中移動與蘋果合作中的價格角力

While China Mobile’s more than 760m subscribers have finally received confirmation that the iPhone 5s and 5c will soon be sold by the world’s biggest mobile operator, they have yet to find out one key detail: the price.

中國移動(China Mobile)超過7.6億名用戶終於得到證實：這家世界最大的移動通信運營商將很快開售iPhone 5s和5c。但他們尚不清楚一個關鍵問題：價格。

That number will not just be of interest to Apple enthusiasts in China. It will also reveal which of the two companies secured a better bargain after months-long negotiations leading up to the deal announced on Sunday night.

那個數字將不只是中國的“果粉”關心的事情。它還將向我們揭示，在週日晚間協議宣佈之前歷時數月的談判中，究竟哪一方佔到了便宜。

Operators such as China Mobile traditionally agree to subsidise part of the cost of popular handsets, but some are now trying to end that practice.

中國移動等運營商以往通常會同意補貼暢銷機型的部分購機費用，但一些運營商眼下已開始嘗試終結這種局面。

T-Mobile USA recently began replacing smartphones subsidies with mobile device financing plans, while Randall Stephenson, chief executive of AT&T, said that as smartphones become ubiquitous in more mature markets such as the US, “the model has to change. You can’t afford to subsidise devices like that”.

T-Mobile USA近期開始用移動設備融資方案取代智能手機補貼計劃，而AT&T首席執行官蘭德爾•斯蒂芬森(Randall Stephenson)表示，由於智能手機在美國等較爲成熟的市場已普及，“這種模式必須改變，因爲我們無力像這樣繼續補貼設備”。

But in China, where smartphone penetration remains lower, analysts see China Mobile’s iPhone subsidy as a battle of wills.

但分析人士認爲，在智能手機普及率仍然較低的中國，中國移動的iPhone補貼是一場意志的較量。

“China Mobile feels that the entire universe should kneel before them given their scale and I don’t think that’s an unwarranted view,” said one investment bank analyst.

一名投行分析師說：“中國移動認爲，憑自己的龐大規模，整個世界都應該對自己俯首稱臣。我覺得這種看法也不無道理。”

“It’s just that Apple sees a potentially devastating domino effect if they cut a generous deal with China Mobile that SK Telecom wants and then Verizon and other operators too.”

他接着說：“只是蘋果(Apple)認爲，如果它在與中國移動的交易中慷慨讓步，可能會產生極具破壞性的多米諾骨牌效應，使得SK電訊(SK Telecom)和Verizon等其他運營商也紛紛要求獲得同樣的待遇。”

Some analysts warn that its push into 4G services and phones could cost China Mobile, which already has said it will spend more on subsidies next year than the Rmb27bn ($4.5bn) it spent this year, despite a slowdown in sales growth of high-end phones.

一些分析人士警告稱，進軍4G業務和手機可能讓中國移動付出高昂成本。中國移動已表示明年的補貼支出將高於今年的270億元人民幣（45億美元），儘管高端手機銷售業績增長已放緩。

Shares in China Mobile rose 0.8 per cent yesterday in Hong Kong.

在香港上市的中國移動股價昨日上揚0.8%。

Barclays says the company’s “aggressive” plans to build its 4G network and sell compatible handsets including the iPhone, while boosting handset sales, could hurt profitability.

巴克萊(Barclays)表示，中國移動興建4G網絡和銷售兼容機型（包括iPhone）的“激進”計劃，雖然能提高手機銷售業績，但可能損害其盈利能力。

State-run China Mobile sees the distribution deal with Apple as an important endorsement of the new technological standard, TD-LTE, underpinning its new 4G network. Most international 4G operators use a rival standard, FDD-LTE.

國有的中國移動把與蘋果的經銷協議視爲對TD-LTE新技術標準的重要認可。TD-LTE是中國移動4G新網絡的核心，而國際上的4G運營商大部分使用FDD-LTE標準。

“The collaboration between Apple and China Mobile will give a big boost to the development of China’s homegrown 4G/TD-LTE technology,” the Chinese company said.

