移动行业上演三国演义
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世界日益移动化，操作系统平台就像命运之神，它决定了谁将统治移动市场——或是至少决定了谁能在移动市场的“圈钱盛宴”中占有一席之地。不管是卖手机还是平板的，搞移动广告还是搞应用开发的，你的业务能有多成功都取决于你所选择的移动操作系统。 如果把市面上已有的移动操作系统和正处于研发阶段的系统都算上，那么我们已经有了不少移动平台。不过真正有影响力的平台只有三个，分别是苹果（Apple）的iOS、谷歌（Google）的安卓（Android）和微软（Microsoft）的WP8。为了巩固各自的操作系统，这三家公司都已经开始生产硬件设备。谷歌和微软都是近期才开始涉足硬件，而苹果生产设备已经有了多年的历史。他们要么是通过专利授权，要么就是自行设计设备，以便借此巩固操作系统的地位。 这三家公司也都向开发者们伸出了橄榄枝，希望通过他们构建的应用吸引消费者。过去几周里，苹果、谷歌和微软都召开了软件开发者大会，向开发者介绍公司的新软件、新设备和新战略。所有这一切都是为了维护、提高自家系统的市场份额。 这三家资金雄厚的大公司构成了一个庞大的产业，它们形成鼎足之势，互相竞争，快速创新。现在让我们简要地看看这三家公司最近在智能手机和平板电脑上的创新，以及它们的相对优势和劣势分别在哪里。 苹果 最新动态：在6月初的世界开发者大会（Worldwide Developers Conference）上，苹果发布了iOS 6操作系统的一些细节。这个系统有望搭载在将于今秋推出的新iPhone上。iOS 6共有200多项新功能，其中很多新功能不算是很大的创新（比如拨号键采用了新布局），但是也有一些新功能值得注意。比如如果有些电话无法即时接听，那么可以选择“稍后回复”功能。另外iOS 6深度集成了Facebook，可以无缝分享所有的iPhone活动。另外用户还可通过手机网络使用Facetime，同时它还添加了一个能把iPhone变成一张信用卡的电子钱包应用Passbook，最后苹果还引入了令人印象深刻的自家地图应用。 本次世界开发者大会上发布最重头的产品是搭载了视网膜屏的Macbook Pro。同时苹果还提供了Mountain Lion操作系统的细节。这个操作系统使iOS和Mac操作系统进一步趋同。像微软一样，苹果也希望近一步模糊笔记本和平板电脑以及智能手机之间的界限。虽然要想完全同化两个系统还需要很长时间，但这条渐近式的道路上产生的摩擦可能也会更少。 意义：这些创新说明苹果付出了极大的努力来维护自己在移动世界中的创新优势。虽然没有人会因为想体验一下Passbook或苹果的地图应用就丢掉自己的安卓手机，但是苹果的用户体验的确一直都很吸引人，在这方面暂时还没有人能超越苹果。 iOS系统的前景如何，很大程度上取决于即将推出的iPhone 5能否比安卓或WP8手机更有吸引力。许多iPhone用户都希望新iPhone能兼容高速的LTE网络——如果此次升级真能支持LTE的话，很多应用将会变得更加强大。但目前来说，苹果在LTE上还略逊对手一筹。 微软 最新动态：今年夏天，科技行业最大的惊喜就是微软自行设计生产了自己的硬件设备。这还是几十年来的头一遭，因为微软一贯都是把做硬件的活交给戴尔（Dell）和惠普（HP这种公司来干。不过这次微软想做一款称心如意的平板电脑，因此它亲自操刀生产了这台Surface平板电脑，这几乎是所有人事先都没有预料到的。 微软也像苹果一样给Surface苹果添加了一些巧妙、直观的硬件设计，增加操作软件的易用性——比如它把键盘设计在了保护套里。Surface平板获得了不少评测者的赞美之辞。不过也有些记者说，在发布会现场亲手测试的时间实在太有限，因此测试结果意义不大（这位marketingland.com的记者刚拿到Surface平板，想点击“设置”看看它的分辨率是多少，就被微软工作人员手疾眼快地“抢”了回去。）Surface平板让微软在平板电脑市场占有了一席之地，尤其是微软如果在新的零售商店里推广它的话。 Surface平板所搭载的Windows Phone 8系统也有望与安卓和iOS一较高下。WP8将支持双核芯片、多种屏幕分辨率，以及无线电子商务交易中需要用到的近场通讯技术。另外它也具备像Passbook一样的电子钱包功能，而且搭载了自家的地图技术。 |
In a world increasingly going mobile, platform is destiny. The operating system will determine who rules -- or at least who has a seat at a lavish feast. Whether manufacturing phones or tablets, selling mobile ads or developing apps, the operating software running the show will determine how well it succeeds. Although there are several mobile platforms in the market or in development, only three really matter: Apple's (AAPL) iOS, Google's (GOOG) Android and Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows Phone 8. Each company creating these platforms have taken to manufacturing devices -- Google and Microsoft recently, Apple years ago -- to strengthen their software, whether through patents or device design. And all three companies are reaching out to developers, who build the apps that in turn draw in consumers. Over the past several weeks, Apple, Google and Microsoft have held conferences for software developers, introducing new software, new devices and new strategies -- all aimed at building or maintaining each company's respective market share. Together, they show an industry