智能手機(jī)還是電子枷鎖？

智能手機(jī)還是電子枷鎖?

I hate the new Apple Watch. Hate what it will do to conversation, to the pace of the day, to my friends, to myself. I hate that it will enable the things that already make life so incremental, now-based and hyper-connected. That, and make things far worse.

我討厭新上市的蘋果手表。討厭它將會對交談、生活的節(jié)奏、我的朋友以及我自己產(chǎn)生的影響。我討厭它會提升那些已經(jīng)讓生活變得如此繁瑣、急功近利和超級互聯(lián)的東西的效用。除此之外，除了以上這些，它還會讓情況變得糟糕許多。

This has nothing to do with Apple. We can still be friends. I’m writing on a MacBook Air, my constant companion since I kissed off my hometown Microsoft-programmed clunker for the sleek and far less needy Mac some time ago. I’m closer to my iPhone 6 than to some of my siblings — you never call, you never text, you never share, not a selfie in six months.

這與蘋果公司無關(guān)。我們還是可以做朋友的。我正在一臺MacBook Air上寫下這些文字。自從一段時間以前我淘汰了家鄉(xiāng)生產(chǎn)的那臺微軟系統(tǒng)的舊電腦，換成這臺漂亮且遠(yuǎn)不會那么需要照顧的Mac之后，它一直是我的好伙伴。我與iPhone 6的關(guān)系比我與一些兄弟姐妹的關(guān)系還親密——從來不給他們打電話、發(fā)短信，或是分享東西，六個月里連張自拍都沒有。

No, my animus for Apple’s smartwatch — excuse me, wearable technology — is for what it will do to us. Things are too complicated as it is. At dinner with friends, or in a meeting that I’m supposed to care about, when can I look at my phone? Who’s phone-ignore worthy, and who’s not? At what point is looking down rude? And how long into a conversation till all sides get to call a truce and take a screen dive?

不，我對蘋果智能手表的厭惡——不好意思，應(yīng)該是可穿戴設(shè)備——在于它會對我們產(chǎn)生何種影響。生活已經(jīng)夠復(fù)雜的了。在與朋友吃飯時，或是在我應(yīng)該重視的一個會議上，我什么時候可以看手機(jī)?誰重要到讓我不看手機(jī)，誰沒那么重要?什么時候看手機(jī)是不禮貌的?交談進(jìn)行了多長時間之后，各方才可以休息一下，看一眼手機(jī)屏幕?

I say this as an information obsessive. I wish I could say recovering information obsessive. Like most of us, I’m in need of digital detox, not a fresh hit. Those restroom breaks at restaurants were not about bladder relief. God knows how many times I’ve sneaked away from the table just to peek at a football score, a “Daily Show” clip, a text, a photo or email, my Amazon book number. What a miserable wretch. But it could be worse: I have a friend who texts while skiing.

我認(rèn)為這是一種信息強(qiáng)迫癥。我希望我能說這種信息強(qiáng)迫癥可以恢復(fù)。就像我們中多數(shù)人一樣，我需要戒除網(wǎng)癮，不是來一劑讓我更上癮的東西。我們在吃飯時去洗手間根本不是因?yàn)槿擞腥?。天知道我有多少次從餐桌上偷偷溜出來只是去為了看一眼球賽的比分、《每日秀?Daily Show)的片段、一條短信、一張照片或電子郵件，還有我的亞馬遜圖書訂單。多可悲啊。但情況還可以更糟：我有一個朋友一邊滑雪一邊發(fā)短信。

Apple says its smartwatch, which it rolled out at one of its Dear Leader-like events in San Francisco this week, will make interactions between human and screen less complicated, and less rude. Instead of reaching into pocket or purse in front of someone, the user will just glance at the wrist. In fact, Apple calls the new feature in which the watch is touched to access the Internet a “glance.”

蘋果本周在舊金山一場致敬偉大領(lǐng)袖似的活動中發(fā)布了這款手表。蘋果說，它的智能手表將讓人與屏幕的互動不那么復(fù)雜，不那么不禮貌。用戶不需要在他人面前把手伸進(jìn)口袋或包包，只需掃一眼手腕就行了。實(shí)際上，蘋果把碰一下手表就接入互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的新功能就叫做“Glance”(瞥一眼)。

Just a glance, nothing rude there. Oh, really? Remember how off-putting it was when George Bush the elder checked his watch during a question period from the audience in a presidential debate? It may have cost him the election in 1992.

