10年了，我为什么仍然爱iPhone

Dear iPhone: It’s hard to believe we’re still together after 10 years, which is eons in the tech industry.

亲爱的iPhone：我们在一起已经十年了，真是不可思议，这在技术产业是很长的一段时间。

What’s the glue that keeps us together? For one, I rarely get lost now that I always have a GPS device in my pocket. After lots of practice with your camera, I’ve become a decent photographer. And I’m more punctual and responsive thanks to constant access to my calendar and email.

是什么把我们粘在了一起?举个例子，现在，我口袋里有个GPS设备，我很少迷路。用iPhone相机进行大量练习之后，我已经成了一名不错的摄影师。因为经常查看日历和邮件，现在我更准时，回应也更及时。

Since Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007, the smartphone has become a close — if not the closest — digital pal for millions of people around the world. With more than 1.2 billion iPhones sold to date, it has also become one of the best-selling gadgets ever. And even though Apple’s phones typically cost several times more than rival handsets, the company is No. 2 in sales in the smartphone industry after Samsung Electronics.

自从史蒂夫·乔布斯(Steve Jobs)2007年推出iPhone之后，这种智能手机成为世界各地成百上千万人的亲密电子伙伴——可能是最亲密的电子伙伴。到目前为止，iPhone在全球销售了逾12亿部，成为史上最畅销的电子设备之一。尽管苹果手机的价格通常比其他竞品贵几倍，但该公司在智能手机产业的销量排名第二，仅次于三星电子。

“People spend hours on it every day, so they can justify paying more for what they believe to be the best device,” said Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, who has studied Apple for years and called the company’s positioning of the iPhone “unique.”

“人们每天在手机上花费几个小时，所以有理由花更多钱买他们认为最好的设备，”桑福德-伯恩斯坦公司(Sanford C. Bernstein)的分析师托尼·萨科纳吉(Toni Sacconaghi)说。他研究苹果多年，称该公司对iPhone进行了“独特”的定位。

Yet the iPhone is now in a precarious position. Gone is the thrill of downloading yet another app. It isn’t as exciting anymore if the screens of the gadget get bigger or the device becomes thinner. And the middle age of the iPhone is reflected in its sales, which dipped for the first time last year. It doesn’t help that Apple also faces fierce competition, especially in markets like China and India where people are flocking to cheaper smartphones that are increasingly capable and attractive.

不过，现在iPhone正处于一个不太安稳的境地。下载一个应用的刺激感已经消失。这款电子设备的屏幕变大或机身变薄，也不再那么令人兴奋。从销量也能看出iPhone已步入中年：去年，它的销量首次下滑。此外苹果还面临着激烈的竞争，尤其是在中国和印度等市场，那里的人们在蜂拥购买性能越来越强、样子越来越好看而且更便宜的智能手机。

Many eyes are now on Apple’s 10th anniversary event for the iPhone, which is expected to be held next month. There, Apple is set to introduce major upgrades for the next iPhones, which could stoke our appetites again for the gadget. Or not.

此刻很多人在关注苹果预计会在下个月举办的iPhone十周年活动。届时，苹果将介绍下一代iPhone的主要升级，那可能会再次引起我们对这款电子设备的兴趣。也可能不会。

Chief among the changes for the new iPhones: refreshed versions, including a premium model priced at around $999, according to people briefed on the product, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Apple made room for a bigger screen on that model by reducing the size of the bezel — or the forehead and the chin — on the face of the device. Other new features include facial recognition for unlocking the device, along with the ability to charge it with magnetic induction, the people said.

新款iPhone的主要变化有：据了解这款产品的人士称，它会推出一些更新的版本，包括定价在999美元左右的至尊版。由于未获公开发言的授权，这些知情人士要求匿名。苹果通过缩小手机表面边框的面积——也就是额头和下巴的部分——为屏幕留出更大的空间。知情人士还表示，其他新功能包括面部识别解锁，以及电磁感应充电。

Here’s a look back at the last 10 years of why the iPhone still has us in its grip — so much that people keep coming back for more.

让我们回顾一下，在过去十年里，iPhone始终吸引我们、促使我们不断购买的原因。

Support at Apple Stores

苹果专卖店的支持

The role of Apple stores in keeping people loyal to iPhones cannot be overstated. The Apple stores include the so-called Genius Bar for getting repairs, so when things go wrong with an iPhone, you can simply schedule a repair appointment at the nearest location.

苹果专卖店在维持用户对iPhone的忠诚方面的重要性怎样强调都不过分。苹果专卖店拥有用于维修的所谓的“天才吧”，如果iPhone出了问题，你可以轻松地在最近的专卖店预约维修。

The Genius Bar is a boon to average people who need occasional help with their tech. Getting support directly from Apple means you may have your problems resolved immediately, rather than having to bring the phone to a wireless carrier or mail the phone to a repair center and wait for it to return, like you typically have to do with phones made by other companies.

对那些偶尔需要技术帮助的普通人来说，“天才吧”是一大便利。直接从苹果获得支持，意味着你的问题可能很快就能得到解决，你不必把手机交给无线运营商，或者寄到维修中心，再等它返回来——如果你用的是其他公司生产的手机，你通常必须这样做。

Stronger Security

更强大的安全性

Security experts agree that the iPhone’s operating system is architecturally more secure than Android. The main reason is that Apple’s iOS can only run apps that Apple approved to be distributed in the App Store. By contrast, Android phones are capable of running software from outside of Google’s official app store, and apps from unauthorized sources are more likely to carry malware.

