电量！即便是我们故意让iPad Air加快耗电——连续播放视频并保持高亮，它的电池依然表现惊人。”



    约翰•格鲁伯，科技博客Daring Fireball：iPad Air。“充电时间有些长，即便插上了12瓦的充电器也没啥改观。从37%充到66%需要1个小时，从66%充满还需要1个半小时。不过充一晚上电可以让你满负荷使用上一天时间，或是正常状态下好几天使用时间。从2010年第一代iPad开始，苹果就一直保持着最少10小时续航时间的传统，如今iPad Air继续发扬光大了这一点。”(财富中文网)

    译者：项航


    Rich Jaroslovsky, Bloomberg: Office Work. "The touch-screen-optimized productivity apps, which include a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software, are a shot across the bow of Microsoft (MSFT). The company has been working on an iPad version of its Office software but has so far released only a limited, disappointing iPhone app. The Apple apps work the way Office should. Using Pages, the equivalent of Microsoft Word, I was able to create and edit a document that I saved to Apple's iCloud service and opened on a Mac. I also shared it with a non-Apple-using colleague. By clicking on a link, he opened the document in his browser, using a Web-based version of Pages to make changes I could immediately see on the iPad. You can do stuff like this on Microsoft-powered devices too -- but it costs you $100 a year for the subscription version of Office. Here, it's free, as are the latest versions of iPhoto and iMovie."

    Tim Stevens, CNET: Thinner, lighter, faster, best. The good: The iPad Air delivers more performance and comparable battery life in an attractive and impossibly thin-and-light package. An improved front-facing camera makes FaceTiming look better, and the Retina Display still looks great. The bad: The Touch ID fingerprint scanner, introduced on the iPhone 5S, is sadly absent here, meaning you'll still have to type in a passcode with every unlock and a password with every purchase. Starting at $499 for 16GB, it's still expensive compared with the competition. The bottom line: Functionally, the iPad Air is nearly identical to last year's model, offering only faster performance and better video chatting. But factor in design and aesthetics, and the iPad Air is on another planet. It's the best full-size consumer tablet on the market."

    Brad Molen, Engadget: iPad Air review. "Despite its petite size and lightweight build, it doesn't feel at all flimsy. The unibody aluminum chassis is just as solid as on older iPads. The sides have a blunter edge this time around, so you get more of a grip than the gradually sloping edges on previous models; and Apple has added chamfered, diamond-cut edges that form a boundary between the bezel and the rest of the tablet's body, which gives it a premium look. In our experience, however, the downside to chamfered edges is that they're often susceptible to dings and scratches."

    Matt Warma, Telegraph: Apple's finest tablet. "In a stroke of marketing genius, a largely similar product is now rebranded, making it easier for consumers to notice that they don't have the latest model."

    Vincent Nguyen, SlashGear: Battery. "Apple quotes up to 10 hours of WiFi-connected browsing, video, or music from a full charge of the iPad Air, or alternatively 9 hours over a cellular connection. In practice, though, and with mixed use, we were blown away by just how long the iPad Air can last. From a full charge, after more than 7 hours of frequent use – browsing over WiFi and cellular wireless, playing video files and music, and using apps and FaceTime – and almost 14.5 hours of standby, the iPad Air still had 77-percent of its battery remaining. Even when we purposefully tried to run the battery down, playing video and keeping the screen active, the iPad simply ran and ran."

    John Gruber, Daring Fireball: The iPad Air. "It does take a while to charge, even when using the included 12-watt power adapter. It took about an hour to go from 37 percent to 66 percent, and about 90 minutes to go from 66 percent all the way to 100. But charge it overnight and you should easily get a full day of active use or several days of casual use out of it. Starting with the original model in 2010, Apple has seemingly been unwilling to bend on a floor of 10 hours of battery life, and the iPad Air maintains this pedigree."