Apple snapped out of a prolonged sales slump during its most recent quarter as the trendsetting company prepares to launch into the artificial intelligence craze with an arsenal of new technology that's expected to juice demand for its next iPhone.

苹果公司在最近一个季度摆脱了长期销售低迷的状态，这家引领潮流的公司正准备推出一系列新技术进军人工智能领域，预计这些技术将推动下一代iPhone的需求。



The fiscal third-quarter results announced Thursday covered an April-June period that's typically a sluggish stretch for Apple as its loyal customer bases awaits the next version of the iPhone that's traditionally unveiled shortly after Labor Day.

周四公布的第三季度财报涵盖了4月至6月这一季度，这段时间对于苹果公司来说通常较为低迷，因为其忠实的客户群正在等待下一代iPhone的发布，而新款iPhone通常在劳动节之后不久就发布。

Even so, Apple boosted its sales from a year ago — a welcome reversal of fortune on the heels of five consecutive quarters of year-over-year revenue declines.

即便如此，苹果公司的销售额仍较去年有所增加，这标志着该公司连续五个季度收入同比下降的厄运终于得到扭转，令人欣慰。

This time around, Apple's revenue rose 5% from a year to $85.78 billion — a figure that exceeded analysts' projections. The Cupertino, California, company earned $21.45 billion, or $1.40 per share, an 8% increase from the same time last year. The profit also topped analyst forecasts.

这一次，苹果公司的收入同比增长了5%，达到857.8亿美元，这一数字超过了分析师的预期。这家位于加利福尼亚州库比蒂诺的公司赚取了214.5亿美元，即每股1.40美元，同比增长8%。利润也超出了分析师的预期。

Apple's shares swung between slight increases and modest declines in Thursday's extended trading as investors assessed the results.

在周四的盘后交易中，苹果公司的股价在投资者评估结果时出现了小幅浮动。

Sales of the iPhone — Apple's marquee product — remained on a downward slope though, dipping 1% from last year to $39.3 billon. That decrease wasn't as bad as the January-March period when iPhone sales plummeted 10% from last year, and now the product appears headed toward a major upswing.

iPhone（苹果公司的旗舰产品）的销量虽然仍处于下滑趋势，但降幅已从去年的1%收窄至393亿美元。这一降幅并不像第一季度那样糟糕，当时iPhone销量同比下降了10%， 而现在该产品似乎正朝着大幅回升的方向发展。

That's because Apple is planning to roll out a variety of artificial intelligence features that are supposed to make its virtual assistant Siri smarter and also perform a variety of helpful and fun tasks, including helping to draft texts and even creating unique emojis on demand. The AI tools will be included in a free software update expected in the autumn, but most of the features will only work on iPhones with a special chip that so far has only been available on two premium models Apple released last year.

这是因为苹果公司计划推出一系列人工智能功能，旨在使其虚拟助手Siri变得更加智能，并执行各种有用且有趣的任务， 包括帮助起草文本，甚至按需创建独特的表情符号。这些AI工具将包含在预计于秋季推出的免费软件更新中， 但大多数功能仅适用于配备特殊芯片的iPhone，而到目前为止，这种芯片仅搭载在苹果去年发布的两款高端机型上。

The next model, the iPhone 16, is expected to be equipped with the AI chip — a factor that analysts believe will spur consumers who have been holding on to their older devices to splurge on upgrades so they can take advantage of the new features. That expectation is the main reason why Apple's stock price has surged 13% since the company previewed its AI tools in early June — a run-up that has created about $400 billion in shareholder wealth so far.

预计下一款机型iPhone16将配备AI芯片——分析师认为，这将促使那些一直使用旧款设备的消费者纷纷购买升级，以便享受新功能带来的便利。自苹果公司在六月初首次展示其AI工具以来，这一市场预期一直是其股价飙升13%的主要原因，迄今为止，这一上涨趋势已经为股东创造了大约4000亿美元的财富。

"I believe it will be a very key time for a compelling upgrade cycle," Apple CEO Tim Cook told analysts during a Thursday conference call.

“我相信这将是一个至关重要的时刻，将促使消费者升级设备，”苹果首席执行官蒂姆·库克在周四的电话会议上对分析师说道。

Apple's push into AI may also fuel its steadily growing services division, which saw its revenue climb 14% from last year to $24.21 billion in the most recent quarter. Although the services division has been thriving for years, it's confronting regulatory threats that could drag down its performance.

苹果公司在人工智能领域的推进也可能会推动其服务部门稳步增长， 该部门在最近一个季度的收入同比增长了14%，达到242.1亿美元。虽然服务部门多年来一直蓬勃发展，但它正面临监管威胁，这可能会拖累其业绩。

A lucrative deal that generates about $20 billion in revenue by making Google the default search engine on the iPhone and Safari browser is being targeted in a high-profile antitrust case that the U.S. Justice Department filed against Google. A federal judge is expected is to issue a ruling by the end of this year.

美国司法部对谷歌提起的高调反垄断案件中，一项利润丰厚的交易成为了目标，该交易通过使谷歌成为iPhone和Safari浏览器的默认搜索引擎，为谷歌带来了约200亿美元的收入。预计联邦法官将在今年年底前做出裁决。

The Justice Department also is targeting Apple in a separate lawsuit that it filed in March, alleging the company is illegally locking out competition by erecting unnecessary barriers around the iPhone. Apple has adamantly denied any wrongdoing and launched an attempt to have the case dismissed in documents filed Thursday in New Jersey federal court.

此外，司法部还在3月对苹果公司提起了另一项诉讼， 指控该公司通过在iPhone上设置不必要的障碍，非法排除竞争。苹果公司坚决否认有任何违法行为，并在周四向新泽西州联邦法院提交文件，试图驳回该诉讼。

That started a legal process that will take several more months to play out before the presiding judge decides whether to throw out the case or allow it to proceed in a ruling likely to come late this year or early next year.

该法律程序将再持续数月，之后主审法官将决定是否驳回该案或允许其继续审理，预计裁决将在今年年底或明年年初作出。

As has been happening during much of the past year, Apple's sales continued to erode in China — a worry for investors because the region is one of the company's key markets. Apple's revenue in China dropped 7% from last year in the past quarter.

正如过去一年大部分时间所发生的那样， 苹果在中国的销售额继续下滑——这令投资者担忧，因为该地区是该公司的关键市场之一。在过去的一个季度里，苹果在中国的收入同比下降了7%。