中國移動表示：“蘋果和中國移動的合作將大大促進中國本土4G/TD-LTE技術的發展。”

For Apple, the mere fact that an agreement has been reached will help salvage what had been building up to be an awful year for the California technology company in the world’s largest telecoms market.

今年，在中國這個全球最大的電信市場上，美國加州科技企業蘋果經歷了糟糕的一年，但僅憑能與中國移動達成協議本身，便有助於挽回這一局面。

In April, Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, was forced to apologise for “misunderstandings” after his company was targeted by China’s state broadcaster CCTV for alleged failings related to customer service and communication with domestic media outlets.

今年4月，中國國家電視臺中央電視臺進行了集中報道，稱蘋果涉嫌在客戶服務和與中國本土媒體溝通方面存在失當，蘋果首席執行官蒂姆•庫克(Tim Cook)後被迫爲一些“誤會”道歉。

Apple’s global launch of the 5s and cheaper 5c also appeared to disappoint initially. In addition to the lack of a distribution deal with China Mobile, Apple put a higher than expected Rmb4,488 price tag on the 5c.

蘋果的iPhone 5s和廉價版iPhone 5c面向全球的發售最初似乎也令人失望。除了沒有與中國移動達成經銷協議之外，蘋果還將iPhone 5c定價爲4488元人民幣，高於人們的預期。

That appeared to set the stage for further erosion of Apple’s market position in China, which had been undercut by international rivals including Samsung Electronics and a host of cut-price domestic brands, such as Xiaomi’s popular “Red Rice” handset.

這似乎爲蘋果的競爭對手進一步蠶食蘋果在華市場份額創造了有利條件。蘋果的一些國際競爭對手（例如三星電子(Samsung Electronics)）和多家價格低廉的中國本土廠商（如生產熱銷“紅米”手機的小米），已然搶佔了蘋果的部分市場份額。

“Enormous business gets done with Apple here but it is moving quite quickly into Samsung,” Greg Foran, head of Walmart’s China operations, told reporters last week during a tour of a Sam’s Club retail outlet in Beijing.

上週在參觀北京山姆會員店(Sam’s Club)的活動上，沃爾瑪(Walmart)中國區總裁高福瀾(Greg Foran)對記者表示：“蘋果過去在中國業務量巨大，但眼下它市場份額正在快速地流向三星。”

But initial surveys suggest the 5s and 5c devices could be turning the tide back in Apple’s favour.

但最初的調查顯示，iPhone 5s和5c可能讓形勢重新變得有利於蘋果。

Counterpoint, a market research firm, estimates Apple’s share of the China smartphone market hit 12 per cent in October, having been stuck below 5 per cent for the previous six months. Three of the top four selling models in October were iPhones.

市場研究公司Counterpoint估計，蘋果在中國智能手機市場所佔份額在10月份達到了12%，而在此前的6個月裏一直不超過5%。10月份最暢銷的四款機型中有三款爲iPhone。

China Mobile has estimated that more than 45m iPhone users are on its network, but have had to put up with poor performance owing to the device’s incompatibility with the homegrown 3G standard.

據中國移動估計，有逾4500萬iPhone用戶在使用移動的網絡，但因iPhone不兼容中國自主研發的3G標準，這些用戶必須忍受糟糕的體驗。

China Mobile says the new 5s and 5c iPhones will resolve the compatibility issues. But some potential customers at Apple’s flagship store remained wary yesterday. “I won’t use the 4G iPhone because I’m not sure if the connection will be stable,” said one China Unicom 3G subscriber who gave only his surname, Liu. “I don’t want to be the first one to try it.”

中國移動表示，新的iPhone 5s和5c將解決兼容性問題。但昨天在蘋果旗艦店，一些接受採訪的潛在顧客仍然對此心存警惕。“我不打算使用4G的iPhone，因爲不清楚連接是否穩定，”一位只願意透露自己姓劉的中國聯通(China Unicom) 3G用戶表示，“我不想當第一個吃螃蟹的人。”