科技前沿:Win8筆記本還是觸屏的好大綱

Welcome to my spring laptop buyer's guide. It should be an easy time for laptop buyers, now that we're six months past the introduction of Microsoft's redesigned Windows 8 operating system and laptop makers have had time to get into a new groove. Alas, I'm sorry to report, it's still pretty confusing and frustrating to buy a new laptop, and it might be best, if you can, to wait until the fall.
歡迎來到我的春季筆記本導購。對想買筆記本的人來說，現在本該是能輕鬆決定的時候，因爲微軟(Microsoft)重新設計的Windows 8操作系統已經推出了六個月，筆記本廠商也有充足時間拿出相匹配的最佳水準。但我很遺憾地說，現在想買一臺新筆記本還是很讓人迷惑和沮喪的，如果你們可以等的話，最好還是等秋季再出手吧。

After the big buildup in October around Windows 8, laptop makers stumbled. They continued to offer mostly nontouchscreen models, though the new Windows was designed for touch. And the touchscreen models they built were clustered around $1,000, far more than consumers are used to paying for Windows laptops. Plus, Windows 8 itself proved confusing, because it combines two interfaces - the tabletlike 'Start Screen' and the traditional Windows desktop.
去年10月圍繞着Windows 8大做文章後，筆記本廠商們推進得並不順利。雖然新Windows是爲觸控而設計，但廠商們卻繼續推出以非觸摸屏爲主的諸多機型。他們打造的觸摸屏筆記本價格都在1,000美元（約合人民幣6,200元）左右，遠遠超過消費者以往爲Windows筆記本所支付的價格。而且，Windows 8本身也令人困惑，因爲其結合了兩種界面──類平板風格的“開始界面”和傳統的Windows桌面。

Based on conversations with laptop makers and Microsoft, I believe there will be an effort to regroup this fall, with more touchscreen models that are less costly and a forthcoming class of PCs even smaller and thinner than the current slender Ultrabooks. There also will be new chips from Intel that aim to greatly increase battery life and a refined, beefed-up version of Windows 8, code-named Windows Blue, which will be available to current buyers as a free upgrade.
根據筆記本廠商和微軟的對話，我相信今年秋天雙方會重新努力調整，推出更多價格更低的觸摸屏機型，屆時新一代PC機甚至會比現在輕薄的超極本更加小巧輕便。屆時英特爾也會發布新芯片，致力於極大提升電池續航時間；而微軟會推出代號爲Windows Blue的改進增強版的Windows 8，向目前的購買者提供免費升級。

Recent statistics showing massive drops in laptop sales indicate consumers aren't replacing their computers as often as in the past, partly because they now rely a lot on smartphones and tablets. But some of you will be buying new laptops this spring and summer, so here are some tips on what to look for in a machine. As usual, this guide is meant for average users doing typical tasks, not businesses, or people doing heavy-duty work like video production.
近期的統計數據顯示筆記本銷量大幅下滑，這表明消費者並不像過去那樣頻繁地更新他們的電腦；一定程度上是因爲他們現在更爲倚重智能手機和平板。但一些讀者還是打算在今年春夏兩季購買新筆記本，所以我在這裏提供一些挑選機器的小建議。和以往一樣，這個導購是面向那些使用筆記本進行常規任務的普通用戶，而不是面向企業用戶或是需要從事視頻生成等重度計算工作的用戶。

Windows vs. Mac
Windows與Mac

Apple has led in the touchscreen market, but with phones and tablets, not computers. So its Mac models remain traditional laptops, which don't use touchscreens. As always, they aren't cheap: The least expensive Mac laptop is still $999. And they lack the variety of Windows PCs. But the machines are high quality, reliable, versatile computers that are far less susceptible to viruses than Windows PCs and can even run Windows quite well. The light, speedy MacBook Air is a paragon of what a capable laptop should be and I expect Macs to adopt the same new Intel processor coming soon for PCs.
蘋果在觸摸屏市場佔據領先，但那是靠手機和筆記本，而不是電腦。蘋果Mac電腦依然是沒有觸摸屏的傳統筆記本。而且它們一如既往的不便宜：最便宜的Mac筆記本也要999美元（約合人民幣6,200元）。而且蘋果筆記本沒有Windows PC那麼多的選擇。但蘋果筆記本高品質、可靠、多用，中毒機率比Windows PC小得多，甚至還可以很好地運行Windows系統。外形輕便、運行迅速的Macbook Air就是一款出色筆記本的樣板，我預計蘋果筆記本也將配備英特爾即將爲PC而推出的處理器。

Tablets vs. Laptops
平板電腦與筆記本

I reject the idea that tablets are only for content consumption, not productivity. Plenty of business is conducted on tablets daily, from work email to reviewing and editing office documents, to using sales and medical apps. Still, heavy-duty work, like the creation of large spreadsheets and presentations, is better done on laptops. If you don't do such tasks, a tablet may suffice, but most people will want to keep a laptop around, even if they use a tablet.
我不認爲平板電腦只能用於消費內容，而不能生成內容。現在很多企業每天都用平板辦公，工作範圍不勝枚舉，從處理工作電郵到瀏覽編輯辦公文件，再到使用銷售和醫療應用。不過，像生成大型表格和PPT文件這樣的重計算工作，還是在筆記本上進行更合適。如果你不需要處理這些任務，那麼平板電腦可能就夠用了；不過大多數人即便用着平板，也會想再有一部筆記本。Touchscreens
觸摸屏

