中國深圳——中國企業(yè)正在努力改變充當(dāng)ODM、為品牌產(chǎn)品設(shè)計(jì)廠商代工生產(chǎn)的角色，這將為中國電子產(chǎn)業(yè)的發(fā)展譜寫新的篇章，但前提是他們能成功實(shí)現(xiàn)這種跨越。
在以全球工廠著稱的深圳，已然可以看到這種轉(zhuǎn)型的苗頭。
傳統(tǒng)設(shè)計(jì)公司與白牌企業(yè)都是根據(jù)客戶提供的規(guī)格來設(shè)計(jì)產(chǎn)品，現(xiàn)在則有越來越多的這類企業(yè)嘗試在自己的新款智能電話與平板電腦產(chǎn)品上采用新的“品牌”策略。
雖然并不容易取得成功(這些行動(dòng)很可能幾個(gè)月后就會(huì)銷聲匿跡) ，但其中許多產(chǎn)品具有頑強(qiáng)的生命力，可能換個(gè)品牌再度露面。
小米是本地非常成功的一個(gè)智能手機(jī)品牌，可能屬于特例。它的創(chuàng)始人雷軍是中國互聯(lián)網(wǎng)產(chǎn)業(yè)的早期重要投資者。小米向人們展示了中國的一個(gè)無名品牌，如何憑借互聯(lián)網(wǎng)和一位卓越領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人快速成為頂級品牌，像蘋果那樣引人矚目。小米主要利用互聯(lián)網(wǎng)進(jìn)行品牌營銷。
小米的成功引起了中興通訊與華為等中國電信設(shè)備巨頭的注意。以前，這兩大巨頭一直是企業(yè)對企業(yè)市場中的主要手機(jī)廠商，罕有對手。
下面說說努比亞(Nubia)，這是中興通訊一年前創(chuàng)立的一個(gè)子品牌。
中興持有90%的努比亞股份。Nubia這個(gè)品牌在西方仍然沒有什么名氣。但Nubia品牌的智能手機(jī)預(yù)計(jì)今年下半年進(jìn)入美國市場。
3月27日努比亞總經(jīng)理倪飛在深圳總部接受了《EE Times》的專訪。這是一名年輕人，身材很高，態(tài)度友好。他身穿Adidas運(yùn)動(dòng)服走進(jìn)會(huì)議室，快樂而自信。從所有方面來看，倪飛都與中興這樣的大型中國電信企業(yè)的高管截然不同。
努比亞總經(jīng)理倪飛
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倪飛今年37歲，在中國已小有名氣。Nubia的Z5是該公司的首款智能手機(jī)，似乎是專門為倪飛這樣的人設(shè)計(jì)的。據(jù)說，Nubia的“目標(biāo)客戶”是城市中的“高富帥”，熱衷于充當(dāng)時(shí)尚的首創(chuàng)者，看不上不太明智的iPhone或Galaxy買家。
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中興在B-to-B市場的成功
迄今為止，中興在手機(jī)方面的成功業(yè)績，主要是全球各地的運(yùn)營商來銷售手機(jī)。其中有些手機(jī)打著中興的品牌，其余的則打著運(yùn)營商的品牌。今年稍早的時(shí)候，市場調(diào)研公司Gartner根據(jù)2012年全球手機(jī)銷量把中興列為全球第四大手機(jī)廠商，位居三星、諾基亞和蘋果之后。
中興通訊是2012年全球第四大手機(jī)廠商
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本文下一頁：為什么現(xiàn)在推出Nubia手機(jī)？
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為什么現(xiàn)在推出Nubia手機(jī)？
倪飛在回答為什么中興現(xiàn)在推出Nubia手機(jī)時(shí)，給出了兩個(gè)理由。
首先，社交媒體在消費(fèi)者中迅速普及，正在把智能手機(jī)變成那些自詡為潮流開創(chuàng)者的必備產(chǎn)品。
中興通訊2005年首次嘗試通過自己的中興品牌進(jìn)入B-to-B市場，鎩羽而歸。但倪飛解釋道，“現(xiàn)在的形勢完全不同了?！彼f，像中興Z5這樣非常重視社交媒體和拍攝的智能手機(jī)，將產(chǎn)生很大反響。
其次，是小米因素促使中興推出Nubia
倪飛表示，小米憑空出世，“只用兩年就成為知名品牌。”盡管中興認(rèn)為運(yùn)營商市場缺乏活力，而且比較有限，但該公司難以承受新來者奪走市場份額的后果。小米以前沒有涉足過運(yùn)營商市場，現(xiàn)在則聲稱要進(jìn)入B-to-B市場?！澳鞘俏覀兊牡乇P，”倪飛表示，“我們必須打入他們的地盤，即b-to-c市場?！?
