中國iPhone銷量下滑 蘋果13年增長神話終結

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple’s 13 years of continuous quarterly growth have finally ended.

舊金山——蘋果公司持續13年的每季度增長終於走到了盡頭。

The technology giant said on Tuesday that revenue for its second fiscal quarter, which ended in March, fell 13 percent to $50.6 billion as sales of its flagship product, the iPhone, fell, with little else to take its place. Net income fell 22 percent to $10.5 billion, or $1.90 a share.

週二，這家科技巨頭表示，截止今年3月份的第二財季，隨着其旗艦產品iPhone銷量下滑，又沒什麼其他產品頂上，公司營收下跌13%，至506億美元。淨利潤下挫22%，至105億美元，合每股1.90美元。

The results fell short of Wall Street expectations and Apple’s shares were down more than 7 percent in early after-hours trading.

由於季度業績不及華爾街預期，蘋果股價在盤後交易早期下跌逾7%。

Apple may be reaching the saturation point among potential customers in some countries, and other smartphone makers using Google’s Android operating system continue to challenge the company with powerful, lower-price devices. China, Apple’s second-largest market after the United States, is experiencing an economic slowdown and recently shut down Apple’s e-book and digital movie services in the country.

在一些國家的潛在用戶中，蘋果可能到達了飽和點。同時，採用谷歌Android操作系統的其他智能手機生產商，持續用性能強大、價格更低的設備對它發起挑戰。中國是僅次於美國的蘋果第二大市場，但它正在經歷經濟增長放緩，最近還關停了那裏的蘋果電子書和數字電影服務。

Sales fell faster in China than in any other region, down 26 percent compared to the previous year. And sales in the Americas were down 10 percent. Over all, Apple sold 16 percent fewer iPhones in the quarter compared to the same quarter last year.

在中國的銷售同比下降26%，幅度大於其他任何地區。在美洲的銷售下滑了10%。總體而言，蘋果本季度比去年同期少售出16%的iPhone。

Apple has high hopes for some of its consumer-oriented services, such as Apple Music and iCloud, as well as for its nascent Watch accessory, but those have yet to turn into giant businesses. The iPad tablet, once a powerful revenue generator for the company, has had disappointing sales in recent years, despite new, larger professional versions.

對於Apple Music和iCloud等面向消費者的服務，以及新推出的Watch配件，蘋果寄予了厚望，但這些業務尚未真正壯大。IPad平板曾經是一個強勁的收入來源，但儘管推出了新的、大屏的專業型號，近幾年來它的銷量仍令人失望。

Nevertheless, Apple still generates tens of billions of dollars of cash every year. And the company said Tuesday that it would pass along more of that money to its shareholders. Apple said it would raise its quarterly dividend 10 percent to 57 cents a share and increase the amount of stock it buys back to $175 billion.

雖說如此，蘋果每年的入賬仍然以百億美元計。公司週二表示，它將更多地把這些錢發放給股東。蘋果宣佈把季度股息從每股10美分提高到57美分，並把股票回購金額增加到1750億美元。

Apple’s service business was one bright spot in the quarter, with revenue up 20 percent. The company ended the quarter with $233 billion in cash and marketable securities.

蘋果的服務部門是本季度的一大亮點，部門營收增長20%。蘋果在季度末擁有2330億美元的現金和有價證券。

“When we look at the dynamics of the iPhone business, we feel very good,” Luca Maestri, Apple’s chief financial officer, said in a phone interview. Although unit sales were down 16 percent, “we continue to draw millions of people that are buying their first smartphone to iPhone.”

“從iPhone的業務發展細節來看，我們感覺上佳，”蘋果公司的首席財務官盧卡·馬埃斯特里(Luca Maestri)在接受電話採訪時說。儘管銷售下降了16%，“仍然有無數人在購買第一部智能手機時選擇了iPhone。”

Mr. Maestri acknowledged weakness in greater China, but he said the strong dollar played a big role there. In Hong Kong, whose currency is pegged to the dollar, sales fell sharply, but in mainland China, revenue was down only 11 percent.

馬埃斯特里承認蘋果在大中華區表現疲軟，但他表示，美元走強在其中發揮了很大作用。港元與美元掛鉤，蘋果在香港的銷售出現了大幅下挫，而在中國大陸，營收僅下滑了11%。

Analysts had expected Apple to report revenue of $52 billion and net income of $11 billion, or $2 a share, according to consensus estimates compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

標準普爾全球市場情報(S&P Global Market Intelligence)的資料顯示，分析師曾一致預期蘋果的季度營收爲520億美元，淨收入110億美元，合每股2美元。

In last year’s second fiscal quarter, Apple reported net income of $13.6 billion, or $2.33 a share, on revenue of $58 billion.

在去年第二財季，蘋果公司錄得營收580億美元，淨收入136億美元，合每股2.33美元。

Denny Fish, a portfolio manager at the Janus Global Technology Fund, said Tuesday that the fund sold some of its position in Apple during the first quarter, citing the company’s growth challenges and worries about its position in China.

駿利環球科技基金(Janus Global Technology Fund)的投資組合經理丹尼·菲什(Denny Fish)週二表示，該基金在第一季度出售了一些蘋果倉位，原因是它的增長面臨着挑戰，它在中國的狀況也令人擔憂。

Its newest smartphone, the four-inch iPhone SE, went on sale in late March, too late to affect the most recent quarterly results, but analysts hope to get more insight into how it is selling. Apple, which is based in Cupertino, Calif., is also expected to introduce other iPhones this year, which could give sales a fresh jolt.

蘋果最新款的智能手機是4英寸的iPhone SE。它在3月下旬上市銷售，還來不及對最近的季度業績產生影響，但分析師們希望能更深入地瞭解它的銷售狀況。蘋果公司總部設在加州庫比蒂諾，預計年內將推出其他iPhone型號，可能會給銷售增添新的動力。

The company was expected to provide more details of the impact on sales of its well-publicized battle with the federal government over unlocking encrypted iPhones. Apple argued that it was fighting for customer privacy and security, while the Justice Department contended that the company’s refusal to help was a “brand marketing strategy.”

在之前發生的加密iPhone解鎖事件中，蘋果與美國聯邦政府之間進行了廣爲人知的對抗。預計公司將提供更多細節，展示此事爲對其銷售的影響。蘋果認爲，拒絕爲政府提供幫助是在捍衛用戶的隱私和安全，而司法部稱，這是一種“品牌營銷策略”。