????蘋(píng)果公司的iPad Pro已經(jīng)開(kāi)始發(fā)售，也許,，亟待翻身的平板電腦市場(chǎng)正需要這樣的產(chǎn)品,。

????平板電腦市場(chǎng)呈直線下滑態(tài)勢(shì)。研究機(jī)構(gòu)國(guó)際數(shù)據(jù)公司（IDC）10月份發(fā)布報(bào)告稱,，今年第三季度平板電腦發(fā)貨量為4870萬(wàn)部,，同比下降12.6%。市場(chǎng)龍頭蘋(píng)果和三星的發(fā)貨量分別減少了19.7%和17.1%,。如果不是二合一平板電腦,，也就是帶有可拆卸鍵盤(pán)、兼具平板和筆記本電腦功能的那些產(chǎn)品,，這個(gè)市場(chǎng)的形勢(shì)可能會(huì)更糟,。

????實(shí)際上，平板電腦市場(chǎng)問(wèn)題多多,。IDC指出,，主要問(wèn)題之一是越來(lái)越多的消費(fèi)者開(kāi)始轉(zhuǎn)向大屏幕智能手機(jī)，或者說(shuō)平板手機(jī),，而非小尺寸平板電腦,，從而造成平板電腦市場(chǎng)顯著放緩。更何況,，人們現(xiàn)在持有保有平板電腦的時(shí)間比以前長(zhǎng)得多,，更換頻率明顯下降。

????對(duì)此,，IDC全球移動(dòng)設(shè)備季度追蹤項(xiàng)目主管瑞安·里思指出：“我們得到的反饋依然表明,，平板電腦的更新?lián)Q代周期超過(guò)四年?！?/p>

????但市場(chǎng)仍在向前發(fā)展,。除了二合一平板電腦，人們重新認(rèn)識(shí)到大屏幕平板電腦也許是打開(kāi)成功之門(mén)的鑰匙,。所謂大屏幕平板電腦,，通常指的是屏幕尺寸達(dá)到或超過(guò)12英寸的平板電腦。

????就在短短幾個(gè)月時(shí)間里,，全球一流科技企業(yè)中就有三家推出了大尺寸平板電腦——iPad Pro的屏幕為12.9英寸,，三星最近發(fā)布的Galaxy View則配備了18.4英寸屏幕，微軟的最新平板電腦產(chǎn)品Surface Pro 4的屏幕尺寸也達(dá)到了12.3英寸,。

????IDC研究主管讓·菲利普·布沙爾指出,，這三款產(chǎn)品表明，世界上一些頂尖的科技公司相信大屏幕產(chǎn)品將“有益于平板電腦市場(chǎng)”。根據(jù)IDC追蹤每個(gè)季度追蹤,，他認(rèn)為大屏幕也許是扭轉(zhuǎn)市場(chǎng)的關(guān)鍵,。

????布沙爾說(shuō)：“平板電腦做得越來(lái)越大，原因是這方面的需求較為旺盛,，就（目前的）平均售價(jià)而言,，競(jìng)爭(zhēng)還不是那么令人窒息，利潤(rùn)率也較高,。借助這樣的策略,，廠商還可以在便攜式個(gè)人電腦更新?lián)Q代領(lǐng)域分得一大塊蛋糕?！?/p>

????技術(shù)和市場(chǎng)研究機(jī)構(gòu)Forrester Research副總裁兼首席分析師J.P.·岡德?tīng)栆舱J(rèn)為,，iPad Pro這樣的產(chǎn)品將為平板電腦市場(chǎng)提供幫助。但他指出,，這些產(chǎn)品的作用不是提升銷量,，而是帶動(dòng)整個(gè)市場(chǎng)的收入增速。

????岡德?tīng)栒f(shuō)：“大屏幕產(chǎn)品必將有利于平板電腦市場(chǎng),，但必須具體情況具體分析,，價(jià)格較高的大尺寸平板電腦將有良好表現(xiàn)，比如iPad Pro和Surface Pro 4,，但它們無(wú)法讓銷量達(dá)到價(jià)格較低的小屏幕產(chǎn)品在巔峰時(shí)期的水平,。因此，我們不能繼續(xù)把銷量作為衡量市場(chǎng)的唯一指標(biāo),，iPad Pro和售價(jià)99美元的7英寸安卓設(shè)備絕不屬于同一個(gè)市場(chǎng),，所以真的不應(yīng)該采用這樣的思路?！?/p>

