三星'智慧連線裝置'出貨量險勝蘋果

IDC has issued a Q4 report on shipments of what they call "smart connected devices," a category that includes desktop PCs, notebook PCs, tablets and smartphones.

國際資料公司（IDC）已經發布了第四季度報告，列出了所謂“智慧連線裝置”的出貨量。這個品類的裝置包括臺式電腦、膝上型電腦、平板電腦和智慧手機。

Total shipments last quarter came to 367.7 million units, IDC estimates, with most of the growth in tablets (up 78.4% over 2011) and smartphones (up 46.1%), while desktop and laptop PC shipments shrank (-4.1% and -3.4%, respectively).

國際資料公司預計，智慧連線裝置第四季度總出貨量達到了3.677億部，增長主要集中在平板電腦（2011年上升78.4%）和智慧手機（上升46.1%），而臺式和膝上型電腦出貨量則呈現負增長（分別為-4.1%和-3.4%）。

Apple (AAPL) lost the No. 1 spot to Samsung in this year's survey, but the race was closer than it might have been if it weren't for the raft of new products Apple shipped last quarter.

今年的調查顯示，三星（Samsung）已經超越了蘋果（Apple），成為第一。然而，倘若不是去年第四季度蘋果新品的大量出貨，雙方之間的差距就不會像現在這樣接近。

"After falling well behind Samsung early in 2012," writes IDC's Bob O'Donnell, "Apple came roaring back in [the] final quarter of the year thanks to its latest hits – the iPhone 5 and the iPad Mini – and reduced the market share gap to less than a single percentage point. The question moving forward will be whether or not Apple can maintain its hit parade against the juggernaut of Samsung."

國際資料公司鮑勃?歐唐納寫道：“鑑於2012年初與三星較大的差距，蘋果在去年最後一個季度憑藉新寵iPhone 5和iPad Mini捲土重來，並將市場份額差距縮小至不到一個百分點。今後的問題在於，蘋果的一枝獨秀的產品策略是否能夠抗衡三星的機海戰術。”

Almost lost in the race for first place is the fact that Others, with a 44.7% market share last quarter, dwarfed both Samsung (21.2%) and Apple (20.3%).

頭把交椅的爭奪幾乎令人無暇他顧，但事實上，“其他品牌”在此次調查中44.7%的份額遠超三星（21.2%）和蘋果（20.3%）。

NOTE: We have been critical in the past of IDC's methodology, given that they never explain how they can compare sales numbers that Apple releases with shipment numbers that Samsung doesn't. But even IDC was mystified by a report issued last week by CitiCorp's Glen Yeung that misquoted IDC to make Apple's tablet sales look worse than they were. According to IDC, Apple led the world in Q4 2012 with a 44% tablet market share, not the 38.8% that Yeung reported.

注：我們過去一直十分關注國際資料公司的統計方法，因為這家公司從來沒有解釋過他們是如何比較蘋果公佈的銷售資料與三星並未公佈的出貨量。但是，花旗銀行（CitiCorp）格蘭?楊上週發表的一篇報告甚至讓國際資料公司也陷入了困惑。這份報告錯誤地引用了國際資料公司的資料，目的是為了讓蘋果的平板銷售看起來比實際情況差。國際資料公司的資料顯示，2012年第四季度，蘋果以44%的市場份額統領著全球平板市場，而不是格蘭報告中所提到的38.8%。