戴爾擬攜手中國移動推出智能手機

Dell disclosed yesterday that it is preparing to enter the smartphone business, adding to the escalating competition as mobile handset and computer makers converge on one of the only parts of the personal technology market still showing strong growth and profits.

戴爾(Dell)昨日透露，其正準備進軍智能手機業(yè)務(wù)。作為個人技術(shù)市場中少數(shù)幾個增長依然強勁、利潤依然豐厚的領(lǐng)域之一，智能手機市場正成為手機和電腦廠商的匯聚之地，而戴爾此舉將加劇該市場日益激烈的競爭。

Confirmation of Dell's long-rumoured intentions in the mobile market came as China Mobile showed off a model of a Dell smartphone running Google's Android operating system.

在戴爾有意進入手機市場的長期傳言得到證實之際，中國移動(China Mobile)展示了一款戴爾智能手機，該手機使用Google的Android操作系統(tǒng)。

Dell described the handset as a “proof-of-concept prototype” and said that the company was working with the Chinese mobile operator on launch plans. Dell did not disclose further details or timing.

戴爾稱該手機是“概念驗證(POC)原型”，表示正與中國移動共同擬定手機推出計劃，但未透露進一步詳情和時間安排。

Founder Michael Dell once ruled out the prospect that his company, now the world's second-largest PC maker, would ever enter the mobile handset business, arguing that profit margins were too slim and that Nokia, with 40 per cent of the business, represented too tough a competitor.

全球第二大個人電腦(PC)廠商的創(chuàng)始人邁克爾•戴爾(Michael Dell)一度明確表示，戴爾不會涉足手機業(yè)務(wù)，他當(dāng)時辯稱手機利潤率過薄，而占據(jù)40%業(yè)務(wù)的諾基亞(Nokia)是個過于厲害的競爭對手。

Since then, however, the success of Apple's touchscreen iPhone has provoked a stampede by other makers of personal technology and forced Dell to rethink.

但后來蘋果(Apple)觸屏手機iPhone的成功，引起其他個人技術(shù)廠商爭相涌入這個市場，也迫使戴爾重新思考。

“With the iPhone, Apple brought a lot of new people to the brand, and captured some of the highest margins in the industry,” said Rob Enderle, a US tech industry analyst. With sales of PCs and traditional mobile handsets falling in the first half of this year, that has made smartphones one of the few bright spots.

“推出iPhone，給蘋果這個品牌吸引了很多新用戶，蘋果也因此攫取了業(yè)內(nèi)最高的利潤率，”美國科技行業(yè)分析師羅伯特•恩德勒(Rob Enderle)表示。今年上半年，PC和傳統(tǒng)手機的銷量不斷下滑，智能手機成為市場上少數(shù)幾個亮點之一。

Dell's attempt to break into smartphones also reflects a defensive move to protect its PC business, since it could be vulnerable if it does not sell a full range of personal computing devices, according to analysts. The US company has already launched netbooks – low-priced, small-scale PCs that have become another hot area of personal technology.

試圖打入智能手機市場，也是戴爾保護其PC業(yè)務(wù)的一個防守動作。分析師認為，戴爾如果不能提供品種齊全的個人電腦設(shè)備，其PC業(yè)務(wù)可能變得脆弱。這家美國公司業(yè)已推出上網(wǎng)本(netbook)產(chǎn)品，這是一種便宜、小型的PC，也已成為一種熱門的個人技術(shù)產(chǎn)品。

譯者/岱嵩