只是掃一眼，這可沒有什么不禮貌的。噢，是嗎?還記得喬治·布什(George Bush)在總統(tǒng)辯論中接受觀眾提問時看手表的動作是多么讓人惱火嗎?這可能就是他輸?shù)?992年大選的原因。

People check their phones about 150 times a day. Now, imagine how many glances they’ll take with all the information in the world on their wrists. Imagine how many people will attempt to drive while glancing, to walk while glancing, to talk while glancing, to make love while glancing.

人們一天看手機(jī)約150次?，F(xiàn)在，想象一下，當(dāng)全世界的信息都在手腕上展示的時候，人們會掃上多少眼。想象有多少人會試圖在開車時掃一眼，在走路時掃一眼，在聊天時掃一眼，在做愛時掃一眼。

To the complaints that our smartphone addiction has produced a world where nobody talks much anymore, nobody listens and nobody reads, you can add a new one with the smartwatch: nobody makes eye contact.

一些人抱怨，手機(jī)引發(fā)的上癮讓這個世界變成了沒人長時間講話、沒人傾聽，沒人閱讀的地方。有了智能手表之后，這些抱怨中可以加上一條：沒人進(jìn)行目光接觸。

Tim Cook, the Apple C.E.O., seems like a decent and likable guy — no tech overlord in a Darth Vader suit. But his presentation of the new watch on Monday creeped me out, and offered a road map to a world I’m not sure I want to join.

蘋果CEO蒂姆·庫克(Tim Cook)似乎是一個討人喜歡的正派人——不是一個穿著達(dá)斯·維達(dá)(Darth Vader)式服裝的科技魔頭。但他周一展示的新手表把我嚇壞了，而它給世界提供的方向，我也不確定是否想要加入。

“The Apple Watch is the most personal device we have ever created,” he said. “It’s not just with you, it’s on you.” Ewwww. It sounds like a digital dog collar, complete with an anti-flea component. From here on out, there is no down time, and no excuses for reality escapes. You are connected, 24/7.

“蘋果手表是我們推出的最私密的設(shè)備，”他說。“你不只是帶著它，而且是戴著它。”咦喲。這聽起來就像是一個數(shù)碼狗項(xiàng)圈，加上一個防跳蚤的零部件。從此以后，再沒有放松的時間，再沒有逃離現(xiàn)實(shí)的借口。你永遠(yuǎn)都在線，一周七天，一天24小時。

Cook tried to humanize Apple’s latest culture-disrupter. You can talk to your wrist — it’s a phone! You can check your heartbeat — it’s a doctor! And if you don’t adequately exercise during the week, your watch will remind you of your failure — it’s a nag!

庫克試圖讓蘋果顛覆文化的最新產(chǎn)品人性化。你可以對著手腕說話——它是電話!你可以檢查心跳——它是醫(yī)生!而且如果你在一周當(dāng)中沒有進(jìn)行足夠的鍛煉，你的表會提醒你——它還嘮嘮叨叨的。

He seemed most rapt in describing how much closer together the Apple Watch will bring us all. “You can tap your watch and get your friends’ attention,” he said. Ah, there’s a rich relationship. I can think of a number of places once considered off-limits for cellphone intrusions — the classroom, the dinner table, the bathtub — where the watch can interrupt. And who’s to know: it’s only a glance.

他似乎尤其注重描述Apple Watch能在多大程度上讓我們所有人變得更親密。“輕輕敲一下手表，就能引起朋友的注意，”他說。啊，這聯(lián)系可真密切。我能想到很多曾經(jīng)被認(rèn)為不受手機(jī)干擾的地方：教室、餐桌和浴缸。但現(xiàn)在，在這些地方進(jìn)行的活動手表都可以打斷。畢竟誰知道呢：只用瞥一眼。

There is some evidence that heavy smartphone use makes you dumber. The theory is that a having the world at the other end of a mobile search makes for lazy minds, while people who depend less on their devices develop more analytical skills.

一些證據(jù)表明，大量使用智能手機(jī)會讓人變得更笨。相關(guān)理論認(rèn)為，用移動搜索了解世界會使大腦變得懶惰，而不那么依賴設(shè)備的人，會形成更多分析技能。

Add to this concerns about privacy: that the watch is a tracking device, which sends all your personal information to a central database — a corporate control center that already knows far too much about the preferences and habits of smartphone users.

除此之外，還有對隱私的擔(dān)憂：這款手表是一臺追蹤設(shè)備，會將你所有的個人信息發(fā)送給一個中央數(shù)據(jù)庫。那是一個商用控制中心，已經(jīng)掌握了太多有關(guān)智能手機(jī)用戶的偏好和習(xí)慣的信息。