【英语科技】苹果iPad全球大卖 60天销量突破200万台

Apple Inc. said it sold two million iPads in less than 60 days after the multimedia touch-screen device was introduced, as demand remained strong.

Release of the sales figure followed the iPad's international debut Friday, when Apple introduced the device in nine countries, including France, Germany, the U.K. and Japan. The release added to the brisk sales in the U.S., where the iPad went on sale in early April.

Research firm Piper Jaffray & Co. said iPads were sold out or in limited supply at 10 Apple stores it surveyed in Europe, Australia and Japan after the first weekend of sales. IPads, which start at $499, continued to be sold out in many U.S. locations, while Apple's own online store shows a seven- to 10-day delay in shipping.

'We appreciate [consumers'] patience and are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone,' Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in a prepared statement.

Analysts on average expect Apple to sell about five million iPads this year. But Nick James, an analyst with London bank Panmure Gordon & Co., projects Apple could sell 10 million iPads this year. 'The iPad has really broken through in terms of making the tablet class a reality,' said Mr. James.

For a company that has been expanding rapidly overseas, the iPad represents a new opportunity to further broaden Apple's presence. Apart from its iPods, which dominate the global market for music players, Apple historically has had limited market share world-wide. Many analysts believe the strong international momentum for iPhones could spill over and help iPad sales.

Patrick Lynch, a retired lawyer from Ireland, braved a long line at the Apple store in London Friday morning to buy an iPad, which he wants to use to compare prices for antique books at fairs and stores. 'Seeing a bargain in a shop window, you can't use an iPhone to scroll down the price listings -- it's too small,' said Mr. Lynch. 'The iPad is instant, needs no warm-up time and is really user-friendly.'

苹果公司(Apple Inc.)说，在多媒体触屏电脑iPad推出后不到60天的时间里，已经销售了200万台，而需求依然强劲。

上周五iPad在包括法国、德国、英国和日本在内的九个国家推出后，苹果公布了上述销售数据。iPad于4月初在美国上市，在全球的推出为其在美国的火爆销售锦上添花。

研究公司Piper Jaffray & Co.说，在全球销售的首周末之后，在该公司调查的欧洲、澳大利亚和日本的10家苹果门店中，iPad已经销售一空或限量供应。iPad起价499美元，在美国很多销售点持续脱销，而苹果自己的网店显示发货要有七至十天的延迟。

苹果首席执行长乔布斯(Steve Jobs)在书面声明中说，我们感谢消费者的耐心，并在努力生产更多的iPad，满足消费者的需求。

分析师普遍预计苹果今年将销售约500万台iPad。不过，位于伦敦的银行Panmure Gordon & Co.的分析师詹姆斯(Nick James)预计，苹果今年有望销售1,000万台iPad。他说，iPad在将平板电脑变为现实方面确实取得了突破。

对在海外迅速扩张的苹果公司来说，iPad代表了一个进一步扩大业务的新机会。除占据了全球音乐播放器市场的iPod外，苹果在全球的市场份额历来有限。很多分析人士认为，iPhone强劲的国际势头可能产生了“溢出效应”，助推了iPad的销售。

爱尔兰退休律师林奇(Patrick Lynch)上周五早晨在伦敦的苹果门店外排了很久的队买iPad。他希望用iPad来比较市场和商店中古籍书的价格。他说，如果你在商店橱窗里看到一个便宜货，你无法用iPhone查阅价目表，因为它太小了，iPad却立即就可以查阅，无需预热，而且使用真的很方便。