中興明年一季度將發佈智能手錶
ZTE, the Chinese mobile device maker, will begin selling smart watches next quarter, signalling that the nascent market for wearable connected devices is already becoming crowded with cheaper alternatives.
中國移動設備製造商中興通訊(ZTE)下季度將開始銷售智能手錶。這件事表明，一些更爲廉價的產品已開始涌入新興的可穿戴聯網設備市場。Prices for such wearable technology are forecast by analysts to fall quickly. CCS Insight forecast that growth in the segment “will spike when smartwatch prices drop to significantly lower levels than today”. Sales of small Android devices will exceed 100m by 2015 after initial sluggish demand, it forecasts.
分析師預計，這類可穿戴技術的價格將快速下降。CCS Insight預測，“當智能手錶價格較今日顯著降低時”，該領域“將實現迅猛增長”。該機構預計，經歷了最初的需求疲軟之後，小型Android設備的銷量到2015年時將超過1億個。He Shiyou, executive vice-president and head of the handset business of Shenzhen-based ZTE, told the Financial Times that the company wanted to make the jump out of the “second tier” of smartphone makers into the top three manufacturers.
中興的總部位於深圳，該公司執行副總裁兼手機業務主管何士友告訴英國《金融時報》稱，公司希望跳出智能手機制造商的“第二梯隊”，成爲排名前三的廠商。
ZTE was either fourth or fifth in the rankings at present, he said, among the group of manufacturers all accounting for about 5 per cent each of market share.
他說，目前中興在智能手機制造商中排名第四或第五。As part of plans for next year, ZTE is investing in the research and development of so-called “wearable” technology, including smart watches and glasses.
作爲明年計劃的一部分，中興正在投資所謂的“可穿戴”技術的研發，包括智能手錶和智能眼鏡。“ZTE wearable smart watches will be launched as early as the first quarter,” said Mr He. He added that other wearable technology, such as connected glasses, would take longer to develop.
何士友說：“中興最早將於明年一季度發佈可穿戴智能手錶”。他補充表示，包括聯網眼鏡在內的其他可穿戴技術的開發將需要更長時間。Wearable technology is predicted by analysts to follow a similar path as tablet computers, which have rapidly become a commodity product given the stream of cheap and largely indistinguishable Android-based devices.
分析師預測，可穿戴技術的發展道路將與平板電腦類似。由於大量廉價和基本上沒什麼區別的Android設備涌現出來，平板電腦已迅速成爲一種大衆化產品。Mr He said ZTE was considering making corporate acquisitions or mergers to grow market share in a smartphone market that he described as “fiercely competitive”. He declined to name specific targets and added that any deal would need to be complementary.
何士友表示，中興在考慮通過企業併購來擴大在智能手機市場的份額。他認爲，該市場“競爭很激烈”。何士友不願透露具體的併購目標，並補充說，任何交易都需是互補性的。
