Welcome to my spring laptop buyer's guide. It should be an easy time for laptop buyers, now that we're six months past the introduction of Microsoft's redesigned Windows 8 operating system and laptop makers have had time to get into a new groove. Alas, I'm sorry to report, it's still pretty confusing and frustrating to buy a new laptop, and it might be best, if you can, to wait until the fall.
欢迎来到我的春季笔记本导购。对想买笔记本的人来说，现在本该是能轻松决定的时候，因为微软(Microsoft)重新设计的Windows 8操作系统已经推出了六个月，笔记本厂商也有充足时间拿出相匹配的最佳水准。但我很遗憾地说，现在想买一台新笔记本还是很让人迷惑和沮丧的，如果你们可以等的话，最好还是等秋季再出手吧。
After the big buildup in October around Windows 8, laptop makers stumbled. They continued to offer mostly nontouchscreen models, though the new Windows was designed for touch. And the touchscreen models they built were clustered around $1,000, far more than consumers are used to paying for Windows laptops. Plus, Windows 8 itself proved confusing, because it combines two interfaces - the tabletlike 'Start Screen' and the traditional Windows desktop.
去年10月围绕着Windows 8大做文章后，笔记本厂商们推进得并不顺利。虽然新Windows是为触控而设计，但厂商们却继续推出以非触摸屏为主的诸多机型。他们打造的触摸屏笔记本价格都在1,000美元（约合人民币6,200元）左右，远远超过消费者以往为Windows笔记本所支付的价格。而且，Windows 8本身也令人困惑，因为其结合了两种界面──类平板风格的“开始界面”和传统的Windows桌面。
Based on conversations with laptop makers and Microsoft, I believe there will be an effort to regroup this fall, with more touchscreen models that are less costly and a forthcoming class of PCs even smaller and thinner than the current slender Ultrabooks. There also will be new chips from Intel that aim to greatly increase battery life and a refined, beefed-up version of Windows 8, code-named Windows Blue, which will be available to current buyers as a free upgrade.
根据笔记本厂商和微软的对话，我相信今年秋天双方会重新努力调整，推出更多价格更低的触摸屏机型，届时新一代PC机甚至会比现在轻薄的超极本更加小巧轻便。届时英特尔也会发布新芯片，致力于极大提升电池续航时间；而微软会推出代号为Windows Blue的改进增强版的Windows 8，向目前的购买者提供免费升级。
Recent statistics showing massive drops in laptop sales indicate consumers aren't replacing their computers as often as in the past, partly because they now rely a lot on smartphones and tablets. But some of you will be buying new laptops this spring and summer, so here are some tips on what to look for in a machine. As usual, this guide is meant for average users doing typical tasks, not businesses, or people doing heavy-duty work like video production.
近期的统计数据显示笔记本销量大幅下滑，这表明消费者并不像过去那样频繁地更新他们的电脑；一定程度上是因为他们现在更为倚重智能手机和平板。但一些读者还是打算在今年春夏两季购买新笔记本，所以我在这里提供一些挑选机器的小建议。和以往一样，这个导购是面向那些使用笔记本进行常规任务的普通用户，而不是面向企业用户或是需要从事视频生成等重度计算工作的用户。
Windows vs. Mac
Windows与Mac
Apple has led in the touchscreen market, but with phones and tablets, not computers. So its Mac models remain traditional laptops, which don't use touchscreens. As always, they aren't cheap: The least expensive Mac laptop is still $999. And they lack the variety of Windows PCs. But the machines are high quality, reliable, versatile computers that are far less susceptible to viruses than Windows PCs and can even run Windows quite well. The light, speedy MacBook Air is a paragon of what a capable laptop should be and I expect Macs to adopt the same new Intel processor coming soon for PCs.
苹果在触摸屏市场占据领先，但那是靠手机和笔记本，而不是电脑。苹果Mac电脑依然是没有触摸屏的传统笔记本。而且它们一如既往的不便宜：最便宜的Mac笔记本也要999美元（约合人民币6,200元）。而且苹果笔记本没有Windows PC那么多的选择。但苹果笔记本高品质、可靠、多用，中毒几率比Windows PC小得多，甚至还可以很好地运行Windows系统。外形轻便、运行迅速的Macbook Air就是一款出色笔记本的样板，我预计苹果笔记本也将配备英特尔即将为PC而推出的处理器。
Tablets vs. Laptops
平板电脑与笔记本
I reject the idea that tablets are only for content consumption, not productivity. Plenty of business is conducted on tablets daily, from work email to reviewing and editing office documents, to using sales and medical apps. Still, heavy-duty work, like the creation of large spreadsheets and presentations, is better done on laptops. If you don't do such tasks, a tablet may suffice, but most people will want to keep a laptop around, even if they use a tablet.
