蘋果能不能攻下中國
????與此同時(shí),蘋果也正在采用更巧妙、更細(xì)致的方式進(jìn)一步深入滲透中國市場。新版iOS 6操作系統(tǒng)就納入了像新浪微博這樣的流行網(wǎng)站,這是多少與Twitter類似的微博客。而Mac OS 10.8的升級中則包括了多個(gè)流行的普通話網(wǎng)站,如優(yōu)酷(Youku)這類視頻網(wǎng)站。盡管蘋果在市場覆蓋面上不如其中國對手和三星,但它也大幅增加了授權(quán)銷售蘋果產(chǎn)品的店鋪:現(xiàn)在中國能買到iPhone的地方達(dá)到了11,000處,比去年大幅上升了138%。這一大舉擴(kuò)張的勢頭顯然正在繼續(xù)。上海的一個(gè)郊區(qū)就號(hào)稱擁有兩家蘋果授權(quán)店。其中一個(gè)店的經(jīng)理謝禮均(音)稱:“生意一直很好。” ????謝先生的店位于六所高校附近,毫無疑問那些年輕的大學(xué)生會(huì)受到蘋果產(chǎn)品的強(qiáng)烈吸引,因?yàn)槟苡蒙线@么一款全球知名的明星產(chǎn)品能充分體驗(yàn)品牌的價(jià)值。華為的一位高管近期承認(rèn)這種追捧之風(fēng)“讓我們有點(diǎn)惱火。我的意思是,我們尊重蘋果和其他品牌,但是拜托,我們也能他們一爭高下?!?/p> ????但是,華為發(fā)布新手機(jī),或是三星推出新款平板電腦時(shí),他們的零售店外可沒人排長隊(duì),也沒有騷動(dòng)不安的客戶,而今年年初在北京的蘋果專賣店外卻恰恰是這幅景象(蘋果大獲成功的另一個(gè)現(xiàn)象是:到處都有iPhone和iPod的仿制品——甚至有怪怪的、像極了蘋果專賣店的仿冒店)。蘋果的形象及其優(yōu)質(zhì)產(chǎn)品使它在中國僅用了幾年時(shí)間就獲得了如日中天的地位,它不需要占據(jù)最大的市場份額就能賺大錢。蒂姆?庫克并沒有給出具體時(shí)間表,但他并沒有說錯(cuò):隨著中國人的收入不斷增加,中產(chǎn)階級不斷壯大,中國最終會(huì)成為蘋果最大的市場。之后,蘋果也許真的不可限量。 ????記者:奧馬?阿克塔 ????譯者:清遠(yuǎn) |
????Meanwhile Apple is moving in smaller, smart ways to further immerse itself in the China market. The new iOS 6 operating system integrates popular sites in China like Sina Weibo, the microblog that's more or less the equivalent of Twitter. And the Mac OS 10.8 upgrade includes a package of popular Mandarin sites, including Youku, a video destination. And while it lacks the massive reach of its Chinese competitors and Samsung, Apple has dramatically expanded the number of stores it permits to sell its devices; there are 11,000 places in China to buy the iPhone, up 138% from last year. The aggressive expansion plainly continues. One Shanghai suburb boasts two Apple licensee stores. "Business has been very good," says Xie Li-jun, the manager of one of the stores. ????Xie's store is located near six college campuses, and there's no question that young Chinese are drawn to Apple products for the badge value that comes from carrying one of the globe's iconic devices. One Huawei executive recently confessed that this buzz "drives us a little nuts. I mean, we respect Apple and all, but please, we can compete with them." ????But there are no queues and jostling customers at retail outlets when Huawei releases a new phone or even when Samsung launches a new tablet, as there were outside the Apple store in Beijing earlier this year. (Another sign of Apple's success: iPhone and iPod knockoffs are everywhere -- there are even fake Apple stores that look eerily like the real thing.) Apple's image and the excellence of its products have already made it potent in China in just a few years' time, and the company doesn't necessarily need to have the largest market share to make significant money in the market. Tim Cook doesn't put a date on it, but make no mistake: As incomes grow over time here, and as the middle class continues to expand, China will eventually be Apple's biggest market. And after that, well, maybe the sky is the limit. ????--Reporter associate: Omar Akhtar |