????平板電腦銷(xiāo)售一直步履蹣跚已經(jīng)不是秘密。國(guó)際數(shù)據(jù)公司（IDC）的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，今年第一季度全球平板電腦出貨量比上年同期下降了5.9%；同時(shí)，盡管憑借多款iPad繼續(xù)在市場(chǎng)上領(lǐng)跑，但蘋(píng)果公司的平板電腦出貨量已連跌五個(gè)季度。

????正因?yàn)槿绱耍驴頸Pad成為上周三蘋(píng)果產(chǎn)品發(fā)布會(huì)上的重磅消息之一才讓人特別感興趣。

????iPad Pro是迄今為止尺寸最大的iPad，配置也最讓人心動(dòng)。它采用12.9英寸的Retina屏幕。蘋(píng)果同時(shí)宣稱(chēng)，iPad Pro的處理器速度“超過(guò)了80%的出廠時(shí)間不超過(guò)一年的便攜式電腦”。但它不只是改善了原有iPad的外觀并提高了性能（iPad Mini 4已經(jīng)上架，而iPad 2也還未下架）。iPad Pro預(yù)裝了商業(yè)軟件，并把鍵盤(pán)和手寫(xiě)筆作為可選配件，這意味著蘋(píng)果進(jìn)入了一個(gè)新領(lǐng)域，而蘋(píng)果的轉(zhuǎn)向一定會(huì)引起科技界的注意。

????人們不免要把iPad Pro和微軟的最新二合一產(chǎn)品Surface Pro 3比較一番。兩款平板電腦都面向企業(yè)用戶(hù)，可以運(yùn)行微軟的Office軟件，也都配備了可拆卸鍵盤(pán)和手寫(xiě)筆這些旨在提高辦公效率的配件。盡管Surface的操作系統(tǒng)是Windows 10移動(dòng)版，但iPad Pro更像是臺(tái)式機(jī)和移動(dòng)設(shè)備的混合體，它具有多任務(wù)處理功能并可運(yùn)行一些企業(yè)級(jí)軟件，而采用的則是和iPhone一樣的iOS操作系統(tǒng)，還可以連接LTE網(wǎng)絡(luò)。

????雖然Surface Pro和iPad Pro是否真的存在直接競(jìng)爭(zhēng)仍值得商榷，但有一點(diǎn)顯而易見(jiàn)，那就是我們所知的平板電腦還在不斷發(fā)展，并在這個(gè)過(guò)程中不斷調(diào)整著自己的目標(biāo)受眾。

????國(guó)際數(shù)據(jù)公司高級(jí)研究分析師吉特?！醪祭嵴f(shuō)：“人們意識(shí)到，他們的很大一部分內(nèi)容消費(fèi)活動(dòng)現(xiàn)在都能在平板手機(jī)上完成。這就是我們看到平板電腦向大屏化、移動(dòng)聯(lián)網(wǎng)和可拆卸配件方向轉(zhuǎn)移的原因之一。”

????隨著智能手機(jī)越做越大，為再買(mǎi)一臺(tái)平板電腦這樣的內(nèi)容消費(fèi)設(shè)備找理由變得更加困難。但具備辦公功能后，平板電腦的用途就變得很明朗。這就是IBM開(kāi)發(fā)iPad商用App的原因。也正因?yàn)槿绱?，微軟才跟戴爾和惠普合作，向企業(yè)推廣Surface Pro。

????咨詢(xún)公司加德納研究負(fù)責(zé)人布萊恩·布勞指出：“[要獲得成功，]iPad Pro就得不光是一款消費(fèi)產(chǎn)品。它必須具有核心生產(chǎn)力，可通信，便于攜帶，還能提供企業(yè)用戶(hù)需要的App和服務(wù)，這樣才能得到更廣泛的接受?！?/p>

