[ti:Apple Keeps Prices Flat in New iPhone, Apple Watch Release]
[by:www.21voa.com]
[00:00.00]更多听力请访问21VOA.COM
[00:00.04]Apple and some other technology companies
[00:03.80]say they are aiming to keep prices level this year.
[00:07.92]The maker of the popular iPhone
[00:11.20]announced a list of new products recently.
[00:15.16]In addition to adding safety features such as
[00:19.24]emergency satellite connections to the new products,
[00:23.12]the California-based company stayed away
[00:26.92]from major price increases on most products.
[00:32.32]The popular mobile phones
[00:34.20]create about half of the company's yearly sales.
[00:38.80]The new iPhone 14 models
[00:41.48]are priced the same as last year's iPhone 13s.
[00:47.12]They will be $799 and $899.
[00:52.76]However, the company dropped its least costly product,
[00:57.68]which means the lowest price iPhone
[01:00.88]is now $100 more than last year.
[01:05.24]The costliest phones are the iPhone Pro and the iPhone Pro Max.
[01:10.48]They will cost $999 and $1,099.
[01:18.48]They come out September 16.
[01:22.04]The main changes to the phones
[01:24.24]are related to the quality of the pictures they take
[01:27.80]and longer battery life.
[01:31.56]Only the "pro" phones got new computer chips.
[01:36.28]Technology experts say Apple is trying
[01:39.68]to reach new customers by adding safety features.
[01:44.28]Ben Bajarin works for market research company Creative Strategies.
[01:48.84]He said the new safety features are "super-interesting"
[01:53.04]and add value to the phones.
[01:55.36]He said the phone's ability to connect to a satellite
[01:59.56]so it can make an emergency call from places far away from cities,
[02:04.68]"make(s) you not just want the products for yourself,
[02:08.80]but for loved ones."
[02:11.28]The phones also have motion-sensing technology
[02:15.48]that permits them to recognize an accident,
[02:19.32]such as a car crash, and call for help.
[02:23.56]They are known as "SOS features."
[02:27.32]The letters S-O-S are known around the world
[02:32.32]as a request for help.
[02:34.48]The phones will also be able to use the "FindMy" program
[02:40.12]to share where they are using a satellite.
[02:43.88]The special service will come for two years at no extra cost.
[02:48.92]It is not known how much the satellite connection will cost after that.
[02:55.44]Apple also provided new watch information.
[02:59.64]The company is adding features that may appeal to athletes
[03:03.44]who do things like run or ride bicycles long distances.
[03:08.56]One watch, called the Ultra, will have a longer battery life
[03:13.56]so it can follow an athlete's progress
[03:16.84]during events that take many hours to finish.
[03:20.76]They also will be able to better resist water than in the past.
[03:25.36]The watches can also call for help if the user has been in a crash.
[03:32.24]The watches can sense changes in body temperature.
[03:37.16]The company says they will be able to tell women if they are ovulating,
[03:42.20]which is the best time to get pregnant.
[03:45.68]Apple said it will make sure that information stays private.
[03:52.08]Phones and watches make up the majority of Apple's business.
[03:56.64]The main news from this year's release had to do
[03:59.84]with prices and safety features, but no new products.
[04:04.80]In the future, some experts think Apple
[04:08.80]will release some kind of "mixed reality" headset,
[04:12.56]which could come as soon as next year.
[04:16.00]This suggests the device would let users
[04:19.84]combine the computer-created world with the real one.
[04:24.04]I'm Dan Friedell. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM