新iPhone还会有耳机插孔吗

 　　SAN FRANCISCO — If Apple had its way, this week would play out like Christmas for 5-year-olds.

　　旧金山——如果按苹果(Apple)的意愿，本周应该像五岁孩子的圣诞节一样。

　　First, unbelievable anticipation¹. Then, great surprise. At the end, immense satisfaction.

　　先是急切地期盼，然后是巨大的惊喜，最后是强烈的满足感。

　　When the latest iPhone is unveiled here Wednesday in a 7,000-seat auditorium², it probably will instead be more like Christmas for a sneaky 10-year-old who long ago peeked³ at his present.

　　周三，最新款iPhone将在这里一个能容纳7000人的礼堂里发布。然而届时可能会更像一个偷偷摸摸早就看过自己礼物的十岁孩子的圣诞节。

　　Thanks.

　　谢谢。

　　That’s it?

　　就只有这个？

　　Anyone who cares enough about the iPhone to know that a new model is being released this month already knows what it is supposed to be like: a little thinner, a little faster and equipped with superior cameras on the Plus model.

　　任何人，只要是对iPhone的关注，到了知道本月会发布新品的程度，就已经知道它会是什么样子了：机身更薄、速度更快、Plus款配置了更好的摄像头。

　　By far the most controversial feature, however, is the one that will be missing: a headphone jack⁴.

　　然而，目前为止最具争议的特性是，有一个东西将消失：耳机插孔。

　　A standard element of technology that can be traced to 1878 and the invention of the manual telephone exchange, the jack is apparently⁵ going the way of the floppy⁶ disk and the folding map.

　　这一标准技术元素可追溯至1878年，来自人工电话交换系统。它似乎正在步入软盘和折叠地图的后尘。

　　The future will be wireless⁷.

　　未来将是一个无线世界。

　　We know about this potential absence thanks to a global information chain, one that shadows the supply and manufacturing chain that produces Apple’s products.

　　可能没有耳机插孔这件事，我们是凭借一个全球信息链得知的，它和苹果产品的供应和制造链形影不离。

　　The shadow chain is intended to ferret out Apple rumors⁹: promoting them, discussing them and then discussing them some more, long before they become facts.

　　而这个信息链的目的，则是搜寻和苹果有关的传言：早在传言成为事实之前就开始传播传言，讨论传言，再讨论更多传言。

　　This rumor⁸ mill is both a gift to Apple and a burden, a sign that it has not lost its magic and a warning that everyone is on watch for the moment it does.

　　对苹果来说，这座传言工厂既是一种机会，也是一种负担，它的存在表明自己魅力犹存，但也是在警告人人都在关注它。

　　No other company is tracked quite so relentlessly¹⁰.

　　没有哪家公司被像这么持续不断地追踪过。

　　Under its co-founder Steve Jobs, Apple relished¹¹ its ability to keep news under wraps and went to great lengths — legally and otherwise — to make sure it remained that way.

　　在联合创始人史蒂夫?乔布斯(Steve Jobs)的领导下，苹果有能力做到保密，且对此不遗余力——无论方式合法与否。

　　There is one more thing, and we’ve managed to keep it secret, Jobs exulted¹² in 1999 as he introduced iMacs in colors like blueberry and tangerine¹³.

　　还有一个事，我们设法做到了保密，乔布斯1999年介绍蓝莓色和橘红色等颜色的iMac时欢快地说。

　　It’s hard to believe, but we did it.

　　难以置信，但我们做到了。

　　It was an ambition that his successor, Tim Cook, underlined at a conference four years ago.

　　在四年前的一次会议上，乔布斯的接任者蒂姆?库克(Tim Cook)强调了这个目标。

　　We’re going to double down on secrecy¹⁴ on products, he said.

　　我们将加强对产品的保密，他说。

　　Things have not quite worked out that way.

　　但事情并未朝这个方向发展。

　　When Steve Jobs was around, there was still that hope they could surprise you, said Gene¹⁵ Munster, an Apple analyst¹⁶.

　　史蒂夫?乔布斯在世的时候，还能指望他们带来惊喜，关注苹果动态的分析师基尼?蒙斯特(Gene Munster)说。

　　Today, that hope is largely gone.

　　现在，这个希望基本不复存在。

　　The long road to unraveling this week’s surprises began in November, less than three months after the iPhone 6s had debuted¹⁷ to gangbuster first-weekend sales.

　　对于苹果将在本周发布的惊喜之作，揭秘工作在去年十一月就开始了，当时离iPhone 6s发布、并在第一个周末热卖过去不到三个月。

　　The Japanese website Mac Otakara, considered a generally reliable source of information that has ties to the factories manufacturing the phone, wrote about Apple removing the jack in the next iPhone under the heading rumor.

