小米躋身世界智能手機(jī)第三巨頭

 

小米躋身世界智能手機(jī)第三巨頭

HONG KONG — In China, the smartphone battle used to be Samsung versus Apple. But not anymore.

香港——在中國(guó)，智能手機(jī)之戰(zhàn)的雙方原本是三星(Samsung)與蘋(píng)果(Apple)?，F(xiàn)在情況變了。

Over the summer, a Chinese company, Xiaomi, took the No. 1 position in China’s competitive market and became the world’s third-largest phone maker in the process.

這個(gè)夏天，中國(guó)公司小米在競(jìng)爭(zhēng)激烈的中國(guó)市場(chǎng)上取得了第一名的位置，并且在這個(gè)過(guò)程中成了世界第三大手機(jī)制造商。

Founded in 2010 as a lean start-up to sell smartly designed phones at cheap prices over the Internet, Xiaomi was decidedly late to the game. Its first handset came out around the time of the iPhone 4S.

小米2010年成立之時(shí)只是一個(gè)薄弱的初創(chuàng)公司，通過(guò)互聯(lián)網(wǎng)以低廉的價(jià)格出售設(shè)計(jì)得體的手機(jī)。毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，在這場(chǎng)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)中，它來(lái)得太遲。它的第一款手機(jī)是在iPhone 4S上市前后推出的。

But a clever social media strategy and a business plan that emphasized selling services that work on the phone helped Xiaomi build frenzied support from young and trendy Chinese.

但是，利用聰明的社交媒體策略和強(qiáng)調(diào)銷(xiāo)售手機(jī)服務(wù)的商業(yè)計(jì)劃，小米獲得了中國(guó)時(shí)尚年輕人的熱烈追捧。

With people in China expected to buy 500 million smartphones in 2015 — more than three times as many as will be sold in the United States, according to the research firm IDC — Xiaomi is poised to cement its place as one of the most powerful phone makers in the world’s most important market.

據(jù)預(yù)計(jì)，中國(guó)人將在2015年購(gòu)買(mǎi)5億部智能手機(jī)——調(diào)查公司IDC表示，這將超出美國(guó)預(yù)計(jì)銷(xiāo)量的三倍——小米有望在世界最重要的市場(chǎng)上鞏固其名列最強(qiáng)大手機(jī)制造商的地位。

Now the company’s founders, who include the Chinese entrepreneur Li Jun and the former Google executive Lin Bin, hope that status will help them take their brand globally.

如今，包括中國(guó)企業(yè)家雷軍和前谷歌(Google)高管林斌在內(nèi)的公司創(chuàng)始人都希望，這個(gè)地位能幫他們帶領(lǐng)他們的品牌走向世界。

Though Xiaomi already sells internationally, next year will be the true test of whether it can continue its rise beyond China. Shunning markets like the United States and Europe, Mr. Lei and Mr. Lin are looking at huge developing countries like Brazil and India. And they hope to use e-commerce networks to sell cheap, high-quality phones and recreate their Chinese success.

小米已經(jīng)開(kāi)始在國(guó)際市場(chǎng)上銷(xiāo)售，但明年才是真正考驗(yàn)它能否繼續(xù)在中國(guó)以外市場(chǎng)發(fā)展的時(shí)候。雷軍和林斌回避美國(guó)和歐洲等市場(chǎng)，把目光投向了巴西和印度等龐大的發(fā)展中國(guó)家。他們希望能利用電子商務(wù)網(wǎng)絡(luò)來(lái)銷(xiāo)售質(zhì)優(yōu)價(jià)廉的手機(jī)，重現(xiàn)他們?cè)谥袊?guó)取得的成功。

But there are considerable challenges. Xiaomi does not yet have much of a patent portfolio, leaving it vulnerable to lawsuits from competitors. Last week, the company was temporarily blocked from India because of a patent complaint by the Swedish telecommunications manufacturer Ericsson. And other low-cost manufacturers from China have the same idea about pushing into those emerging markets.

