蘋果(Apple)不久前公布最新一季財(cái)報(bào)，當(dāng)季營(yíng)收表現(xiàn)正常但成長(zhǎng)趨緩，不過分析師的評(píng)語卻是著重于該公司在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)令人驚艷的亮眼成績(jī)──《金融時(shí)報(bào)(Financial Times)》一篇報(bào)導(dǎo)就指出，蘋果已經(jīng)變成“中國(guó)故事”。 在最新財(cái)報(bào)發(fā)表會(huì)上，蘋果首席執(zhí)行官庫(kù)克(Tim Cook)也形容，該公司本季在大中華市場(chǎng)整體表現(xiàn)出色。在截止于6月28日的2014年第二季，蘋果在大中華區(qū)(包括中國(guó)大陸、香港與臺(tái)灣)市場(chǎng)的凈銷 售額達(dá)59.4億美元，較去年同期成長(zhǎng)28%。在其10-K年報(bào)中，蘋果形容該公司在大中華市場(chǎng)的年度成長(zhǎng)率“明顯高出公司以往整體表現(xiàn)”。 此外蘋果指出，iPhone在大中華區(qū)市場(chǎng)的凈銷售額與銷售量“特別強(qiáng)勁”，拜2013年底最新款 iPhone 于大中華區(qū)市場(chǎng)開賣之賜，對(duì)入門等級(jí)價(jià)格的iPhone需求量大增，還有中國(guó)移動(dòng)在 2014年第二季開始加入銷售iPhone行列。 蘋果當(dāng)季在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)的iPhone銷售量成長(zhǎng)了48%，Mac計(jì)算機(jī)銷售量成長(zhǎng)39%，iPad銷售量則成長(zhǎng)51%；其中iPad在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)的銷售成長(zhǎng)特別值 得注意，因?yàn)楦鶕?jù)市場(chǎng)研究機(jī)構(gòu)IDC的最新統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)，整體中國(guó)平板設(shè)備市場(chǎng)同時(shí)間的成長(zhǎng)率為21%。而庫(kù)克也表示，蘋果中國(guó)市場(chǎng)整體營(yíng)收，包含零售商店業(yè)績(jī)，成長(zhǎng)了31%。 蘋果與三星在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)命運(yùn)大不同 庫(kù)克在財(cái)報(bào)發(fā)布會(huì)上表示，蘋果認(rèn)為接下來幾個(gè)月──特別是在與中國(guó)移動(dòng)結(jié)盟之后──對(duì)該公司的中國(guó)市場(chǎng)業(yè)務(wù)來說，是一個(gè)“分水嶺”。相較于三星(Samsung)，該公司稍早前公布的第二季財(cái)報(bào)顯示，其營(yíng)業(yè)利潤(rùn)下滑至兩年來的新低點(diǎn)。 三星將該公司營(yíng)業(yè)利潤(rùn)連四季下滑的原因，歸咎于韓元兌美元與歐元的匯率升值，此外也坦承其中、低階智能手機(jī)在中國(guó)與部分歐洲市場(chǎng)的銷售業(yè)績(jī)表現(xiàn)衰弱，主要是因?yàn)楦?jìng)爭(zhēng)激烈與需求趨緩。 不 過根據(jù)市場(chǎng)研究機(jī)構(gòu)Counterpoint的統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)，三星在2014年第一季仍在中國(guó)智能手機(jī)市場(chǎng)占據(jù)18%的比例，是當(dāng)?shù)厥袌?chǎng)第一大品牌；同時(shí)間 蘋果在中國(guó)智能手機(jī)市場(chǎng)的占有率為10%、排名第五，其余前五大中國(guó)智能手機(jī)品牌都是中國(guó)本土廠商，包括聯(lián)想(Lenovo)、小米(Xiaomi) 與酷派(Coolpad)。

