最让苹果感到不安的对手

苹果在它的多数市场领域可能都傲视同侪，但即使这家最大、最猛和最强的公司，也有让其感到不安的对手，这些对手有相当的机会取而代之。无疑，韩国三星电子可能对其威胁最大，有望从苹果手中夺走全球最大消费电子厂商的桂冠。 我没有和苹果说过这些，但其最近的举动清楚表明它可能比较担忧哪家对手。(苹果是全球按市值排名最大的电子公司，几乎不回采访电话，而且肯定不屑于评论诸如“你们最害怕哪家公司”之类的问题。) 例如，据彭博通讯社报道，苹果上周向美国国际贸易委员会(ITC)提交起诉书，要求严禁三星智能手机和平板电脑进入美国。这两家公司一直针锋相对，在多家法院控告对方侵犯自己的专利。 苹果请求ITC调查三星电子及其子公司在美国的行为。苹果的目的就是加大对三星的压力，最好能削弱三星打入其获利比较丰厚的市场的能力。三星反戈一击，请求ITC禁止苹果iPhone和iPad进入美国市场，声称这两种产品都侵犯了三星的专利。

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想像一下，如果其中一家公司赢得官司，其对手会是什么下场。苹果iPad和iPhone统治着市场，遥遥领先于其它竞争产品。而三星正在稳步壮大，尽管相应地挤压了摩托罗拉、诺基亚和Research in Motion(RIM)等对手的份额。最终，包括平板电脑和智能手机的三星Galaxy系列产品，将冲击苹果的市场份额，即使只是延缓市场接受苹果产品的速度。 这种情形可能已经正在发生。据市场调研公司ComScore，最近几个月，采用谷歌安卓操作系统的手机在美国取得领先地位，领先距其最近的对手苹果iOS超过10个百分点。在截止到5月31日的三个月，安卓占所有美国智能手机平台的38.1%，高于截止于2月28日三个月的33%。苹果排名第二，份额从25.2%上升到26.6%。RIM的份额从28.9%降至24.7%，而微软的份额也从7.7%降到了5.8%。 本文下一页：乔布斯的眼中钉目前只有他 本文授权编译自EBN Online，版权所有，谢绝转载 参考英文原文：Which Company Does Apple Fear the Most? By Bolaji Ojo

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{pagination} 乔布斯的眼中钉目前只有他 在美国市场，三星的移动用户实际上多于苹果。在ComScore研究的时间段内，苹果实际上落在了LG和摩托罗拉的后面。在截止于5月31日的三个月，三星以24.8%的份额处于领先地位，其后的LG份额是21.1%，摩托罗拉份额是15.1%，苹果份额是8.7%。 由于三星同样财力雄厚，而且能够内部采购元件，所以它决定进入平板电脑市场无疑让苹果感到浑身不自在。苹果必须从外部采购全部元件，而三星则能够直接通过旗下的事业部购买电子元件。这可能使三星更能保证元件供应，而元件供应问题一直是苹果的隐忧。 供应链为什么会感到担忧？这两大巨头相斗，将挤压那些资源不足的小厂商，而且肯定会破坏采购环境。元件价格将会上涨，也可能导致供应短缺。 我认为苹果高管不会太在意Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM)。苹果首席执行官乔布斯已经把这家黑莓手机生产商排除在视线之外，几个季度前他在与分析师一起召开的一个电话会议上指出，RIM不可能再追上来。他说得对。RIM不仅在智能手机领域急剧下滑，而且其Playbook平板电脑也没有真正轰动市场。 摩托罗拉同样没有对苹果的市场份额产生过什么冲击，尽管其处境要好于两年以前。同时，诺基亚正在进行重大重组，可能会因此大伤元气。这让三星成为苹果最应担心的公司。而且这家韩国公司也知道这点。据彭博报道，三星在回击苹果最近提起的诉讼时表示，这起案件“一刻也不会影响三星继续出售竞争产品的能力”。 苹果一早就知道这点，但该他们仍将积极推行产品创新策略和采取法律行动。因为只要能拖慢三星前进的速度，就是值得庆贺的。 编译：Luffy Liu 本文授权编译自EBN Online，版权所有，谢绝转载 参考英文原文：Which Company Does Apple Fear the Most? By Bolaji Ojo

