经济学人171:苹果vs美孚

 　　American business

　　美国商业

　　Big Apple v Big Oil

　　苹果vs美孚

　　Apple briefly¹ becomes the world’s largest public company

　　苹果一度成为世界第一大市值公司

　　Aug 13th 2011 | SAN FRANCISCO| from the print edition

　　BY ANY standards it is a remarkable² achievement. In the space of 14 years, Apple has transformed itself from a computer firm on the brink³ of bankruptcy⁴ into a stockmarket superstar. On August 9th its market capitalisation surpassed that of Exxon Mobil, making it the world’s largest public company. Not for long: by the end of the day’s trading, the tech giant was $1 billion smaller than the oil giant: $347 billion to $348 billion. But Exxon’s lead is fragile. If the oil price falls further, Apple will surely outstrip⁵ it.

　　无论从哪个角度看，这都是引人注目的成就。在14年的时间里，苹果从一个面临倒闭的电脑公司成功转型，成为证券市场的超级明星。在8月9日其市值超过了埃克森美孚，成为世界上第一大上市公司。但不久在当日收盘时，科技巨头苹果的市值仅以10亿美元低于石油大亨：分别是3470亿美元和3480亿美元。但埃克森的领先不堪一击，如果油价继续下跌，苹果必然会超过。

　　Oil remains⁶ a vital raw material, and Exxon can extract it from difficult places more efficiently⁷ than any other firm. But Apple’s rise reflects the growing influence of the digital industry, and the way that industry has changed. It used to be dominated by companies such as IBM and Microsoft, which made their billions selling software and services to corporations. Apple has leap-frogged both of them by delighting consumers.

　　石油一直都是重要的原材料，埃克森美孚能够比其他公司更高效地从恶劣环境中提炼出石油。但苹果的崛起反映了数字产业与日俱增的影响力，以及它所带来的改变。过去的数字产业是IBM和微软公司的天下，它们以出售软件和服务获得了巨大的赢利。凭着用户好评，苹果已跃升至两家公司之前。

　　Find out how much of an Apple iPhone is actually a Samsung with our "teardown" infographic

　　根据拆机资料图我们来看看一部苹果手机实际有多少是三星制造。

　　En route, it has made computers cool. Trendy folk around the world not only snap up the latest gizmos displayed in Apple’s alluring⁸ stores. They also show them off to their friends. Every few months, Apple stages the technology equivalent of a fashion show, where Steve Jobs, its boss, teasingly unveils the latest collection of iPhones and iPads. (The next version of the iPhone is eagerly expected in the autumn.) Exxon’s technology is just as impressive, but harder to wear around your neck. Apple is fantastically profitable in part because it can charge far more than its competitors for quite similar products. Exxon’s petrol costs the same as anyone else’s.

　　在发展的道路上，苹果的电脑也做得很漂亮。来自世界各地的潮人们不仅在苹果热门商店里抢购最新上架的设备，也向朋友们炫耀。每几个月，苹果都会举办科技展，同时也是时尚秀，在会上董事长史蒂夫乔布斯（Steve Jobs）都会开玩笑地展示iPhone和iPad的最新产品。（举世瞩目的苹果下一代手机有望在秋季上市。）埃克森的技术确实令人赞叹，但其产品却不能向苹果一样随身携带。苹果公司的利润高的惊人，因为作为类似的产品，苹果的售价远高于竞争对手。而埃克森公司的石油却和其他公司售价相当。

　　Investors⁹ are breezily bullish about Apple’s business model. Last month the firm revealed that in its latest quarter its profits had more than doubled, to $7.3 billion, while its revenues rose by 82%, to $28.6 billion. The biggest cloud on the horizon is Mr Jobs’s health; he has been on medical leave since January. Apple also faces stiff competition from Google’s Android operating system, and various legal battles—on August 9th it won an injunction to stop Samsung selling its Galaxy¹⁰ tablet, which resembles an iPad, in Europe. Many people are betting that Apple will continue to pump out profits indefinitely. But what is cool today may look clunky tomorrow.

　　投资者都对苹果的商业模式充满了信心。上个月公司透露，上一季度利润翻了一倍多，达到73亿美元。同时营业收入增长了82%，达到286亿美元。现在公司最大的问题是有关乔布斯的健康状况，从1月起他一直在病休中。苹果同时还要面对谷歌安卓操作系统这一劲敌，还有一些法律诉讼——在8月9日苹果赢得了对三星Galaxy平板电脑（与苹果iPad相似）在欧洲销售的禁止令。许多人认为苹果很可能会继续获取巨大赢利，但以后的事谁也说不准，拭目以待。

1 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

2 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

3 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

4 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

5 outstrip   

v.超过，跑过

参考例句：

• He can outstrip his friend both in sports and in studies.他能在体育和学习方面胜过他的朋友。
• It is possible for us to outstrip the advanced countries in the world.我们能超过世界上先进的国家。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。

8 alluring   

adj.吸引人的，迷人的

参考例句：

• The life in a big city is alluring for the young people. 大都市的生活对年轻人颇具诱惑力。
• Lisette's large red mouth broke into a most alluring smile. 莉莎特的鲜红的大嘴露出了一副极为诱人的微笑。

9 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

10 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。