璀璨科技:回首苹果iPhone的历史
2007年 
iPhone问世
• Year: 2007
Inspired by a multi-touch display Steve Jobs encountered in the early 2000s, the first iPhone made competition like the BlackBerry (BBRY) look downright antediluvian with a striking industrial design that paired mostly aluminum and scratch-resistant glass. But perhaps more innovative was use of touch: no more trackballs or styluses. Instead, users swiped, pinched, and scrolled with their fingers, making for a more immersive experience. Such innovation cost Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) $150 million in initial development costs, according to one insider, a paltry figure given the company has sold well north of 250 million units since.
第一代iPhone的灵感来自于史蒂夫•乔布斯在21世纪初接触到的多点触控屏幕，它用令人惊叹的工业设计、铝制机身和防刮屏幕，让黑莓（BlackBerry）等竞争对手看起来成了彻头彻尾的老古董。不过，iPhone最创新的地方也许是对触控操作的运用：再也用不着轨迹球或触控笔了。相反，用户可以通过手指的滑动、收缩以及滚动，获得更加生动的体验。据一位知情人士称，这样的创新产品让苹果公司（Apple）花费了1.5亿美元的初始开发成本。而考虑到iPhone自推出以来已经售出超过2.5亿台，这笔成本现在看来微不足道。
The first-generation iPhone
第一代iPhone
• Year: 2007
2007年
The first-generation iPhone, which initially sold for as much as $599, weighed 4.8 oz. with features considered cutting-edge for the time: a 400-MHz processor, 128 MB of memory, 2-megapixel camera, 3.5-inch display with 320 by 480 resolution, and up to 16 gigabytes of built-in storage. It also ran on AT&T's EDGE networks instead of the faster 3G standard. "Despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer," Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg wrote then.
第一代iPhone最初的售价为599美元，其重量是4.8盎司，它具备当时被认为最顶尖的特性：一颗400MHz的处理器，128MB的内存，200万像素的摄像头，3.5英寸的显示屏（分辨率为320X480），以及最高达16GB的内置存储空间。第一代iPhone只支持美国电话电报公司（AT＆T）的EDGE网络，而不是更快的3G网络。“尽管存在一些漏洞和功能缺失，但总的来说，iPhone是一款漂亮而且具有突破性的掌上电脑。”《华尔街日报》专栏作家沃尔特•莫斯伯格当时这样写道。
iPhone 3G
• Year: 2008
2008年
How should Apple follow up the 3G-less first-gen iPhone? Why, with the iPhone 3G, of course. The following July, Apple released a 3G-compatible successor that kept many of the same key features but swapped out the aluminum chassis for an optional black or white plastic rear. The company also upgraded iOS to version 2.0 and introduced the App Store, a software platform that now offers 900,000-plus apps.
苹果在不支持3G网络的第一代iPhone之后应该推出什么产品呢？毫无疑问，答案就是iPhone 3G。该公司在次年7月发布了这款兼容3G网络的新产品，它保留了第一代iPhone的很多主要特性，但换掉了铝制后盖，代之以可以选配的黑色或白色塑料背壳。苹果还将iOS升级到2.0版本，并发布了App Store，这个应用平台如今向消费者提供超过90万款应用产品。
iPhone 3GS
• Year: 2009
2009年
The iPhone 3GS featured improvements all across the board: a faster processor running at 600 MHz, double the RAM, better 3G performance and battery life, and a 3.2-megapixel rear camera. These upgrades translated to performance Apple claimed was twice as fast as older models. The 3GS sold 1 million units over the first weekend alone.
iPhone 3GS进行了全面升级：一颗速度更快的600MHz处理器，内存增加一倍，更强大的3G联网性能以及电池续航能力，以及一个320万像素的后置摄像头。通过这些功能升级，苹果称iPhone 3GS要比老机型快上两倍。这款手机在上市首个周末即售出100万台。
iPhone 4的“天线门”
• Year: 2010
2010年
"Out with the old, and in with the new" seemed the iPhone 4's design motto, ditching previous models' plastic entirely for a glass front and back, surrounded by a stainless steel frame. The frame also served as the 4's antenna, a design decision that raised controversy when users complained that signal strength weakened when they held the phone's lower-left edge. "Antennagate," as it was eventually called, became such an issue Apple released a software update correcting the signal strength indicator and even offered all iPhone 4 users free bumpers, a case that covered the phone's antenna and resolved the issue.
“辞旧迎新”似乎是iPhone 4的设计宗旨，它完全抛弃了以往机型的塑料材质，而是在机身前后采用玻璃，并在四周包裹不锈钢的框架。这个框架还充当了iPhone 4的天线，这种设计引发了争议，用户抱怨当他们手握手机的左下边缘时，手机信号会减弱。这次事件被称为“天线门”，它最终演变的结果是：苹果发布了软件更新以修正信号强度指示器；该公司甚至还向所有iPhone 4用户提供免费的保护套，它能盖住手机的天线并解决信号变弱的问题。
iPhone 4的特性
• Year: 2010
2010年
Antenna aside, the iPhone 4 introduced a number of impressive enhancements. Among them: a sharp new screen dubbed the Retina display, which more than doubled the pixel resolution to 960 by 640, a faster 800 MHz A4 chip, a 5-megapixel camera, and double the RAM. "If what you care about, however, is size and shape, beauty and battery life, polish and pleasure, then the iPhone 4 is calling your name," opined New York Times columnist David Pogue then.
