This year, Microsoft and Apple are both introducing new versions of their operating systems with important changes to their user interfaces, and with a flurry of publicity. A third major company is also overhauling its PC operating system, but you probably wont hear much about it.今年，微软公司（Microsoft）和苹果（Apple）两家公司都在发售各自的新版操作系统，新的操作系统在用户界面上有根本性变化，并展开了大肆宣传。还有一家大公司也正在测试检验它的PC操作系统，只不过你有可能会对它闻之过于多。Google redesigned its PC operating system, Chrome OS. While Google is a major rival to Apple and Microsoft in things like search, smartphones and browsers, Chrome OS hasnt dented the competition in the year since it emerged. It was meant to be radically different than Windows and the Macintosh operating system, a refreshing change for a new era. But it had serious limitations, principally that it ran only apps inside a browser on a handful of special, low-powered laptops called Chromebooks and could do almost nothing when it wasnt online.谷歌公司（Google）对它的操作系统Chrome OS展开了新的设计。虽然谷歌在搜索引擎、智能手机和浏览器等业务方面是苹果和微软公司的一个主要竞争对手，但是Chrome OS操作系统自问世以来还仍然没能对其竞争对手构成挑战。

它的设计想法是要沦为一种与Windows和Macintosh截然不同的操作系统，打开一个带给甜美变化的新时代。但是这种操作系统具有相当严重的局限性，主要是它不能在少量被称作Chromebooks的较低功率类似笔记本电脑上在浏览器内运营程序，而且在无网络连接的状态下完全没什么用武之地。The new version, which Ive been testing, aims to address some of those issues and it makes some progress. But I still cant recommend it over a PC or Mac for average consumers who are looking for the greatest versatility in a laptop. I still find it more of an evolving project than a finished product.最近我仍然都在测试的这个新版本目的解决问题上述的某些问题，显然也获得了一些进展。

但是对于想要尽可能充分发挥笔记本电脑多功能起到的普通消费者来说，与PC和Mac电脑的操作系统比起，我还是不引荐谷歌的这个操作系统。我仍然实在它是尚能在研发中的一个项目，还算不上一个成品。

Its fundamental limitations remain. Most importantly, you still cant install your favorite programs, be they Microsoft Office or iTunes or Firefox - only a few thousand Web apps that run inside the Chrome browser. And it still only works on specific hardware: that laptop called the Chromebook or - new this year - a small desktop called a Chromebox. The only hardware maker producing the 2012 versions of these machines so far is Samsung, though Google says more are coming.Chrome OS显然的局限性仍然不存在，最主要的是你依然无法加装自己讨厌的程序，无论是微软公司Office软件、iTunes还是火狐浏览器（Firefox）──能用的只有Chrome浏览器内建的几千个网络应用程序，而且它对硬件还是有尤其的拒绝：取名为Chromebook的笔记本电脑或者今年新的发售的取名为Chromebox的小型台式电脑。迄今为止，三星（Samsung）是唯一在生产2012款的这两种电脑的硬件制造商，不过谷歌说道其他硬件制造商立刻就不会第一时间。Chrome OS does have some admirable qualities - especially its philosophy of simplicity and of being wedded to the cloud. For instance, because its designed to fetch your apps and documents from the Internet, you can replicate your entire computer by just logging in on any other Chrome OS PC. And, if you mainly use the Web and live in the cloud, it may be the ticket for you, especially as a second machine.Chrome OS的确有其令人推崇的独有之处──特别是在是它简洁以及与云技术与众不同的理念。比如，由于它的设计是让你从因特网上取软件和文件，你可以通过指定其它任何一台装有Chrome OS操作系统的PC机来构建对你自己电脑的拷贝。

如果你用于的主要是网络且生活在云世界里，它或许可以为你所须要，尤其是作为第二台机器用于时。Last years inaugural version of Chrome OS was little more than a giant browser in which you ran only Web-based apps. The new redesign of Chrome OS, released late last month, represents something of a retreat from that dramatic strategy.去年的Chrome OS操作系统最初版本不过是一个巨型浏览器而已，你不能运营基于网络的应用程序。

上个月末公布的经过新的设计的Chrome OS指出谷歌有点想退出那种奇特的战略。Now, Google is touting the new release for features that make it look and work more like a Windows PC or Mac - for instance, multiple, movable windows; a strip along the bottom that holds the icons of apps you use; a slightly greater emphasis on doing things offline; and greater focus on finding and launching apps. None of this is revolutionary for people used to traditional computers.现在，谷歌正在大力宣传将要公布的新版本，新版Chrome OS不具备的特征使其在形式和功能上与加装了Windows操作系统的PC机或Mac机更为相近──比如，多个可移动的窗口；底部金属制你所用应用程序图标的横条；稍微减少的离线工作的功能；更加强劲的查询并启动应用程序的功能。对于习惯用于传统电脑的人来说，这些新的特征无一具备颠覆性。What Chrome OS is exactly can be confusing. While it looks and works a lot like the browser of the same name, Chrome OS is a full-blown operating system that, unlike the Chrome browser, cant be installed on PCs and Macs. Also, Chrome OS is unrelated to Googles best-known operating system, Android. The latter is meant to power smartphones, tablets and other miscellaneous devices.Chrome OS究竟是什么还是让人捉摸不透。