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• 智能手机平台之战，Android逐渐超前iOSoSzesmc

{pagination} Which Company Does Apple Fear the Most? Bolaji Ojo Apple Inc. may be the top dog in most of its market segments, but even the biggest, fiercest, and most competitive company has a secret list of companies it knows has a fair chance of displacing it. Without a doubt, Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is probably the most likely contender for Apple's crown as the world's biggest consumer electronics company. I didn't speak with Apple about this (the world's biggest electronics company by market value hardly returns phone calls, and certainly won't comment on a question like "Which company do you fear the most?"), but recent actions demonstrate, unequivocally, which of its closest rivals it might be more concerned about. On Monday, for instance, Apple filed a complaint asking the US International Trade Commission to "block imports of Samsung Electronics Co. smartphone and tablet computers," according to a News report. The move was in continuation of tit-for-tat actions by the two companies, which have filed patent infringement lawsuits against each other in various courts. Apple wants the ITC to "conduct an investigation" into the activities of Samsung Electronics and its subsidiaries in the United States. The goal is to increase pressure on Samsung and potentially cripple its ability to make inroads into some of Apple's more lucrative markets. In turn, Samsung has requested the ITC halt the importation of Apple's iPhone and iPads, both of which the Korean company claim violate certain of its patents. Imagine the consequences for the opposing company if either party were to prevail. Apple's iPad and iPhone dominate the market and are racing ahead of rival devices, while Samsung is making steady gains -- albeit at the expense of competitors such as Motorola Mobility, Nokia, and Research in Motion. Eventually, Samsung's Galaxy series products, including its tablet PCs and smartphones, will make a dent on Apple's market share, even if only by slowing down the rival products' adoption rate. This may already be happening. In recent months, Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android operating system smartphones have leaped ahead of competing devices in the United States and have surpassed the closest rival, Apple iOS, by more than 10 percentage points, according to researcher ComScore. In the three months ended May 31, Android accounted for 38.1 percent of all US smartphone platforms, up from 33 percent in the three months ended February 28. Apple followed with 26.6 percent, up from 25.2 percent. RIM's share fell during the same period to 24.7 percent from 28.9 percent, while Microsoft's also declined to 5.8 percent from 7.7 percent. (Click here for details of the ComScore report.) Samsung actually has more mobile subscribers in the US than Apple. In fact, Apple trailed LG and Motorola in the period covered by ComScore. Samsung had a market-leading 24.8 percent during the three months ended May 31 and was followed by LG with 21.1 percent, Motorola with 15.1 percent, and Apple with 8.7 percent. Samsung's decision to enter the tablet PC market is no doubt a source of concern at Apple, considering the Korean company's equally deep pocket and position as a component supplier to its equipment businesses. While Apple must source all components externally, Samsung is able to secure electronics parts directly through some of its business units, and may be in a better position to guarantee supply, which is a source of constant worry at its American counterpart. Why should any of this concern the supply chain? The struggle of these two elephants will squeeze smaller players that may not have sufficient resources, and the rivalry is certain to poison the procurement environment. Component pricing will go up, and shortages may also result. I don't think Apple executives spend much time worrying about Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; Toronto: RIM) and Motorola Mobility Inc. (NYSE: MMI). Apple CEO Steve Jobs had in the past dismissed the Blackberry maker, noting during a conference call with analysts several quarters ago that RIM was unlikely to catch up again. He is right. Not only has RIM slipped badly in the smartphone sector, but its Playbook tablet hasn't exactly wowed the market. Motorola, too, hasn't made any impact on Apple's market share, although it is a better rival today than it was only two years ago. Meanwhile, Nokia is in the throes of a major reorganization, from which it may or may not emerge as strong as it used to be. That leaves Samsung as the company Apple should be most worried about. And the Korean company knows this. Responding to the latest regulatory and courtroom offensive from its US rival, the company said the case "will not affect by one minute Samsung's ability to continue selling competing products," according to Even Apple must know this, but the company will press on with its product innovation strategy and courtroom maneuvers; merely slowing down Samsung might be worth a toast.