雅思阅读材料之传苹果公司正开发iPad Mini 对抗谷歌Nexus 7

A new round of Apple rumors and leaks are suggesting what some tech observers have been predicting for the past year: that a smaller, less expensive iPad is on the way.

关于苹果公司的新谣传似乎将证实一些科技观察者们去年做出的预言，一个更小的、更便宜的iPad即将到来。

The talk of a 7-or-8-inch version of the popular tablet (the current model has a nearly 10-inch screen, diagonally), comes on the heels of Google announcing plans for the Nexus 7, its own smaller tablet that will be more in the mold of Amazon's Kindle Fire.

谷歌公司宣布新款平板电脑Nexus 7的发行计划，旋即便有传闻称苹果公司将发行7-8英寸宽平板电脑（目前的iPad的屏幕有10英寸宽）。Nexus 7是一款比亚马逊公司的Kindle Fire更的产品。

The Nexus 7 will have a 7-inch screen and sell for $199 like the Fire, which has been one of the few iPad rivals to gain any real traction in the tablet marketplace.

Nexus 7将有一个7英寸宽的屏幕，并且像Kindle Fire一样只卖199美元。Kindle Fire是极少数在平板电脑市场上对iPad构成实际威胁的产品。

On Wednesday, Bloomberg was quoting "two people with knowledge of the plans" who said Apple will release a smaller iPad by the end of the year.

本周三，彭博新闻社询问了两位了解苹果公司计划的内部人士，他们表示苹果公司将在今年年底发布一款较小的iPad。

Steve Jobs once said a 7-inch screen is not sufficient to make a good tablet. Apple's current leadership may disagree.

史蒂芬•乔布斯曾经说过7英寸宽的屏幕不足以来制造一个的平板电脑，但苹果公司现在的领导层也许会不同意他的话。

The so far the imaginary, or at least never-seen, device has been dubbed the "iPad Mini" by speculators in light of the iPod of the same name. The sources said the gadget will have a screen between 7 and 8 inches wide, and one said that it will not have the high-definition "retina display" screen of the new iPad.

目前这个还没有揭开庐山真面目的产品被分析师们冠以“iPad Mini”的名字，沿用iPod系列的命名方法。有消息称新产品将使用一个7-8英寸宽的屏幕，而且有内部人士称新的iPad不会使用视网膜屏幕。

As the months have gone on, more and more analysts have begun to believe that the arrival of a smaller iPad is a matter of "when," not "if."

随着时间流逝，越来越多的分析师开始相信一款较小的iPad的到来是时间问题，而不是会不会有的问题。

Multiple tech sites also are pointing this week to a post from Chinese tech site MyDrivers (Google translation) which quoted sources on Apple's supply chain in that country saying the new device will have a 7.85-inch screen and be the same thickness as the iPad 2.

许多科技网站本周发布了一个来自中国的科技网站“驱动之家”的消息。该消息称在中国的苹果供应商表示，苹果的新产品将有一个7.85英寸宽的屏幕，并且和iPad2一样厚。

If the rumors are true, it would be Apple's biggest departure yet from the vision of co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, who died last year.

如果这些传言都是真的，那么这款产品将是迄今为止，苹果公司与去年去世的创始人兼前CEO斯蒂夫-乔布斯的构想间产生的分歧。