NEC除了果断取消关注智能手机，还能怎样？

《日本经济新闻(Nikkei)》近日报导，NEC将退出智能手机市场；该公司的退出与目前全球智能手机的明显成长势头相违背──根据市场研究机构IHS的最新预测数据，全球智能手机出货量将由2012年的7.2亿支，在2017年增加至15亿支。 NEC的退出意味着这家日本厂商在瞬息万变的全球手机市场之挫败──目前该市场被Apple、Samsung所把持，又有许多中国厂商不断崛起。上述报导指出，NEC自去年底开始与中国业者联想 (Lenovo)研议一项协议，计划“在联想的领导下重建手机业务”；该计划着眼于两家公司在PC市场上的成功合作关系。 该报导并指出：“NEC要求联想收购其研发/销售子公司NEC Casio Mobile Communications 的多数股权，”但两家公司尚未达成协议。而NEC显然仍将坚守其非智能手机业务──因为在此同时，该公司将NEC Casio的大多数员工调往其他事业部门。 目前尚未清楚NEC将如何处理手机领域的知识产权(IP)，而这对其他同业来说可能是有价值的；该篇《日经》报导补充，NEC将继续考虑销售部分手机相关专利，如果潜在合作伙伴愿意收购大多数股权，也可能重新审视业务合并的可能性。 无论有没有NEC的合作，在2010年才进军手机领域的联想已经在中国市场取得不错的表现，得以与华为(Huawei)、中兴(ZTE)与酷派(Coolpad)等其他手机品牌分庭抗礼。 根据市场研究机构Strategy Analytics的最新一季统计数据，当季Samsung在中国市场售出1,250万支智能手机，市占率达18.5%，较上一季增加2.2%；同时联想智能手机出货量为790万，市占率11.7%，略为落后华为12%的市占率，成为中国第二大本土智能手机品牌。 虽然联想目前聚焦中国、印度以及东南亚等地市场，该公司也有意在美国市场建立品牌；有部分产业观察家指出，联想似乎有意收购BlackBerry。而对联想来说，与在美国市场不太有知名度的NEC联手，显然没有多大的帮助。 而联想不只是想做一家单纯的智能手机供应商；今年稍早，EETimes也曾报导，联想打算进军芯片设计领域，瞄准智能手机与平板装置应用(请点击这里参考：《联想：掌控自己命运，从设计自家芯片开始》 )；内容写道： “过去十年来，联想内部一直有个编制约10人左右的芯片设计团队，来自产业界的消息来源指出，该公司现在正在招募芯片设计工程师，打算在今年中将该团队扩充至100人左右的规模；该匿名消息来源指出，联想将在分别在深圳与北京招募40与60名工程师。” 将以上所有的消息集合，显见无论是NEC过去在系统级芯片设计方面的长才(现已属于Renesas)，或是该公司与电信业者NTT Docomo在日本市场(也仅止于日本市场)的合作经验，对联想来说都不怎么重要。 随着已开发国家智能手机市场逐渐饱和，手机供应商之间的竞争也日益激烈。NEC在日本智能手机市场的优势渐失，也面临了难以吸引包括联想在内之任何一家合作伙伴的困境。 IHS资深分析师Wayne Lam在一篇智能手机市场报告中指出：“今年由一线手机供应商所推出的旗舰型新款智能手机，数量多到令人惊奇；”他进一步表示：“可能呈现减缓的iPhone销售量，以及其他竞争智能手机的迅速问世，显示了手机产业的残酷特性，特别是现在该市场重心持续由低阶手机──也就是功能型手机，转向不断增加的智能手机。 ” 所以，NEC除了退出智能手机市场，还有什么其他更好的选择吗？ 本文为《国际电子商情》原创，版权所有，谢绝转载 编译：Judith Cheng 参考英文原文：NEC Quits Smartphone Business，by Junko Yoshida

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{pagination} NEC Quits Smartphone Business Junko Yoshida MADISON, Wis. -- NEC Corp. is calling it quits in the smartphone business, according to a report by Nikkei, Japan's economic journal. NEC's withdrawal goes against an unmistakable upward trend in the global smartphone market. IHS, a market research company, on Wednesday, July 17, released a new smartphone market report, predicting that worldwide smartphone shipments will reach 1.5 billion units in 2017, up from 712 million in 2012. The Japanese company's withdrawal is a clear defeat for NEC and its place in the global mobile industry where the changing of the guards has been apparent, with Apple and Samsung taking over and a number of Chinese OEMs rising. The Nikkei report claimed that NEC had been working on a deal with China's Lenovo since late last year to "rebuild the cellphone business under Lenovo's leadership." Their idea was to emulate the successful relationship the two companies have enjoyed in their collaboration in personal computers. NEC's Android-based MEDIAS smartphone The story said that "NEC requested that Lenovo take a majority stake in development and production subsidiary NEC Casio Mobile Communications Ltd." But the two parties could not reach an agreement. The Japanese company will apparently remain in the non-smartphone segment. Meanwhile, NEC will reassign the bulk of its NEC Casio employees to other groups, the report said. While it's not clear whether any of NEC's intellectual properties [in the mobile field] might be valuable to others, the Nikkei article added that NEC will continue to consider selling off some cellphone-related patents and may revisit the possibility of a business merger if a potential partner is willing to take a majority interest. With or without NEC, though, Lenovo, which only entered the cellphone market in 2010, has already done well among its Chinese peers in the local market -- including Huawei, ZTE, and Coolpad. In the quarter that ended March 31, Strategy Analytics' data shows that Samsung sold 12.5 million smartphones in China, garnering an 18.5 percent market share, up 2.2 percent from the previous quarter. Lenovo, on the other hand, sold 7.9 million smartphones and captured 11.7 percent market share. Huawei edged Lenovo with a 12 percent market share, making Lenovo as the second largest local smartphone vendor. Lenovo wants to enter the US market While Lenovo's current focus is on China, India, and other Southeast Asian countries, the company harbors an ambition to establish its brand in the US market. Some observers have even suggested Lenovo's potential interest in BlackBerry. Obviously, for Lenovo, the partnership with NEC -- which has little presence in the United States -- couldn't be much help there. Lenovo's ambition won't stop at being a smartphone OEM. EE Times, earlier this year, reported Lenovo's plan to get into the chip design business with a special focus on smartphones and tablets. We reported then: The Chinese company, which has maintained a small IC design team consisting of about 10 people over the last decade, is now committed to expanding this team to about 100 engineers by the middle of this year… Lenovo will be hiring 40 engineers in Shenzhen area and 60 in Beijing. Putting all these data points together, it's clear that neither NEC's previous prowess in SoC expertise (which now belongs to the ailing Renesas) nor the company's experience working with NTT Docomo for the Japanese market (but with no presence in the global market) is deemed important by Lenovo. As smartphones in advanced countries begin to saturate the market, competition among handset vendors is only intensifying. NEC is losing its edge in Japan's domestic smartphone market and faces difficulties in making itself look attractive as a partner to anyone, including Lenovo. Speaking of the global smartphone market, "The volume of new flagship smartphone releases from top original equipment manufacturers (OEM) this year has been astounding," said Wayne Lam, senior analyst for consumer and communications at HIS, in a statement. He added: The possible slowing growth of the iPhone and the rapid pace of competitive smartphones releases speak to the ferocious nature of the handset business, especially now as the market continues to pivot from a market dominated by lower-end handsets known as feature phones to one that is increasingly smartphone-centric. There. So, what other options does NEC have, other than getting out of the smartphone business?