諾基亞受挫 打擊微軟手機夢想

Nokia Corp. warned Thursday that its cellphone business is quickly deteriorating and that it will cut 10,000 workers, a setback that threatens partner Microsoft Corp.'s mobile aspirations.

諾基亞公司(Nokia Corp.)週四警告說，其手機業務正在迅速惡化，公司將裁員1萬人。這一挫折對其合作伙伴微軟(Microsoft Corp.)在手機領域的夢想構成了威脅。

The companies bound themselves together last year in a last-ditch effort to compete in a smartphone market dominated by Apple Inc. and Google Inc. Now, Microsoft faces the possibility that the company responsible for two-thirds of its mobile software shipments may not be strong enough to give it influence in mobile computing.

去年兩家公司結成同盟，準備在由蘋果(Apple Inc.)和谷歌(Google Inc.)主導的智能手機市場背水一戰。現在微軟面臨着這樣一種可能：佔其手機軟件發貨量三分之二的諾基亞，它的實力或許不足以使之在移動計算領域產生影響。

Until this year, Nokia enjoyed a 14-year-run as the world's largest maker of mobile phones. But the company raised new doubts about its future Thursday by warning its losses will be worse than it expected just two months ago. It would not predict when the losses might end. Associated Press

週四，印度新德里的一家手機商店。在今年之前，諾基亞曾連續14年穩居世界最大手機生產商的位置。但該公司週四表示，其虧損情況將比兩個月前預計的更加嚴重，這讓外界對諾基亞的未來前景產生了新的懷疑。諾基亞拒絕給出虧損何時結束的預測。

The news sent Nokia's shares down 16% to $2.35 in New York trading, the lowest point since 1996. Nokia has lost more than three-quarters of its market value since Chief Executive Stephen Elop arrived in September 2010 and decided to bet the company on phones powered by Microsoft's operating system.

這一消息導致紐約市場上諾基亞的股價下跌了16%至2.35美元，創出1996年以來的最低價格。自首席執行長埃洛普(Stephen Elop)2010年9月份上任以來，諾基亞的市值已經蒸發掉四分之三有餘。埃洛普決定把整個公司的前途都押在安裝微軟操作系統的手機上。

Its market value is now at $8.8 billion, 92% lower than where it stood when Apple released the iPhone and just above the price Microsoft paid last year for Internet phone company Skype.

諾基亞目前市值爲88億美元，較蘋果發佈iPhone時減少92%，僅比微軟去年收購網絡電話公司Skype的價格高一點。

Microsoft, which made its own big bet by choosing Nokia to build its flagship Windows Phone devices, is responding by increasing its aid for the handset maker. But if Nokia continues to struggle, the software giant may have to start searching for other options.

微軟選擇由諾基亞生產其Windows Phone手機也是一次豪賭。面對諾基亞的困境，微軟正以加大對其援助來應對。但如果這家手機生產商依舊無法擺脫困境，微軟可能就得着手尋覓其他選項了。

Microsoft declined to comment. Its shares Thursday rose 21 cents to $29.34 on the Nasdaq Stock Market, and are up 13% year-to-date.

微軟拒絕對諾基亞的最新情況發表評論。微軟股價週四在納斯達克市場上漲0.21美元至29.34美元，該股今年以來的漲幅爲13%。

Mr. Elop said on a conference call that Nokia plans to address its market share by competing more aggressively for low-end smartphone business "specific support from Microsoft."

埃諾普在電話會議上說，爲解決市場份額問題，諾基亞打算在微軟的“特別支持”下在低端智能手機領域加大競爭力度。

Nokia, he said, would pull back from many areas to focus its resources on a relatively small number of big markets, including the U.S., China, and certain other European and Asian markets.

他說，諾基亞將從諸多領域退出，把資源集中在數量相對少的大型市場上，如美國、中國，以及其他某些歐亞市場。

"The challenge, therefore, is how do you break through?" said Mr. Elop."We're now in a situation where we've got to make sure that we're breaking through in selling."

埃洛普說，諾基亞面臨的挑戰在於如何取得突破。他說，在現在的處境之下，我們得確保銷量取得突破。

As the iPhone and Android took off and Windows foundered, Microsoft wagered last year that a partnership with the Finnish giant could make it a credible No. 3 player in the fast-growing smartphone market.

由於iPhone和安卓(Android)手機開始騰飛、Windows手機一敗塗地，微軟去年把寶押在了諾基亞身上，指望跟這家芬蘭巨頭的合作能使它在成長迅速的智能手機市場穩居第三。

Nokia agreed to adopt Windows Phone as its principal operating system, replacing its own Symbian software, and to pay licensing fees to Microsoft. In exchange, Nokia said Microsoft would provide it with billions of dollars to help develop and market products.

諾基亞同意採用Windows Phone替代塞班(Symbian)作爲自己的主要操作系統，並向微軟支付授權費。據諾基亞說，作爲交換，微軟將提供數十億美元資金幫它開發、推廣產品。

Nokia, however, has continued to lose ground around the globe. Analysts say that Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. dethroned Nokia in the first quarter of the year as the world's biggest cellphone maker.

