【英语科技】华硕将推出平板电脑 叫板苹果iPad

Asustek Computer Inc., the Taiwan company that pioneered the netbook, joined the battle to take on Apple Inc.'s iPad, unveiling a tablet computer that will run on Microsoft Corp. software.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday's official start of the Computex trade show here, Asustek executives said their new device, called the Eee Pad, will start selling in the first quarter of next year. The touch-screen tablet personal computer will use Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system and Intel Corp.'s Core processor.

In a potentially risky move that underscores the importance of software in the burgeoning tablet market, Asustek will also launch an application store, like Apple's App store. Long a hardware maker, Asustek has far less experience developing consumer software.

'We want to provide a content service as well, because it is very important,' Asustek Chairman Jonney Shih said at a news conference. 'We aim to enhance [consumers'] Internet mobile experience.'

Mr. Shih gave few details about the application store, but said Asustek will develop it jointly with Intel and that the store will also run on Windows.

Asustek's announcement, which was expected, marks a limited victory for Microsoft in the intensifying battle over whose software will control tablet PCs, a segment that has been gaining increasing attention since Apple unveiled the iPad in January. That device, which came on the market in April, has already sold at least two million units.

Android, the operating system developed by Microsoft rival Google Inc. for smartphones, has so far had the upper hand. Acer Inc., the No. 2 PC maker after Hewlett-Packard Co., last week announced plans to start selling a tablet by October that will use Android. And No. 3 PC maker Dell Inc. said it is developing a five-inch tablet computer that will run on Android.

Asustek is smaller than those companies, but it has gained wide notice in recent years with its Eee PC line of netbooks, which kicked off an industry-wide craze for the lighter, less-expensive versions of notebook personal computers.

Jessie Lee, an Asustek spokeswoman, said there will be Eee Pad models with 10-inch and 12-inch screen sizes, which will sell for between $399 and $449.

Asustek is also planning to sell an e-reader, called the Eee Tablet, that will be available in September and will sell for $199 to $299, Ms. Lee said. The company said it has a two-megapixel camera, an electronic notepad, a media player and a battery life of 10 hours.

上网本领域的先驱、台湾公司华硕电脑有限公司(Asustek Computer Inc.)加入了挑战苹果公司(Apple Inc.) iPad的大战，该公司宣布将推出运行微软(Microsoft Corp.)软件的平板电脑。

在周二举行的台北国际电脑展官方启动仪式前，华硕高管们说，他们的新产品“Eee Pad”将于明年一季度开始销售。这款触屏平板个人电脑将使用微软Windows 7操作系统和英特尔(Intel Corp.)酷睿(Core)处理器。

Associated Press一名模特展示华硕Eee Pad平板电脑华硕还将推出一个与苹果App店类似的应用程序店，此举有着潜在的风险，却凸显出软件在新兴的平板电脑市场中的重要性。华硕很久以前就开始从事硬件生产了，但在开发用户软件方面的经验要少的多。

华硕董事长施崇棠(Jonney Shih)在新闻发布会上说，我们还希望提供一个内容服务业务，因为这很重要，我们计划提升用户互联网移动体验。

施崇棠没有详细介绍应用程序店，不过说华硕将与英特尔合作开发，商店也将在Windows上运行。

华硕的声明是意料之中的，它显示出在争夺平板电脑软件领域控制权的激烈战斗中，微软获得的胜利有限。自1月份苹果宣布将推出iPad以来，平板电脑领域一直在获得越来越多的关注。自4月份上市销售以来，iPad已经售出至少200万台。

目前为止，微软的竞争对手谷歌(Google Inc.)为智能手机开发出来的Android操作系统占据着上风。仅次于惠普(Hewlett-Packard Co.)的第二大电脑生产商宏碁股份有限公司(Acer Inc.)上周宣布了在10月份前开始销售使用Android系统的平板电脑的计划。第三大电脑生产商戴尔(Dell Inc.)说，正在开发一款使用Android系统的五英寸平板电脑。

华硕比上述公司都要小，不过该公司近年来凭藉Eee PC上网本系列获得了广泛的关注。该系列引发了全行业对更轻薄、更便宜的笔记本电脑的狂热。

华硕发言人李苇珠(Jessie Lee)说，将推出屏幕10英寸和12英寸的Eee Pad电脑，售价将在399美元至449美元之间。

李苇珠说，华硕还在计划销售电子书阅读器“Eee Tablet”，该产品将于9月份上市，售价将为199美元至299美元。华硕说，该产品配有200万像素的照相机、电子记事本、媒体播放器和续航时间达10小时的电池。