考研英语经济学人双语精读TE-2023-07-05期考研英文外刊精读|苹果“空间计算”的意义（PDF版+Word版+MP3）
Apple：The meaning of “spatialcomputing”
The Vision Pro is anincrediblemachine. Now to find out what it is for
【1】No one shows off a new gadget quite like Apple. But the device that Tim Cookunveiledon June5th was billed as something moresignificant. The Vision Pro, a pair ofsleekglassgoggles,represents“an entirely newspatial-computing platform”, said Apple’s boss,comparingits launch to that of the Macintosh and the iPhone. Apple’s message is clear: afterdesktopand mobile computing, the next big tech era will bespatialcomputing—also known asaugmentedreality—in which computergraphicsareoverlaidon the world around the user.
【2】Thepresentationwas bothjaw-droppingly impressive and oddly underwhelming. The Vision isstuffedwithinnovationsthateclipseevery otherheadseton the market. Clunky joysticks are out, handgesturesandeyeballtracking are in. Instead ofleglessavatars, users get photorealistic likenesses, whose eyes also appear on the outside of theglassesto make wearing them lessantisocial. The product is dusted with Apple’s user-friendly design magic.
【3】Yet the company hadstrangelyuninspiringsuggestions for what to do with itsmiraculousdevice. Look at your photos—but bigger!Use Microsoft Teams—but on a virtual screen!Make FaceTime video calls—but with your friend’s window in space, not the palm of your hand!Apple’s vision mainly seemed toinvolvetaking2d apps andprojectingthem onto virtual screens (while charging $3,499for the privilege). Is that it?
【4】Patience. Mr Cook is right thatspatialcomputing is a new platform, but it will take time toexploit. Consider the iPhone’s launch,16years ago. Like the Vision, its technology sparkled, but itsdullinitialuses wereinheritedfrom earlier platforms: make calls, write emails,browsethe web, listen to music. It was years before developers found mobile computing’s killer use-cases: group chats, ride-hailing, short video, casual gaming, mobile payments and all the other things that todaypersuadepeople to spend $1,000or more on an iPhone (whose $499launch price in2007was consideredshocking).
【5】Other platforms have taken just as long to reach their potential. Television producers began byfilmingpeople appearing on stage. Internetpioneersstarted off bysharingfiles, beforespinningthe web and much more. Apple’s own smartwatch was a dampsquibuntil consumers decided that it was a health andfitnessdevice. It now sells50mwatchesa year.
【6】No one yet knows whatspatialcomputing’s killer use-case might be—or if it even has one, though that seems likely. It could becommercial(surgeons, engineers andarchitectshave dabbled in the tech) oreducational(Apple previewed a “planetarium” in itsdemo) or inentertainment(Disney made acameowith ideas forimmersivecinema and sportscoverage). Vision Pros could even become high-endporngoggles, if Apple relaxes its ban on such things. Artificial intelligence will allowprogrammersto makeeerilyrealisticcontent in all thesecategories, and many more.
【7】The way to speed up this process is to get thehardwareinto the hands of developers—and that is the real purpose of the Vision. Apple will not sell many of the expensive first-generationunits, and doesn’t care. Its aim is to get the product to the people who will work out whatspatialcomputing can do. It is uniquely well placed. Meta, its chief rival in theheadsetgame, lacks Apple’s links with developers, who like making software for Apple’s best-in-classhardware(and its richest-in-class consumers)
【8】The flawed butextraordinaryVision shows that the technological struggle to makespatialcomputing a reality is being won. The next race is to discover what it is for. Apple has just fired the starting gun.
①短语
1.原文：No one shows off a new gadget quite like Apple.
词典：show off 炫耀
例句：She wanted to show off her new husband at the party.
她想在聚会上炫耀自己的新婚丈夫。
2.原文：But the device that Tim Cook unveiled on June 5th was billed as something more significant.
词典：be billed as 被宣传为
例句：He was billed as the new Tom Cruise.
他被宣传为新汤姆•克鲁斯。
3.原文：comparing its launch to that of the Macintosh and the iPhone
词典：compare sth. to sth. 把...比作，比喻为；与……相比
例句：Little can compare to the feeling of a deep, complete, heartfelt laughing spell.
没有什么感觉比得上发自内心深处的，彻彻底底的，衷心的笑声。
4.原文：The Vision is stuffed with innovations
词典：be stuffed with 塞满，填充
例句：The bag was stuffed with dirty clothes.
袋子里塞满了脏衣服。
5.原文：that today persuade people to spend $1,000 or more on an iPhone
词典：persuade sb. to do sth. 劝说某人做某事
例句：Do you think you could persuade them over to see me?
你觉得能劝说他们到这里来见我吗？
6.原文：if Apple relaxes its ban on such things.
