iPhone 6各方面是實實在在的"升級"

“Bigger than Bigger” is the tagline Apple adopted to describe its latest iPhone lineup. Indeed, the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are bigger than last year’s models, the 5C and 5S, which have 4-inch displays. The new models have 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens, respectively, but there’s much more to the pair than just screen size.

蘋果爲最新推出的iPhone 6和iPhone 6 Plus打出了“豈止於大”的標語。的確,這兩款手機要比4寸屏幕的iPhone 5S和5C都要大，分別搭載了一塊4.7寸和5.5寸的顯示屏，但除了屏幕尺寸之外，這兩款手機的升級之處還有不少。

Sure, there’s a new processor, the A8, which promises to be faster and more power-efficient. There’s the new M8 co-processor, which tracks your activity using the phone’s myriad sensors, including a barometer to measure elevation changes. There’s the new display, which promises improved contrast and wider viewing angles, even while wearing polarized sunglasses. And there are the tweaks to the software that powers its 8-megapixel camera: improved face detection, auto-focus, video stabilization, and slow-motion capture.

首先不得不提的是最新的A8處理器，據說它的運行速度更快，而且耗電量更低。另外還有最新植入的M8協同處理器，它可以通過iPhone內部的多個傳感器（甚至還包括一個可測量海拔高度變化的氣壓計）監測你的行動。iPhone 6還使用了最新的顯示技術，可以提供更銳利的對比度和更廣的顯示角度，甚至戴着偏光鏡看都不會發生偏色。另外，蘋果對800萬像素攝像頭的驅動軟件也做了優化，可以提供更優秀的面部識別、自動對焦、視頻防抖和慢動作捕捉功能。

The list of iterative improvements is long. There’s little doubt that the new iPhones are the best Apple AAPL -0.87% has ever made.

iPhone的功能升級可以排出一列長長的清單。基本可以確鑿無疑地說，iPhone 6和6 Plus堪稱蘋果有史以來最好的智能手機產品。

But that’s not the goal of this latest crop. Apple’s new iPhones are, perhaps for the first time, openly courting the Google GOOG -2.36% Android users who walked out of Apple’s garden when iOS devices turned stale, looking for a taller glass of milk.

但這些都不是iPhone 6和6 Plus的終極目標。事實上，這兩款手機可以說是蘋果首次爲了討好那些因爲嫌棄iOS設備創新僵化，而轉投安卓陣營的用戶而推出的誠意之作。

Samsung, the Korean company that has come to bedevil Apple in recent years, first released a larger-format phone in 2011. People scoffed at the Galaxy Note, which carried a 5.3-inch screen, because it didn’t fit the mold at the time. Was it a phone? Was it a tablet? The answer: a “phablet.” The name was as ugly as the phone was perceived to be.

韓國三星集團（Samsung）近年來已經給蘋果造成了不小的麻煩。三星於2011年首次推出了一款巨屏手機。一開始人們都在嘲笑這款5.3寸巨屏的Galaxy Note，因爲它看上去與當時的主流機型迥然不同。它到底是一臺手機還是一臺平板電腦呢？答案是“平板手機”。這個名字在當時看來就和這臺手機本身一樣彆扭。

Quite a lot of people like using a phone with a bigger screen, it turns out. Each of Samsung’s Note models has broken the 10 million unit mark in the last three years. Total Galaxy Note sales are over 50 million. The Note 4 is expected to debut on October 17, no doubt further support for a new trend in which large-screened phones—sorry, phablets—eat into tablet computer sales.

不過事實證明，很多人喜歡更大屏的手機。在過去三年間，每一款Note的銷量都超過了1000萬臺。Galaxy Note系列的總銷量已經超過了5000萬臺。Note 4預計將在本月17日上架發售，它的銷量將進一步預示着大屏手機——也就是所謂的“平板手機”將進一步蠶食平板電腦市場的銷量。

And guess who sells an awful lot of tablets?

現在請猜猜，平板電腦到底哪家強？

There’s a lot riding on the iPhones 6 and 6 Plus. The larger format presents new problems for Apple. The devices’ predecessors were perfected for one-handed use. The new models must rely on software to compensate for the extra screen real estate.

iPhone 6和6 Plus的銷量可以說是勢如破竹，但大屏也給蘋果帶來了新的問題。前一代iPhone對於單手操作來說堪稱完美，但現在卻必須依賴軟件來彌補屏幕更大造成的操作困難。

For example, the new devices allow you to swipe in from either edge of the screen for easy navigation, forward or backwards, within a mobile application. Developers can now add a two-pane view to apps, activated when you rotate the iPhone 6 Plus into landscape mode. The new view is similar to what you’d see on an iPad, only smaller.

比如，使用一款移動應用時，iPhone 6和6 Plus支持用水平划動來控制“前進”和“後退”，實現輕鬆導航。另外，開發者還可以在應用中加入iPhone 6 Plus處於橫屏模式時即可激活的雙屏界面。這種視圖效果有點像你在iPad上看到的那種效果，只不過小了一些。

“Reachability” is another feature that you would not have seen on earlier, smaller iPhone models. Activated by quickly tapping (not pressing) the home button twice, the feature pulls the top half of the screen down and places the furthest on-screen buttons or icons within a thumb’s reach. The point of the feature, which I initially had pegged as a gimmick, is to eliminate the need to use two hands to manipulate the larger device. In testing, I came to appreciate it, especially on the larger iPhone 6 Plus.

