VOA标准英语2010年-Apple Chief Offers Fix for iPhone 4

Apple CEO Steve Jobs holds up iPhone 4 as he talks about the Apple iPhone 4 at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., Friday, July 16, 2010.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs addressed problems with the company's new iPhone 4 in an emergency news conference Friday.  The device has suffered from technical glitches¹ since its release on June 24th, casting a shadow on a company known for its quality.  The Apple founder² insists the problems are minor³ and are easily corrected.

iPhone 4 users have been complaining about dropped calls when they hold their hand on the device in a certain position, and of inaccurate⁴ readings on the phone's signal strength indicator⁵. 

Consumer groups have criticized the company as complaints about the phone have grown in recent weeks, chiding⁶ Apple for not addressing the phone's problems quickly and openly.

iPhones account for 40 percent of Apple's revenue, so for the company, the bad publicity⁷ was a challenge.

Steve Jobs began the news conference with an apology, of sorts. "We're not perfect.  We know that, you know that.  And phones aren't perfect," he said.

Jobs said the smart-phones of some Apple competitors have similar reception problems, and that fewer than one percent of users of the new iPhone 4 had complained of antenna⁸ issues.  He said the company knew about the antenna problem but did not consider it major. 

Jobs said the issue has been blown out of proportion, and can be solved through use of a rubberized bumper⁹, or case, to cover the iPhone and the metal antenna on its rim¹⁰. He says Apple will provide a case for new iPhone 4s that are bought through the end of September, and will reimburse¹¹ users who have bought one themselves. "Every iPhone user is going to get a free case.  One for every iPhone 4.  If you've already bought one, we'll give you a full refund," he said.

Jobs said Apple will also reimburse users who want to return the phone, but that fewer than two percent of buyers have returned them so far. 

Thursday, the company issued a software upgrade to correct the inaccurate readings on the phone's signal indicator.

Despite the negative news reports, Apple stores have had trouble keeping the iPhone 4 in stock, and more than three million have been sold since its release three weeks ago. The publication Consumer Reports this week withdrew its recommendation to buy the iPhone 4, yet still rates it the best smart-phone on the market.

 

1 glitches   

n.小过失，差错( glitch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Manufacturing glitches have limited the factory's output. 生产中的故障影响了该厂的产量。 来自辞典例句
• Another kind of period variation,\"Glitches,\" are seen in several pulsars. 在几个脉冲星中还看到了周期的另一种变化，即“自转突快”现象。 来自辞典例句

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

4 inaccurate   

adj.错误的，不正确的，不准确的

参考例句：

• The book is both inaccurate and exaggerated.这本书不但不准确，而且夸大其词。
• She never knows the right time because her watch is inaccurate.她从来不知道准确的时间因为她的表不准。

5 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

6 chiding   

v.责骂，责备( chide的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was chiding her son for not being more dutiful to her. 她在责骂她儿子对她不够孝尽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She called back her scattered maidens, chiding their alarm. 她把受惊的少女们召唤回来，对她们的惊惶之状加以指责。 来自辞典例句

7 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

8 antenna   

n.触角，触须；天线

参考例句：

• The workman fixed the antenna to the roof of the house.工人把天线固定在房顶上。
• In our village, there is an antenna on every roof for receiving TV signals.在我们村里，每家房顶上都有天线接收电视信号。

9 bumper   

n.(汽车上的)保险杠；adj.特大的，丰盛的

参考例句：

• The painting represents the scene of a bumper harvest.这幅画描绘了丰收的景象。
• This year we have a bumper harvest in grain.今年我们谷物丰收。

10 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

11 reimburse   

v.补偿，付还

参考例句：

• We'll reimburse you for your travelling expenses.我们将付还你旅费。
• The funds are supposed to reimburse policyholders in the event of insurer failure.这项基金将在保险公司不能偿付的情况下对投保人进行赔付。