小米科技將發佈廉價親民版無人機

Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker that gave Apple a run for its money, is taking on the drone world with a $610 product that undercuts market leader DJI by almost 25 per cent.

曾對蘋果(Apple)構成強勁挑戰的中國智能手機制造商小米(Xiaomi)，將憑藉一款售價610美元的產品在無人機市場展開競爭。這款產品的售價比市場領跑者大疆(DJI)低了近25%。

Drones are the latest gambit for Xiaomi, which launched its first phone in 2011 and, four years later, briefly became the top-selling maker in China. But its fortunes have since faded, prompting a wave of diversification spanning smart rice cookers and air purifiers.

無人機是小米下出的最新一步棋。該公司在2011年發佈其首部手機，四年後便迅速成爲了中國市場上銷量最高的手機制造商。但自那以來，小米的好運氣逐漸減弱，促使其實施了一連串多元化發展舉措，其產品涵蓋智能電飯煲和空氣淨化器。

Beijing-based Xiaomi said its drone would cost about Rmb4,000 ($610), versus $799 for a comparable product from Shenzhen-based DJI. It plans to unveil its first drone on May 25.

總部位於北京的小米表示，其無人機價格約爲4000元人民幣（合610美元）。相比之下，總部位於深圳的大疆同類產品價格爲799美元。小米計劃於5月25日發佈其首款無人機。

DJI was unfazed. Spokesman Wang Fan said it commanded a strong lead over the rest of the industry and superior value. “Price was never our greatest point of appeal,” he said. “Xiaomi’s new product, regardless of its price, will not have an impact on our sales.”

大疆對此並不感到擔憂。大疆發言人王帆表示，大疆遙遙領先於業內其他企業，品牌價值也高人一頭。他說：“價格從來都不是我們的最大賣點。小米的新產品無論價格定在多少，都不會影響我們的銷售。”

The global consumer drone market is expected to reach $4.19bn by 2024, said a new report by US-based consultancy Grand View Research. While still largely novelty items, this year’s projected sales of 4m are expected to quadruple to 16m by 2020, Bloomberg said.

總部位於美國的諮詢公司大觀研究(Grand View Research)發佈新報告稱，到2024年，全球消費類無人機市場的規模預計將達41.9億美元。彭博社(Bloomberg)表示，儘管無人機在很大程度上還是一種新鮮事物，但到2020年時，無人機銷量預計會達到1600萬架，相對於今年400萬架的預期銷量等於是翻了兩番。

Xiaomi is just one of a number of prospective entrants looking to tap into this market and emulate DJI’s success.

小米只是考慮進軍這一市場並趕超大疆成就的衆多潛在玩家之一。

That would help it offset flagging phone sales. Xiaomi said in January it sold more than 70m phones in 2015, up from 61m the year before. But that missed both its original target of 100m and its midyear revised goal of 80m.

進軍無人機市場將有助於小米抵消智能手機銷售不振的影響。今年1月，小米表示2015年它售出了逾7000萬部手機，高於上一年的6100萬部。但這一數字既未達到其最初設定的1億部的年銷售目標，也未達到其年中修訂後的8000萬部的年銷售目標。

Analysts, however, reckon drones will fail to turn around Xiaomi’s fortunes, particularly given the limited market size. “There are several zeros between the drone market and the market for smartphone,” said Bryan Ma, analyst at IT consultancy IDC in Singapore.

分析師們認爲，無人機不會扭轉小米的運勢——尤其是考慮到無人機市場規模不大。IT諮詢公司IDC駐新加坡分析師馬伯遠(Bryan Ma)表示：“無人機市場比智能手機市場小好幾個數量級。”