VOA News
June 10, 2013
Apple and Microsoft unveiled new products Monday at separate high-tech conference events.
Apple’s biggest news, announced during the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, was the unveiling of its next OS X operating system, which is called “Mavericks.” The name breaks a decade-long tradition of naming operating systems after big cats. Instead, Mavericks is named after an undersea rock formation near Half Moon Bay, California, that produces big waves.
“We do not want to be the first software release in history to be delayed by a lack of cats,” joked Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering.
Federighi said Mavericks will increase battery life and reduce boot time, as well as incorporate a tab system similar to those found in web browsers for multiple displays within Mavericks. The operating system will incorporate maps as well as iBooks, the company said.
iPhones and iPads also will be getting new software, as the company plans to roll out iOS 7, the next generation of its mobile operating system.
The most striking aspect of iOS 7 is the flat design of the screen icons and overall look. New features, according to Apple, include better battery life, faster multitasking, a better version of Apple’s web browser, Safari, and perhaps biggest of all, applications will automatically update during times when you’re not heavily using the mobile device.
Apple CEO Tim Cook called the new mobile operating system the “biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone.”
On the hardware side, the company unveiled the new Mac Pro, which has been completely revamped from a silver box to a black cylinder one eighth the size of the old version.
The computer will be available later this year.
Microsoft’s splash came during the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the gaming industry's annual trade show, when the company announced the next-generation Xbox One.
"The platform features and capabilities of Xbox One allow developers to push the boundaries of creativity and push the genre in new directions," Phil Harrison, Microsoft's vice president, told the crowd at University of Southern California's Galen Center.
The gaming console will depend heavily on cloud computing, meaning it will need to have a constant Internet connection. Microsoft is calling the Xbox One, to be released in November, an “all-in-one" entertainment solution.
Language Notes 
name . . . after (v phr) 以 . . . 命名
formation (n) 構成物；結構
boot time (n phr) 開機時間
incorporate (v) 把 . . . 合併；包含，納入
roll out (v phr) 推出(新商品)
蘋果在全球開發者大會 (Worldwide Developers Conference，WWDC) 為最新的作業系統 (operating system) 揭幕 (unveiling)。蘋果突破十年來以大型貓科動物命名的傳統 (breaks a decade-long tradition of . . .)，將新的作業系統為命為 Mavericks ，這是以加州半月灣海底的岩石地形 (an undersea rock formation) 命名的，此海底構造會產生大浪。
(編按：maverick 原指「未烙印的小牛或其他牲口」，在英文裡常是使用衍生義，表示「有點離經叛道，敢突破傳統的人」，中文「初生之犢」也有點這樣的意含。美國 NBA 球隊 Dallas Mavericks 也使用了maverick一字，一般在台灣多翻譯為「達勒斯小牛隊」，但如果看其隊徽其實是一隻「小馬」，而非小牛，或許一開始採用maverick命名時，根本就沒有想到小牛的意思。採用 Mavericks 一字，根據蘋果自己的解釋是要指加州的著名的衝浪聖地。這裡因為海底構造特殊，會產生適合衝浪的大浪。象徵刺激的衝浪運動的地名，加上字義裡有點桀傲不馴的意思，為蘋果的新系統注入新的意象。)
striking (a) 惹人注目的；顯著的
revamp (v) 改造；重建
cylinder (n) 圓柱體；圓筒
蘋果將推出的 iOS 7 最引人注目的一面 (striking aspect) 就是螢幕圖示 (screen icons) 和整體樣貌 (overall look)的平面化設計。其它新的特點 (features) 還有更久的電池續航力 (battery life)，更快速的多功作業 (multitasking) ，最大的特點可能是移動裝置 (mobile device) 會在沒有大量執行作業時讓運用軟體 (applications) 自動更新 (automatically update)。
在硬體方面，新一代的Mac Pro經過徹底改造 (revamped)。外觀從原本的銀色盒子成為黑色圓筒 (cylinder)，且體積只有原本的八分之一大小 (one eighth the size of . . .)。
splash (n) 引人注目的事物XXXXX *splash本指「飛濺的水花」，引申為「(如飛濺的水花般)引起注目的事件」，常見的用法是 make a splash (引起注目)。
genre (n) 類型 XXXXX*本字原指文學、音樂、電影等藝術作品的類型，但現在常被借用於其它類型的創作。本字須注意拼字與發音：
console (n) 控制台；電玩的主機 XXXXX*本字發音是
，拼法與動詞 console 
( 安慰、撫慰) 一樣；但兩字是同形異義的關係，字根、字源都不同，語意也沒有交疊之處，只有外表一樣。動詞 console 的名詞變化是consolation。
constant (n) 固定的，不變的
微軟也發出令人關注的消息 (splash)，在遊戲產業的年度商展 (gaming industry’s annual trade show) 中發表了 (announced) 新一代 Xbox One。微軟的副總 (vice president) 表示，新機的平台可以讓遊戲開發者將創意發揮到極限 (push the boundaries of creativity)，把遊戲的類型 (genre) 帶往新的方向。新一代的遊戲主機 (gaming console) 將運用大量的雲端計算 (cloud computing)，這意味著使用時必須一直有網路連線 (a constant Internet connection)。
Check your vocabulary!
Fill in the blanks with a word or phrase from the list above. Make necessary changes. After you finish, select the text below to reveal the hidden answers.
1. Russell's new show made a big splash in New York.
2. We've incorporated many environmentally-friendly features into the design of the building.
3. The gases are stored in cylinders.
4. People under the regime lived in constant fear.
5. From the outside, the most striking aspect of the building is its tall, slender tower.
Source：http://www.voanews.com/content/apple-microsoft-unveil-new-products/1679091.html
編譯：簡嘉呈
館藏介紹
英語宅急便 