然而從全球來看，諾基亞仍是節節失利。分析人士說，韓國三星電子(Samsung Electronics Co.)今年第一季度趕超諾基亞，成爲全球最大手機生產商。

Nokia for the first time accounted for less than half of the total cellphone market in its home country of Finland, according to IDC.

據國際數據公司(IDC)統計，諾基亞在本土芬蘭手機市場上所佔份額首次不足一半。

The company has struggled on the low end in emerging markets that have long been key to its success. In Indonesia, for example, Nokia's market share dropped to 24% early this year from 52% in early 2010, according to IDC. Nokia lagged behind smaller competitors in launching "dual-SIM" phones, which let consumers save money by combining deals from two different service providers.

諾基亞一直掙扎於新興市場的低端手機業務。新興市場始終是諾基亞制勝的關鍵所在。據IDC統計，諾基亞在印尼市場上的份額從2010年初的52%跌至今年初的24%。在發佈雙卡手機方面，諾基亞落到了規模較小的競爭對手的後面。這種手機綜合了兩個不同電信服務提供商的協議，從而讓消費者省了錢。

The loss of market share has weakened Nokia financially. In an effort to cut costs as its market position erodes, Nokia said it would cut 10,000 jobs in its mobile division by the end of next year. The cuts follow plans to eliminate about 14,000 jobs announced last year, but questions remained whether it would be enough.

市場份額的喪失削弱了諾基亞的財務實力。諾基亞說，由於公司的市場地位受到侵蝕，將在明年底之前削減1萬個移動部門工作崗位，以削減成本。而在此之前，諾基亞去年就已宣佈，打算削減1.4萬個工作崗位，但外界質疑此舉是否足夠有力。

Nokia's mobile devices division employs 53,000, compared with 20,500 at rival Motorola Mobility Holdings, bought last month by Google.

Reuters週四，諾基亞公司宣佈裁員1萬人。諾基亞移動產品部門現有僱員5.3萬名，其競爭對手摩托羅拉移動公司(Motorola Mobility Holdings)僅有僱員2.05萬名。後者上個月被谷歌收購。

On Thursday, Nokia warned that the operating loss at its mobile devices unit would be larger than it had previously thought, saying it would post a negative margin greater than 3%.

諾基亞週四警告說，移動產品部門的營業虧損將比之前估計的要大，該部門利潤率將低於負3%。

The company doesn't appear to be improving in the smartphone market either, saying competition had hit that business "to a somewhat greater extent than previously expected."

諾基亞在智能手機市場的狀況似乎也並無改善。該公司說，競爭對這塊業務產生的衝擊力度比之前預計的要大。

Nokia said it shipped more than 2 million Lumias world-wide in the first quarter, compared with Apple's 35 million iPhones. In Western Europe, the Lumia's biggest market, IDC estimates Nokia sold 980,000 Lumias - compared with 15.5 million Android phones, 7 million iPhones, and 2.5 million BlackBerrys.

諾基亞說，今年第一季度Lumia的全球發貨量超過200萬部，而蘋果iPhone同期發貨量爲3,500萬部。據IDC估計，諾基亞在西歐（Lumia的最大市場）出售了98萬部Lumia。相比之下，安卓手機在西歐賣出了1,550萬部，iPhone賣出了700萬部，黑莓手機250萬部。

Those sales numbers are hurting Microsoft as well. In the first quarter, Apple had 23% of the global market for smartphones, Android had 59%, and both were growing, according to IDC.

這些銷售數據同時也在衝擊着微軟。IDC數據顯示，今年第一季度，蘋果智能手機在全球佔據了23%的市場份額，安卓手機佔59%，這兩個比例還在不斷增長。

Microsoft's operating system, meanwhile, came in sixth place, powering just 2.2% of smartphones, down from 2.6% a year earlier. Nokia and Microsoft are aiming for a 10% share of the smartphone market, though they haven't put a timetable on that target.

此外，微軟的操作系統排名第六位，僅有2.2%的智能手機用的是這種系統，低於上年的2.6%。諾基亞和微軟目前均力爭在智能手機市場上獲得10%的份額，不過它們並沒有給出實現這個目標的時間表。

For now, Nokia and Microsoft still have the support of wireless carriers, which are looking for a competitor to Apple and Google. T-Mobile USA said its Nokia Lumia phone has been one of its five best-selling smartphones since January, and AT&T Inc. said it was pleased with sales of the device.

目前，諾基亞和微軟仍擁有無線運營商的支持，這些運營商正在尋找能跟蘋果和谷歌對抗的競爭者。T-Mobile USA說，諾基亞的Lumia手機是該公司今年1月以來最暢銷的五款智能手機之一。美國電話電報公司(AT&T Inc.)說，對Lumia的銷售情況感到滿意。

An important test for the company will come later this year when Nokia is expected to roll out a new smartphone based on the expected fall release of Windows Phone 8.

諾基亞將於今年晚些時候迎來重要考驗，預計該公司屆時將發佈一款搭載微軟Windows Phone 8系統的新智能手機。Windows Phone 8的預計發佈時間是今年秋季。

Nokia, however, hasn't been specific about when the new phones will launch. Until it sees more success in the market, it likely will grow more dependent on Microsoft's support.

不過，諾基亞尚未具體說明這款新手機的發佈時間。諾基亞在市場上取得更多成功之前，該公司可能會愈發依賴微軟的支持。