????就算企業(yè)用戶(hù)沒(méi)有廣泛采納iPad Pro，也不一定意味著這個(gè)概念的失敗。它是第一代產(chǎn)品，而且蘋(píng)果很可能基于企業(yè)用戶(hù)的反饋?zhàn)龀稣{(diào)整。比如說(shuō)，許多用戶(hù)可能更喜歡完整版的Mac操作系統(tǒng)，而不是iOS。就像推出Surface的微軟一樣，蘋(píng)果也將遭遇“成長(zhǎng)的煩惱”，但這方面的商業(yè)需求顯然是存在的。

????隨著蘋(píng)果加入競(jìng)爭(zhēng)行列，平板電腦的發(fā)展速度也許會(huì)加快，從而讓它擺脫介于手機(jī)和筆記本之間的尷尬位置，并將臺(tái)式機(jī)的優(yōu)勢(shì)和手持設(shè)備的直觀性結(jié)合在一起。

????如果這樣的產(chǎn)品更多地出現(xiàn)在董事會(huì)議上，而不是人們的日常生活中，請(qǐng)不要感到奇怪。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：Charlie

????校對(duì)：詹妮

????It’s no secret that mobile tablet sales have been floundering—according to IDC, worldwide shipments were down 5.9% year-over-year in Q1 of 2015, and though Apple still leads the market with its various iPad models, it’s seen a decline in shipments for five consecutive quarters.

????Which is why it’s especially interesting that one of the biggest announcements from Apple’s event on Wednesday was an addition to its tablet lineup.

????The iPad Pro is Apple’s largest and most impressively specced tablet to date, with a 12.9-inch retina display and a processor which Apple claims is “faster than 80 percent of the portable PCs that shipped in the last 12 months.” But this device isn’t a sleeker, more powerful update to previous Apple tablets (there’s a new iPad Mini 4 on the way, and the iPad 2 is still in the lineup). With business-minded software features and an optional keyboard and stylus, the iPad Pro marks a move into new territory for the company. And when Apple takes a step in a different direction, the tech world takes notice.

????Understandably, the iPad Pro is drawing comparisons to the Surface Pro 3, Microsoft’s latest two-in-one product. Both devices are designed for enterprise use, with the ability to run Microsoft Office programs, and both work with productivity-focused accessories like a detachable keyboard and a stylus. But while the Surface runs full desktop Windows 10 in a portable package, the iPad Pro offers more of a hybrid of desktop and mobile features. These include multitasking and some enterprise-level programs, but the same iOS software you’ll find on an iPhone, with LTE connectivity as well.

????While we can debate whether the Surface Pro and the iPad Pro are truly competing devices, one thing seems clear: The tablet as we know it is evolving, and its target audience is adjusting in the process.

????“People are realizing that a big portion of their content consumption activities can now be done on phablets,” says Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst at IDC. “That’s one of the reasons we’re seeing a shift towards larger and mobile-connected tablets and detachables.”

????With smartphone screens getting bigger, it becomes harder to justify buying an additional content consumption device like a tablet. Add in the ability to get real work done, though, and the use case becomes clear. That’s why IBM’s developing made-for-business apps for the iPad and other apps, and why Microsoft’steamed up with Dell and Hewlett-Packard to sell the Surface Pro to companies.

????“[To succeed] the Pro does need to be more than a consumption device,” says Brian Blau, research director at Gartner. “It has to enable core productivity, communications, portability and also have the necessary apps and services meant for enterprise use for the device to gain broader acceptance.”

????If the corporate world doesn’t latch on to the iPad Pro, that doesn’t necessarily mean the concept is a flop. It’s a first-gen product, and Apple will likely make tweaks in response to feedback from enterprise users—many of whom might prefer the full Mac operating system to iOS, for example. Like Microsoft with its Surface, Apple will face growing pains, but it’s clear that the business demand is there.

????Now that Apple has a hat in the ring with the iPad Pro, it could hasten the evolution away from a category of devices that sit awkwardly between phones and laptops toward a class of products that blend the best of full-fledged computers with the intuitiveness of a handheld design.

????Just don’t be surprised if it’s more at home in the board room than the living room.