　　日本网站Mac Otakara以传闻为标题，撰文称苹果将在下一代iPhone中取消耳机插孔。该网站被认为是一个总体上可靠的iPhone生产厂商信息来源。

　　For anyone not ready to go wireless, the story said, wired earphones would plug into the iPhone via Apple’s Lightning connector, which is typically used for charging power.

　　文章称，对尚未准备好进入无线生活的人来说，可通过苹果常用于充电的接口，将有线耳机插入iPhone。

　　Traditional headphones would presumably work through a converter.

　　传统耳机大概要借助转换器。

　　This was big.

　　此事影响重大。

　　Headphones are one of the most basic functions, so this is something that’s going to affect users of all kinds, said Eric Slivka, editor-in-chief of MacRumors.com.

　　耳机是最基本的功能之一，因而这是一件会影响到各类用户的事情，MacRumors.com总编埃里克?斯利夫卡(Eric Slivka)说。

　　I immediately knew it would be an extremely controversial topic all the way until launch.

　　我马上意识到，在新品发布之前，这一直会是一个极具争议的话题。

　　By early January, emotions were at a fever pitch.

　　到了今年1月初，消费者的情绪达到高潮。

　　An online petition from SumofUs.org, which more than 300,000 people have signed, denounced Apple for creating more electronic waste — presumably, headphones that will no longer work with the iPhone and be thrown out.

　　SumofUs.org上的一封网上请愿书谴责苹果制造了更多电子垃圾——大概是指因为无法再在iPhone上使用被丢弃的耳机。请愿书征集到了逾30万个签名。

　　Some commentators¹⁸ explained that even if people used adapters with their old headphones, they were gaining things, too.

　　一些评论人士解释称，即便人们可借助适配器使用旧耳机，他们也要购买新的东西。

　　Other commentators noted¹⁹ that people complained that Apple never innovated²⁰ anymore, and yet here it was innovating²¹, and people were complaining anyway.

　　其他评论人士则指出，人们抱怨苹果不再创新，现在有了创新，人们还是在抱怨。

　　Then came the rumor that the headphone jack was not going away after all.

　　然后又出现了耳机插口根本不会消失的传言。

　　The Chinese website Mydrivers.com published a photo of what it said were the innards of the new iPhone with the jack right there.

　　中文网站快科技发布了一张自称是新款iPhone内部结构的照片，上面耳机插孔赫然在目。

　　Has the rumor mill been lying to us? wondered Cult²² of Mac.

　　谣言工厂一直在骗我们吗？Cult of Mac问道。

　　Surely not!

　　当然不是！

　　Two weeks ago, with the volume of commentary picking up as the big reveal approached, even Apple’s other co-founder, Steve Wozniak, weighed in.

　　两周前，随着盛大发布活动的临近，评论数量增加，就连苹果的另一位联合创始人史蒂夫?沃茲尼亚克(Steve Wozniak)也加入了讨论。

　　If it’s missing the 3.5-millimeter earphone jack, that’s going to tick off a lot of people, he told the Australian Financial Review.

　　如果去掉3.5毫米耳机插孔，会惹怒很多人，他对《澳大利亚金融评论报》(Australian Financial Review)表示。

　　But he added a conciliatory note: We’ll see.

　　但他接着又妥协地说了一句：我们拭目以待。

　　Apple is good at moving toward the future, and I like to follow that.

　　苹果善于引领未来，我愿意跟随它的脚步。

　　Perhaps it is better to be forewarned about what the future holds rather than be forced to confront it abruptly²³.

　　或许和突然被迫面对相比，预先警告未来可能会出现的情况要更好一些。

　　We soften²⁴ the blow, said Neil Hughes, managing editor of AppleInsider.

　　我们提供了缓冲，AppleInsider的总编尼尔?修斯(Neil Hughes)说。

　　Can you imagine that if no one saw it coming and Apple just dropped this on Wednesday? People would lose their minds.

　　你能想象如果没人料到这一点，而苹果直到周三才公布这个消息的情形吗？人们会疯的。

　　Apple, which declined to comment for this article, most likely has a different view.

　　拒绝就本文置评的苹果，很有可能并不这么认为。

　　In late 2004, it went after several websites, including AppleInsider, saying that when they posted details about unreleased products, they were publishing stolen property.

　　2004年底，苹果起诉多家网站，称它们公布的未发布产品的细节，实际上是偷来的财产。

　　At first Apple found success in court but the ruling was sharply reversed on appeal.

　　起初苹果胜诉，但上诉法院的裁决发生了逆转。

　　It was ordered to pay $700,000 to cover the sites’ legal fees and generally looked like a bully²⁵.

