平板发货量明年有望首次超过个人电脑

Personal computer sales have been sliding for years now because of the ever-increasing popularity of tablets. Next year, consumer tastes will have shifted so much that tablet shipments are expected to pass PCs the first time in 2017.

随着平板电脑日益普及，个人电脑销量多年来一直在持续下滑。明年，消费者口味将出现巨大变化，预计平板电脑出货量将在2017年首度超过个人电脑。

Manufacturers will ship 321 million tablets globally next year compared with 317 million PCs, according to a report released on Monday by Gartner, the market research firm. Granted, the number of devices shipped isn’t the same as the number sold, but often, the two figures go hand-in-hand.

市场调研机构高德纳（Gartner）周一发布的报告称，明年，全球平板电脑出货量将达到3.21亿台，而个人电脑出货量将为3.17亿台。当然，设备发货量并不等于销量，但两者通常联系紧密。

But not all tablets will fare well. Expect a slow-down for sales of some brands, particularly those with smaller screens, as shoppers lean towards devices with bigger displays, including ones that blur the line between smartphone and tablets – those awkwardly dubbed “phablets.” And given relative maturity of the certain markets like the U.S., Gartner Research Director Ranjit Atwal argued the next feature tablets will tussle over won’t be faster chips or lighter frames — features that set products like Apple’s AAPL 2.06% iPad apart in the past — but simply, price. Said Atwal: “The next wave of adoption will be driven by lower price points rather than superior functionality.”

但并不是所有平板电脑都会热卖。有些品牌平板电脑的销量预计将下滑，尤其是那些屏幕较小的平板品牌，因为消费者倾向于购买更大屏的设备，包括模糊了智能手机和平板电脑间界线的平板手机设备。而且，随着美国等部份市场相对成熟，高德纳研究总监兰吉特o阿特瓦尔认为，平板电脑产品未来竞争的焦点将是价格，而不是更快的芯片，也不是更轻的框架这些过去令苹果（Apple）iPad鹤立鸡群的要素。阿特瓦尔说：“下一波平板购买热潮的推动因素将是更低的价格，而不是卓越的功能性。”