经销商和代销商 中国手机制造商与经销商需挑战高端层次

中国手机制造商与经销商需挑战高端层次  

Xi Guohua will not have to join any queues to get his iPhone. The China Mobile chairman was given one by Apple chief Tim Cook. Friday sees the launch of the iPhone on the Chinese neork
with its mind-boggling 750m subscriber base. But the iPhone’s moment in the world’s biggest market es just as the local petition is gearing up. If
as Apple’s (and Samsung’s) margins suggest
even high-end smartphones are being less profitable
what are the likes of Huawei
Lenovo and Xiaomi thinking?
奚国华用不着排队就得到了一台iPhone。这位中国移动(China Mobile)董事长刚得到苹果(Apple)首席执行官蒂姆?库克(Tim Cook)送的一部iPhone。本周五，中国移动版iPhone正式发售，而该公司用户总数是惊人的7.5亿。不过，iPhone在世界最大的市场迎来激动人心的时刻之际，正是本土竞争加剧之时。如果连高端智能手机的利润率都会下降的话——就像苹果和三星(Samsung)的利润率所体现的那样，那么像华为(Huawei)、联想(Lenovo)和小米(Xiaomi)这样的生产商，又该作何感想呢？
Combined
China’s top 10 makers expect to shift more than 400m phones this year
a 50 per cent increase on 2013. About 440m smartphones will be sold in China in 2014
according to Credit Suisse – a 25 per cent jump. That includes Apple
Samsung and other top-tier makers
implying the home brands must also be aiming for other emerging markets
where sales are expected to rise a third
to 470m Chinese makers often have high-end ambitions
but their bread and butter is in the low- and mid-range phones that rule emerging markets.
Plentiful demand is one thing
making money is another. Apple and Samsung profit from using their scale and brands to cut costs and demand top dollar. Low-end phones cost far less to make. The cost of producing a so-so brand 4.7’’ screen phone could be as low as $94
Credit Suisse reckons
pared with $266 for Samsung’s Galaxy S4. But that cheap phone sells for $122
versus $554 for Samsung’s smash hit. That is a 10 times difference in gross profit. Sure
moditisation will squeeze Samsung and Apple
but it will not entirely kill their pricing power. If consumers happily pay premiums for cigarettes and branded water
it is not hard to see value in a strong phone brand.
庞大的需求是一回事，赚钱是另一回事。苹果和三星的盈利法宝是利用规模和品牌来削减成本，并让消费者为其产品付尽可能高的价钱。低端手机的成本低得多。瑞信估计，生产一部4.7英寸、品牌一般的手机，最低只需94美元。相比之下，三星Galaxy S4的生产成本是266美元。而三星这款热卖机的售价是554美元，前面那款便宜机仅售122美元，二者毛利相差10倍。当然，产品大众化会挤压三星和苹果的利润，但并不会完全使其丧失定价能力。既然消费者会乐于为香菸和品牌饮用水支付高价，一个强大的手机品牌的价值也就不难明白。
Chinese makers could try taking on Samsung and Apple by building rival brands – but ask HTC about the risks in that. The jump in this year’s shipments implies they are instead seeking scale in order to squeeze suppliers and grind out profits. It is the better plan
but it will not make much money
either.