售價堪比蘋果的東芝筆記本

Laptop sales have been tanking as tablets surge. The new Windows 8 is off to a slow start with users. And the hybrid machines that claim to work as both tablets and laptops are still niche products. So what's a laptop maker to do?

隨着平板電腦銷量的飆升，筆記本的銷量不斷遭受衝擊。用戶對微軟新操作系統Windows 8的反應平淡。而聲稱可以同時用作平板與筆記本的混合機型仍然是小衆。在這種情況下，筆記本廠商該怎麼做？

Well, most Windows laptop companies are promising to spend this year driving prices down, while continuing to experiment with better hybrid designs. But not Toshiba. The venerable Japanese firm has decided to go upscale, introducing an all-new brand of conventional 13-inch laptops that are positioned as premium products, with prices starting at $1,600.

大多數Windows筆記本廠商都承諾會在今年把價格降下來，同時繼續探索更好的混合機型設計。但東芝(Toshiba)卻沒這麼做。這家老牌日本廠商決定走高端路線，他們推出了一個定位頂級的13英寸筆記本全新品牌，售價自1,600美元(約合人民幣9,888元)起。

That over-$1,000 market has long been the territory of Apple. But Toshiba figures it can offer buyers with deep pockets the Windows equivalent of Apple's popular and much-praised MacBook Air, with premium materials, strong specs and a good warranty. It's called the Kirabook, part of a new Toshiba brand called Kira.

長期以來，1,000美元以上價位的筆記本市場都是蘋果(Apple)的天下。但東芝卻相信，憑藉着頂級的材質、強大的性能與良好的品質，他們能夠爲那些財力雄厚的消費者提供一款Windows筆記本，它可以與蘋果叫好又叫座的Macbook Air相提並論。這就是東芝新品Kirabook，是東芝主打新品牌Kira中的一員。

I've been testing a Kirabook for the past five days and I found it to be a good computer whose strongest feature is a brilliant, high-resolution screen. It's a speedy and reliable machine that's thin and light without feeling cheap.

過去五天，我一直在測試Kirabook。我認爲這是一款出色的電腦，其最突出的特性就是那塊亮麗的高清顯示屏。Kirabook是一款運行流暢、性能可靠的輕薄筆記本，完全沒有廉價感。

But I consider it overpriced for what it offers. It actually costs more than a MacBook Air, but with much worse battery life, an older processor and a design that looks like a lot of other grayish, metallic laptops.

但我還是覺得，相對於性能來說，這款產品定價過高。Kirabook實際售價比Macbook Air還高，但電池續航性能卻差很多，而且配備的是上一代處理器，設計上也和諸多灰色金屬材質的筆記本比較相像。

There are three models. The top one, which costs $2,000, is distinguished mainly by its use of a very fast processor that average consumers won't need. The other two models are identical, except the entry-level offering, at $1,600, has a standard, non-touch screen. The middle model, at $1,800, which I tested, has a touch screen.

Kirabook有三種配置。最高配的售價2,000美元(約合人民幣12,360元)，主要差別就是配備了一款非常迅速的處理器，但一般消費者卻並不需要。其他兩款差不多，只是售價1,600美元的入門款機型配備的是標準的非觸摸屏。而我所測試的中端配置有觸摸屏，售價1800美元(約合人民幣11,124元)。

The MacBook Air also has a non-touch screen, but that's because its operating system, Mac OS X Mountain Lion, isn't designed for touch screens. By contrast, Windows 8 is a touch-centric operating system, and I don't recommend consumers buying Windows 8 computers to opt for non-touch screens. So the least expensive Kirabook that works optimally with its operating system costs $1,800.

Macbook Book用的也是非觸摸屏，但這是因爲其操作系統Mac OS X山獅(Mountain Lion)並不是爲觸摸屏而設計的。相比之下，Windows 8是以觸控爲核心的操作系統，我不建議消費者購買Windows 8電腦時選擇非觸摸屏。所以，使用優化操作系統的Kirabook，最便宜的也要1,800美元。

How do those prices compare with Apple's, which have traditionally been higher than those of most Windows PCs?

這個價格怎麼去和蘋果電腦相比？蘋果電腦一直都比大多數Windows PC高端。

Well, the base $1,600 Kirabook with the non-touch screen includes a generous 8 gigabytes of memory and a 256 GB solid-state drive. The base 13-inch MacBook Air, whose price was cut $100 just Monday, costs $1,099. But when configured with the same amount of memory and solid-state storage, it costs $1,399, still about $200 less than the non-touch Kirabook and $400 less than the touch-screen model.

