在華投資研發(fā)尚難逆轉(zhuǎn)蘋果衰勢

Apple is to launch two new research and development (R&D) facilities in China, aiming to expand its presence in this burgeoning consumer market and facilitate closer working relationships with some of the world’s leading consumer electronics and hardware manufacturers. Whether this investment will reverse the trend of falling revenues, however, remains to be seen.

蘋果(Apple)將在中國設立兩個研發(fā)機構(gòu)，旨在擴大其在這個蓬勃發(fā)展的消費市場的影響力，并推動其與一些世界領(lǐng)先的消費電子和硬件制造商建立更緊密的工作關(guān)系。然而，對于這一投資能否逆轉(zhuǎn)蘋果收入下滑的趨勢，還有待觀察。

In September, it was revealed that Apple is planning to open a $45m research centre in Beijing, employing 500 people tasked with the development of innovative hardware. One month later, it was announced that a further R&D facility will go ahead in Shenzhen, Guangdong, an area often described as China’s ‘Silicon Valley’.While locating in Beijing is a somewhat surprising decision, due to its distance from the main development hubs, Shenzhen is a more predictable choice and much closer to tech companies such as Huawei, Tencent and Baidu. The company has not yet announced how many employees will be based at the Shenzhen facility.

今年9月，蘋果宣布計劃在北京設立一個投資4500萬美元的研發(fā)中心并雇傭500名員工，負責開發(fā)創(chuàng)新硬件。一個月后，蘋果宣布將在有中國“硅谷”之稱的廣東省深圳市設立第二個研發(fā)機構(gòu)。考慮到北京與主要的研發(fā)中心相距遙遠，蘋果研發(fā)中心選址北京有些令人驚訝，深圳則是一個更可預測的選擇，這里距離華為(Huawei)、騰訊(Tencent)和百度(Baidu)也近得多。蘋果還未宣布將有多少名員工在深圳研發(fā)中心工作。

Despite some uncertainty about employee numbers, the scale of Apple’s R&D investment in China is unlikely to challenge its Chinese competitors significantly. According to data sourced from the Market Research Centre SINO for the first half of 2016, two of Apple’s main competitors – Huawei and OPPO – both saw sales volumes increase over this period.

盡管員工人數(shù)還存在一些不確定性，但蘋果在中國的研發(fā)投資不太可能在規(guī)模上對其中國競爭對手構(gòu)成重大挑戰(zhàn)。根據(jù)賽諾市場研究(Sino Market Research)的數(shù)據(jù)，蘋果的兩大競爭對手——華為和OPPO在2016年上半年銷售量都上升了。

Vivo, another Chinese multinational smartphone company, also generated sales revenues similar to those of Apple in the first half of the year. Bearing in mind that Huawei Mobile has more than 20,000 R&D engineers at its headquarters in Shenzhen, and Vivo has around 4,000, it is clear that Apple’s investment is unlikely to cause many ripples.

另一家中國跨國智能手機企業(yè)VIVO在今年上半年的銷售收入也可以與蘋果比肩。鑒于華為的移動業(yè)務在其深圳總部雇傭了逾2萬名研發(fā)工程師，VIVO也雇傭了約4000名研發(fā)工程師，顯然蘋果的投資不太可能引發(fā)多少漣漪。

One of the main reasons for Apple’s R&D investment is probably diplomacy. The Chinese government is keen to foster home-grown innovation and while Western businesses are welcome, particularly where they bring significant knowledge and expertise, they also need to invest to secure their position in the marketplace.

蘋果在中國進行研發(fā)投資的主要原因之一很可能是外交。中國政府熱衷于鼓勵本土創(chuàng)新，盡管西方企業(yè)受到歡迎，尤其是在它們帶來重要知識和專業(yè)訣竅的領(lǐng)域，但它們也需要進行投資來確保自己的市場地位。

Apple may also have some making up to do with the Chinese government, following the media regulator’s decision to order the closure of its iBooks and iTunes stores earlier this year.

蘋果可能也需要修復與中國政府的關(guān)系，此前中國的媒體監(jiān)管機構(gòu)在今年早些時候做出決定，責令蘋果關(guān)閉iTunes影片和iBooks商店服務。

Apple’s R&D investment in China is not just about offsets, however. With sales in China falling away year-on-year the only route to growth is to collaborate and work more closely with manufacturing partners; drawing on the fast-developing resource of R&D talent in the territory. The sheer force of competition developing in China’s consumer electronics sector makes investment in the area essential, not to mention the opportunity it presents to tap into local talent.

然而，蘋果在中國的研發(fā)投資不僅僅是為了修復關(guān)系。隨著蘋果在中國的銷售同比下降，唯一的增長之道是與制造業(yè)伙伴更緊密地協(xié)調(diào)合作;利用本地快速增長的研發(fā)人才資源。中國消費電子行業(yè)日趨激烈的競爭讓投資該領(lǐng)域變得不可或缺，更不必說利用當?shù)厝瞬艓淼臋C遇。

This is another area where Apple will need to compete aggressively. To attract the best people, it will need to offer good salaries and incentives. Market surveys have shown that large domestic companies such as Huawei and Alibaba are the employers of choice for graduates. While Western companies are known to provide stable employment on reasonable terms, prospects for career development are perceived to be more limited. Apple will need to counter such perceptions to succeed in attracting engineering graduates to its new R&D facilities.

這是蘋果需要積極競爭的另一個領(lǐng)域。為了吸引最優(yōu)秀的人才，蘋果需要提供優(yōu)厚的薪資和獎勵。市場調(diào)查表明，華為和阿里巴巴(Alibaba)等大型國內(nèi)企業(yè)是畢業(yè)生的首選雇主。盡管西方企業(yè)在以合理條件提供穩(wěn)定就業(yè)方面名聲不錯，但這些企業(yè)的職業(yè)發(fā)展前景被認為更加有限。蘋果需要對抗這種認知，這樣才能成功地吸引工程專業(yè)畢業(yè)生到該公司的新研發(fā)機構(gòu)就職。

For one of the world’s most valuable brand names, increasing its operational presence in China could pose cultural and reputational issues, which will need to be managed carefully. The leading Chinese tech companies have a well-established, long-hours culture, which is unlikely to gel with an ethos that promotes work-life balance.

作為世界上最有價值的品牌之一，增多在中國的業(yè)務活動可能會帶來文化和聲譽方面的問題，這些問題需要謹慎管理。中國國內(nèi)主要科技公司都有根深蒂固的加班文化，不太可能與推崇工作/生活平衡的價值觀融合。

Apple’s decision to make these R&D investments in China is recognition of the importance of the Chinese marketplace and the wealth of talent that is emerging from its rapidly-growing consumer electronics sector. Whether it will be enough to address sliding sales and position the brand for market growth is uncertain, but the company will be hoping it sparks a new era of global cooperation and innovation.

蘋果決定在中國進行這些研發(fā)投資，表明蘋果認識到中國市場很重要，而且中國快速發(fā)展的消費電子業(yè)涌現(xiàn)出豐富的人才資源。尚不確定這是否足以應對蘋果的銷售下滑，并使蘋果品牌定位于市場增長，但該公司將會希望此舉開啟一個全球合作和創(chuàng)新的新時代。

Dominic Jephcott is Chief Executive Officer of Vendigital, a firm of supply chain and procurement specialists. He is based in Hong Kong.

多米尼克•杰夫科特(Dominic Jephcott)是供應鏈和采購公司Vendigital的首席執(zhí)行官。他常駐香港。