　　法院责令苹果支付70万美元，用于支付相关网站的诉讼费用。苹果总的来看像是一个恶霸。

　　For several years, Apple sold a T-shirt in its Cupertino, California, campus store that read, I visited the Apple campus.

　　多年来，在苹果位于加利福尼亚州库比提诺的园区商店里，有一种T恤，上面写着，我参观了苹果园区。

　　But that’s all I am allowed to say.

　　但我只能说这么多。

　　A recent Apple presentation poked²⁶ fun at its extensive security measures.

　　苹果在最近一次发布会上调侃了自己的严密安保措施。

　　But even if the company can now have a laugh or two at its own expense, its philosophy has not changed.

　　但即便这家公司可以拿自己开涮了，它的理念并没变。

　　Do you remember when you were a kid, and Christmas Eve, it was so exciting, you weren’t sure what was going to be downstairs? Cook said when asked about the rumored²⁷ Apple car at the annual shareholders’ meeting last February.

　　你们还记得自己还是个小孩子的时候，会在平安夜特别兴奋，因为不知道楼下会有什么吗？在2月的年度股东会议上，库克在被问及传闻中的苹果汽车时说。

　　Well, it’s going to be Christmas Eve for a while.

　　就是这样，这个平安夜会很漫长的。

1 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

2 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。

3 peeked   

v.很快地看( peek的过去式和过去分词 )；偷看；窥视；微露出

参考例句：

• She peeked over the top of her menu. 她从菜单上往外偷看。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• On two occasions she had peeked at him through a crack in the wall. 她曾两次透过墙缝窥视他。 来自辞典例句

4 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 floppy   

adj.松软的，衰弱的

参考例句：

• She was wearing a big floppy hat.她戴了顶松软的大帽子。
• Can you copy those files onto this floppy disk?你能把那些文件复制到这张软盘上吗？

7 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

8 rumor   

n.谣言，谣传，传说

参考例句：

• The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。
• The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。

9 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 relentlessly   

adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断

参考例句：

• The African sun beat relentlessly down on his aching head. 非洲的太阳无情地照射在他那发痛的头上。
• He pursued her relentlessly, refusing to take 'no' for an answer. 他锲而不舍地追求她，拒不接受“不”的回答。

11 relished   

v.欣赏( relish的过去式和过去分词 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望

参考例句：

• The chaplain relished the privacy and isolation of his verdant surroundings. 牧师十分欣赏他那苍翠的环境所具有的幽雅恬静，与世隔绝的气氛。 来自辞典例句
• Dalleson relished the first portion of the work before him. 达尔生对眼前这工作的前半部分满有兴趣。 来自辞典例句

12 exulted   

狂喜，欢跃( exult的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The people exulted at the victory. 人们因胜利而欢腾。
• The people all over the country exulted in the success in launching a new satellite. 全国人民为成功地发射了一颗新的人造卫星而欢欣鼓舞。

13 tangerine   

n.橘子，橘子树

参考例句：

• Hand me of a the ripest tangerine please.请递给我一个最熟的橘子。
• These tangerine are transported here by air from Fuzhou.这些福橘是刚刚从福州空运过来的。

14 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

15 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

16 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。

17 debuted   

初次表演，初次登台（debut的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• In late 2003 a full-size SUV, the Pathfinder Armada, debuted. 2003年末，全尺寸SUV的探路者无敌舰队，推出。
• The album debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. 专辑一亮相就荣登排行榜第二名，很快就取得了白金销量。

18 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

20 innovated   

v.改革，创新( innovate的过去式和过去分词 )；引入（新事物、思想或方法），

参考例句：

• He innovated a plan for increased efficiency. 他引进提高效率的（新）方案。 来自辞典例句
• We are using innovated metal detector which is imported from the U.K. 本工厂有先进的生产设备，拥有从英国进口的金属探测机。 来自互联网

21 innovating   

v.改革，创新( innovate的现在分词 )；引入（新事物、思想或方法），

参考例句：

• In this new century, the company keeps innovating and developing new products. 新世纪伊始，公司全面实施形象工程及整合营销，不断改革创新，开发高新产品。 来自互联网
• Beijing is backward most prime cause is innovating at system lack. 北京落后的最根本原因在于制度缺乏创新。 来自互联网

22 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

23 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

24 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

25 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

26 poked   

v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
• His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 rumored   

adj.传说的，谣传的v.传闻( rumor的过去式和过去分词 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• It is rumored that he cheats on his wife. 据传他对他老婆不忠。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was rumored that the white officer had been a Swede. 传说那个白人军官是个瑞典人。 来自辞典例句