小米科技将发布廉价亲民版无人机

 Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker¹ that gave Apple a run for its money, is taking on the drone world with a $610 product that undercuts market leader DJI by almost 25 per cent.

曾对苹果(Apple)构成强劲挑战的中国智能手机制造商小米(Xiaomi)，将凭借一款售价610美元的产品在无人机市场展开竞争。这款产品的售价比市场领跑者大疆(DJI)低了近25%。

Drones are the latest gambit for Xiaomi, which launched its first phone in 2011 and, four years later, briefly² became the top-selling maker in China. But its fortunes have since faded, prompting a wave of diversification³ spanning smart rice cookers and air purifiers.

无人机是小米下出的最新一步棋。该公司在2011年发布其首部手机，四年后便迅速成为了中国市场上销量最高的手机制造商。但自那以来，小米的好运气逐渐减弱，促使其实施了一连串多元化发展举措，其产品涵盖智能电饭煲和空气净化器。

Beijing-based Xiaomi said its drone would cost about Rmb4,000 ($610), versus⁴ $799 for a comparable product from Shenzhen-based DJI. It plans to unveil its first drone on May 25.

总部位于北京的小米表示，其无人机价格约为4000元人民币（合610美元）。相比之下，总部位于深圳的大疆同类产品价格为799美元。小米计划于5月25日发布其首款无人机。

DJI was unfazed. Spokesman Wang Fan said it commanded a strong lead over the rest of the industry and superior value. “Price was never our greatest point of appeal,” he said. “Xiaomi’s new product, regardless of its price, will not have an impact on our sales.”

大疆对此并不感到担忧。大疆发言人王帆表示，大疆遥遥领先于业内其他企业，品牌价值也高人一头。他说：“价格从来都不是我们的最大卖点。小米的新产品无论价格定在多少，都不会影响我们的销售。”

The global consumer drone market is expected to reach $4.19bn by 2024, said a new report by US-based consultancy Grand View Research. While still largely novelty items, this year’s projected sales of 4m are expected to quadruple to 16m by 2020, Bloomberg said.

总部位于美国的咨询公司大观研究(Grand View Research)发布新报告称，到2024年，全球消费类无人机市场的规模预计将达41.9亿美元。彭博社(Bloomberg)表示，尽管无人机在很大程度上还是一种新鲜事物，但到2020年时，无人机销量预计会达到1600万架，相对于今年400万架的预期销量等于是翻了两番。

Xiaomi is just one of a number of prospective⁵ entrants looking to tap into this market and emulate⁶ DJI’s success.

小米只是考虑进军这一市场并赶超大疆成就的众多潜在玩家之一。

That would help it offset⁷ flagging phone sales. Xiaomi said in January it sold more than 70m phones in 2015, up from 61m the year before. But that missed both its original target of 100m and its midyear revised goal of 80m.

进军无人机市场将有助于小米抵消智能手机销售不振的影响。今年1月，小米表示2015年它售出了逾7000万部手机，高于上一年的6100万部。但这一数字既未达到其最初设定的1亿部的年销售目标，也未达到其年中修订后的8000万部的年销售目标。

Analysts⁹, however, reckon drones will fail to turn around Xiaomi’s fortunes, particularly given the limited market size. “There are several zeros between the drone market and the market for smartphone,” said Bryan Ma, analyst⁸ at IT consultancy IDC in Singapore.

分析师们认为，无人机不会扭转小米的运势——尤其是考虑到无人机市场规模不大。IT咨询公司IDC驻新加坡分析师马伯远(Bryan Ma)表示：“无人机市场比智能手机市场小好几个数量级。”

1 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

2 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

3 diversification   

n.变化，多样化；多种经营

参考例句：

• The seminar was to discuss diversification of agriculture. 该研讨会讨论的是农业多种经营。 来自辞典例句
• Firm diversification is increasingly achieved by the means of takeover and merger. 通过接管和兼并，厂商经营范围日益多样化。 来自辞典例句

4 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

5 prospective   

adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的

参考例句：

• The story should act as a warning to other prospective buyers.这篇报道应该对其他潜在的购买者起到警示作用。
• They have all these great activities for prospective freshmen.这会举办各种各样的活动来招待未来的新人。

6 emulate   

v.努力赶上或超越，与…竞争；效仿

参考例句：

• You must work hard to emulate your sister.你必须努力工作，赶上你姐姐。
• You must look at the film and try to emulate his behavior.你们必须观看这部电影，并尽力模仿他的动作。

7 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。