Stung badly by soaring sales of foreign-made smartphones and tablets, Japans electronics makers are fighting back with a bevy of hi-tech tablets they hopes will turn the tables on the dominant Apple iPad.遭到海外制造的智能手机和平板电脑销售量一路暴涨的紧急刺激，日本的电子商品制造商们推出了一批高科技平板电脑，试图光复失地。他们期望借此扭转苹果（Apple）iPad一统天下的局面。Sony is setting its hopes on the svelte, bantam-weight, waterproof Xperia Tablet Z. It aims to duplicate the success of the popular smartphone of the same name, says the firm.索尼公司（Sony）将复兴大业的期望寄托在了极致轻薄防水的Xperia Z平板电脑上。与这款平板电脑同名的Xperia Z手机在市场上反响很好，索尼期望Xperia Z平板电脑也能复制成功。Panasonic , meanwhile, is hitching its star to a tablet with so-called 4K technology that it claims displays images at four times greater resolution than existing high-definition resolutions. Both are aimed at the premium end of the tablet spectrum, where Japan tablet makers expect to find their niche. At around $500, the Zs price is steep compared to other tablets on the market but could set new standards for competitors, say analysts. Sony claims its Xperia Tablet Z is the worlds slimmest tablet, and Japans lightest.而同时，松下公司（Panasonic）则将它使用4K技术的平板电脑捧为明日之星。这种技术号称可以用比现有高分辨率还高四倍的分辨率显示图像。这两款商品都旨在夺取平板电脑高档市场，这也是日本平板厂家期望占据的细分市场。Z的价格约为500USD。剖析师称， 跟市面上其他平板相比，这个价格实在高昂，但它可能能为对手树立一种全新标准。而索尼则称，我们的Xperia Z平板是全球最纤薄、日本最轻盈的商品。Some think the Z and its ilk could help pull Sony out of a vast financial hole. Recently the firm reported losses for the last quarter of 2012 of 10.8 billion yen. It has been the demand for tablets, particularly those from Apple , that has helped to end Sonys and Japans hardware hegemony over the worlds gadgets and piled up its red ink. Sony is still struggling to catch up, says technology consultant Nobuyuki Hayashi, especially with the iPad. Japanese manufacturers are making so many tablets … but I havent seen anyone using them, he says.有的人觉得，Z及其家族商品或能帮索尼摆脱紧急的财务困境。最近索尼财报称，它在2012年最后一个财季损失高达108亿日元。对平板电脑的需要，特别是对苹果平板的需要已使索尼和日本硬件厂家统治全球电子商品的局面宣告终结，同时也让这类厂家出现巨额赤字。技术咨询员林信行称，索尼还在努力赶超角逐对手，特别是iPad。他说：“日本厂家生产了太多平板，但我没看到有多少人在用。”It must be particularly galling for Japans tech industry to miss out on the tablet bonanza. It is estimated Japan supplies 20% to 30% of the parts for the iPad. Sony, meanwhile, produced tablet computers long before Apple. Trouble was, nobody wanted them. Domestic demand for such gadgets was always poor until, that is, the iPad debuted here nearly 3 years ago. Tablet adoption is very late in Japan. Of course, this is expected to change, says Tokyo-based publisher Xavier Marchand.错过了平板电脑这个富矿肯定让日本的科技产业其特别难堪。据估计，iPad（多数都在中国组装）有20%到30%的零部件是由日本提供的。而索尼其实早在苹果之前就开始生产平板电脑了。麻烦在于，没人真的想买索尼的这类商品。而日本国内对这种电子商品的需要一贯低迷，直到iPad三年前异军突起，局面才为之一变。坐落于东京的出版商夏维尔?马查德称：“日本人非常晚才用上平板电脑。当然，这样的情况是有望改变的。”According to analysts at IDC Japan, 3.6 million tablets were sold in Japan in 2012, although another estimate from Yano Research suggests figures are closer to 4.2 million -- nearly twice the number sold in 2011. Yano expects sales to reach 5.6 million for 2013. Apple still accounts for the majority of sales here it says. The iPad mini has been doing fairly well I dont know if the cumulative has exceeded that of iPad, says Hayashi. Then after a big gap come Kindle Fire, Nexus 7, and Kobo. And then, perhaps, on distant sixth place are Sony, followed by Toshiba, NEC, etc., he says.据市场研究公司IDC日本称，2012年日本共卖出了360万台平板电脑，而矢野经济研究所则称，这个数字接近420万台——几乎是2011年全年销售量的两倍。矢野还预计，2013年这一数字将达560万台。该研究所还表示，苹果公司仍然占据着销售额的大头。林信行称：“iPad mini很畅销，我不了解它的累计销售量是不是已超越了iPad。”而IDC则称iPad mini确实已超越了iPad。他说：“在1、身后非常远的地方是Kindle Fire、Nexus 7和Kobo。可能索尼只能远远地排在第六位，然后才是东芝（Toshiba）、NEC和其他品牌。”Where Japans beleaguered tech firms see their chances is in the development of products for business users, particularly in Japan where the salaryman so far remains generally nonplussed by tablets. Panasonics new 4K offering, for example, hopes to edge out Apple in the market for creative professionals like photographers, designers, architects, and engineers. To compete, Japan Inc. is also eyeing more tie-ups with outside companies. Panasonics new baby was created by partnering with Microsoft and IBM .日本一般的工薪阶层中间，多数人到今天还没有对平板电脑基础知识，因此日本这类身陷困境的科技企业觉得，为商业用户开发商品才是生路所在。譬如，松下推出的4K就想在特定市场中挤掉苹果，即从事创意的职场人士，如摄影师、设计师、建筑师和工程师的市场。为了和海量对手贴身肉搏，日本公司还盯准了和海外公司合作开发这条捷径。松下的这款新产品就是与Microsoft公司（Microsoft）和IBM公司合作的产物。Others like Sharp and Toshiba, however, seem to have lost the plot altogether when it comes to tablets says Hayashi. Ideas for kickstarting their tablet sales seem few and far between. Toshiba had no clue. So they produced as many sized tablets as they could and see which one size would catch fire. But no one wanted to buy a Toshiba tablet, so I think they are still clueless, he says. Theyve sTOP producing random sizes and are following the popular formats in the market. NEC and Fujitsu are just following the market trends without a clue, too.林信行还表示，在平板电脑市场上，其他老牌巨头如夏普（Sharp）和东芝好像已经完全找不着北了。用来推进其平板电脑销售的创意好像少之又少。他说：“东芝毫无头绪可言。于是他们开足马力，推出各种尺寸的平板，看看其中哪款可以卖得热门。但事实上没人想买东芝平板，所以我觉得他们还是处于茫然的状况。他们已经不再随意生产各种尺寸的商品了，开始推出市场上主流的尺寸。而NEC和富士公司（Fujitsu）只不过在随波逐流，自己也没想了解。”
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