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Laptop sales have been tanking as tablets surge. The new Windows 8 is off to a slow start with users. And the hybrid machines that claim to work as both tablets and laptops are still niche products. So what's a laptop maker to do?
随着平板电脑销量的飙升，笔记本的销量不断遭受冲击。用户对微软新操作系统Windows 8的反应平淡。而声称可以同时用作平板与笔记本的混合机型仍然是小众。在这种情况下，笔记本厂商该怎么做？
Well, most Windows laptop companies are promising to spend this year driving prices down, while continuing to experiment with better hybrid designs. But not Toshiba. The venerable Japanese firm has decided to go upscale, introducing an all-new brand of conventional 13-inch laptops that are positioned as premium products, with prices starting at $1,600.
大多数Windows笔记本厂商都承诺会在今年把价格降下来，同时继续探索更好的混合机型设计。但东芝(Toshiba)却没这么做。这家老牌日本厂商决定走高端路线，他们推出了一个定位顶级的13英寸笔记本全新品牌，售价自1,600美元(约合人民币9,888元)起。
That over-$1,000 market has long been the territory of Apple. But Toshiba figures it can offer buyers with deep pockets the Windows equivalent of Apple's popular and much-praised MacBook Air, with premium materials, strong specs and a good warranty. It's called the Kirabook, part of a new Toshiba brand called Kira.
长期以来，1,000美元以上价位的笔记本市场都是苹果(Apple)的天下。但东芝却相信，凭借着顶级的材质、强大的性能与良好的品质，他们能够为那些财力雄厚的消费者提供一款Windows笔记本，它可以与苹果叫好又叫座的Macbook Air相提并论。这就是东芝新品Kirabook，是东芝主打新品牌Kira中的一员。
I've been testing a Kirabook for the past five days and I found it to be a good computer whose strongest feature is a brilliant, high-resolution screen. It's a speedy and reliable machine that's thin and light without feeling cheap.
过去五天，我一直在测试Kirabook。我认为这是一款出色的电脑，其最突出的特性就是那块亮丽的高清显示屏。Kirabook是一款运行流畅、性能可靠的轻薄笔记本，完全没有廉价感。
But I consider it overpriced for what it offers. It actually costs more than a MacBook Air, but with much worse battery life, an older processor and a design that looks like a lot of other grayish, metallic laptops.
但我还是觉得，相对于性能来说，这款产品定价过高。Kirabook实际售价比Macbook Air还高，但电池续航性能却差很多，而且配备的是上一代处理器，设计上也和诸多灰色金属材质的笔记本比较相像。
There are three models. The top one, which costs $2,000, is distinguished mainly by its use of a very fast processor that average consumers won't need. The other two models are identical, except the entry-level offering, at $1,600, has a standard, non-touch screen. The middle model, at $1,800, which I tested, has a touch screen.
Kirabook有三种配置。最高配的售价2,000美元(约合人民币12,360元)，主要差别就是配备了一款非常迅速的处理器，但一般消费者却并不需要。其他两款差不多，只是售价1,600美元的入门款机型配备的是标准的非触摸屏。而我所测试的中端配置有触摸屏，售价1800美元(约合人民币11,124元)。
The MacBook Air also has a non-touch screen, but that's because its operating system, Mac OS X Mountain Lion, isn't designed for touch screens. By contrast, Windows 8 is a touch-centric operating system, and I don't recommend consumers buying Windows 8 computers to opt for non-touch screens. So the least expensive Kirabook that works optimally with its operating system costs $1,800.
Macbook Book用的也是非触摸屏，但这是因为其操作系统Mac OS X山狮(Mountain Lion)并不是为触摸屏而设计的。相比之下，Windows 8是以触控为核心的操作系统，我不建议消费者购买Windows 8电脑时选择非触摸屏。所以，使用优化操作系统的Kirabook，最便宜的也要1,800美元。
How do those prices compare with Apple's, which have traditionally been higher than those of most Windows PCs?
这个价格怎么去和苹果电脑相比？苹果电脑一直都比大多数Windows PC高端。
Well, the base $1,600 Kirabook with the non-touch screen includes a generous 8 gigabytes of memory and a 256 GB solid-state drive. The base 13-inch MacBook Air, whose price was cut $100 just Monday, costs $1,099. But when configured with the same amount of memory and solid-state storage, it costs $1,399, still about $200 less than the non-touch Kirabook and $400 less than the touch-screen model.