On a Windows 8 laptop, I strongly advise consumers to buy machines with touchscreens. The operating system will work with just a mouse or track pad, but it was designed for touch, and Microsoft intends to continue to make the touch-centric Start Screen, with its tabletlike apps, more powerful and versatile. If you only plan to use traditional Windows desktop programs, you can skip touch, but more and more PC software will be for the Start Screen.
在Windows 8筆記本上，我強烈建議消費者購買具有觸摸屏的機型。這個操作系統可以用於鼠標和觸控板操作，但它是爲了觸摸而設計的，而且微軟計劃繼續讓以觸控爲核心的開始界面及其平板風格的應用更加強大多效。如果你只打算使用傳統的Windows桌面程序，你可以跳過觸控，但越來越多的PC軟件都會登陸開始界面。

Convertibles
變形本

In an effort to fend off the attack on laptops from tablets, hardware makers offered a variety of convertible models designed to be both laptops and tablets. Unfortunately, these machines typically made for heavy, thick, expensive tablets. So, until convertibles appear that are thin and light enough to work well as tablets, I suggest you shun these combo devices.
爲了抵禦平板電腦對筆記本電腦的衝擊，硬件廠商們推出了一系列變形筆記本，可以同時用作筆記本和平板電腦。但不幸的是，這些機型用作平板時通常機身厚重，而且價格昂貴。因此，除非變形本變得足夠輕薄，可以很好的用作平板電腦，我建議各位還是別考慮這些複合設備了。

Detachables
可拆卸設備

These are laptops from which the screen can be detached for use as a true tablet. Unlike convertibles, they work pretty well as a tablet, in addition to functioning as a laptop. One example is the Hewlett-Packard Envy x2, which sells for $600 to $700.
這些筆記本的屏幕可以拆卸，能變成一個真正的平板電腦使用。和變形本不同，這些可拆卸設備除了可以當做筆記本使用，在平板電腦方面也表現相當不錯。其中一個例子就是售價600-700美元（約合人民幣3,700-4,320元）的惠普Envy X2。

Storage
硬盤空間

Windows 8 takes up a lot of storage, so get a laptop with at least 500 gigabytes of hard-disk space, or if it uses a solid-state drive, at least 256GB.
Windows 8佔據了大量硬盤空間，所以你至少需要一個500GB硬盤的筆記本，要麼就是至少256GB的固態硬盤(SSD)。

Price
價格

In combing my local Best Buy and Micro Center stores (a smaller, but high-quality chain store), I found most well-equipped, name-brand touchscreen models still hovering between $700 and $1,200. One excellent touchscreen Windows 8 Ultrabook, Acer's S7, was $1,200 at Micro Center for a 13.3 inch model.
在我仔細逛了當地的百思買(Best Buy)和Micro Center商店(一家小型但高品質的連鎖店)之後，我發現多數配置出色的名牌觸摸屏筆記本售價仍然在700-1200美元（約合人民幣4,320-7,400元）。宏碁(Acer) S7是一款卓越的13.3英寸觸摸屏Windows 8超極本，這款產品在Micro Center售價1200美元（約合人民幣7,400元）。

And on May 12, Toshiba will introduce a premium touchscreen Ultrabook, called the Kirabook, starting at $1,800.
5月12日，東芝將發佈一款名爲Kirabook的頂級觸摸屏超極本，售價從1,800美元（約合人民幣11,124元）起。

There were a few - very few - bargain touchscreen models. At my Best Buy, the least costly Windows 8 touchscreen was the 11.6 inch Asus Q200e for $480. At Micro Center, a similar Asus model, the X202e, was $400 after a $100 rebate.
市場上也有一些平價觸摸屏筆記本，但數量很少。我在百思買看到，價格最低的Windows 8觸摸屏筆記本是11.6英寸的華碩(Asus) Q200e，售價爲480美元（約合人民幣2,970元）。Micro Center售價最低的機型是華碩另一類似機型X202e，返現100美元（約合人民幣618元）後售價400美元（約合人民幣2,472元）。

Bottom Line
結論

For a high-quality, traditional laptop without a touchscreen, you can't do much better than a MacBook Air, if you have at least $999 to spend. On the Windows side, stick with touchscreens and be prepared to spend nearly as much, or even a bit more. But if you can wait, come back in the fall.
如果你想買不帶觸摸屏的高質量傳統筆記本，又打算花費至少999美元（約合人民幣6,200元），那沒有比Macbook Air更好的選擇了。如果買Windows筆記本的話，建議選觸摸屏機型，你得準備幾乎差不多甚至更多的預算。不過如果你等得起的話，還是到秋季再出手吧。