词典：a/the ban on sth. 禁令
例句：The general lifted the ban on political parties.
将军解除了对政党的官方禁令。
7.原文：The way to speed up this process is to get the hardware into the hands of developers
词典：speed up 加速
例句：I had already taken steps to speed up a solution to the problem.
我已经采取措施加快解决这个问题。
8.原文：It is uniquely well placed.
词典：well placed 置于适当地点的；瞄得准的；有良好的职位或社会地位的
例句：Engineering graduates are well placed for a wide range of jobs.
工程科毕业生在很多职业中处于优势。
9.原文：who like making software for Apple’s best-in-class hardware
词典：best-in-class 同类最优
例句：How you can become a "best-in-class" email marketer?
如何成为“一流的”电子邮件营销者？
10.原文：Apple has just fired the starting gun.
词典：the starting gun 发令枪
例句：The starting gun blasted and they were off.
发令枪一响，他们跑了出去。
②长难句
原文：The Vision Pro, a pair of sleek glass goggles, represents “an entirely new spatial-computing platform”, said Apple’s boss, comparingits launch to that of the Macintosh and the iPhone.
分析：首先said Apple’s boss表示句子的发言人，而前面的整个句子是其发言的内容，在该引语当中，The Vision Pro是句子的主语，represents是谓词，an entirely new spatial-computing platform是宾语，a pair of sleek glass goggles是主语The Vision Pro的同位语，起到解释说明的作用；comparing部分是现在分词做状语，表示主动比较。
译文：他表示，Vision Pro是一副时尚的玻璃护目镜，代表着“一个全新的空间计算平台”，并且认为Vision Pro与Macintosh以及iPhone具有同等地位。
原文：Meta, its chief rival in the headset game, lacksApple’s links with developers, wholikemaking softwarefor Apple’s best-in-class hardware (and its richest-in-class consumers)
分析：在这个句子当中，句子的主语是Meta，lacks是谓语，Apple’s links with developers是宾语，its chief rival in the headset game是主语Meta的同位语，起到解释说明的作用；而who引导的定语从句中，who做主语，代指前面的developers，谓语是like，宾语是making software，for Apple’s best-in-class hardware...属于状语。
译文：Meta是苹果在头显领域的主要竞争对手，但是它缺乏苹果与开发者的这种联系，开发者喜欢为苹果一流的硬件（以及最富有的消费者）开发软件。
③写作技巧
Apple has just fired the starting gun.
苹果仅仅只是打响了这场比赛的发令枪。
在中文当中喜欢使用一些比喻或者是拟人等修辞，在英文当中为了提高语言的多样性，也会使用比喻等修辞，让语言更加形象和生动。在文章中的“the starting gun”其实就是一个比喻，其中把整个空间计算的开发过程看做是一场比赛，而苹果的Vision Pro便仅仅是这场比赛的首枪而已。类似的表达还可以使用“fire the first shot”，意为“先机打头炮 ; 打头炮”。
例句：
The supermarket fired the first shot in a price war today.
今天，这家超市打响了价格战的头一炮。
④背景知识
Apple Vision Pro，一台革命性的空间计算设备，将数字内容无缝融入真实世界，让用户处在当下并与他人保持连接。Apple Vision Pro打造无边际画布，让app突破传统显示屏的限制，为用户带来全新的3D交互体验，以最自然、最直观的输入方式来控制——眼睛、双手与语音。Apple Vision Pro搭载全球首创的空间操作系统 visionOS，通过用户与数字内容互动的模式，让数字内容如同存在于真实世界。Apple Vision Pro的突破性设计包含将2300万像素置于两个显示屏中的超高分辨率显示系统和采用独特双芯片设计的定制Apple芯片，为每个用户带来身临其境的即时体验。
空间计算Spatial Computing是指利用技术在物理空间中创建沉浸式和交互式体验的过程。它是一个术语，用于描述虚拟现实、增强现实和混合现实技术的融合，使用户能够在现实世界环境中与数字内容进行交互。空间计算利用一系列传感器、摄像头和其他设备来跟踪和响应用户的动作和手势，创建物理与数字世界的无缝融合。它在游戏、教育、建筑和医疗等领域都有应用。
⑤段落大意
【1】背景引入：苹果推出新产品Vision Pro
【2】新品特色：人性化设计，凸显以用户为中心的设计理念
【3】平平无奇：产品的使用场景平平无奇，不具特色
【4】耐心等待：可用场景仍然需要时间来开发
【5】阐述举例：很多其他产品的应用场景开发也是慢慢来的
【6】潜力无限：虽然当下场景有限，但是该产品拥有无限可能
【7】应对策略：让开发者释放产品潜能
【8】万里长征：Vision Pro产品的推出仅仅是打响了空间计算比赛
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