我不认为平板电脑只能用于消费内容，而不能生成内容。现在很多企业每天都用平板办公，工作范围不胜枚举，从处理工作电邮到浏览编辑办公文件，再到使用销售和医疗应用。不过，像生成大型表格和PPT文件这样的重计算工作，还是在笔记本上进行更合适。如果你不需要处理这些任务，那么平板电脑可能就够用了；不过大多数人即便用着平板，也会想再有一部笔记本。
Touchscreens
触摸屏
On a Windows 8 laptop, I strongly advise consumers to buy machines with touchscreens. The operating system will work with just a mouse or track pad, but it was designed for touch, and Microsoft intends to continue to make the touch-centric Start Screen, with its tabletlike apps, more powerful and versatile. If you only plan to use traditional Windows desktop programs, you can skip touch, but more and more PC software will be for the Start Screen.
在Windows 8笔记本上，我强烈建议消费者购买具有触摸屏的机型。这个操作系统可以用于鼠标和触控板操作，但它是为了触摸而设计的，而且微软计划继续让以触控为核心的开始界面及其平板风格的应用更加强大多效。如果你只打算使用传统的Windows桌面程序，你可以跳过触控，但越来越多的PC软件都会登陆开始界面。
Convertibles
变形本
In an effort to fend off the attack on laptops from tablets, hardware makers offered a variety of convertible models designed to be both laptops and tablets. Unfortunately, these machines typically made for heavy, thick, expensive tablets. So, until convertibles appear that are thin and light enough to work well as tablets, I suggest you shun these combo devices.
为了抵御平板电脑对笔记本电脑的冲击，硬件厂商们推出了一系列变形笔记本，可以同时用作笔记本和平板电脑。但不幸的是，这些机型用作平板时通常机身厚重，而且价格昂贵。因此，除非变形本变得足够轻薄，可以很好的用作平板电脑，我建议各位还是别考虑这些复合设备了。
Detachables
可拆卸设备
These are laptops from which the screen can be detached for use as a true tablet. Unlike convertibles, they work pretty well as a tablet, in addition to functioning as a laptop. One example is the Hewlett-Packard Envy x2, which sells for $600 to $700.
这些笔记本的屏幕可以拆卸，能变成一个真正的平板电脑使用。和变形本不同，这些可拆卸设备除了可以当做笔记本使用，在平板电脑方面也表现相当不错。其中一个例子就是售价600-700美元（约合人民币3,700-4,320元）的惠普Envy X2。
Storage
硬盘空间
Windows 8 takes up a lot of storage, so get a laptop with at least 500 gigabytes of hard-disk space, or if it uses a solid-state drive, at least 256GB.
Windows 8占据了大量硬盘空间，所以你至少需要一个500GB硬盘的笔记本，要么就是至少256GB的固态硬盘(SSD)。
Price
价格
In combing my local Best Buy and Micro Center stores (a smaller, but high-quality chain store), I found most well-equipped, name-brand touchscreen models still hovering between $700 and $1,200. One excellent touchscreen Windows 8 Ultrabook, Acer's S7, was $1,200 at Micro Center for a 13.3 inch model.
在我仔细逛了当地的百思买(Best Buy)和Micro Center商店(一家小型但高品质的连锁店)之后，我发现多数配置出色的名牌触摸屏笔记本售价仍然在700-1200美元（约合人民币4,320-7,400元）。宏碁(Acer) S7是一款卓越的13.3英寸触摸屏Windows 8超极本，这款产品在Micro Center售价1200美元（约合人民币7,400元）。
And on May 12, Toshiba will introduce a premium touchscreen Ultrabook, called the Kirabook, starting at $1,800.
5月12日，东芝将发布一款名为Kirabook的顶级触摸屏超极本，售价从1,800美元（约合人民币11,124元）起。
There were a few - very few - bargain touchscreen models. At my Best Buy, the least costly Windows 8 touchscreen was the 11.6 inch Asus Q200e for $480. At Micro Center, a similar Asus model, the X202e, was $400 after a $100 rebate.
市场上也有一些平价触摸屏笔记本，但数量很少。我在百思买看到，价格最低的Windows 8触摸屏笔记本是11.6英寸的华硕(Asus) Q200e，售价为480美元（约合人民币2,970元）。Micro Center售价最低的机型是华硕另一类似机型X202e，返现100美元（约合人民币618元）后售价400美元（约合人民币2,472元）。
Bottom Line
结论
For a high-quality, traditional laptop without a touchscreen, you can't do much better than a MacBook Air, if you have at least $999 to spend. On the Windows side, stick with touchscreens and be prepared to spend nearly as much, or even a bit more. But if you can wait, come back in the fall.
如果你想买不带触摸屏的高质量传统笔记本，又打算花费至少999美元（约合人民币6,200元），那没有比Macbook Air更好的选择了。如果买Windows笔记本的话，建议选触摸屏机型，你得准备几乎差不多甚至更多的预算。不过如果你等得起的话，还是到秋季再出手吧。