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本文下一頁：為何如此強(qiáng)調(diào)社交媒體？
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Nubia Z5定價(jià)是3456元(約合550美元)，屬于高端智能手機(jī)，具備一些時(shí)髦的功能特點(diǎn)。但有幾個(gè)特色讓Nubia感到自豪。一個(gè)內(nèi)置了針對大量使用社交媒體的用戶的軟件。另一個(gè)特色是硬件設(shè)計(jì)可以讓用戶拍攝質(zhì)量更高的照片。
至于Nubia為何如此強(qiáng)調(diào)社交媒體，倪飛表示：“社交媒體非常流行，是因?yàn)槊總€(gè)人都想得到他人的賞識?！彼a(bǔ)充道，這實(shí)際上是人的天性，“對于許多這類用戶來說，通過照片來得到賞識可能比言語更加容易?！?
Z5是一款5英寸1080p安卓手機(jī)，采用高通1.5GHz四核Snapdragon應(yīng)用處理器，以及1300像素的F2.2光圈主攝像頭。它采用柯尼卡-美能達(dá)五片光學(xué)鏡片組合，在手機(jī)上可以實(shí)現(xiàn)觸摸對焦與觸摸測光分離，并配備了一個(gè)200萬像素的前置攝像頭。據(jù)Nubia介紹，這款智能手機(jī)拍照功能的“專業(yè)模式”，非常適合想通過在社交媒體上面貼一張精美照片而出名的消費(fèi)者。
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Z5支持 WiFi Display和MHL輸出，可以把內(nèi)容投射到更大的屏幕上面。
首次持有Z5智能手機(jī)的人會(huì)注意到它很輕。其厚度只有7.6毫米，是最薄的五英寸手機(jī)之一，包括2300mAh電池在內(nèi)的重量只有126克。屏幕邊框只有2.67毫米。
Z5通過使用激光直接成型技術(shù)，把主天線和WiFi/GPS、NFC等各類天線都做到了手機(jī)后蓋上面。
Z5中國版整合了高通的modem ，支持CDMA2000 (800MHz，中國電信)和WCDMA (2100MHz，中國聯(lián)通)。當(dāng)Nubia最終在全球發(fā)售的時(shí)候，也將支持LTE。
中間的是Nubia Z53b6esmc
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Nubia將進(jìn)入美國與俄羅斯市場
Nubia推出第一年的計(jì)劃(2013年)將專心在中國打造強(qiáng)大的Nubia品牌?！拔覀兿氡M量增強(qiáng)它的吸引力，”倪飛表示，“中國是一個(gè)困難的市場。但如果我們能夠在中國獲勝，就能在世界上的任何地方獲勝?！?
今年稍晚的時(shí)候，該公司將利用運(yùn)營商關(guān)系試水美國市場，并通過以渠道為基礎(chǔ)的策略嘗試俄羅斯市場。在俄羅斯市場，渠道的影響比運(yùn)營商大。
Nubia由一群年輕的中興工程師創(chuàng)建，他們渴望按照自己的夢想打造一款手機(jī)，而不是只能根據(jù)運(yùn)營商給出的規(guī)格來設(shè)計(jì)?！伴_始的時(shí)候大約有10個(gè)人。我們?nèi)找构ぷ?，”倪飛表示，“我們想設(shè)計(jì)出一款令人稱奇的手機(jī)，別人看到會(huì)說‘讓我試一下’?！?
