微软处境不佳 Windows Blue被寄予厚望

With hope fading that Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows 8 software will reignite computer sales, attention is already shifting to the company's next big effort to regain relevance: Windows Blue.

对微软(Microsoft Corp.)新操作系统Windows 8重振电脑销售的希望变得越来越渺茫。市场注意力也已经转向该公司重振旗鼓的下一个主要项目：Windows Blue。

Microsoft has yet to formally define the software project. But Windows Blue is expected to mark a major change in the company's development methodology, replacing major launches of products every several years with frequent updates of features in operating software and applications such as Office.

微软还没有正式定义这个软件项目。但是Windows Blue预计将标志着公司发展方式的一个重大改变，不再每隔数年发布重大产品，而是频繁地对操作系统和Office等应用程序进行更新。

That model is common in Internet services and apps, markets where Microsoft is determined to play a larger role. Some analysts think Windows Blue will help bring together efforts such as Windows 8─which is targeted at tablets and personal computers─and the Windows Phone software for smartphones.

这种模式在互联网服务和应用程序中十分常见，微软正下定决心在上述市场中扮演更大的角色。一些分析人士认为，Windows Blue将有助于整合Windows 8和Windows Phone的优势。Windows 8针对的是平板电脑和个人电脑，而Windows Phone针对的则是智能手机。

'Windows 8 was about birthing a new model of applications, essentially a tablet model,' said IDC analyst Al Hilwa. 'Blue is the next milestone in this plan. It brings the phone and PC platform closer together and makes both more compelling.'

国际数据公司(IDC)的分析师席尔瓦(Al Hilwa)说，Windows 8是为了催生一个应用程序的新模式，尤其是一个平板电脑的模式。Blue是该计划的下一个里程碑。它使手机和个人电脑平台的关系更加紧密，让这两种产品都更有吸引力。

The stakes for Windows Blue rose this week when two market research firms reported that shipments of PCs fell by double-digits percentages in the first three months of this year.

Windows Blue的重要性本周进一步上升。两个市场研究公司发布报告说，今年前三个月，个人电脑的出货量出现了两位数的降幅。

Figures from IDC and Gartner Inc. released Wednesday showed Windows 8 hasn't spurred much demand for PCs or tablets running the software. IDC leveled particularly harsh criticism at the software, saying some consumers were turned off by its touch-based interface.

国际数据公司(IDC)和Gartner Inc.周三公布的数据显示，Windows 8还没有能够刺激人们对搭载该软件的个人电脑或平板电脑的太多需求。国际数据公司对这款软件提出了尤其严厉的批评，称这款软件的触屏交互界面让一些消费者选择放弃购买。

The surprisingly steep drop─IDC called it the worst since it began releasing quarterly numbers for the software in 1994─caused a selloff in PC-related stocks Thursday. Microsoft's stock price slipped 4.9% Thursday afternoon to $28.82, after the company's stock price had touched a six-month high Wednesday.

国际数据公司说，这是1994年开始公布这款软件的季度数据以来最糟糕的表现。个人电脑出货量令人惊讶的大幅下降也导致个人电脑相关股票暴跌。微软的股价周四下午下跌了4.9%，至28.82美元。此前，该公司股价曾于周三触及六个月高点。

A spokesman for Microsoft had no immediate comment Thursday.

微软的一名发言人周四没有立即置评。

Hewlett-Packard Co., the largest PC maker and a major Microsoft customer, showed the steepest decline in shipments in the first quarter, with a 24% drop, according to IDC. H-P's stock fell 6.4% to $20.86 in recent trading.

根据国际数据公司的数据，惠普(Hewlett-Packard Co.)第一季度的出货量降幅最大，达到24%。该公司是全球最大的个人电脑制造商，也是微软的主要客户。惠普股价最近下跌了6.4%，至20.86美元。

But executives at Microsoft and partners such as Intel Corp. have acknowledged there is more work to do to encourage a wider array of touch-screen computing devices powered by Windows 8, and at lower price points.

但是微软以及英特尔(Intel Corp.)等合作伙伴的高管们承认，要想鼓励电脑厂商们推出更多更便宜的Windows 8触屏电脑设备，还有很多工作要做。

Intel, which supplies microprocessors that serve as calculating engines in most PCs, is emphasizing a new line of battery-conserving chips that is known by the code name Haswell. The chips are expected to display much more sophisticated graphics and extend battery life on portable computers to eight to 10 hours.

英特尔为大多数个人电脑提供微处理器，微处理器相当于电脑中的计算引擎。英特尔目前正在专注于一个代号为Haswell的新型节电芯片产品系列。这些芯片预计将能够展示更复杂的图形，将便携电脑的续航时间延长到八至10小时。

Microsoft also has offered price breaks on its Windows software meant for a new class of simple PCs known as netbooks and seems to be responding to a market shift in consumer demand toward smaller tablets.

微软还下调了一些Windows软件的价格。这些软件针对的是被称作上网本的新一类简化个人电脑。与此同时，该公司似乎正在对消费者需求转向更小尺寸的平板电脑做出回应。

The company last year entered the market itself with the tablet known as Surface, just as products such as Apple Inc.'s iPad Mini spurred demand for smaller models. Microsoft is now preparing a similarly small model with a seven-inch display, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

微软去年凭借Surface平板电脑进入这一市场。当时，苹果公司(Apple Inc.)的iPad Mini等产品刺激了消费者对更小型号平板电脑的需求。《华尔街日报》周三报道说，微软正在准备一款类似的小型平板电脑，这款平板电脑将拥有7英寸的显示屏。

Executives at Intel and Microsoft have said they expect new computer chips and other advancements to drive down the cost of touch-screen laptops to as low as $500 or $600. For now, there are very few Windows 8 touch-screen computers on the market for less than $550.

英特尔和微软的高管说，他们预计新的电脑芯片和其他方面的改进将使触屏笔记本电脑的成本降至500美元或600美元。目前，市场上几乎没有价格低于550美元的Windows 8触屏电脑。

Some on Wall Street aren't waiting for a new spark for PC and tablet demand. Analysts at Goldman Sachs and Nomura Securities downgraded their recommendations on Microsoft shares on Thursday, contributing to a selloff in the company's shares.

华尔街的一些人并没有耐心等待个人电脑和平板电脑需求获得新的提振。高盛(Goldman Sachs)和野村证券(Nomura Securities)的分析师周四下调了对微软股票的评级，导致该公司股票被抛售。

Goldman said investors should sell Microsoft shares, while Nomura downgraded the stock to 'neutral' from 'buy.'

高盛说，投资者应卖出微软股票。而野村证券则将这只股票的评级从“买进”下调至“中性”。

Goldman Sachs said Microsoft needed to do more to court consumers rather than the corporate customers that are Microsoft's major source of profits.

高盛说，微软需要采取更多行动来迎合消费者，而不是作为微软主要利润来源的企业客户。