知情人士稱蘋果將推低價iPhone

Apple Inc. is working on a lower-end iPhone, according to people briefed on the matter, a big shift in its corporate strategy as its supremacy in smartphones has slipped.

據知情人士說，蘋果公司(Apple +0.27%)正在開發一款低端iPhone。這是蘋果在其智能手機至高地位出現下滑之際對其公司戰略的一次重大調整。

While Apple has explored such a device for years, the plan has been progressing and a less expensive version of its flagship device could launch as soon as later this year, one of the people said.

知情人士中的一位說，蘋果爲這樣的手機探索過多年，該計劃一直在推進，一款比旗艦機更便宜的iPhone最早有望在今年晚些時候推出。

The cheaper phone could resemble the standard iPhone, with a different, less-expensive body, one of the people said. One possibility Apple has considered is lowering the cost of the device by using a different shell made of polycarbonate plastic; in contrast, the iPhone 5 currently has an aluminum housing. Many other parts could remain the same or be recycled from older iPhone models.

位知情人士說，低價iPhone可能與標準版相似，只是採用了一個不同的、更便宜的機身。蘋果考慮過的一種可能性，是通過使用聚碳酸酯塑料材質的外殼來降低手機的價格。相比之下，iPhone 5目前採用的是鋁製外殼。其他很多零部件可能保持一致，或者從老款iPhone手機回收利用。

Apple could decide not to move forward with the device. A spokeswoman for the Cupertino, Calif., company declined to comment.

總部位於加州庫珀蒂諾的蘋果有可能決定不再繼續開發這款手機。蘋果公司一位發言人不予置評。

The move towards multiple iPhone models is new territory for Apple. Under former Chief Executive Steve Jobs, Apple historically prided itself on prioritizing profits over scale and offered a relatively small number of products targeted at the high end.

同時銷售多款iPhone對於蘋果來說還是新領域。在前首席執行長喬布斯(Steve Jobs)領導下，蘋果一直以更重利潤而非規模而引以爲豪，並用數量相對較少的產品瞄準高端人羣。

In more recent years─and especially since Tim Cook took the reins as CEO in August 2011─that has started to change. In October, Apple unveiled a smaller iPad, dubbed the iPad Mini, to go alongside its bigger iPad tablets.

知情人士說，蘋果公司正在開發一款低端iPhone。近年來，特別是庫克(Tim Cook)於2011年8月接過CEO一職之後，情況開始發生變化。2012年10月，蘋果推出名爲“iPad Mini”的小尺寸iPad，跟尺寸更大的iPad一起出售。

Still, the company has sold only one main new iPhone model, with different storage capacities, at a time since launching the smartphone in 2007. Today the iPhone is Apple's chief revenue driver, with sales of iPhones and related products and services accounting for 48% of revenue in the quarter ended in September.

但是，自從2007年推出iPhone以來，蘋果一次只出售一種新款iPhone，只是存儲容量不同。iPhone是蘋果目前最大的收入來源，在截至2012年9月的季度內，iPhone及相關產品、服務的銷售額佔蘋果收入的48%。

Apple has been considering a less-expensive iPhone since at least 2009 to grab market share and hook people on the brand, said people familiar with the efforts. Before the launch of the iPhone 4 in mid-2010, the company developed designs for cheaper phones that were very similar to the latest iPhone but had a less expensive back and sides, one of the people said.

知情人士說，至遲在2009年的時候，蘋果就已經開始考慮推出廉價版iPhone，以奪取市場份額、吸引新消費者。一位知情人士說，在2010年中發佈iPhone 4時，蘋果製作了廉價版iPhone的設計圖，樣子同最新款iPhone相似，但背板和邊框更加便宜。

Apple tabled the plan as some executives worried a second iPhone would complicate its manufacturing processes. The company decided to keep older iPhone models on sale for less, a strategy that didn't require designing new products.

蘋果提出這一計劃後，一些高管擔心，推出第二款iPhone可能會使蘋果的製造流程變得複雜。蘋果決定以較低的價格繼續出售較早型號的iPhone，該戰略使蘋果不需要設計新的產品。

But Apple now faces greater pressure to make the iPhone more affordable. An onslaught of lower cost rivals powered by Google Inc.'s Android operating system are gaining market share.

但是如今，蘋果面臨着更大的壓力，需要讓iPhone的價格更能爲消費者所接受。搭載谷歌公司(Google -0.20%)安卓(Android)操作系統的低價手機正在獲得更多的市場份額。

In the 2012 third quarter, Apple held only 14.6% of worldwide smartphone shipments, down from a peak of 23% in the fourth quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012, according to IDC.

根據IDC的數據，2012年第三季度，蘋果在全球智能手機市場出貨量中的份額僅爲14.6%，低於2011年第四季度和2012年第一季度23%的峯值。

Samsung Electronics Co.'s share, meanwhile, rose from 8.8% to 31.3% from the third quarter of 2010 to the third quarter of 2012. The Korean electronics maker on Tuesday said it capped its best year ever with another record quarterly profit, adding that it expects operating profit of $8.1 billion to $8.5 billion for the three months that ended in December.

與此同時，三星電子(Samsung Electronics Co.)2012年第三季度的市場份額增長到了31.3%，高於2010年第三季度的8.8%。這家韓國電子產品製造商週二表示，該公司的季度利潤將再創新高。三星補充說，預計截至12月的三個月營業利潤將會在81億美元到85億美元之間。

While the iPhone remains the top-selling smartphone in the U.S., Apple's share of the high-end cellphone market has been falling fast in China and remains low in other emerging markets.

儘管iPhone在美國仍然是最暢銷的智能手機，但蘋果在中國高端手機市場中的份額一直在大幅下降，在其他新興市場的份額仍然很低。

The iPhone 5 without a wireless contract starts at $649 in the U.S. on , and can cost even more overseas. That's out of reach for many customers in countries where carriers don't help cover the cost of the phone and where Android phones with similar capabilities can cost less.

蘋果公司網站上銷售的iPhone 5非合約機在美國起價爲649美元，在海外的價格更高。在一些國家，運營商不負擔手機的成本，且擁有同樣功能的安卓手機售價更低，因此iPhone 5的價格對許多消費者來說難以接受。

In the U.S., the iPhone starts at $199 with a two-year wireless contract, while older models are available for $99 or for free with a two-year contract.

在美國，iPhone兩年期合約機的起價爲199美元，較早型號的iPhone兩年期合約機售價爲99美元，或是由無線運營商免費提供。

Apple's stock has fallen 25% since it reached an all-time high of $702.10 in September as investors worry competitors are gaining ground. On Tuesday, Apple's shares closed 4 p.m. trading at $525.31.

自去年9月達到702.10美元的歷史高點之後，蘋果的股票已經下跌了25%，投資者擔心，競爭者正在獲得更多市場份額。週二，蘋果的股票收盤價格爲525.31美元。

A less-expensive iPhone risks crimping the company's profit margins, which executives have been loath to sacrifice. Even small changes in margins often sway investors.

低價iPhone可能會影響公司的利潤率，這是公司高管不願意付出的代價。即使是利潤率發生較小變化，常常也會把投資者嚇跑。

Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, said that a less expensive iPhone won't necessarily hurt Apple's overall profit margin if it attracts buyers who haven't bought iPhones before and not those who would have been willing to purchase the higher-end device.

派傑公司(Piper Jaffray)的分析師蒙斯特(Gene Munster)說，如果低價iPhone吸引的是沒有買過iPhone的消費者，而不是那些本來打算購買高端iPhone的消費者，那麼更便宜的iPhone並不一定會傷害蘋果整體利潤率。