Nubia總經(jīng)理展示一種基于“群眾外包”的壁紙應(yīng)用，強(qiáng)調(diào)軟件是關(guān)鍵3b6esmc
據(jù)倪飛介紹，現(xiàn)在Nubia的工程團(tuán)隊(duì)已有300至400名員工，80%專注于軟件開發(fā)，其余的從事硬件工作。
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Nubia-中興協(xié)同？
據(jù)倪飛介紹，由于Nubia手機(jī)與中興手機(jī)(面向運(yùn)營商)都基于安卓平臺，所以二者共用相當(dāng)數(shù)量的工程資源。他表示，實(shí)際上，中興手機(jī)部門積累的經(jīng)驗(yàn)、技術(shù)與知識，對Nubia幫助極大，這體現(xiàn)在與供應(yīng)鏈、第三方應(yīng)用開發(fā)者及高通等關(guān)鍵器件供應(yīng)商的合作關(guān)系上面。倪飛在創(chuàng)立Nubia之前，在中興手機(jī)部門工作了七年。
他說，Nubia與中興之間的關(guān)系，對于縮短N(yùn)ubia產(chǎn)品的上市時(shí)間以及確保關(guān)鍵元件的穩(wěn)定供應(yīng)非常重要，比如索尼的CMOS圖像傳感器與夏普的全高清液晶屏。
在回答Z5的后繼產(chǎn)品是什么時(shí)，倪飛表示，Nubia尚未確定屏幕尺寸，但有意通過使用MEMS來增加手勢控制等新的用戶界面。他說，通過軟件開發(fā)可以增加許多新的功能特點(diǎn)，“關(guān)鍵是我們必須隱藏技術(shù)復(fù)雜性?！?
據(jù)說倪飛在新浪微博上面有100萬追隨者。他承認(rèn)，不經(jīng)常更新微博內(nèi)容。小米與華為高管在微博上面關(guān)于智能手機(jī)的一系列熱烈爭論，最近引起大家關(guān)注。
一名要求匿名的業(yè)內(nèi)人士表示，這可能解釋倪飛為什么最近很少上微博。倪飛大力提倡社交媒體，他說：“你可以使用微博獲得信息，但不能控制它。”
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參考英文原文：Exclusive: China rising with branded products strategy, by Junko Yoshida
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Exclusive: China rising with branded products strategy
Junko Yoshida
Chinese companies seeking to upgrade from ODMs making non-branded boxes to designers of branded products will write next chapter in story of China’s electronics industry.
SHENZHEN, China – Chinese companies who are seeking to upgrade from ODMs manufacturing non-branded boxes to designers of branded products will write the next chapter in the story of China’s electronics industry — but only if they can make the leap.
The buds of such transformations are visible everywhere here, in a city that has come to be known as the factory of the world.
A growing number of traditional design houses and white box vendors –who design products according to customer specs – are now trying, on the side, a new “branded” strategy for their new smartphones and tablets.
While success is hard to come by (these initiatives could easily disappear in a matter of months), many are resilient enough to re-emerge again under different brands.
Xiaomi, a wildly successful smartphone brand here, may be an exception to the rule. Started by Lei Jun, a key investor in the early Internet scene in China, Xiaomi demonstrates how a no-name brand in China can quickly rise to one of the top brands – a la Apple –through the heavy use of the Internet, focused brand marketing and a charismatic leader.
Xiaomi’s success hasn’t escaped the notice of China’s telecom equipment behemoths like ZTE and Huawei, who had been content as handset leaders on the business-to-business market.
Next, enter Nubia, a sub-brand created by ZTE just a year ago.
Ninety percent owned by ZTE, Nubia is a brand still virtually unknown in the West. But Nubia-branded smartphones are expected to find their way into the U.S. market later this year.
For an exclusive interview with EE Times at its headquarters here on Tuesday (March 27), a young, tall, friendly Ni Fei, CEO of Nubia entered a conference room, suited up in Adidas gym gear, with a spring in his step. Fei is in every sense the polar opposite to the senior executive you’d expect to meet at a stodgy Chinese telecommunication company like ZTE.
Ni Fei, CEO of Nubia
Something of a celebrity in China, Fei is 37 years old. Nubia’s Z5, the company’s first smartphone, seems to have been designed exactly for someone like Fei. Nubia’s “target audience” is said to be young, rich, tall, urban, its individuals craving recognition as taste-makers and disdainful of the less hip buyers of iPhones or Galaxy handsets.
ZTE's success in B-to-B market
ZTE, thus far, has succeeded with handsets mainly by selling through operators around the world. Some of those phones are branded as ZTE, while others sport the operators’ brands. Earlier this year, the market research firm Gartner pegged ZTE as the world’s fourth largest handset vendor, after Samsung, Nokia and Apple, based on handsets sold worldwide in 2012.
ZTE is the fourth largest handset vendor in the world in 2012
Why Nubia now?
Asked why ZTE is launching Nubia now, Fei pointed out two reasons.
First, rapid proliferation of social media among consumers is turning the smartphone into a must-have device for who fancies himself a trendsetter.
ZTE’s first attempt, in 2005, to move into the business-to-consumer market — through its own ZTE brand — went nowhere. But “the situation today is dramatically different,” Fei explained. A smartphone like ZTE’s Z5, with a big emphasis on social media and photography, will have a big impact, he added.
