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Electronic wasteiMac, iPhone, iRepairApple performs an unusual U-turn电子废弃物iMac、iPhone、iRepair苹果做了一个不寻常的180度大转变As devices morph into services, what is ownership?Apple has performed a U-turn on customers’ right to fix its products after purchase随着设备转变为服务,所有权是什么?苹果公司对顾客购买后修复其产品的权利进行了180度大转变Paragraph 1:APPLE’S PURPOSE has always been to empower the users of its wares. 苹果公司的宗旨一直是为其产品的用户授权。“People are inherently creative.They will use tools in ways the toolmakers never thought possible,” once opined Steve Jobs, the computer maker’s late co-founder. 电脑制造商已故联合创始人史蒂夫·乔布斯曾表示:“人们天生就有创造力。他们会以工具制造商从未想过的方式使用工具。”So it was always odd that the firm went to great lengths to stop customers fixing its products. 因此,该公司千方百计阻止客户修理其产品,这总是很奇怪。Repair manuals were kept secret; genuine replacement parts were hard to come by; and, most recently, replacing the screen of the latest iPhone disabled the gadget’s facial-recognition feature.比如,维修手册保密;真正的替换零件很难获得;最近,更换最新iPhone的屏幕使该设备的面部识别功能失效。
Paragraph 2:No longer. In a series of moves that surprised many, Apple earlier this month promised a software fix to make the new iPhone model more repairable, and on November 17th announced that it will allow individuals to mend their devices and provide manuals, tools and parts. 现在不一样了。在一系列令许多人惊讶的举措中,苹果本月早些时候承诺提供一个软件修复程序,以使新款iPhone更易于维修,并于11月17日宣布将允许个人修理设备,并提供手册、工具和零件。Even its critics applauded, especially the leaders of a growing global “right-to-repair” movement including Kyle Wiens, the boss of iFixit, a website that sells parts and publishes free repair guides.甚至连批评人士都表示赞赏,尤其是日益壮大的全球“修复权”运动的领导者们,包括iFixit的老板凯尔·维恩斯,iFixit是一家销售零部件并发布免费修复指南的网站。Paragraph 3:Yet the likely impact of the “Self Service Repair” programme is unclear. 然而,“自助维修”计划可能产生的影响尚不清楚。A new online store will open from early next year. Owners who return used parts for recycling will get credit toward a purchase. 一家新的网店将于明年初开业。电子产品所有者把旧零件送到该网店进行回收利用后,将获得购买信用额。Independent repair shops can join in, without signing onerous agreements with Apple. 独立的维修店可以加入,而无需与苹果公司签署麻烦的协议。And, crucially, repairs by individuals will no longer void the warranty (damage done while tinkering is not covered).而且,至关重要的是,个人维修将不再使保修失效(修补时造成的损坏不在保修范围内)。Paragraph 4:But the toolmaker is ceding less ground than first appears. 但这个工具制造商放弃的范围比第一次的要少。Apple’s replacement parts, like its premium devices, cost a pretty penny. A new screen for the iPhone 12 is priced at $268. 苹果的替换部件,像它的高端设备一样,需要花费一大笔钱。iPhone12的新屏幕售价为268美元。Nor is it clear to what extent Apple will make its devices easier to repair. 也不清楚苹果将在多大程度上使其设备更易于维修。Because even swapping a battery requires removing the easily breakable screen, not many will try this at home.因为即使更换电池也需要移除容易损坏的屏幕,所以很少有人会在家里尝试。Paragraph 5:Still, if Apple went further, its repair programme could become a model for the smartphone and, perhaps, the wider electronics industry. 不过,如果苹果再进一步,它的维修计划可能会成为智能手机的典范,也许还会成为更广泛的电子行业的典范。Even its current form will push rival device-makers to follow suit. 即使是它目前的形式,也将促使竞争对手的设备制造商效仿。“When it comes to repairs, Samsung Electronics is doing even worse than Apple,” says Mr Wiens. Apple’s move, he adds, has in one fell swoop given the lie to many arguments that electronics firms use against making gadgets easier to repair, such as that people might hurt themselves.维恩斯先生说:“说到维修,三星电子做得甚至比苹果还要差。”他补充道,苹果此举一下子证明许多观点是假的,比如人们自己修理可能会伤到自己(电子公司反对让电子产品更容易维修)。Paragraph 6:Apple has also managed to get ahead of the regulatory trend, says Nabil Nasr of the Rochester Institute of Technology, who is working on a study for the Group of Seven (G7) wealthiest democracies about the life cycle of consumer-electronics products. 罗切斯特理工学院的纳比尔·纳斯尔表示,苹果也成功地处于监管前沿。他正在为7个最富有的民主国家(G7)进行一项关于消费电子产品生命周期的研究。Regulators, he explains, are tackling the problem of e-waste—it may soon become difficult for firms to comply with all the mandates. 他解释说,监管机构正在解决电子垃圾问题——企业可能很快就难以遵守所有规定。In America, for instance, legislatures in 27 states are now discussing right-to-repair bills. The European Union is also moving towards passing such rules.例如,在美国,27个州的立法机构正在讨论修复法案的权利。欧洲联盟也正在朝着通过这些规则的方向前进。Paragraph 7:Apple-watchers wonder if the firm will try the same strategy elsewhere in its business. 苹果观察人士怀疑,该公司是否会在其业务的其他领域尝试同样的策略。It could make pre-emptive concessions, for example, in the heated controversy about how it governs the app store on the iPhone. 例如,在关于它如何管理iPhone应用商店的激烈争论中,它可能会做出先发制人的让步。On November 9th a federal judge in California denied Apple’s request to stay part of a recent ruling. 11月9日,在最近一项裁决中,加利福尼亚州的一名联邦法官拒绝了苹果公司的保留部分权利的请求。This requires it by December 9th to allow app developers to inform their users how they can pay them directly and avoid Apple’s fees of up to 30% of the purchase price. Perhaps Apple might loosen up there, too.这要求它在12月9日之前允许应用程序开发者通知他们的用户如何直接支付,并避免苹果支付高达购买价格30%的费用。也许苹果也会在这方面放松。
(恭喜读完,本篇英语词汇量579左右)原文出自:2021年11月27日《The Economist》Business版块。精读笔记来源于:自由英语之路本文翻译整理:Irene本文编辑校对:Irene仅供个人英语学习交流使用。
【重点句子】(3个)Yet the likely impact of the “Self Service Repair” programme is unclear. 然而,“自助维修”计划可能产生的影响尚不清楚。Nor is it clear to what extent Apple will make its devices easier to repair. 也不清楚苹果将在多大程度上使其设备更易于维修。Even its current form will push rival device-makers to follow suit. 即使是它目前的形式,也将促使竞争对手的设备制造商效仿。
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