“可達性”是另一個在以前歷代iPhone上都沒有的功能。只要輕點兩下Home鍵（不是按下去），這個功能就會把屏幕的上半頁拉到底部，這樣一來，你就不用糾結於大拇指夠不着屏幕最遠端的圖標了，這個功能是爲了避免雙手操作大屏的不便。雖然一開始我稱它是個“噱頭”，但在測試中，我漸漸開始欣賞起這個功能來，尤其是在更加大屏的iPhone 6 Plus上。

In a bid to woo those coveted Android users, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS 8, incorporates widgets—the term used for miniature applications that draw on information from larger ones—in its Notification Center. The absence of widgets in iOS is something for which passionate Android users have long mocked about their iPhone-wielding peers. With the new iPhones, Apple finally evens the score.

爲了示好安卓陣營的用戶，蘋果最新的iOS 8系統也開始在通知中心添加小部件了。iOS不支持小部件歷來是安卓發燒友嘲笑果粉的談資之一。但是憑藉最新的iPhone，蘋果終於在這方面追平了對手。

The new phones also come with support for Apple Pay, the company’s new mobile payments service. Unfortunately, the feature won’t go live until later this month, so I was unable to test it.

iPhone 6和6 Plus還支持蘋果的Apple Pay移動支付服務。可惜這個功能直到本月月底才能上線，所以我沒能親身評測它。

And what of battery life, you ask? Satisfactory for both. During testing, I was able to pull the iPhone 6 through a day of heavy usage with enough juice left over to carry into the early lunch hour on day two. The 6 Plus, meanwhile, was able to power through the same amount of time with a couple of hours to spare. If you’re a frequent traveler, you’ll be pleased with the phones’ performance—just don’t cry foul when one doesn’t fit into the cup holder of your rental car.

那麼續航時間呢？可以說iPhone 6和6 Plus的續航能力都令人滿意。在測試中，我的iPhone 6撐過了一整天的重度測試，剩下的一點電量還能撐到將近第二天中午。6 Plus的待機時間甚至還要再長一兩個小時。如果你經常出差的話，你對這兩款iPhone的續航表現應該會比較滿意——如果你租來的車的杯託放不下這款新iPhone，你可別抗議就是了。

Which brings me to my final point: portability. If you’re an iPhone 5 or 5S user, the larger iPhone 6 requires only minor adjustment to your habits. It should slide right into the back pocket of your favorite pair of jeans, at least for most people.

而這也正是我測試的最後一個項目：便攜性。如果你是iPhone 5或5S的用戶，那麼稍大一些的iPhone 6只需要你稍微調整一下自己的着裝習慣。它應該恰好能放進你的牛仔褲口袋裏——至少對大多數人都是這樣。

The much larger iPhone 6 Plus is a different story. It doesn’t completely disappear into a back jeans pocket, and you’ll be promptly reminded of that fact when you forget to remove it before sitting down. (And for those of you who are concerned about bent iPhones, I say only this: No iPhones were harmed in the making of this article.)

更大屏的iPhone 6 Plus則是另一回事了。它沒法完全隱藏在牛仔褲口袋裏，往往會露出一截。而且如果你坐下前沒把它拿出來，你會很快意識到它的存在。（對於關心“掰彎門”話題的讀者，我只說一句：在我的評測過程中，並沒有一部iPhone受到了損傷。）

Both models fit just fine into the breast pocket of my suit jacket as well as the front pocket on a pair of slacks.

iPhone 6和6 Plus都能裝進我的西服前胸口袋和休閒褲口袋。

With larger sizes and a collection of minor improvements, can Apple’s latest iPhones woo Android users back into the fold? It’s possible, though Apple’s new devices seem to merely close the gap between the two warring factions.

憑藉兩塊更大的屏幕和一系列小步改良，蘋果的兩款新iPhone能否讓轉投安卓陣營的用戶再次回心轉意？這並非不可能，雖然這兩款新iPhone似乎只是勉強拉平了與安卓的差距。

In truth, I wonder about Apple’s millions of existing customers that will be forced to upgrade to a larger phone. As I tested both devices, I found it a struggle to retrain my mind and hand to adapt to using a larger device. It’s a matter of personal preference, and I’m told it gets easier with time. But if phone-tablet hybrids truly are the future of personal computing, count me out, at least for the time being. I just can’t wrap my hand around it.

但事實上，我有些懷疑蘋果的千百萬現有用戶是否能被迫接受大屏iPhone。在測試這兩款新iPhone的過程中，我發現要訓練我的雙手和大腦去適應一臺大屏手機也是很不容易的。也有人對我說，時間長了就習慣了。但是如果平板手機真的是個人計算市場的未來，我至少現在無法接受。我的手掌就是hold不住它。