????另一個(gè)需要考慮的重要因素是,，廠商也會(huì)因此受益。布沙爾和岡德?tīng)柖贾赋?，大屏幕平板電腦的利潤(rùn)率要高得多,。它們的定價(jià)通常遠(yuǎn)高于小屏幕產(chǎn)品，但成本不會(huì)上升那么多,。因此,，蘋(píng)果和三星等公司推出的大屏幕平板電腦也許不會(huì)提高銷量，但熱門(mén)大屏幕產(chǎn)品有望顯著提高收入并增厚利潤(rùn),，這得益于它們的單位利潤(rùn)高于尺寸較?。ǘ覂r(jià)格較低）的平板電腦。

????布沙爾說(shuō)：“目前對(duì)小屏幕平板電腦的看法是成本超低,，競(jìng)爭(zhēng)格外激烈,，利潤(rùn)率和回報(bào)率低。它們基本上以量取勝，或者像亞馬遜那樣,，是提高Prime服務(wù)和廣告等其他收入的手段,。”

????他指出：“大屏幕平板電腦才是王道”,，理由是單位利潤(rùn)率較高,。

????雖然岡德?tīng)柡筒忌碃柖紱](méi)有斷言大屏幕產(chǎn)品是否足以終結(jié)平板電腦市場(chǎng)的直線下墜——畢竟，預(yù)見(jiàn)到這個(gè)市場(chǎng)會(huì)像現(xiàn)在這樣陷入困境的人也很少,，甚至沒(méi)有——但他們都相信，隨著幾類消費(fèi)者為了大屏幕平板電腦而進(jìn)入市場(chǎng),，此類產(chǎn)品將開(kāi)始影響小尺寸筆記本電腦的銷售,。

????岡德?tīng)栔赋觯骸按笃聊黄桨咫娔X將吸引產(chǎn)消者（他們把樂(lè)趣融于事業(yè)）、流動(dòng)性極強(qiáng)的上班族（現(xiàn)在他們可以在路上接觸到比別人多得多的內(nèi)容和App）,、學(xué)生以及80后和90后,。通過(guò)和生產(chǎn)率以及媒體消費(fèi)（比如Netflix）搭上關(guān)系，這些產(chǎn)品為人們提供了流動(dòng)性極強(qiáng)的移動(dòng)計(jì)算方案,?！?/p>

????他還說(shuō)，大尺寸平板電腦對(duì)企業(yè)用戶也有吸引力,。Forrester的研究顯示,，2010年公司僅占平板電腦總采購(gòu)量的6%；到2020年,，這個(gè)數(shù)字將增至20%,，這都要?dú)w功于大屏幕產(chǎn)品。

????布沙爾指出,，看來(lái)市場(chǎng)趨勢(shì)終于開(kāi)始朝著有利的方向邁進(jìn)了,。平板電腦市場(chǎng)及廠商在困境中掙扎了幾年之后，大屏幕和健康的需求（再加上適度的炒作）有望共同讓這種產(chǎn)品走出陰霾,。他認(rèn)為：“消費(fèi)者正在尋找一種新的東西,，實(shí)際上就是能讓他們變得富有成效的產(chǎn)品。眼下對(duì)大屏幕平板電腦的宣傳力度也加大了,?！?/p>

????換句話說(shuō)就是，趕快呈上iPad Pro,，市場(chǎng)已經(jīng)準(zhǔn)備好了,。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：Charlie

????Apple’s iPad Pro is launching on Wednesday, and it may just be what the tablet market needs to stage a much-needed turnaround.

????The tablet market is in free fall. Research firm IDC reported in October that during the third quarter, total tablet shipments fell 12.6% year-over-year to 48.7 million units. Market leaders Apple AAPL -3.15% and Samsung SSNLF 4.76% saw shipments fall 19.7% and 17.1%, respectively. If not for two-in-one hybrids, or devices that come with a detachable keyboard so they may be used as a tablet or notebook, things would have been even worse for the market.