不過(guò)，他們?nèi)匀幻媾R著巨大挑戰(zhàn)。小米目前還沒(méi)有多少專(zhuān)利資本，從而很容易遭到競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的起訴。上周，小米因?yàn)槿鸬渫ㄓ嵵圃焐虗?ài)立信(Ericsson)的專(zhuān)利投訴，暫時(shí)被印度市場(chǎng)阻攔在外。來(lái)自中國(guó)的其他廉價(jià)產(chǎn)品制造商同樣也想進(jìn)入新興市場(chǎng)。

“Selling the phone to users is a good start, but it’s really not the end of the business,” Mr. Lin said in a recent interview. “It’s actually the beginning of the business. It’s after the user buys the phone and starts using the phone that will generate extra value, to users and to us.”

“向用戶(hù)銷(xiāo)售手機(jī)產(chǎn)品只是一個(gè)好的開(kāi)始，但它并不是我們整個(gè)商業(yè)模式的全部，”林斌在最近的一次采訪中表示。“賣(mài)手機(jī)只是起點(diǎn)，用戶(hù)購(gòu)買(mǎi)了手機(jī)并開(kāi)始使用它的這個(gè)過(guò)程，才是對(duì)用戶(hù)以及對(duì)小米公司不斷產(chǎn)生增值的過(guò)程。”

Striking similarities between Xiaomi’s well-attended product unveiling ceremonies and Apple’s tightly choreographed media events have meant that Xiaomi is often described as the Apple of China — largely successful because, some experts say, it produces cheap knockoffs of Apple’s and Samsung’s high-end phones.

小米的新品發(fā)布會(huì)觀眾云集，和蘋(píng)果精心編排的媒體活動(dòng)存在驚人的相似性，所以小米經(jīng)常被稱(chēng)作中國(guó)的蘋(píng)果——有些專(zhuān)家稱(chēng)，它之所以非常成功是因?yàn)樗a(chǎn)的是蘋(píng)果和三星的高端手機(jī)的廉價(jià)仿制品。

Yet the company is more than a copycat. In its business model and marketing, Xiaomi has out-innovated all comers in China.

然而，小米不僅是家山寨公司。在商業(yè)模式和營(yíng)銷(xiāo)方面，小米的創(chuàng)新比中國(guó)其他市場(chǎng)參與者都多。

The online-first approach has earned Xiaomi the greatest accolade a company can receive in China: Its rivals are now copying it. The well-known telecommunications equipment makers Huawei and ZTE both have lines of phones they sell primarily online. Companies like OnePlus and Smartisan also focus on well-designed products with high-end components and sell them at a relatively low price.

這種網(wǎng)絡(luò)第一的策略為小米贏得了一家公司在中國(guó)能獲得的最高榮譽(yù)：它的對(duì)手正在效仿它。知名電信設(shè)備制造商華為和中興都擁有一些主要通過(guò)網(wǎng)絡(luò)銷(xiāo)售的手機(jī)產(chǎn)品線。一加和錘子科技等公司也開(kāi)始專(zhuān)注于使用高端配置、設(shè)計(jì)精良的產(chǎn)品，然后再以相對(duì)低廉的價(jià)格出售。

That imitation could prove dangerous. Analysts point out that Huawei and Lenovo can use their control of the manufacturing of parts that go into a phone to gain a cost advantage. And hipness is hard to maintain. The head of Smartisan, Luo Yonghao, for example, has made a name for his company with product announcements that resemble stand-up comedy routines. The events are so popular, the company charges admission.

事實(shí)可能會(huì)證明，這種模仿具有危險(xiǎn)性。分析人士指出，華為和聯(lián)想可以利用它們對(duì)手機(jī)部件生產(chǎn)的控制，來(lái)獲得成本優(yōu)勢(shì)。此外，保持最新潮是很困難的。例如，錘子科技老板羅永浩就利用類(lèi)似說(shuō)相聲的新品發(fā)布會(huì)為公司贏得了關(guān)注。這些活動(dòng)非常受歡迎，公司甚至?xí)杖∪雸?chǎng)費(fèi)。

To be sure, Xiaomi is treated with respect by its competitors. Li Nan, vice president of the rival Meizu, which began in the early 2000s by making digital music players and aims at customers slightly older and wealthier than Xiaomi’s, likens the devotion of Xiaomi supporters to a religion.

