Apple reveals HomePod smart speaker

苹果推出智能扬声器HomePod

苹果2017年开发者大会推出HomePod，进军智能家居。这款新智能音响将于2017年稍晚发布和交货，外观色彩包括黑色和白色，看起来像一款更小的Mac Pro。HomePod售价定在349美元，相比之下，亚马逊Echo家庭助理售价179美元，Google Home售价109美元。

然后，网友表示，这东西我家厕所不是有了吗。

Apple has announced a voice-activated loudspeaker powered by its virtual assistant Siri.

苹果推出一款支持语音助手Siri的声控扬声器。

Like devices by Amazon and Google, Apple's HomePod speaker can respond to questions and control smart home gadgets[1] such as lights.

与亚马逊和谷歌的设备一样，苹果的HomePod扬声器能回答问题，控制智能家居的设备，比如灯。

[1]gadget: A gadget is a small machine or device which does something useful. You sometimes refer to something as a gadget when you are suggesting that it is complicated and unnecessary.小器具;精巧的小玩意 

kitchen gadgets including toasters, kettles and percolators.

烤面包机、水壶、滴滤式咖啡壶等厨用小家电

Analysts say Apple has been slow to improve its Siri virtual assistant and launch a smart speaker, after Amazon launched its Echo in 2014.

分析师说，苹果在升级Siri语言助手和推出智能扬声器上已经落后，之前亚马逊在2014年推出了Echo。

The company has pitched[2] HomePod first and foremost as a music player.

苹果将HomePod定位为一流的音乐播放器。

[2]pitch: to attempt to sell or win approval for; promote; advertise陈列(推销货物)以供出售,展销

pitching a new line of refrigerators

大力推销一种新型电冰箱

"Apple being very clever by launching its Siri speaker as a music speaker that's smart, because Siri isn't great," said Tom Warren from the technology news site The Verge[3].

苹果非常聪明，推出了Siri语音智能音乐扬声器，因为Siri不够出色，科技新闻网站The Verge 的汤姆·沃伦说。

[3]The Verge is an American technology news and media network operated by Vox Media. It has offices in Manhattan, New York City. The network publishes news items, long-form feature stories, product reviews, podcasts, and an entertainment show.

The Verge是一个美国的科技新闻及媒体网络，由Vox媒体在纽约曼哈顿的办事处操作。此网络发布新闻、长篇专题报道、产品评价、博客，以及娱乐节目。

"Interesting that home assistant was the last feature they talked about. Focusing on music is smart, main use case for smart speakers," said Ben Bajarin, of the Creative Strategies consultancy.

有趣的是，家用设备是他们谈及最少的。专注于音乐很机智，这是智能扬声器的主要作用，创意决策咨询本杰明·巴继尔说。

The announcement was made at the tech giant's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Jose, California.

这一推出宣布于加州圣何塞的苹果全球开发者大会。

"It's a logical step for Apple, to ensure that they don't miss the opportunity to get a smart device right in the centre of people's homes," said Ben Wood, an industry analyst at CCS Insight[4].

苹果的这一步很合理，确保他们不会错失这个机会，让智能设备出现在人们的家中，

CCS Insight的行业分析师本·伍德说。

[4]英国市场研究机构 CCS Insight

CCS Insight provides market information, analysis and intelligence for companies focusing on the mobile and wireless sector around the world.

There has been a huge amount of hype[5] around Amazon Echo and Google Home, but we are really at the start of this technology.

关于亚马逊Echo和谷歌Home的宣传有很多，我们已经处在这种技术的开端。

[5]hype

1) (n)a situation in which something is advertised and discussed in newspapers, on television, etc. a lot in order to attract everyone's interest （新闻媒体的）大肆宣传，炒作 

media hype 媒体炒作 

There's been a lot of hype around/surrounding his latest film. 

围绕他的最新影片进行了大规模的宣传。

2) (v)to repeatedly advertise and discuss something in newspapers, on television, etc. in order to attract everyone's interest （通过新闻媒体）大肆宣传，炒作 

It's being hyped as the musical event of the year. 

它正被炒作成年度音乐盛事。

This does a great job of extending the tentacles[6] of Apple services.

这一设备扩大了苹果设备的影响。

[6]tentacle: If you talk about the tentacles of a political, commercial, or social organization, you are referring to the power and influence that it has in the outside community.(政治、商业、社会等机构的)影响力,触角  

Free speech is being gradually eroded year after year by new tentacles of government control.

言论自由正在一年又一年逐渐被政府不断施加的影响力所削弱。

At more than double the cost of Amazon's Echo, the HomePod is a typical Apple move.

成本是亚马逊Echo的两倍多，HomePod是典型的苹果风格。

The company is once again banking on[7] its reputation as a creator of intuitive, luxury products that justify a hefty price tag.

作为简约、昂贵奢侈品的创造者，苹果再一次依仗着其名气。

[7]bank on: to expect something or depend on something happening 指望，信赖，依赖，依靠

Can I bank on your support? 我能指望你吗？

I'd banked on getting a pay rise this year. 我本来指望今年能加薪的。

What's interesting about Apple's approach here is that the company has positioned HomePod as a music device first and foremost, a big contrast to the approach of Google which touted[8] its Home speaker as a day-to-day assistant for many aspects of your life.

关于苹果的宣传，有意思的是，苹果将HomePod定位为一流的音乐设备，和谷歌的方式截然不同，谷歌称其家用扬声器为，生活各个方面的日常助手。

[8]tout: to advertise, talk about, or praise something or someone repeatedly, especially as a way of encouraging people to like, accept, or buy something （尤指为了提高销售额、知名度或推动发展）给…做广告，宣传，赞扬，吹捧 

The minister has been touting these ideas for some time. 

作为教育部长，一段时间以来她一直在宣传这些理念。 

He is being widely touted as the next leader of the party. 

到处都在宣传他是下任社会民主党领袖。

So - a cynic might say Apple has just launched the world's most-hyped bluetooth speaker - not much imagination there.

所以--愤世嫉俗的人可能会说，苹果刚刚推出了世界上宣传最夸张的蓝牙扬声器，并没有什么想象力。

But let's face it, before AI and machine learning really matures, most home assistant devices are essentially voice-controlled speakers, and so Apple dedicating its effort into making it sound great is probably a smart move.

但是我们不得不承认，在人工智能和机器学习成熟之前，大多数的家用助理设备基本都是语音控制的扬声器，所以苹果努力让扬声器音效更棒可能是一步好棋。

Then again, you might wonder if its "smart" capabilities are being downplayed[9] due to Siri just not being as advanced as its competitors.

此外，你可能会想，是否由于Siri不及其竞争者先进，它的“智能”功能被低估。

[9]downplay: to make something seem less important or less bad than it really is 对…轻描淡写；贬低；低估 

The government has been trying to downplay the crisis. 

政府一直在尽力淡化此次危机的严重性。

最后，我们一起来欣赏一小段视频

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https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=z1319ovraga&width=500&height=375&auto=0

英文来源：BBC

中文来源：爱语吧