????The troubles facing the tablet market are numerous. One of the main issues, IDC reported, was that consumers were increasingly turning to large-screen smartphones, or “phablets,” rather than small-screen tablets, causing a significant slowdown in that end of the market. Meanwhile, owners are now holding onto their tablets for much longer, leading to a meaningful decline in the pace at which consumers are buying new tablets.

????“We continue to get feedback that tablet users are holding onto devices upwards of four years,” Ryan Reith, program director for IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers, said in a statement.

????Still, the market is pressing on, and aside from growth in hybrids, there’s a renewed sense that large-screen tablets may be the ticket to success. In just the last couple of months, three of the world’s largest technology companies have unveiled large-screen tablets. Apple’s iPad Pro comes with a 12.9-inch screen, while Samsung’s recently unveiled Galaxy View features an 18.4-inch display. Microsoft’s MSFT -1.20% latest tablet, the Surface Pro 4, comes with a 12.3-inch screen.

????Those devices indicate that some of the world’s top tech companies believe big-screen tablets—which are often viewed as having screen sizes of 12 inches or larger—will “help the tablet market,” Jean Philippe Bouchard, research director at IDC, says. He added that IDC, which tracks the market each quarter, believes big-screen slates may be critical to a market turnaround.

????“Companies are going big because demand is stronger, it is less cut-throat in terms of average selling price (for the moment) and margins are better,” Bouchard says. “It’s also a way to take a chunk of the aging portable PC installed base.”

????J.P. Gownder, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, agrees that devices like Apple’s iPad Pro will help the tablet market, but he argues that the benefit they’ll bring won’t be in unit sales, but rather marketwide revenue growth.

????“Large-screen tablets will definitely help the tablet market, but we have to put things into context: Big, expensive devices like iPad Pro or Surface Pro 4 will do well, but they won’t generate the volume that small, cheap tablets did at their peak,” he says. “So we have to stop measuring the market just by volume: An iPad Pro and a $99 Android 7-inch tablet simply aren’t part of the same market, and shouldn’t really be thought of as such.”

????There’s also a benefit for vendors. According to both Bouchard and Gownder, companies have much higher margins on large-screen tablets. They’re typically priced at substantially more than their smaller-screen counterparts but don’t have the same leap in cost. For companies like Apple and Samsung, therefore, offering a large-screen tablet may not result in more unit sales, but a popular big-screen slate could generate far more revenue and boost profits, thanks to higher per-unit profit compared to their smaller (and cheaper) counterparts.

????“Small screen tablets are currently perceived as ultra-low-cost devices and ultra-competitive with low margins and return,” Bouchard says. “It’s basically a volume game or in Amazon’s case, a play to increase other revenues such as Prime or ads.”

????“Big screen tablets are the way to go,” he added, pointing to higher per-unit margins.

????While neither Gownder nor Bouchard could say if the devices will do enough to end the tablet market’s free fall—few, if any, after all, could have predicted its current troubles—the researchers believe that big-screen tablets will start to eat into smaller notebook sales as several types of customers enter the market for large-screen slates.

????“Large-screen tablets will appeal to prosumers (who mix business with pleasure), hyper-mobile workers (who can now access a great deal more content and many more apps on the go), students, and millennials,” Gownder says. “By tapping into productivity as well as the consumption of media (like Netflix NFLX 2.59% ), these devices offer a hyper-mobile option for on-the-go computing.”

????Gownder added that larger tablets will also appeal to corporate customers. In 2010, just 6% of all tablet purchases were made by businesses, Forrester research shows. That figure will jump to 20% by 2020, thanks to big-screen tablets.

????Ultimately, Bouchard says, the trend seems to be heading in the right direction. After years of trouble for the tablet market and the companies that make them, the confluence of big screens and healthy demand (along with a nice dose of hype) could lead the device type out of its dark ages.

????“[Customers are] looking for something else, essentially something they can be productive on,” Bouchard says. “There’s also a bigger hype at the moment for larger screens.”

????In other words, bring on the iPad Pro. The market is ready.