虽然在形式和功能上与同名的浏览器十分相似，它毕竟一个确实的操作系统。与Chrome浏览器有所不同，它无法加装在PC或Mac电脑上。而且，Chrome OS与谷歌极富盛誉的安卓（Android）操作系统没关系，后者目的为智能手机、平板电脑和其它多功能设备获取反对。

I tested the redesigned Chrome OS on the new Samsung Chromebook, a model which Google claims has up to three times the performance of the original Chromebook. This laptop has a 12-inch screen, weighs 3.3 pounds and is about 0.8 of an inch thick. I didnt run a formal battery test on it, but Samsung claims it gets up to six hours on a charge, less than the claims for the MacBook Air or the new Windows ultrabooks. In my tests, the battery easily lasted a full day in light to moderate use. The Chromebook is sold online and costs $450. A model that includes a slow, 3G cellular modem is $100 more. The Chromebox desktop is a small box that comes without a screen, mouse, or keyboard, and sells for $330.我是在三星生产的新版Chromebook笔记本上测试的修订版Chrome OS操作系统。谷歌公司称之为这种型号的Chromebook性能超过了完整版本Chromebook的三倍。

该笔记本电脑的显示屏为12英寸，重3.3磅，大约0.8英寸薄。我没对它的电池展开月的测试，但是三星公司称之为电池差使一次电续航能力可以超过六小时，比苹果的MacBook Air或新版Windows超级本逊色一点。在我的测试中，中等用于强度下，电池可以精彩保持一天。

这款Chromebook笔记本在网上有售，售价为450美元，另一款带上较慢3G无线网卡的型号售价要低100多美元。Chromebox台式机是一个没屏幕、鼠标和键盘的小盒子，售价为330美元。

Because its primarily meant as a portal to the Internet, the Chromebook has only about as much storage as a smartphone: 16 gigabytes, rather than the hundreds of gigabytes common in other laptops. And it has a wimpy processor, one of Intels entry-level Celeron models.由于主要被当作是一个相连因特网的端口，Chromebook笔记本的存储空间只与智能手机非常：16G，而不是其它笔记本电脑一般来说享有的几百G大小。它的处理器也很不振，归属于英特尔（Intel）的一款入门级赛扬（Celeron）处理器。In my tests, the new Chromebook performed well and did everything it promised. Unlike in the first iteration, I was able to use multiple independent windows and to minimize them or resize them easily. I could store frequently used apps, which still run in browser pages, in the bottom strip, similar to the Windows taskbar or Mac dock - again, nothing new there, but a welcome addition.在我的测试中，新款Chromebook笔记本展现出很好，按设计该做的都做了。跟第一代有所不同的是，我可以用于多个独立国家的窗口，轻轻松松地把它们最小化或复原。

我可以把还在浏览器页面中运营的常用软件存放在底端的条带中，这个条带与Windows系统的任务栏和Mac的停站栏类似于──还是那句话，没什么新鲜的东西，不过是博得兴趣的一个新花样而已。I was also able to play music and videos, to view and edit photos, and to view (but not edit) Microsoft Office documents. These abilities are a good thing, but also have been long available on other operating systems.我还可以播出音乐和视频，查阅并编辑照片，网页（但无法编辑）微软公司的Office文件。这些功能都很不俗，但是别的操作系统某种程度早已不具备这些功能了。

In the next month or two, Google plans to update Chrome with two important features: the integration of Googles online file-storage locker, Google Drive, right into the Chromebooks file system; and the ability to edit documents when offline. I was able to test pre-release versions of these features and they worked fine. Google Drive can already be installed and integrated into the Windows and Mac file systems.在随后的一两个月里，谷歌计划升级Chrome浏览器，使其不具备两个最重要特征：将谷歌的在线云存储服务Google Drive统合入Chromebook笔记本的文件系统；需要对文件展开离线编辑。我幸运地对不具备这些特征的预公布版本展开了测试，效果很好。

Google Drive早已可以加装并构建到Windows和Mac的文件系统里了。In fact, all of the important features of the Chrome OS - which is still at heart just a big browser - are available in the Windows and Mac versions of the Chrome browser, including the ability to run Web apps, programs like Googles office suite, or Web-based games. Google concedes this, but says that, by making the whole computer a browser, it has simplified the overall experience.实质上，Chrome OS操作系统──本质上依然是一个极大的浏览器──的所有最重要特征在Windows和Mac版本的Chrome浏览器中都可以寻找，还包括运营网络程序、谷歌的办公组件程序或者网络游戏。谷歌否认这一点，但是它认为，把整个电脑变为一个浏览器，这样可以修改整个体验过程。

Google has big plans for the Chrome OS. It has built-in features it claims will work great with future touch-screen hardware.谷歌为Chrome OS操作系统制定了宏大规划，据信这种操作系统内置的性能可以在未来的触摸屏设备上大显身手。But, overall, Id say, if you only have the budget for one computer, youre better off with a Mac or a PC.但是我得解释，总的来说，如果你只有卖一台电脑的支出，那么卖Mac或PC电脑不会更加适合一些。

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