蘋果在中國智能手機市場份額上升

Apple seems to be gaining some ground in the world's largest smartphone market.

蘋果公司(Apple)在全球最大智能手機市場的“版圖”似乎有所擴大。

In China, Apple's market share rose slightly in the fourth quarter of last year, helped by strong demand for its new iPhone 5S, the latest market research data shows.

最新市場研究數據顯示，受新款iPhone 5S的強勁需求推動，蘋果在中國的市場份額去年第四季度小幅上升。

According to research firm IDC, Apple's market share in mainland China rose to 7% in the quarter from 6% in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was the first full quarter after Apple launched its iPhone 5S and 5C in China in late September, on the same day the new phones came out in the U.S. and a host of other markets. In the past, iPhones went on sale in China months after they were launched in the U.S.

據研究公司國際數據公司(IDC)說，第四季度蘋果在中國內地的市場份額從第三季度的6%上升至7%。第四季度是蘋果去年9月底在中國、美國及其他一些市場同時推出iPhone 5S和5C之後第一個完整的季度。過去，iPhone通常是登陸美國幾個月後纔在中國推出。

Still, the latest quarterly ranking was yet another reminder that China's smartphone market consists mainly of Android models that are much cheaper than the iPhone. With its 7% share, Apple was the fifth-largest smartphone vendor in China.

儘管如此，最新的季度排名讓人們再次看到，中國的智能手機市場主要由比iPhone便宜得多的安卓(Android)手機佔主導。蘋果銷量在中國智能手機市場排第五，佔7%的市場份額。

Samsung, which sells smartphones at various price points from high-end to low-end, held onto its No. 1 position in China with a 19% share in the fourth quarter, followed by Lenovo Group with a 13% share. Coolpad -- the smartphone brand of Shenzhen-based Yulong Computer Telecommunication Scientific -- and Huawei Technologies came third and fourth, taking up 11% and 10% respectively.

三星(Samsung)繼續保持在中國銷量第一的位置，第四季度市場份額爲19%，其次是聯想(Lenovo Group)，市場份額爲13%。三星銷售從高端到低端等各種價位的智能手機。酷派(Coolpad)和華爲技術有限公司(Huawei Technologies)分別以11%和10%的份額排在第三和第四位。酷派是深圳宇龍計算機通信科技(Yulong Computer Telecommunication Scientific)推出的智能手機品牌。

Lagging just outside of the top five in the quarter is upstart smartphone maker, Xiaomi, with 6% of the market, a significant jump from about three years ago when the company first began offering phones. Though Xiaomi sits below Apple in China for now, IDC analyst Melissa Chau said the company is poised to get into the top five soon.

第四季度銷量排第六的是新貴智能手機生產商小米(Xiaomi)，市場份額爲6%，較大約三年前該公司首次開始銷售手機時有大幅上升。儘管目前小米在華銷量排名不及蘋果，但國際數據公司的分析師Melissa Chau說，小米很快有望躋身前五。

'[Xiaomi] is still rising, at some point it could come into top five on the growth path it's on,' she said.

她說，小米仍在上升，按它目前的增長勢態，有朝一日可能躋身前五。

Still, Apple, which sat just above Xiaomi in the fourth quarter, is expected to get a boost of its own in the current quarter through March due to its new agreement to sell its phones through China Mobile, which is by far the country's largest carrier with more than 760 million subscribers. China Mobile, which started selling iPhones Jan. 17, is expanding its speedier fourth-generation network in the country, and the iPhone is expected to play a major role in getting more subscribers to sign up for 4G services.

儘管如此，由於蘋果與中國移動(China Mobile)達成新的手機銷售協議，預計蘋果銷量在今年第一季度可能獲得提振。中國移動是中國最大的移動運營商，有超過7.6億用戶。中國移動於1月17日開始銷售iPhone。該公司目前正在中國擴大速度更快的4G網絡，預計iPhone將在吸引更多用戶使用4G服務方面發揮重要作用。

Apple couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

記者無法立即聯繫到蘋果置評。

As a measure of Apple's performance in China, shipment volume is a tricky one that often triggers heated debates. Some argue that maintaining a certain level of market share by volume is essential, while others say Apple as a high-end brand doesn't have to compete on volume with cheap Chinese smartphones.

發貨量作爲衡量蘋果在華表現的一個指標也常常引發激烈爭論。有些人稱，通過提高銷量保持一定水平的市場份額很重要，另外一些人則說，蘋果作爲一個高端品牌，不必在銷量上與其他低價中國智能手機競爭。

Either way, a slowdown in total smartphone sales in the fourth quarter from the third quarter shows that both high-end and low-end makers are now competing for a China market that is unlikely to return to the eye-popping growth levels it experienced over the past two years.

無論怎樣，第四季度智能手機總銷量增速較第三季度放緩都是一個不爭的事實，顯示出高端和低端生產商都在爭奪中國市場，而目前的中國市場不太可能重現過去兩年那種驚人的增長水平。

'Not everyone will be picking up a smartphone. A segment of the market won't be able to afford them,' said Chau, pointing out that new users in China will increasingly be coming from smaller cities and rural areas.

Chau說，並非每個人都會買智能手機，有些人買不起。她指出，中國新的智能手機用戶將越來越多地來自較小的城市和農村地區。

Still, Apple is competing to win over users who might look to upgrade their phone, or switch from Android, as fourth-generation networks continue to be built in China.

儘管如此，隨着中國繼續建設4G網絡，蘋果正在努力爭取可能尋求手機更新換代或從安卓轉向其他系統的用戶。

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal earlier this month, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook shared his view on market share. 'I look at the mobile phone market as having three kinds of phones: feature phones, smartphones that function as or are used as feature phones, and real smartphones,' he said. 'I do care about the market share of the last category and you want to be relevant.'

在本月早些時候接受《華爾街日報》採訪時，蘋果首席執行長庫克(Tim Cook)講述了自己對市場份額的看法。他說，我認爲手機市場有三類手機：功能手機、被當做功能手機使用的智能手機和真正的智能手機。我確實關心最後一個類別的市場份額，我們希望參與其中。