售價1,600美元的最低配Kirabook用是非觸摸屏，內存8GB，256GB固態硬盤(SSD)。而13寸最低配Macbook Air上週一剛剛降價100美元，現價1,099美元(約合人民幣6,792元)。但如果要達到與Kirabook相同的內存與硬盤配置的話，Macbook Air售價需要1,399美元(約合人民幣8,646元)，仍然比非觸摸屏的Kirabook低200美元，比觸摸屏版Kirabook低400美元。

The two machines each weigh a hair under 3 pounds and are roughly 0.7-inch thick, though the Toshiba is a bit thicker. It also has a smaller footprint. The Kirabook has a magnesium alloy body that Toshiba claims is 100% stronger than the aluminum used for the body of the Air.

這兩款筆記本重量都略低於3磅(約合1.36千克)，厚度在0.7英寸(約合1.78釐米)左右，但東芝那款要略厚一些。Kirabook的面積稍小，東芝表示，這款產品機身使用的鎂合金材質要比Air所使用的鋁合金堅固一倍。

The Kirabook's biggest advantage is its hi-res screen. It is almost as sharp as the one on Apple's higher-end 13-inch laptop, the MacBook Pro with Retina display. That MacBook starts at $1,499 and is $1,699 when configured with the same memory and storage as the Kirabook. The Kirabook's screen resolution is so high that text can get uncomfortably small. I was forced to use a built-in Toshiba utility to actually lower the resolution a bit for this reason.

Kirabook最大的優勢是那塊高清顯示屏，幾乎和蘋果更高端的13寸帶Retina顯示屏的筆記本Macbook Pro(售價1,499美元)一樣銳利，後者與Kirabook內存和硬盤相同配置的售價是1,699美元(約合人民幣10,500元)。 Kirabook顯示屏的分辨率如此之高，以至於顯示的文字太小時，會看起來不舒服。因此我不得不通過東芝內置的工具，把分辨率實際降低一些。

The Kirabook has three USB ports to the Air's two, and Toshiba throws in a two-year warranty, while Apple's standard warranty is just one year. The Kirabook also has an HDMI port, for easy connection to a TV, which the Apple lacks.

Kirabook有三個USB接口，而Air只有兩個。東芝提供了兩年保修，而蘋果通常的保修期限只有一年。Kirabook還有個HDMI接口，方便連接到電視上，這是蘋果所沒有的。

In addition to its high price, the biggest downsides of the Kirabook are Windows 8, whose two very different user interfaces can be confusing; mediocre battery life; and the fact it uses older processors. By contrast, as of Monday, the MacBook Air uses the latest Intel processors, just out, which promise huge increases in battery life and better graphics. The Kirabooks aren't due to be upgraded to these new chips till the fourth quarter.

除了價格高，Kirabook最大的劣勢是Windows 8；這個操作系統有兩個完全不同的用戶界面，令人感到困惑。Kirabook的電池續航時間也很平庸，還配備了較老款的處理器。相比之下，上週一剛發佈的新款Macbook Air使用的是最新英特爾(Intel)處理器，據稱能夠顯著提高電池巡航時間和提供更好的圖形處理能力。而在第四季度之前，Kirabook都不會更新到英特爾的新芯片。

These new processors and battery life are closely linked. Apple claimed this week that, with the new chips, the 13-inch MacBook Air can get up to 12 hours of battery life between charges. That isn't a typo. (Stay tuned for a review of this revamped Air.)

這些新處理器和電池續航時間有着緊密關聯。蘋果本週表示，配備新處理器的13寸Macbook Air一次充電可以提供至多12小時的電池續航時間。對，你沒看錯。（請關注新版Air的評測。）

However, even with the same, older Intel chips, the MacBook Air handily beat the Kirabook in battery life. In my tough battery test, where I turn off power-saving features, keep the Wi-Fi on to collect email and play music until the battery dies, the Kirabook lasted four hours and 27 minutes. The MacBook Air rates over six hours on the same test.

不過即便是配備較老的英特爾處理器，Macbook Air也可以在電池續航時間上輕鬆壓倒Kirabook。在我嚴格的電池測試中，即關閉省電設置，保持Wi-Fi連接以接受郵件，持續播放音樂，直至電池耗盡，Kirabook只能堅持4小時27分鐘，而Macbook Air在相同測試下的電池表現超過了6個小時。

Overall, the Toshiba Kirabook is a very nicely built PC, but for its premium price, it ought to have the latest components, more distinctive design and better battery life.

總的來說，東芝Kirabook是一款非常出色的PC，但考慮到其高昂售價，這款筆記本就應該擁有最新的部件、更別緻的設計、更強勁的電池續航時間。