实用英语：为什么英国半数的智能手机都是安卓系统的

When visiting the U.K. and looking to see what phones the locals use, odds are that every other one has Google Android device in hand. Research from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech by way of the Mobile Business Briefing indicates that Android phones command a 49.9 percent market share in the U.K., up from 29 percent a year ago. Much of the Android share comes at the expense of a competitor you might expect to be hurting too badly: Apple's iPhone.
如果你在英国，你会发现街上每两个人中就有一个使用的是安装谷歌安卓系统的智能手机。市场研究公司 Kantar Worldpanel ComTech通过移动商业简报完成的研究发现，安卓手机在英国市场的市占率达49.9%，环比上升了29%。而安卓手机的市场份额大多数来自于苹果公司的iPhone。

The data shows that Apple's market share in the U.K. has fallen to 18.5 percent, which is down from 33 percent last year. That reduction has allowed Research In Motion to capture the no. 2 spot with 22.5 percent of sales. Other notable figures outside the top three include Nokia devices (6 percent) and Microsoft handsets with a scant 1.4 percent of sales.
数据显示，苹果公司在英国的市场份额已经下跌至18.5%，环比下跌了33%。苹果公司市场份额的下跌也成全了RIM公司，后者以22.5%的份额登上了第二名的宝座。排在前三名之外的还有诺基亚6%，微软1.4%。

There are a few reasons I can think of that explain the numbers, and I expect a bit of a reversal in the next six months or so. First, even though the iPhone 4 was a popular model for more than a year, other Android phones arrived to the market before the traditional yearly iPhone refresh. I suspect some in the U.K. decided not to wait for the iPhone 4S and instead purchased a new Samsung or HTC device. Indeed, these two handset makers accounted for 83 percent of all Android sales in the U.K. in the three-month period ending Oct. 2.
为什么市场份额会有这么大的变动？我想原因有很多，而且我预计在未来6个月内将有一定的反弹。首先，虽然iPhone 4已经流行了一年多，但更多的安卓手机趁苹果公司新款发布会之前进入了市场。我猜测一些人决定不再等待iPhone 4S，转而购买了三星或者HTC的新款手机。截至10月2日，在过去的三个月期间，这两大手机生产商占据了英国安卓手机83%的份额。

The lack of a new iPhone model also came at a time when smartphone adoption in the country was hitting its stride. Kantar Worldpanel ComTech says 69 percent of U.K. handset sales in the most recent quarter were smartphones. With a growing demand, consumers are likely to gravitate toward the newest device models.
新款iPhone发布之前也恰逢英国智能手机用户大幅增长的阶段。市场研究公司 Kantar Worldpanel ComTech称，在英国最近一个季度销售的手机当中有69%是智能手机。随着需求量的增长，消费者更加容易被最新款手机所吸引。

Will the market share mix continue with Android leading the pack? I imagine Android will continue to be the market leader, but Apple will leapfrog back over RIM thanks to the new iPhone 4S. There are surely buyers for both iPhones and BlackBerry devices, but in general, RIM still doesn't offer near the experience, functionality or diversity of applications found on the latest iPhone. Perhaps that will change when RIM launches phones with the new BBX platform, but that's looking like a 2012 event at this point.
安卓手机还会继续引领市场吗？我预测这个问题的答案是肯定的，但苹果公司也会凭借 iPhone 4S重新超越RIM公司。虽然存在同时使用 iPhone和黑莓的用户，但总体看来，RIM公司的产品仍然无法提供象 iPhone那样的用户体验、丰富的功能或者多样的应用程序。也许当RIM公司发布全新BBX平台的手机之后，情况会有所改变。但现在看来，那也许要等到2012年了。

And RIM will soon be facing a new challenge from Nokia, which has long been a cherished brand in Europe. The latest Windows Phones devices built by Nokia will be available in the U.K. starting this month. Microsoft's newest software, combined within Nokia's excellent hardware will mean that RIM is likely to be facing multiple challengers for that no. 2 spot.
而且RIM公司即将面临来自欧洲老牌劲旅诺基亚的挑战。这个月，诺基亚的新款微软手机就会进入英国市场。微软最新的软件加上诺基亚优秀的硬件，RIM公司想要保住第二的位置实属不易，面临的对手可不止一个而已。