Second, driving ZTE’s Nubia is the Xiomi factor.
Xiomi, coming out of nowhere, “became famous in just two years,” said Fei. Although ZTE sees the operator market as static and somewhat limited, the company can’t afford to lose ground to a newcomer. Xiomi, which has had zero presence in the operator market, is now talking about moving into the b-to-b market, “which is our own backyard,” said Fei. “We need to move into their backyard, namely, the b-to-c market.”
Nubia’s Z5, priced at 3,456 yuan (roughly $550), is a high-end smartphone loaded with bells and whistles. But Nubia takes a pride in a few unique features. One is built-in software geared toward heavy social media users. Another is hardware designed for consumers hoping to take better pictures with their smartphones.
Asked why Nubia is so focused on social media, Fei said, “Social media is popular because everyone wants to get recognized by others.” In essence, it’s human nature. He added, “And for many of those users, getting recognized for their photos may come easier than their words.”
Z5 is a five-inch 1080p Android phone featuring Qualcomm's 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon apps processor, along with a 13-megapixel F2.2 main camera. It features five-element optics by Konica Minolta, in addition to separate touch focus and touch exposure in the app, and a two-megapixel front-facing camera. The “professional mode” of the smartphone camera function is perfect for those who think they’ll become famous if they post a great-looking photo on social media, according to Nubia.
The Z5 supports WiFi Display and MHL output, making it possible to beam content to a larger screen.
Anyone who holds the Z5 smartphone for the first time will notice how lightweight it is. Only 7.6mm thick – one of the thinnest among five-inch phones, the handset weighs only 126g -- including a 2,300mAh battery. The screen comes with a bezel only 2.67mm thick.
Nubia's Z5 in the middle
Z5, through the use of laser-direct structuring, has all the antennas – ranging from primary antenna, to WiFi/GPS, NFC and diversity antennas -- on the back cover of the handset.
Integrated with Qualcomm's modem module, the Chinese edition of the Z5 supports both CDMA2000 (800MHz, for China Telecom) and WCDMA (2100MHz, for China Unicom); and when Nubia eventually launches it worldwide, it will be capable of supporting LTE as well.
Nubia goes to the U.S. and Russia
Nubia’s first-year plan [2013] is dedicated to building a strong Nubia brand in China. “We want to make it as attractive as possible,” said Fei. “China is a tough market. But if we can win China, we can win anywhere in the world.”
Later this year, the company will test the waters both in the U.S. by leveraging its operator connections, and in Russia by pursuing a strategy based on channels — which in Russia are more powerful than operators.
Nubia was born from a small team of young engineers at ZTE who wanted a phone based on their own dreams – instead of just following operator specs. “There were about 10 of us in the beginning. We worked day and night,” said Fei. “We wanted to design a phone that would make people curious and say, ‘let me try it.’”
Nubia CEO, stressing that software is the key, shows off a wallpaper app based on 'crowd sourcing'
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Today, Nubia’s engineering team has between 300 and 400 employees. Eighty percent are focused on software development, the rest on hardware, according to Fei.
Nubia-ZTE synergy?
Because Nubia phones and ZTE phones [for operators] are based on the Android platform, there is a fair amount of shared engineering resources between the two, according to Fei. In fact, the experience, expertise and knowledge accumulated at ZTE’s handset division -- where Fei spent seven years before heading up the Nubia group -- is giving Nubia a leg up, explained Fei, in terms of partnering with the supply chain, third-party app developers and key device vendors like Qualcomm.
Nubia’s ZTE connection turns out to be also critical in shortening the time to market for Nubia’s products and ensuring a steady supply for key components such as Sony’s CMOS image sensors and Sharp’s full-HD resolution LCD screen, he added.
Asked what’s next after Z5, Fei said Nubia hasn’t decided on screen size yet but it is interested in adding a new user interface like gesture controls, by using MEMS. A lot of new features will come from the development of software, he added. “The key is that we must hide technical complexity.”
Fei, who is said to have a million followers on Sina Weibo (China’s twitter), acknowledged that he has slacked off on his Weibo blog posts. A series of heated public arguments on Weibo — between executives at Xiomi and rival Huawei about their smartphones — is getting just about everyone’s attention here these days.
That might explain Fei’s less frequent blogs lately, said an industry source who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Fei, a great advocate of social media, said, “You can use Weibo to get your messages out, but you can’t control it.”
責(zé)編：Quentin