中國(guó)智能手機(jī)市場(chǎng)各品牌市占率
Source：Counterpoint4kCesmc

從 某個(gè)方面看，三星似乎成為眾家中國(guó)本土智能手機(jī)業(yè)者的箭靶，但在另一方面蘋果仍有很大的成長(zhǎng)空間。畢竟，擁有不同價(jià)位智能手機(jī)產(chǎn)品的三星，很容易被卷 進(jìn)中國(guó)本土同業(yè)的殘酷價(jià)格競(jìng)爭(zhēng)中，最后不得不全面?zhèn)鋺?zhàn)；而蘋果則是到目前為止一直因?yàn)閳?jiān)持產(chǎn)品價(jià)格高于競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的策略，而能遠(yuǎn)離戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)煙硝味。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 本文下一頁(yè)：富裕的中國(guó)消費(fèi)者都非常注重品牌

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• 智能手機(jī)品牌印象度中國(guó)品牌強(qiáng)勢(shì)崛起
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{pagination} 品牌親和力 于是問題可以歸納如下：對(duì)那些負(fù)擔(dān)得起高階智能手機(jī)的中國(guó)消費(fèi)者來說，花多少錢是值得的？或者這是否意味著他們想要擁有一支貨真價(jià)實(shí)的蘋果iPhone？作為一個(gè)品牌，蘋果在中國(guó)仍然有相當(dāng)高的聲望，而且別忘了，富裕的中國(guó)消費(fèi)者都非常注重品牌。 還 有一個(gè)問題是，有些中國(guó)本土品牌總被認(rèn)為是“抄襲”蘋果。其中小米是一家非常堅(jiān)持打造自有品牌的中國(guó)手機(jī)業(yè)者，該公司已經(jīng)拉攏了一群死忠粉絲(米粉)，并 以低價(jià)提供高階規(guī)格產(chǎn)品自豪；小米最新發(fā)表的旗艦機(jī)“米四”，外觀與蘋果的金屬質(zhì)感iPhone 5s非常相似，價(jià)格僅1,999元人民幣(約322美元)，還不到它美國(guó)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手產(chǎn)品價(jià)格的一半。

小米最新發(fā)表的旗艦智能手機(jī)米四
Source：小米官網(wǎng)4kCesmc

蘋果是否能維持在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)的成功難以保證，但該公司仍相信還可以有更好的表現(xiàn)；蘋果表示，該公司與中國(guó)移動(dòng)的合作協(xié)議在今年初談妥，正式開始也才幾個(gè)星期。 庫(kù)克在財(cái)報(bào)發(fā)布會(huì)上亦指出，與中國(guó)移動(dòng)搭檔銷售才一周左右，該公司就已經(jīng)在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)取得前所未有的好成績(jī)，這是一個(gè)讓人感到不可思議的起步。 “目前我們跟中國(guó)移動(dòng)僅在16個(gè)中國(guó)城市搭檔銷售，到今年底將擴(kuò)增至300個(gè)以上的城市；”庫(kù)克表示：“因此我們?cè)谖磥砣杂写蠓砷L(zhǎng)空間，也感到無比興奮，特別是在上一季我們于中國(guó)市場(chǎng)達(dá)到創(chuàng)新紀(jì)錄的銷售表現(xiàn)之后?！? 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 編譯：Judith Cheng 參考英文原文：Apple in China: Best Is Yet to Come?，by Junko Yoshida