可以肯定，小米是受競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手尊敬的。對(duì)手之一魅族的副總裁李楠認(rèn)為，小米支持者的忠誠(chéng)就像對(duì)宗教信仰的虔誠(chéng)一樣。在21世紀(jì)初成立之時(shí)，魅族是一家制造數(shù)碼音樂(lè)播放器的公司，其目標(biāo)客戶(hù)比小米的用戶(hù)年紀(jì)稍長(zhǎng)，也更加富裕。

“Xiaomi fans have a high level of organization,” he said. “They love Xiaomi. It’s a form of idolatry.”

“小米的粉絲已經(jīng)是高度組織化的群體，”他說(shuō)。“他們愛(ài)小米。這是一種偶像崇拜。”

Han Yu, a 24-year-old studying for his master’s degree, is one of those idolaters. He, with tens of thousands of others, helps Xiaomi test its user interface by looking for bugs and offering suggestions. Mr. Han moderates several pages on the company’s online forum, which averages 200,000 posts a day and is where fans interact with the company.

24歲的在讀研究生韓宇就是一名小米的崇拜者。他和其他數(shù)以萬(wàn)計(jì)的崇拜者一起幫助小米測(cè)試用戶(hù)界面，尋找漏洞，提供建議。韓宇負(fù)責(zé)管理小米網(wǎng)絡(luò)論壇上的幾個(gè)版面，該論壇平均每天有20萬(wàn)個(gè)帖子，是小米粉絲與公司互動(dòng)的平臺(tái)。

Much of his personal life revolves around Xiaomi, and he says he has met many friends that way. He said he was honored when his suggestion to create a private photo folder was adopted on phones by Xiaomi.

韓宇的個(gè)人生活大部分都以小米為中心，他稱(chēng)自己通過(guò)這種方式認(rèn)識(shí)了很多朋友。他表示，小米采用了他提出的在手機(jī)上創(chuàng)建私人照片文件夾的建議，這讓他倍感榮幸。

“I really enjoy the sense of participation,” Mr. Han said.

韓宇說(shuō)，“我真的很享受這種參與的感覺(jué)。”

Though Xiaomi makes some money on phone sales, the company’s plan is to increase profitability by selling services like entertainment and apps through the phone. The company has also started to sell other devices, like a smart television, a tablet and a fitness band, that work on its finely tuned user interface, which it built atop Google’s Android operating system.

雖然小米通過(guò)賣(mài)手機(jī)掙了一些錢(qián)，但公司計(jì)劃通過(guò)手機(jī)出售娛樂(lè)內(nèi)容與應(yīng)用程序來(lái)增加利潤(rùn)。該公司還開(kāi)始出售智能電視、平板電腦、健身手環(huán)等設(shè)備，這些設(shè)備使用的用戶(hù)界面設(shè)計(jì)精良，都是以谷歌的Android操作系統(tǒng)為基礎(chǔ)開(kāi)發(fā)的。

Xiaomi’s marketing efforts still attract plenty of attention. After an executive meeting in December, Mr. Lin proposed a “planking” competition to management.

小米的營(yíng)銷(xiāo)舉措獲得了大量關(guān)注。今年12月，在舉行完管理會(huì)議后，林斌向管理層提議開(kāi)展“平板支撐”比賽。

Holding their bodies rigid in a push-up position, the executives looked markedly different from traditional Chinese executives, who are rarely seen outside formal conferences. Mr. Lin, who had a Xiaomi tablet perched on his back, eventually collapsed in exhaustion.

