????蘋果公司（Apple）的iPad也許是上班時攜帶的便利工具，但如果你的工作是管理海上油井或在颶風(fēng)中處理保險索賠，它就不那么便利了。一種名為“堅固平板”的新型產(chǎn)品已經(jīng)問世，面向那些需要比iPad更堅固的平板的人群。這類耐用移動設(shè)備，大多被設(shè)計成能抵抗雨、雪、沙子甚至是真菌的侵蝕。但與消費(fèi)型平板一樣，它們外形纖薄，配有觸摸屏和對用戶友好的界面。

????松下公司（Panasonic）產(chǎn)品管理主管基普·沃爾斯（Kyp Walls）說：“iPad問世后，引發(fā)了對外形輕薄的產(chǎn)品的迷戀。我們借鑒了近年來出來的一些平板電腦。”

????堅固平板電腦的問世，遠(yuǎn)在iPad之前。松下自1996年起就生產(chǎn)了一系列厚重、耐用的設(shè)備。但在2012年春天，這家電子消費(fèi)品生產(chǎn)商將推出Toughpad A1——一款瘦身的平板電腦，運(yùn)行安卓操作系統(tǒng)（Android），重966克，比590克的iPad重，但比傳統(tǒng)的“堅固平板”輕很多。摩托羅拉（Motorola）也在嘗試一種輕薄而堅固的平板。2011年10月，公司發(fā)布了ET1，重635克。摩托羅拉稱，ET1盡管身段纖細(xì)，但擁有多層防刮擦玻璃，并能承受多次摔碰。

????得克薩斯州的Xplore Technologies公司15年前開始為叉車操作員和公共安全人員生產(chǎn)計算設(shè)備。它也在研發(fā)一種功能類似于iPad的設(shè)備，比如具備多點(diǎn)觸控功能。新產(chǎn)品將采用未來的Windows 8系統(tǒng)（公司目前的產(chǎn)品C5用的是Windows 7系統(tǒng)）。

????分析機(jī)構(gòu)VDC研究集團(tuán)（VDC Research Group）預(yù)計，到2013年，堅固移動設(shè)備市場的銷售額將由到2010年的46億美元上升到61億美元。但是，隨著這些設(shè)備在外觀上越來越像iPad，它們有輸給iPad（對了，就是iPad）的風(fēng)險。一些行業(yè)，比如零售或醫(yī)療，需要的并非超級堅固的平板電腦，而是企業(yè)級設(shè)備。這些行業(yè)的公司正在嘗試應(yīng)用熱銷的蘋果產(chǎn)品。當(dāng)然，iPad也有它的局限。說實在的，它的工作溫度只能在-35℃和35℃ 之間。所以，如果你的工作要求配備更極端的設(shè)備，你也許會想要更加堅固耐用的產(chǎn)品，哪怕它的樣子不是那么漂亮。

????譯者：古正

????FORTUNE - An Apple iPad can be a handy tool to bring to work -- unless, of course, your job is managing an offshore oil rig or handling insurance claims in the middle of a hurricane. Enter a new breed of so-called rugged tablets, designed to meet the computing needs of folks who require something a little more macho than the iPad. Many of these durable mobile devices are designed to withstand rain, snow, sand, and even fungus. But like consumer-centric tablets, they are slim and sport touchscreen capabilities and user-friendly interfaces.

????"Since the iPad came out there's been a fascination with lightweight products," says Kyp Walls, director of product management at Panasonic (PC). "We're taking a cue from some of the tablets that have come out in recent years."

????Rugged tablets made their debut long before the iPad -- Panasonic has been making a range of thick, durable devices since 1996. But next spring the electronics maker will launch the Toughpad A1, a slimmed-down tablet that runs on the Android operating system and weighs in at 2.13 pounds (heavier than the 1.3-pound iPad 2 but much lighter than traditional rugged tablets). Motorola (MSI) is also experimenting with a trim, tough tablet. In October the company unveiled the ET1, a 1.4-pound device. Despite its relatively petite build, Motorola says the ET1 features an extra-thick layer of scratch-resistant glass and can survive multiple drops.

????Even Texas-based Xplore Technologies (XLRT), which began making computing devices for forklift operators and public safety workers 15 years ago, is looking into incorporating iPad-like features, such as multitouch capabilities, on future Windows 8-powered devices (its most recent tablet, the C5, runs on Windows 7).

????The rugged mobile computing market is expected to hit $6.1 billion by 2013, up from $4.6 billion in 2010, according to analyst firm VDC Research Group. But as these devices take on more iPad-like appearances, they run the risk of losing out to, well, the iPad. Industries that need enterprise-grade but not ultra-rugged devices (think retail or health care) are already experimenting with Apple's (AAPL) popular tablet, which is less than half the price of most rugged tablets. Of course, the iPad has its limits -- 32° to 95° F, to be exact. So if your job calls for something a little more extreme, you may want to opt for a device that's a little more durable, even if it is a little less pretty.