苹果计划整顿零售店布局,iPod重要性降级

Apple is purportedly tweaking the layout of its retailstores to shine a light on more products.

据称，苹果正在调整其零售商店的布局，以使得更多产品能够在灯光下熠熠生辉。

One device that's changing location is the iPod, 9to5Mac said late Tuesday, citing intel from severalApple Retail managers briefed on the plans.Previously, iPods were stored in the back room alongwith iPhones, iPads and other major products, socustomers had to request one from a sales rep.Starting next Wednesday, Apple will display itslatest iPod lineup in the accessory section so that customers can just pick one off the rack.

9to5 Mac援引几名苹果零售店经理对此计划的简要介绍，于周二晚些时候报道称，iPod的位置将发生改变。以前，iPod和iPhone，iPad以及其他主要商品，都储存在库房里，因此顾客在店员的帮助下才能拿到产品。但从下周三开始，苹果会将其最新款iPod陈列在配件区，因此顾客可以直接拿取现成的产品。

Once Apple's core product before the introduction of the iPhone and iPad, the iPod hasgradually become a less significant part of the lineup, accounting for a lower slice of sales. InJuly, Apple upgraded the iPod Touch with an 8-megapixel camera and a faster 64-bit processorand also increased the variety of colors available for the iPod Nano and Shuffle. Relegating theiPod to the accessory rack can be seen as a type of demotion but also a better way tohighlight the devices so they catch the eye of more consumers.

在iPhone和iPad问世之前，iPod曾是苹果的核心产品，然而现在在苹果的产品阵容中，iPod的重要性逐渐降低，其占销售份额的比重也进一步降低。7月份，苹果公司升级了iPod Touch，为其配备了800万像素的摄像头和更为迅捷的64位处理器，同时，增加了iPod Nano和Shuffle的颜色种类。将iPod移至配件区可被视为是一种降级，但同时这也是突出展示产品，吸引顾客眼球的一种更好的方法。

As part of the store revamp, Apple will also remove its iPad 2 Smart Signs. In the old days,Apple Stores used paper signs and poster boards to display information about its differentproducts. In 2011, Apple replaced those signs and boards with non-working iPad 2 units thatdisplayed product information on their screens. Referred to as Smart Signs, the unitsapparently confused some customers who thought they were working iPads that they could tryout, 9to5Mac said.

作为此次商店整改的一部分，苹果公司也会移动iPad 2 Smart Signs的位置。过去，苹果零售店会用纸质标牌和广告纸板来展示其不同产品的信息。2011年，苹果公司用非正常运转的iPad 2代替了这些纸质标牌和广告纸板，在iPad 2的屏幕上展示商品信息。9to5 Mac称，被称为Smart Signs 的这些部件明显地使顾客感到困惑，顾客们还以为这是可正常操作的用来测试产品性能的机子。

Instead of the Smart Signs, Apple will put product and pricing information directly onto thedisplays of iPhones, iPads and Mac computers. By removing the Smart Signs, Apple will alsocreate more space for other products that consumers can take for a test drive.

苹果公司将把产品和价格信息直接展示在iPhone，iPad和Mac电脑上，而不再是展示在Smart Signs屏幕上了。通过移动Smart Signs的位置，苹果公司将为其他产品创造更多空间，顾客也能够对产品进行试用。

The changes are slated to take place overnight on Tuesday, August 25, so that consumerswho visit an Apple Store will see the revamp in action on Wednesday.

这些改变预计会发生在8月25日，星期二这天的一夜之间，因此参观苹果零售店的顾客在周三便可看到此次布局调整了。