EP41 五分钟英语-The Weekend Edition IX
#英语 #英语口语 #英语听力 #英语学习 #学英语 #五分钟
开场白: (0:10”)
Happy Weekend! Today is June 5th, 2022
今天又是我们的周末特辑了。
In Today’s episode, let me introduce an article about Apple’s new project. It’s from New York Times.
Title: Apple Starts Connecting the Dots for Its Next Big Thing
The Story
* The Plan (0:34"):
Nearly 15 years after the iPhone sparked the smartphone revolution, Apple is assembling the pieces for what it hopes will become its next business-altering device: a headset that blends the digital world with the real one.
The company has enlisted Hollywood directors such as Jon Favreau to develop video content for a headset that it is expected to ship next year, according to three people familiar with that work. Mr. Favreau, an executive producer of “Prehistoric Planet” on Apple TV+, is working to bring that show’s dinosaurs to life on the headset, which looks like a pair of ski goggles and aims to offer virtual- and augmented-reality experiences, these people said.
* The Software (1:45"):
Separately, at its annual conference for developers on Monday, Apple plans to unveil software tools that would allow apps to add new camera and voice functionality, laying the groundwork for a hands-free interface that customers will eventually be able to navigate on the headset, according to two people familiar with the project and documents reviewed by The New York Times.
The planned headset will thrust Apple into an emerging competition to define the future of mixed reality. Microsoft, Google and Facebook’s parent company, Meta, are in various stages of developing software and hardware to create environments where three-dimensional digital images and the physical world coexist.
* Why (2:57"):
Apple’s development of virtual-reality content and software tools is central to creating experiences that give its future headset purpose. Its last major new product, the Apple Watch, was launched with about 3,000 apps but struggled to take off because tech reviewers said few of those apps were useful. Similar shortcomings have dogged Meta’s Quest virtual-reality headset, which surpassed 10 million sales last year, because many view it as a gaming device.
From its original Macintosh to its iPad, Apple has pursued products that attract a broad swath of potential customers and have an array of uses. It sold an estimated 240 million iPhones last year, accounting for about half of its $366 billion in total sales. To make the headset worthwhile, analysts said, it will need to have utilities that transcend the niche world of video games.
