谷歌超級本策略內幕大綱

Cloud computing has been around for some time now. But not many people believe they can do all their computing in the cloud. Not many, that is, outside the brainaics at the Googleplex.
雲計算已經火了一陣子。不過沒多少人認爲所有的計算都能在雲端完成。“沒多少人”的意思是——除了谷歌（Google）總部的智囊們，沒多少人這麼看。

With its line of Chromebooks made by various hardware partners, Google (GOOG) began testing in earnest the idea that tech users could live their digital lives almost entirely in the cloud. The low-cost laptops, which are powered by the Chrome operating system first went on sale in 2011. They only run Web-based applications, not traditional desktop programs, and eschew the trappings of traditional laptops such as an optical disc reader or large hard drive.
谷歌之前已經開始與多家硬件商聯合生產Chromebook，現在，它開始認真測試技術用戶是否完全能在雲端實現數字生活這個想法。採用Chrome系統的低成本筆記本最早在2011年發售。它們只運行基於網絡的應用，而不運行傳統的桌面程序，也避免了光驅和大硬盤這類傳統的筆記本配件。

After a sluggish start, Chromebooks are gaining momentum. But by and large, people buy them because they are cheap. I personally raved about the $250 Samsung Chromebook not because it's a great computer, but because a) I already have a couple of Macs around the house, and b) at that price, I could afford to get an extra laptop and put up with the shortcomings of a Web-only device: no iTunes or iPhoto, no Skype, no Minecraft (if you don't know what that is, ask any third-grade boy), and subpar versions of word processing and spreadsheet programs.
Chromebook起初反響平平，後來卻逐漸受到市場青睞。不過總的來說，人們購買它的主要原因還是價格便宜。我個人對250美元的三星（Samsung）Chromebook讚不絕口，不是因爲它有多麼好，而是因爲：第一，我家裏已經有幾臺蘋果Mac電腦了；第二，以這個低價位就能買到一臺筆記本，而且我能接受一臺只能上網的電腦的各種缺點，比如說沒有iTunes或iPhoto，沒有Skype，沒有Minecraft（如果你不知道這是什麼，隨便問個三年級小孩吧），而文字處理和電子製表程序也不夠好。

Now Google is making a bet that some people will want to live entirely in the cloud -- not primarily because it is cheaper -- but because it is better. On Thursday, it unveiled the Chromebook Pixel, a laptop as stylish and fast as any ultrabook. (That category was created by Intel (INTC) to help boost flagging PC sales; so far, no luck.) Google's Pixel has a full-sized keyboard and a super-high-resolution display that works as a touchscreen, like many newer PCs running Microsoft (MSFT) Windows 8.
現在，谷歌相信一些人想要完全過上雲生活——不僅僅是因爲它便宜——還因爲它更好。週四谷歌發佈了Chromebook Pixel。這款筆記本的時尚感和速度能與任何超級本媲美。【超極本始於英特爾（Intel），以提振一路下滑的PC機銷量。不過到目前爲止，好運尚未降臨。】谷歌的Pixel擁有全尺寸鍵盤和高分辨率觸摸屏，像許多新PC機一樣採用Windows 8系統。谷歌分管Chrome和應用的高級副總裁桑達?皮採上週四在舊金山發佈Pixel時說：

"We think this is a real game changer in how people can start living the cloud," said Sundar Pichai, the senior vice president in charge of Chrome and apps at Google, as he unveiled the Pixel in San Francisco on Thursday. Maybe. But the catch is that the Pixel, which will ship next week, costs a jaw-dropping $1,299 for a WiFi-only model. A version with LTE to connect to high-speed cellular networks is coming in April and will cost $1,449.
“我們認爲這是一款革命性的產品，它將引領人們的雲生活。”也許吧。不過關注點在於，即將運往全球各地的Pixel價格高達驚人的1,299美元，這還是隻支持Wifi的版本。將在四月發行、使用長期演進技術、連接高速細胞網絡的版本價格將高達1,449美元。

That's likely to be a tough sell. For $100 less than the base model, you can get a 13-inch MacBook Air from Apple (AAPL), the popularity of which essentially spurred the creation of the ultrabook category in the first place. The Air may not have a touch screen, but you can do all the cloud computing you want and run just about any desktop program. You can store your photos, music and videos, and yes, back them up in the cloud if you want.
這款產品很可能不好賣。花上比這臺基礎版少100美元的價錢，你就能買到13英寸的蘋果Macbook Air。起初正因爲它的人氣，才促使了超極本的誕生。Air可能沒有觸摸屏，不過你可以在上面進行任何你想要的雲計算，同時還可以運行任何桌面程序。可以儲存照片、音樂和視頻。如果你願意，還可以把它們備份在雲系統裏。So who will buy the Pixel? Pichai says that plenty of businesses have already embraced the concept of cloud computing and use Gmail and other Google apps for most of their productivity needs. What's been lacking is a really good Chrome-based laptop, especially for software developers and other power users who demand speed and high-resolution displays. "In my personal experience, it's the fastest laptop I used," Pichai said.
誰會買Pixel呢？皮採說大多數公司已經接受了雲計算的概念，同時使用Gmail和其他谷歌應用來滿足自己的生產需要。市場缺少的就是真正好用的Chrome系統筆記本，尤其是對軟件開發商、以及需要高運算速度和高分辨率屏幕的超級用戶而言。皮採說：“就我個人經歷來說，這是我用過的最快的筆記本。”

As an additional enticement -- or perhaps to make up for its limitations -- the Pixel comes with a whopping 1 terabyte of free storage on Google Drive, enough to store most people's photo and music collections many times over, for 3 years. In a couple of months, Google will also offer a Web-version of Quickoffice, which Google acquired last year, and which will provide better compatibility with Microsoft Office programs than Google Docs does currently.
它還有個優點——可能也是爲了彌補它的侷限性——Pixel在Google Drive上有着巨大的1TB在線存儲空間，足夠供大多數人在3年中收藏照片和音樂。幾個月之後，谷歌還會提供去年獲得的Quickoffice網絡版本，它與微軟（Microsoft）Office軟件的兼容性比目前的Google Docs要更好。

The Pixel also represents Google's latest foray into hardware. Unlike prior Chromebooks, which were made by the likes of Samsung, Acer, and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), the Pixel is entirely a Google product, though it is being assembled by a contract manufacturer in Asia.
Pixel也代表着谷歌對硬件的最新嘗試。不同於之前由三星（Samsung）、宏基（Acer）和惠普（Hewlett-Packard ）等廠商製造的Chromebook，Pixel完全是谷歌的產品，雖然它是由亞洲的一家簽約製造商組裝的。

All indications suggest the transformation of Google from an Internet company into a computing company that makes both hardware and software will continue apace. On the hardware front, there will be Google Glass, of course, and more Nexus-branded mobile devices made by Google or its Android partners. There will also be handsets and tablets, made by Motorola Mobility, whichGoogle purchased for $12.5 billion. In the words of Larry Page, it's all about keeping up with the unprecedented rate of change in personal computing. "It's why we've put so much focus on devices," Page said during the company's most recent earnings call. "They've been one of our biggest bets in the last few years -- along with the software to go with the devices, Chrome and Android."
所有跡象都表明，谷歌正在加速從一家網絡公司向同時製造軟、硬件的計算機公司轉型。在硬件方面，將會有谷歌眼鏡（Google Glass），當然，還有許多谷歌和安卓合作伙伴製造的Nexus移動設備。還將會有谷歌125億美元收購的摩托羅拉移動（Motorola Mobility）製造的手機和平板電腦。按照拉里?佩奇的說法，這都是爲了跟上個人計算領域史無前例的劇變。佩奇在最近一次的收益電話會議上說：“這就是爲何我們要如此關注設備。它們是我們最近幾年來最大的努力之一——還包括與設備相關的軟件，Chrome和安卓。”

It will be interesting to watch. If it succeeds, the Pixel would be a huge validation for Google's cloud-only vision of computing. The company has long hedged its bets with Android, which runs apps whether they live in the cloud or on the device itself. But no one in the industry would have more to gain if pure cloud computing becomes a truly viable alternative to the PC.
未來的形勢十分有趣。如果Pixel獲得成功，它將是對谷歌純粹雲計算的巨大肯定。公司長期以來都將賭注押在了安卓上，它可以同時運行雲端或是設備本身的應用。但是，如果純粹的雲計算成爲了PC機一個真正可行的選擇，那這個行業中的人們將很難再有什麼新的作爲。