It was just over five years ago that we were waiting with bated breath for Apple’s tablet computer. The company delivered, dubbed its new creation the iPad, and set about redefining what a “tablet” could be.
仅仅5年前，我们还在屏息等待苹果平板电脑的面世。该公司没有让我们失望，推出令人惊艳的新产品iPad，重新定义了“平板电脑”的概念。
Remember? Tablet computers used to be clunky, convertible laptops that ran Microsoft Windows and reeked of compromise. The release of the iPad helped redraw that gadget in consumers’ minds. No, this wasn’t the hefty hunk of steel lugged around by UPS workers; this was the future of the computer.
还记得吗？平板电脑曾经是笨重的可折叠式笔记本电脑，安装着微软Windows系统，充满了各种折中的糟糕设计。iPad的推出让消费者对平板电脑有了全新的认识。它不再是依靠不间断电源支持的厚重金属块，而是电脑的未来。
Here’s the truth: I was always suspicious of them. Sure, they seemed wonderful and light and perfect for couch-based computing. But they weren’t the right format for a lot of the ways I used a computer. They were great for a meeting but less so for my desk. When I needed to grind out a report or design a page, I needed the precision of my otherwise anachronistic mouse. And, toughest of all, I already owned a laptop, like most people. Buying another computer seemed more of a “nice to have” than a “must have.” (Unless you’re a UPS worker.)
然而事实上，我对此一直持怀疑态度。没错，平板看起来很棒，十分轻薄，很适合躺着使用。不过我使用台式机的许多方式都不适用于平板电脑。它们很适合会议，但不太适合坐在桌边使用。当我需要写一份报告或设计一个页面时，我需要也许显得有些过时的鼠标带来的精准操控。而最困难的一点在于，我像很多人一样，已经有了一台笔记本电脑。再买个平板电脑看起来更像是“锦上添花”，而不是“雪中送炭”。（除非你是UPS的快递员。）
New figures from IDC, the market research firm, suggest that we’ve reached a ceiling for the modern tablet computer. According to the firm, shipments of the device in the second quarter of this year dropped 7% worldwide compared to the same time last year. Apple and Samsung, the market leaders (41% combined market share), each experienced a drop year over year as competitors like LG and Huawei surged.
市场研究公司IDC的最新数据显示，时尚的平板电脑似乎遭遇了瓶颈。该公司称，平板电脑在今年第二季度的全球出货量同比下降7%。随着LG和华为等竞争者奋起直追，作为市场领头羊的苹果和三星（两家公司合计拥有41%的市场占有率）的平板电脑销量比前一年都有所下滑。
But the overall market is shrinking, just five years after it appeared. For good reason: Laptops continue to shrink—have you seen the latest Macbook?—and smartphones continue to grow, even as both get lighter and longer-lasting in terms of battery life. Tablets, stuck in the middle, still have their place. But the utility of that place is dwindling.
平板电脑整体市场正在萎缩，尽管它仅仅面世5年而已。理由很充分：笔记本市场持续萎缩——你见过最新款的Macbook吗？——而智能手机市场正持续增长，尽管两种产品都变得更加轻便，都拥有更长的电池续航能力。被夹在中间的平板电脑地位尴尬，尽管它还有生存空间，但这个空间正在持续缩水。
Here’s a look at IDC’s top five worldwide tablet vendors for the second quarter of 2015:
以下是IDC列出的全球五大平板电脑供货商2015年第二季度出货量：
1. Apple
第1名：苹果
24.5% market share in 2Q15
2015年第二季度出货量1,090万台，市场占有率24.5%
27.7% market share in 2Q14
2014年第二季度出货量1,330万台，市场占有率27.7%
-17.9% growth year over year
出货量同比下降17.9%
2. Samsung
第2名：三星
17.0% market share in 2Q15
2015年第二季度出货量760万台，市场占有率17.0%
18.0% market share in 2Q14
2014年第二季度出货量860万台，市场占有率18.0%
-12.0% growth year over year
出货量同比下降12.0%
3. Lenovo
第3名：联想
5.7% market share in 2Q15
2015年第二季度出货量250万台，市场占有率5.7%
4.9% market share in 2Q14
2014年第二季度出货量240万台，市场占有率4.8%
6.8% growth year over year
出货量同比增长6.8%
4. Huawei (*tie)
第4名（并列）：华为
3.7% market share in 2Q15
2015年第二季度出货量160万台，市场占有率3.7%
1.7% market share in 2Q14
2014年第二季度出货量80万台，市场占有率1.7%
103.6% growth year over year
出货量同比增长103.6%
4. LG Electronics (*tie)
第4名（并列）：LG电子
3.6% market share in 2Q15
2015年第二季度出货量160万台，市场占有率3.6%
1.0% market share in 2Q14
2014年第二季度出货量50万台，市场占有率1.0%
246.4% growth year over year
出货量同比增长246.4%
Others
其他厂商
45.6% market share in 2Q15
2015年第二季度出货量2,040万台，市场占有率45.6%
46.7% market share in 2Q14
2014年第二季度出货量2,240万台，市场占有率46.7%
-9.3% growth year over year
出货量同比下降9.3%
Total
总体
44.7 million units shipped in 2Q15
2015年第二季度出货量4,470万台
48.0 million units shipped in 2Q14
2014年第二季度出货量4,800万台
-7.0% growth year over year
出货量同比下降7.0%
Not very encouraging for a young, new computing format.
对于一款年轻的运算设备来说，这并不是令人兴奋的数据。
Are tablets dead? I genuinely don’t think so. They remain critical for specialized uses, from hospitals to delivery trucks to sales meetings. Hundreds of millions continue to be sold every year. And some of their best traits have been absorbed by the latest generation of laptops. (What is the new Macbook if not a touchscreen-lacking iPad with a permanent keyboard and OS X, Apple’s desktop operating system?) But from the looks of these numbers, tablets have an identity problem that can’t be ignored.
平板电脑会消亡吗？坦率地说我不这么认为。在一些特定场合，如医院、运货卡车或销售会议上，它们仍然能起到关键作用。生产厂商每年仍然会卖出几千万台平板电脑。一些最好的平板电脑特质也被最新的笔记本电脑所吸收。（新款Macbook有什么新元素？只不过是一款不支持触屏、拥有外设键盘、装有苹果桌面操作系统OS X的iPad罢了。）然而从这些数据来看，平板电脑正在遭遇不容忽视的身份危机。
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