2006年NPR美国国家公共电台六月-Marketplace Report: Gates to Focus on Phi

（单词翻译）

Back now with The Day to Day.

The world's richest man, the founder¹ of Microsoft, plans to gradually step away from his company's everyday operations. The man of course, Bill Gates, Microsoft's next major goal is to try to go after the online music business. Apple and its popular iPod and i-Tunes are now the dominant² forces there. Joining us to talk about Microsoft's future is John Dimsdale from Marketplace.

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"John, what about Microsoft's music hopes?"

"Well, they've been going after online music customers in sort of a haphazard³ way for several years now. They partnered with other companies, but like you say, Apple continues to control more than 60% of the online music business. Now Reuters reports Microsoft's been negotiating licenses⁴ for songs, which would be a prelude⁵ to setting up a Microsoft-run online music service. The company also reportedly has a prototype of the, of the handheld device that's similar to an iPod. Now there is no telling when all of this will be launched, but anytime a company with pockets as deep as Microsoft decides to get into this business, Apple has to take a notice."

"Yeah, they can call up Netscape if they would like to learn more. Er, Bill Gates says he wants to spend more time on his philanthropic work now, how's that going to affect Microsoft?"

"Well, overall, Microsoft's had its troubles late with its update for the Windows Operating System, they can't seem to compete with Google and some people say that the company has taken its eye off the ball in part because of Bill Gates' success. He's a superstar in the business world, like you said, the richest man, he does lots of work for charities, which could mean that he hasn't had the focus to keep the company on the cutting edge of technologies. Industry analyst⁶, Rob Anderly, says Microsoft's music service could benefit from Gates' leaving."

"It's one of those efforts that has been under-funded till now, er, they just haven't put the emphasis behind it that they needed to compete with a marketing⁷ and design powerhouse that Apple represents. That's been very disappointing to Microsoft partners and this is one of the things they may actually get fixed⁸ by Bill's departure that may in fact now get the funding and focus it needs to really run against Apple and run against Apple hard."

"John, and how about other Microsoft news? The company may be in some trouble over stock options to executives in the '90s?"

"That's right. The company stopped doing stock options all together a couple of years ago but, and now grants its stocks to employees outright⁹, but back in the '90s, like a lot of technology companies, it offered workers the options to buy its stock at a cheap price. And the Wall Street Journalist is out with the report that the company priced those options at a time of the month when the stock price was at its lowest, and that's a practice that's got some companies in a lot of hot water for backdating their stock options. But you know, if the financial police go after Microsoft, they're gonna be pretty busy because a lot of companies did that. Coming up later on Marketplace, we're talking to auto¹⁰ workers about whether they're gonna take off the offer from General Motors to leave the company."

"Thank you, John Dimsdale, of public radio's daily business show, marketplace, from American Public Media."

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go after:to follow or chase someone or something because you want to catch them; 追逐, 追求
haphazard:happening or done in a way that is not planned or organized;偶然的, 随便的
prelude:f an event is a prelude to a more important event, it happens just before it and makes people expect it ;先驱, 前奏, 序幕
prototype:the first form that a new design of a car, machine etc has, or a model of it used to test the design before it is produced ;原型
handheld:a PDA(Personal Digital Assistant); 个人数字助理
telling:having a great or important effect;有效的, 明显的, 生动的
get into:to start doing or feeling something, or being in a particular situation; 进入, 陷入, 穿上
philanthropic:a philanthropic person or institution gives money and help to people who are poor or in trouble ;博爱的
stock option:stock that a company offers to sell to an employee at a price that is lower than the usual price ;职工优先认股权, 在指定时期内定价定额购股权
all together:adv.一起
backate:to make something have its effect from an earlier date;回溯
marketplace:an open area in a town where a market is held;集会场所, 市场,商场