除了天线问题以外，iPhone 4引入了一些令人印象深刻的功能升级。其中包括：一块更清晰的新视网膜显示屏，其分辨率增加一倍以上，达到960X640；一颗速度更快的A4处理器，其运行频率为800MHz；一个500万像素的摄像头；内存比上一代机型增加了一倍。“要是你只关心尺寸和形状、漂亮外观、电池续航能力、够不够闪亮好玩，那么iPhone 4正在对你发出召唤。”《纽约时报》专栏作家大卫•波格这样写道。
iPhone 4S
• Year: 2011
2011年
Apple cemented a new tradition in 2011: When the letter "S" trails the name of a new iPhone, it will look a lot like last year's model. Such was the case with the iPhone 4S, which looked like the 4 on the outside. But on the inside, it included a dual-core A5 processor, 8-megapixel camera and 1080p (a.k.a. HD) video recording capability. The voice-recognition assistant Siri also made its debut, entertaining users with the occasional witty repartee. When proposed to mere hours after setting up the phone, it would say it hardly knew you. Push the subject, and it'll claim that her "End User Licensing Agreement does not cover marriage." Like we said, sassy.
苹果在2011年确立了一个新的传统：当新一代iPhone的名字里带有“S”时，那它的外观就跟上一年的机型差不多。iPhone 4S就是这样，它从外表看起来跟iPhone 4非常相像。不过，从里面来看，新iPhone采用了一颗双核A5处理器，800万像素的摄像头，并支持录制1080P（即高清）视频。个人语音助理Siri同样随着iPhone 4S首次亮相，它通过偶尔为之的机智对答让用户获得了不少乐趣。当你在设置好手机仅仅几小时之后向Siri求婚，它就会说，它跟你不是很熟。当你坚持这个话题，它就会声称，其“最终用户许可协议不涉及婚姻”。就像我们说的，酷毙了。
iPhone 5
• Year: 2012
2012年
Instead of early summer, Apple opted for a September announcement and roll-out of the iPhone 5, which expanded the screen to 4 inches and used both aluminum and glass on the back, resulting in a sliver of a device that was 18% thinner and 20% lighter than the year before. A new custom-made A6 processor, 1 GB of RAM, an improved 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, and a tweaked 8-megapixel shooter rounded out the hardware side, resulting in real-world performance up to twice as fast.
这一年，苹果没有在初夏发布新一代iPhone，而是选在9月份推出iPhone 5并随即上市销售。iPhone 5将屏幕尺寸扩大到4英寸，并在机身背部同时采用铝和玻璃材质，比iPhone 4S厚度和重量分别减少18%和20%。这款iPhone采用新的定制A6处理器，内存为1GB，并配备改进的130万像素前置摄像头以及800万像素的后置摄像头，使其现实当中的性能表现要比上一代产品快两倍。
iOS 6
• Year: 2012
2012年
The iPhone 5 came loaded with iOS 6, perhaps most notable in hindsight for the introduction of an all-new Apple Maps. While many users reported a hassle-free experience, many others complained of incorrect directions or inaccurate maps with missing landmarks. The Maps controversy became so bad, Tim Cook apologized in a letter to customers. "We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers, and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better," he wrote. Apple has reportedly been working hard since to improve the app, frequently updating map information and hiring to beef up efforts.
iOS 6伴随iPhone 5一同发布，事后看来它最引人注目的地方就是推出了全新的苹果地图。虽然很多用户报称这款应用提供了轻松的使用体验，但还有很多人对苹果地图指示方向错误或信息不准确和地标缺失发出抱怨。苹果地图引起的争议变得如此糟糕，以至于蒂姆•库克在发给消费者的公开信中表达了歉意。“我们对于这一问题给用户带来的失望表示深深的歉意。我们将采取一切可能的举措，使地图服务变得更好。”他这样写道。据报道，苹果自那以后一直在努力工作以改善这款应用，并经常更新地图信息和招募人手加强这方面的努力。
iPhone 5C和iPhone 5S
• Year: 2013
2013年
This year marked the introduction of not one, but two distinct, flavors of iPhone: the high-end 5s and long-rumored, budget-minded 5c. The former keeps the industrial design of last year's model but also comes in champagne gold. It also sports a 64-bit A7 processor, which doubles performance, and a fingerprint scanner called Touch ID. Available in five different colors, the "unapologetically plastic" 5c starts at $99, or $100 less than its sibling. Despite speculation that sales might not match previous years, Apple surprised yet again, selling 9 million 5s and 5c devices during their first three days on sale -- a new record, Cook pointed out.
苹果在今年一改往日作风，推出了两款不同口味的iPhone：高端的iPhone 5S和传闻已久的所谓“廉价版”iPhone 5C。前者保留了去年机型的工业设计，但新增了香槟金的配色版本。iPhone 5S还搭载了让手机性能翻番的64位A7处理器，以及一个名为Touch ID的指纹扫描器。“不掉价的塑料”iPhone 5C有5种不同的配色可供选择，它的起价是99美元，比iPhone 5S便宜100美元。尽管市场预期新一代iPhone的销量可能不及往年，但苹果再一次出人意料，iPhone 5S和iPhone 5C上市前三天即售出900万台——库克指出，这是一个新的纪录。
