在華投資研發尚難逆轉蘋果衰勢

Apple is to launch two new research and development (R&D) facilities in China, aiming to expand its presence in this burgeoning consumer market and facilitate closer working relationships with some of the world’s leading consumer electronics and hardware manufacturers.

蘋果(Apple)將在中國設立兩個研發機構，旨在擴大其在這個蓬勃發展的消費市場的影響力，並推動其與一些世界領先的消費電子和硬件製造商建立更緊密的工作關係。

Whether this investment will reverse the trend of falling revenues, however, remains to be seen.

然而，對於這一投資能否逆轉蘋果收入下滑的趨勢，還有待觀察。

In September, it was revealed that Apple is planning to open a $45m research centre in Beijing, employing 500 people tasked with the development of innovative hardware.

今年9月，蘋果宣佈計劃在北京設立一個投資4500萬美元的研發中心並僱傭500名員工，負責開發創新硬件。

One month later, it was announced that a further R&D facility will go ahead in Shenzhen, Guangdong, an area often described as China’s ‘Silicon Valley’.

一個月後，蘋果宣佈將在有中國硅谷之稱的廣東省深圳市設立第二個研發機構。

While locating in Beijing is a somewhat surprising decision, due to its distance from the main development hubs, Shenzhen is a more predictable choice and much closer to tech companies such as Huawei, Tencent and Baidu.

考慮到北京與主要的研發中心相距遙遠，蘋果研發中心選址北京有些令人驚訝，深圳則是一個更可預測的選擇，這裏距離華爲(Huawei)、騰訊(Tencent)和百度(Baidu)也近得多。

The company has not yet announced how many employees will be based at the Shenzhen facility.

蘋果還未宣佈將有多少名員工在深圳研發中心工作。

Despite some uncertainty about employee numbers, the scale of Apple’s R&D investment in China is unlikely to challenge its Chinese competitors significantly.

儘管員工人數還存在一些不確定性，但蘋果在中國的研發投資不太可能在規模上對其中國競爭對手構成重大挑戰。

According to data sourced from the Market Research Centre SINO for the first half of 2016, two of Apple’s main competitors – Huawei and OPPO – both saw sales volumes increase over this period.

根據賽諾市場研究(Sino Market Research)的數據，蘋果的兩大競爭對手——華爲和OPPO在2016年上半年銷售量都上升了。

Vivo, another Chinese multinational smartphone company, also generated sales revenues similar to those of Apple in the first half of the year.

另一家中國跨國智能手機企業VIVO在今年上半年的銷售收入也可以與蘋果比肩。

Bearing in mind that Huawei Mobile has more than 20,000 R&D engineers at its headquarters in Shenzhen, and Vivo has around 4,000, it is clear that Apple’s investment is unlikely to cause many ripples.

鑑於華爲的移動業務在其深圳總部僱傭了逾2萬名研發工程師，VIVO也僱傭了約4000名研發工程師，顯然蘋果的投資不太可能引發多少漣漪。

One of the main reasons for Apple’s R&D investment is probably diplomacy.

蘋果在中國進行研發投資的主要原因之一很可能是外交。

The Chinese government is keen to foster home-grown innovation and while Western businesses are welcome, particularly where they bring significant knowledge and expertise, they also need to invest to secure their position in the marketplace.

中國政府熱衷於鼓勵本土創新，儘管西方企業受到歡迎，尤其是在它們帶來重要知識和專業訣竅的領域，但它們也需要進行投資來確保自己的市場地位。

Apple may also have some making up to do with the Chinese government, following the media regulator’s decision to order the closure of its iBooks and iTunes stores earlier this year.

蘋果可能也需要修復與中國政府的關係，此前中國的媒體監管機構在今年早些時候做出決定，責令蘋果關閉iTunes影片和iBooks商店服務。

Apple’s R&D investment in China is not just about offsets, however.

然而，蘋果在中國的研發投資不僅僅是爲了修復關係。

With sales in China falling away year-on-year the only route to growth is to collaborate and work more closely with manufacturing partners; drawing on the fast-developing resource of R&D talent in the territory.

隨着蘋果在中國的銷售同比下降，唯一的增長之道是與製造業夥伴更緊密地協調合作；利用本地快速增長的研發人才資源。

The sheer force of competition developing in China’s consumer electronics sector makes investment in the area essential, not to mention the opportunity it presents to tap into local talent.

中國消費電子行業日趨激烈的競爭讓投資該領域變得不可或缺，更不必說利用當地人才帶來的機遇。

This is another area where Apple will need to compete aggressively.

這是蘋果需要積極競爭的另一個領域。

To attract the best people, it will need to offer good salaries and incentives.

爲了吸引最優秀的人才，蘋果需要提供優厚的薪資和獎勵。

Market surveys have shown that large domestic companies such as Huawei and Alibaba are the employers of choice for graduates.

市場調查表明，華爲和阿里巴巴(Alibaba)等大型國內企業是畢業生的首選僱主。

While Western companies are known to provide stable employment on reasonable terms, prospects for career development are perceived to be more limited.

儘管西方企業在以合理條件提供穩定就業方面名聲不錯，但這些企業的職業發展前景被認爲更加有限。

Apple will need to counter such perceptions to succeed in attracting engineering graduates to its new R&D facilities.

蘋果需要對抗這種認知，這樣才能成功地吸引工程專業畢業生到該公司的新研發機構就職。

For one of the world’s most valuable brand names, increasing its operational presence in China could pose cultural and reputational issues, which will need to be managed carefully.

作爲世界上最有價值的品牌之一，增多在中國的業務活動可能會帶來文化和聲譽方面的問題，這些問題需要謹慎管理。

The leading Chinese tech companies have a well-established, long-hours culture, which is unlikely to gel with an ethos that promotes work-life balance.

中國國內主要科技公司都有根深蒂固的加班文化，不太可能與推崇工作/生活平衡的價值觀融合。

Apple’s decision to make these R&D investments in China is recognition of the importance of the Chinese marketplace and the wealth of talent that is emerging from its rapidly-growing consumer electronics sector.

蘋果決定在中國進行這些研發投資，表明蘋果認識到中國市場很重要，而且中國快速發展的消費電子業涌現出豐富的人才資源。

Whether it will be enough to address sliding sales and position the brand for market growth is uncertain, but the company will be hoping it sparks a new era of global cooperation and innovation.

尚不確定這是否足以應對蘋果的銷售下滑，並使蘋果品牌定位於市場增長，但該公司將會希望此舉開啓一個全球合作和創新的新時代。