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{pagination} Apple in China: Best Is Yet to Come? Junko Yoshida MADISON, Wis. — After Apple’s latest quarterly announcement Tuesday, which showed reasonable but slow-growing results, the second-day spin on Apple's financial results is all about Apple’s surprisingly strong showing in China. As the Financial Times (subscription required) put it, “Apple has become a China story.” Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, during the earnings’ call described the company’s latest quarter “a stellar quarter in greater China overall.” In the latest quarter ended June 28, 2014, Apple’s net sales in Greater China, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan, expanded to $5.94 billion, up by 28 percent compared to the same period a year ago. In its 10-K filing, Apple characterized its year-over-year increase in Greater China as “significantly higher than those experienced by the Company overall.” Apple pointed out that growth in net sales and unit sales of the iPhone was “especially strong” in the greater China region, thanks to the successful launch of new iPhones in Greater China at the end of 2013, increased demand for Apple’s entry-priced iPhones, and the addition of China Mobile in the second quarter of 2014. Chinese iPhone sales were up 48 percent, Mac sales were up 39 percent, and iPad sales were up a whopping 51%. The iPad growth in China is noteworthy, especially when compared to the industry’s overall tablet market in China, which is said to be growing at 21 percent, according to IDC. According to Cook, Apple grew its overall revenues in China, including its retail stories, at 31 percent. Apple vs. Samsung in China Cook, during the call, described Apple’s business prospect in China in coming months -- especially through its partnership with China mobile -- as “a watershed moment.” Now compare that statement to Samsung, which disclosed earlier this month that its second-quarter operating profit dropped to a two-year low. While blaming its fourth straight quarter of profit decline on the South Korean currency's appreciation against the US dollar and the euro, Samsung also acknowledged that sales of its midrange and low-end smartphones were weak in China and some European countries, due to stiff competition and slow demand. Make no mistake. Samsung continues to lead the Chinese smartphone market with 18 percent market share in the first quarter of 2014, according to Counterpoint, a market research firm. In contrast, Apple, with a 10 percent market share, is still trailing behind Lenovo, Xiaomi, and Coolpad, all of which are China’s strong, local smartphone brands. (Source: Counterpoint) One way to look at it, though, is that it’s Samsung that’s taking all the heat from the Chinese local smartphone vendors. Apple, on the other hand, appears to have still lots of room to grow. After all, Samsung -- armed with a broad range of smartphones at various price points -- appears to have been sucked into the brutal price competition with China’s local smartphone vendors, thus ending up having to fight the battle on all fronts. Meanwhile, Apple, thus far, has managed to stay above the fray by sticking to a higher price tag for its products than for those of its rivals. Brand affinity The question, then, comes down to the following: For Chinese consumers who can afford the high-end smartphones, how much would it be worth, or would it mean, to own genuine Apple iPhones? Apple, as a brand, still commands a high respect in China. And, let’s not forget, affluent Chinese consumers are very brand-conscious. But here’s the thing: Chinese local brands are also taking a page from Apple’s playbook. Xiaomi, in particular, is intent on building its own brand, and has become quite successful in building a cult-like community full of die-hard Xiaomi fans. Xiaomi is no knock-off iPhone vendor. The company has taken pride in offering its products with high-end specifications at low prices. Xiaomi’s latest flagship smartphone, the Mi4, unveiled earlier this week, looks much like Apple’s similarly metallic iPhone 5s. The Mi4, however, is priced at 1,999 yuan (US$322) -- less than half of the US rival’s handset. Xiaomi mi4, priced at 1,999 yuan, features a 5-inch 1080p screen, 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 SoC, 3GB of RAM, 16GB/64GB of internal storage, 13MP f/1.8 main camera, 8MP selfie camera, LTE radio, 802.11ac WiFi, plus a 3,080mAh battery. (Source: Xiaomi) Although Apple's continued success in China is by no means guaranteed, Apple remains confident that the best is yet to come. The company noted that its agreement with China Mobile -- reached in January this year -- has been only activated for the last couple of weeks. Cook said during the call: We’ve been selling with China Mobile now for about a week, and last week was the best week for activations we’ve ever had in China. So it’s been an incredible start, and at this moment, we’re just selling in 16 cities with China Mobile, and this number is projected to be over 300 cities by the end of this year. And so we’ve got quite the ramp in front of us, and we’re incredibly excited. This comes after a new high water mark in China for us last quarter.