安全专家们一致认为，iPhone的操作系统在架构上比安卓更安全。主要原因是苹果的iOS只能运行苹果商店批准发布的应用。相比之下，安卓手机可以运行谷歌官方应用程序商店之外的软件，而来自未获授权来源的应用携带恶意软件的可能性更大。

The trade-off for stronger security, of course, is flexibility. Android users are free to tinker with their devices using custom software, while iPhone customers can only use apps that play by Apple’s rules.

当然，安全性更强的代价是灵活性较低。安卓用户可以下载个性软件随意摆弄自己的设备，而iPhone用户只能使用符合苹果规则的应用。

“The iPhone is still arguably the best phone for regular people who just want their device to work without having to worry about lots of technical settings or malware,” said Jan Dawson, an independent analyst for Jackdaw Research.

“对于只想让自己的设备正常运行，不必担心很多技术设定或恶意软件的普通人来说，iPhone依然可以说是最好的选择，”穴鸟研究公司(Jackdaw Research)的独立分析师简·道森(Jan Dawson)说。

Software updates are another factor in security. Apple issues its own software updates, making it easy for iPhones to get the latest security enhancements. By contrast, Android device makers have to coordinate software updates with carriers, making the process more complicated and time consuming.

软件升级是安全性的另一个因素。苹果发布自己的软件升级，所以iPhone可以轻松得到最新的安全提升。相比之下，安卓设备制造商必须与运营商协作进行软件升级，这个过程更复杂，更费时。

The upshot: About 87 percent of Apple devices are running the latest iOS today, while only about 13 percent of Android users are running Nougat, the latest Google operating system.

结果：如今，约87%的苹果设备运行的是最新的iOS，而只有约13%的安卓用户运行的是谷歌的最新操作系统“牛轧糖”(Nougat)。

High Privacy Standards

高隐私标准

For the last few years, Timothy D. Cook, Apple’s chief executive, has emphasized the company’s commitment to privacy. Apple, he said, derives most of its profit from sales of hardware, not trading your user data. To further prove his point, Apple engaged in a major legal battle last year with the F.B.I., resisting the agency’s request to weaken iPhone encryption for a criminal investigation.

在过去几年里，苹果的首席执行官蒂莫西·D·库克(Timothy D. Cook)强调该公司对隐私的承诺。他表示，苹果的大部分利润来自硬件销售，而非出卖用户数据。为了进一步证明他的观点，苹果去年与FBI进行了一场重要的诉讼战，拒绝为该机构的一桩犯罪调查而削弱iPhone的加密功能。

Some critics have poked holes in Apple’s privacy commitment. For one, the company collects plenty of data about how people use technology, including information that can be used for marketing and advertising services.

一些批评人士讥讽了苹果的隐私保护承诺。别的且不说，这家公司收集了有关人们如何使用技术的大量数据，包括可以用于营销和广告服务的信息。

Still, privacy advocates, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Electronic Privacy Information Center, have praised Apple for making efforts to protect consumer privacy with features like built-in encryption and browsing technologies that block advertising trackers.

不过，苹果在消费者隐私保护方面的努力，比如内置加密和屏蔽广告跟踪器的浏览技术，还是得到了包括电子前沿基金会(Electronic Frontier Foundation)和电子隐私信息中心(Electronic Privacy Information Center)在内的隐私权益倡导者的赞许。

Apple’s Tight Ecosystem

苹果的密闭生态系

IPhones work well with other Apple devices like Macs and the Apple TV. Once you invest in other Apple products, it’s tough to leave the ecosystem. The Apple Watch makes it especially tough: It requires an iPhone to work properly. So if you were to switch to Android, prepare for your smart watch to transform into a dumb watch. iPhone和Mac、Apple TV

等其他苹果设备在一起使用是很理想的。一旦你花钱买了其他苹果设备，想摆脱这个生态系会非常困难。Apple Watch尤其会让你难以脱身：要想用好它，你得有一台iPhone才行。因此，如果你要转投安卓，就得做好把智能手表变成弱智手表的准备才行。

Less sticky is Apple’s ecosystem of apps and web services. For every major Apple app, including Apple Maps, Apple Music and Apple Photos, there are alternatives like Google Maps, Spotify and Google Photos. It’s difficult to resist using iMessage, Apple’s default text messaging service. But there are plenty of alternatives like WeChat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Signal.

苹果的应用和网络服务生态系统的黏性相对较小。所有重要的苹果应用，包括Apple Maps、Apple Music和Apple Photos，都可以找到例如Google Maps、Spotify和Google Photos这样的替代品。苹果的默认短信服务iMessage是很难割舍的。但是也有不少替代选项，比如微信、WhatsApp、Facebook Messenger和Signal。

A Trusted Brand

一个值得信赖的品牌

The iPhone has become a brand associated with reliability and satisfaction. A survey conducted last December by the research firm 451 Research found that among smartphone owners, iPhone customers were the most satisfied, followed by owners of devices from Samsung, Motorola and LG.

iPhone已经成为一个象征着可靠和满意的品牌。研究机构451 Research在去年12月的一项调查显示，在智能手机用户中，iPhone用户的满意度是最高的，紧接其后的是使用三星、摩托罗拉和LG设备的人。

Mr. Sacconaghi of Sanford C. Bernstein said Apple had created a “brand halo” for the iPhone by positioning it as a premium product with easy-to-use software and high-quality features, components and capabilities.

桑福德·伯恩斯坦公司的萨克纳吉认为，苹果通过易用的软件和高质量的功能、元件与性能，为iPhone确立了高尚产品的地位，从而塑造了一种“品牌光环”。

Notably, among current iPhone customers surveyed by 451 Research, 91 percent of those who planned on buying a new smartphone in the near future said they intended to buy another iPhone.

值得一提的是，在451 Research的调查中，目前在使用iPhone、并计划在不久的将来换新机的用户中，有91%的人打算再买一台iPhone。