保持俯臥撐姿勢(shì)的高管們看起來(lái)與傳統(tǒng)的中國(guó)高管明顯不同，傳統(tǒng)高管很少在正式會(huì)議之外的場(chǎng)合露面。林斌做平板支撐時(shí)在背上放了一臺(tái)小米平板電腦，他最終疲憊不堪，倒在地上。

He lost, but the contest was an advertising victory. A photo of the competition quickly went out on social media and was shared on the service Weibo more than 3,000 times in the first 24 hours.

林斌輸了，但此次比賽是一次非常好的廣告宣傳。社交媒體上迅速出現(xiàn)了比賽的圖片，相關(guān)微博在頭24小時(shí)里被轉(zhuǎn)發(fā)了逾3000次。

For all its success, Xiaomi’s biggest challenge looms outside China. In September 2013, the company hired Hugo Barra, an old friend of Mr. Lin’s from Google, to lead the company’s international expansion. Using social media to spread word of product launches and parties, Mr. Barra has opened a number of markets in Asia.

盡管取得了巨大成功，小米面臨的最大的挑戰(zhàn)是在國(guó)外。2013年9月，公司聘用了林斌在谷歌的老朋友雨果·巴拉(Hugo Barra)負(fù)責(zé)開(kāi)拓國(guó)際市場(chǎng)。巴拉利用社交媒體公布有關(guān)產(chǎn)品發(fā)布及聚會(huì)的信息，在亞洲開(kāi)拓了一些市場(chǎng)。

Though some aspects of Xiaomi’s business model play on the peculiarities of China, Mr. Lin said he believes it can work abroad. In particular, he said the company will target markets with large populations, a developed e-commerce infrastructure and weak telecom carriers. The last point is important because if large service providers give consumers significant handset subsidies, the edge Xiaomi gains by selling cheap phones evaporates.

雖然小米商業(yè)模式的某些方面利用了中國(guó)的特性，林斌表示，他相信這種模式也適用于國(guó)外。尤其是，他表示，該公司將瞄準(zhǔn)人口眾多、電子商務(wù)基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施發(fā)達(dá)、電信運(yùn)營(yíng)商薄弱的市場(chǎng)。最后一點(diǎn)非常重要，因?yàn)槿绻笮头?wù)供應(yīng)商給予消費(fèi)者大量手機(jī)補(bǔ)貼，小米通過(guò)出售廉價(jià)手機(jī)獲得的優(yōu)勢(shì)就會(huì)減弱。

“I would put China No. 1, India two, Indonesia three, then hopefully follow with Brazil and Russia,” he said. “The developed countries with tightly controlled carrier networks are not in the top five.”

“我會(huì)把中國(guó)市場(chǎng)排在第一位，其次是印度和印度尼西亞，接下來(lái)希望進(jìn)入巴西和俄羅斯，”他說(shuō)。“那些運(yùn)營(yíng)商受到嚴(yán)格控制的發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家，不在我們?nèi)Χǖ暮Ｍ馐袌?chǎng)前五名之列。”

The countries Mr. Lin identifies all have large populations who still have not bought their first smartphone, meaning Xiaomi has a chance. Still, analysts say the company will have to be skillful in adapting to the local demands of each market.

在林斌提到的這些國(guó)家中，有很多尚未購(gòu)買(mǎi)智能手機(jī)的人，這對(duì)小米來(lái)說(shuō)是一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)。但分析人士表示，該公司需要巧妙地迎合當(dāng)?shù)厥袌?chǎng)的需求。

In India, for example, Xiaomi, before the court order blocking it, had the foresight to cooperate with the local e-commerce firm Flipkart. Nonetheless, it must square off against several local Indian phone makers who are fighting to become homegrown heroes, much like Xiaomi.

例如，小米在印度法庭對(duì)其下達(dá)禁令之前，有預(yù)見(jiàn)性地與當(dāng)?shù)仉娮由虅?wù)公司Flipkart展開(kāi)合作。盡管如此，小米必須與印度當(dāng)?shù)氐膸准沂謾C(jī)制造商展開(kāi)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，這些公司正在努力成為像小米一樣的本土英雄。

For now, investors like its chances.

就目前而言，投資人喜歡這種機(jī)會(huì)。