Apple Inc. is working on a lower-end iPhone, according to people briefed on the matter, a big shift in its corporate strategy as its supremacy in smartphones has slipped.
据知情人士说，苹果公司(Apple Inc.AAPL+0.27%)正在开发一款低端iPhone。这是苹果在其智能手机至高地位出现下滑之际对其公司战略的一次重大调整。
While Apple has explored such a device for years, the plan has been progressing and a less expensive version of its flagship device could launch as soon as later this year, one of the people said.
知情人士中的一位说，苹果为这样的手机探索过多年，该计划一直在推进，一款比旗舰机更便宜的iPhone最早有望在今年晚些时候推出。
The cheaper phone could resemble the standard iPhone, with a different, less-expensive body, one of the people said. One possibility Apple has considered is lowering the cost of the device by using a different shell made of polycarbonate plastic; in contrast, the iPhone 5 currently has an aluminum housing. Many other parts could remain the same or be recycled from older iPhone models.
位知情人士说，低价iPhone可能与标准版相似，只是采用了一个不同的、更便宜的机身。苹果考虑过的一种可能性，是通过使用聚碳酸酯塑料材质的外壳来降低手机的价格。相比之下，iPhone 5目前采用的是铝制外壳。其他很多零部件可能保持一致，或者从老款iPhone手机回收利用。
Apple could decide not to move forward with the device. A spokeswoman for the Cupertino, Calif., company declined to comment.
总部位于加州库珀蒂诺的苹果有可能决定不再继续开发这款手机。苹果公司一位发言人不予置评。
The move towards multiple iPhone models is new territory for Apple. Under former Chief Executive Steve Jobs, Apple historically prided itself on prioritizing profits over scale and offered a relatively small number of products targeted at the high end.
同时销售多款iPhone对于苹果来说还是新领域。在前首席执行长乔布斯(Steve Jobs)领导下，苹果一直以更重利润而非规模而引以为豪，并用数量相对较少的产品瞄准高端人群。
In more recent years─and especially since Tim Cook took the reins as CEO in August 2011─that has started to change. In October, Apple unveiled a smaller iPad, dubbed the iPad Mini, to go alongside its bigger iPad tablets.
知情人士说，苹果公司正在开发一款低端iPhone。近年来，特别是库克(Tim Cook)于2011年8月接过CEO一职之后，情况开始发生变化。2012年10月，苹果推出名为“iPad Mini”的小尺寸iPad，跟尺寸更大的iPad一起出售。
Still, the company has sold only one main new iPhone model, with different storage capacities, at a time since launching the smartphone in 2007. Today the iPhone is Apple's chief revenue driver, with sales of iPhones and related products and services accounting for 48% of revenue in the quarter ended in September.
但是，自从2007年推出iPhone以来，苹果一次只出售一种新款iPhone，只是存储容量不同。iPhone是苹果目前最大的收入来源，在截至2012年9月的季度内，iPhone及相关产品、服务的销售额占苹果收入的48%。
Apple has been considering a less-expensive iPhone since at least 2009 to grab market share and hook people on the brand, said people familiar with the efforts. Before the launch of the iPhone 4 in mid-2010, the company developed designs for cheaper phones that were very similar to the latest iPhone but had a less expensive back and sides, one of the people said.
知情人士说，至迟在2009年的时候，苹果就已经开始考虑推出廉价版iPhone，以夺取市场份额、吸引新消费者。一位知情人士说，在2010年中发布iPhone 4时，苹果制作了廉价版iPhone的设计图，样子同最新款iPhone相似，但背板和边框更加便宜。
Apple tabled the plan as some executives worried a second iPhone would complicate its manufacturing processes. The company decided to keep older iPhone models on sale for less, a strategy that didn't require designing new products.
苹果提出这一计划后，一些高管担心，推出第二款iPhone可能会使苹果的制造流程变得复杂。苹果决定以较低的价格继续出售较早型号的iPhone，该战略使苹果不需要设计新的产品。
But Apple now faces greater pressure to make the iPhone more affordable. An onslaught of lower cost rivals powered by Google Inc.'s Android operating system are gaining market share.
但是如今，苹果面临着更大的压力，需要让iPhone的价格更能为消费者所接受。搭载谷歌公司(Google Inc.GOOG-0.20%)安卓(Android)操作系统的低价手机正在获得更多的市场份额。
In the 2012 third quarter, Apple held only 14.6% of worldwide smartphone shipments, down from a peak of 23% in the fourth quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012, according to IDC.
根据IDC的数据，2012年第三季度，苹果在全球智能手机市场出货量中的份额仅为14.6%，低于2011年第四季度和2012年第一季度23%的峰值。
Samsung Electronics Co.'s share, meanwhile, rose from 8.8% to 31.3% from the third quarter of 2010 to the third quarter of 2012. The Korean electronics maker on Tuesday said it capped its best year ever with another record quarterly profit, adding that it expects operating profit of $8.1 billion to $8.5 billion for the three months that ended in December.
与此同时，三星电子(Samsung Electronics Co.)2012年第三季度的市场份额增长到了31.3%，高于2010年第三季度的8.8%。这家韩国电子产品制造商周二表示，该公司的季度利润将再创新高。三星补充说，预计截至12月的三个月营业利润将会在81亿美元到85亿美元之间。
While the iPhone remains the top-selling smartphone in the U.S., Apple's share of the high-end cellphone market has been falling fast in China and remains low in other emerging markets.
尽管iPhone在美国仍然是最畅销的智能手机，但苹果在中国高端手机市场中的份额一直在大幅下降，在其他新兴市场的份额仍然很低。
The iPhone 5 without a wireless contract starts at $649 in the U.S. on Apple.com, and can cost even more overseas. That's out of reach for many customers in countries where carriers don't help cover the cost of the phone and where Android phones with similar capabilities can cost less.
苹果公司网站上销售的iPhone 5非合约机在美国起价为649美元，在海外的价格更高。在一些国家，运营商不负担手机的成本，且拥有同样功能的安卓手机售价更低，因此iPhone 5的价格对许多消费者来说难以接受。
In the U.S., the iPhone starts at $199 with a two-year wireless contract, while older models are available for $99 or for free with a two-year contract.
在美国，iPhone两年期合约机的起价为199美元，较早型号的iPhone两年期合约机售价为99美元，或是由无线运营商免费提供。
Apple's stock has fallen 25% since it reached an all-time high of $702.10 in September as investors worry competitors are gaining ground. On Tuesday, Apple's shares closed 4 p.m. trading at $525.31.
自去年9月达到702.10美元的历史高点之后，苹果的股票已经下跌了25%，投资者担心，竞争者正在获得更多市场份额。周二，苹果的股票收盘价格为525.31美元。
A less-expensive iPhone risks crimping the company's profit margins, which executives have been loath to sacrifice. Even small changes in margins often sway investors.
低价iPhone可能会影响公司的利润率，这是公司高管不愿意付出的代价。即使是利润率发生较小变化，常常也会把投资者吓跑。
Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, said that a less expensive iPhone won't necessarily hurt Apple's overall profit margin if it attracts buyers who haven't bought iPhones before and not those who would have been willing to purchase the higher-end device.
派杰公司(Piper Jaffray)的分析师蒙斯特(Gene Munster)说，如果低价iPhone吸引的是没有买过iPhone的消费者，而不是那些本来打算购买高端iPhone的消费者，那么更便宜的iPhone并不一定会伤害苹果整体利润率。