售价1,600美元的最低配Kirabook用是非触摸屏，内存8GB，256GB固态硬盘(SSD)。而13寸最低配Macbook Air上周一刚刚降价100美元，现价1,099美元(约合人民币6,792元)。但如果要达到与Kirabook相同的内存与硬盘配置的话，Macbook Air售价需要1,399美元(约合人民币8,646元)，仍然比非触摸屏的Kirabook低200美元，比触摸屏版Kirabook低400美元。
The two machines each weigh a hair under 3 pounds and are roughly 0.7-inch thick, though the Toshiba is a bit thicker. It also has a smaller footprint. The Kirabook has a magnesium alloy body that Toshiba claims is 100% stronger than the aluminum used for the body of the Air.
这两款笔记本重量都略低于3磅(约合1.36千克)，厚度在0.7英寸(约合1.78厘米)左右，但东芝那款要略厚一些。Kirabook的面积稍小，东芝表示，这款产品机身使用的镁合金材质要比Air所使用的铝合金坚固一倍。
The Kirabook's biggest advantage is its hi-res screen. It is almost as sharp as the one on Apple's higher-end 13-inch laptop, the MacBook Pro with Retina display. That MacBook starts at $1,499 and is $1,699 when configured with the same memory and storage as the Kirabook. The Kirabook's screen resolution is so high that text can get uncomfortably small. I was forced to use a built-in Toshiba utility to actually lower the resolution a bit for this reason.
Kirabook最大的优势是那块高清显示屏，几乎和苹果更高端的13寸带Retina显示屏的笔记本Macbook Pro(售价1,499美元)一样锐利，后者与Kirabook内存和硬盘相同配置的售价是1,699美元(约合人民币10,500元)。 Kirabook显示屏的分辨率如此之高，以至于显示的文字太小时，会看起来不舒服。因此我不得不通过东芝内置的工具，把分辨率实际降低一些。
The Kirabook has three USB ports to the Air's two, and Toshiba throws in a two-year warranty, while Apple's standard warranty is just one year. The Kirabook also has an HDMI port, for easy connection to a TV, which the Apple lacks.
Kirabook有三个USB接口，而Air只有两个。东芝提供了两年保修，而苹果通常的保修期限只有一年。Kirabook还有个HDMI接口，方便连接到电视上，这是苹果所没有的。
In addition to its high price, the biggest downsides of the Kirabook are Windows 8, whose two very different user interfaces can be confusing; mediocre battery life; and the fact it uses older processors. By contrast, as of Monday, the MacBook Air uses the latest Intel processors, just out, which promise huge increases in battery life and better graphics. The Kirabooks aren't due to be upgraded to these new chips till the fourth quarter.
除了价格高，Kirabook最大的劣势是Windows 8；这个操作系统有两个完全不同的用户界面，令人感到困惑。Kirabook的电池续航时间也很平庸，还配备了较老款的处理器。相比之下，上周一刚发布的新款Macbook Air使用的是最新英特尔(Intel)处理器，据称能够显著提高电池巡航时间和提供更好的图形处理能力。而在第四季度之前，Kirabook都不会更新到英特尔的新芯片。
These new processors and battery life are closely linked. Apple claimed this week that, with the new chips, the 13-inch MacBook Air can get up to 12 hours of battery life between charges. That isn't a typo. (Stay tuned for a review of this revamped Air.)
这些新处理器和电池续航时间有着紧密关联。苹果本周表示，配备新处理器的13寸Macbook Air一次充电可以提供至多12小时的电池续航时间。对，你没看错。（请关注新版Air的评测。）
However, even with the same, older Intel chips, the MacBook Air handily beat the Kirabook in battery life. In my tough battery test, where I turn off power-saving features, keep the Wi-Fi on to collect email and play music until the battery dies, the Kirabook lasted four hours and 27 minutes. The MacBook Air rates over six hours on the same test.
不过即便是配备较老的英特尔处理器，Macbook Air也可以在电池续航时间上轻松压倒Kirabook。在我严格的电池测试中，即关闭省电设置，保持Wi-Fi连接以接受邮件，持续播放音乐，直至电池耗尽，Kirabook只能坚持4小时27分钟，而Macbook Air在相同测试下的电池表现超过了6个小时。
Overall, the Toshiba Kirabook is a very nicely built PC, but for its premium price, it ought to have the latest components, more distinctive design and better battery life.
总的来说，东芝Kirabook是一款非常出色的PC，但考虑到其高昂售价，这款笔记本就应该拥有最新的部件、更别致的设计、更强劲的电池续航时间。
