微软传言可能推出平板电脑

Ever since Apple's iPod revolutionised the digital music industry, Microsoftexecutives have been drawn by the allure of producing their own consumer devices.

自从苹果(Apple)iPod带来数字音乐行业革命以来，微软(Microsoft)的高管们就一直受到诱惑，想要生产出自己的消费者产品。

Enthusing about the iPod's simple scroll wheel, the hardware interface that made it easy to sift through large libraries of music, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft chief executive, said at the time that his company might have to develop more of its own hardware if it wanted truly to compete with Apple.

微软首席执行官史蒂夫•鲍尔默(Steve Ballmer)对iPod简单的滚动轮很感兴趣。这个滚动轮是一种硬件接口，使得在大型音乐库之间来回切换变得很容易。鲍尔默当时表示，微软如果真心想与苹果竞争，可能就不得不自行开发出更多的硬件产品来。

Now, seven years later, the moment may finally have arrived.

七年之后的今天，这个时刻可能终于到来了。

The world's biggest software company has been gearing up to introduce its own tablet computer, which would compete head-to-head with Apple's iPad, according to people familiar with its deliberations.

了解微软思路的知情人士表示，这家全球最大的软件公司最近正准备推出自己的平板电脑，与苹果的iPad展开正面竞争。

The move would mark a sea change in the 30-year history of the personal computing industry. But with Apple threatening to disrupt the way of doing business on which its fortune is founded, Microsoft may have little choice.

微软此举将标志着，已有30年历史的个人电脑行业将发生翻天覆地的变化。但由于苹果有可能破坏微软的财富所依赖的经营模式，微软可能没有多少选择机会。