where large, cash-rich companies are vying against each other and rapidly innovating. Here is a quick look what Apple, Google and Microsoft announced in smartphone and tablet innovation, and where their relative strengths and weaknesses are. Apple What's new: At its Worldwide Developers Conference in early June, Apple offered details on iOS 6, expected on new iPhones this fall. The upgrade will have 200 new features, many not very big (new dialer layout) but others that are notable: a reply-later option for phone calls you can't take immediately, Facebook (FB) integration baked into iOS for seamless sharing of all your iPhone activities, Facetime over cell-phone networks, a Passbook app that could turn the iPhone into a credit card and the introduction of Apple's impressive new maps app. While the biggest announcement from the conference was the Macbook Pro with Retina Display, Apple also provided details on its Mountain Lion, which inches iOS and the Mac operating software closer together. Like Microsoft, Apple envisions the lines between laptops and tablets/smartphones blurring. It's taking Apple longer to merge the two, but that slower approach may yield fewer glitches. What it means: These announcements represent a lot of incremental additions that add up to a substantial effort to keep Apple at the innovative edge of the mobile world. No one is going to ditch their Android phone just to they can use, say, Passbook or Apple Maps, but the iPhone has always been about a compelling user experience, and no one has surpassed Apple on this front yet. Much will depend on how alluring the coming iPhone 5 will appear against offerings from Google and Microsoft. Many iPhone customers have been waiting for a version that will work on high-speed LTE networks -- an upgrade that will make many apps more powerful. For now, this is Apple's race to lose. Microsoft What's new: The biggest surprise in tech this summer has been Microsoft's move to design and manufacture its own devices, a practice it's been content to let Dell (DELL), HP (HPQ) and others handle for decades. But Microsoft wanted to get a Windows tablet right, and so it unveiled the Surface tablet, a move that almost nobody was expecting. With Surface, Microsoft is channelling its inner-Apple: adding a subtle, intuitive hardware design -- such as the keyboard built into the tablet cover -- to enhance the usability of the operating software. The Surface won rave reviews from those who tested it, even though some said hands-on tests were too limited to be useful. The device could make Microsoft a player in tablets, especially if pushed in Microsoft's new retail stores. The software inside the Surface also promises to be competitive with Android and iOS. Windows Phone 8 will support dual-core chips, multiple screen resolutions and near-field communications used in wireless e-commerce transactions. It also offers a Passbook-like wallet and a native map technology. |
