蘋果日子不好過！渴望搶佔印度市場來沖業績，專家喊其先降價！

Apple needs a cheap iPhone to crack India

蘋果需要一部廉價的iPhone來打入印度市場

素材來源：CNN 翻譯：世界播

New Delhi (CNN Business)-Apple"s problems in China are piling pressure on the company to find a way to grow in India, the world"s hottest market for smartphones.

新德里消息(CNN商業頻道)——蘋果公司在中國的問題給該公司帶來了巨大的壓力，迫使其在印度這個全球最熱門的智能手機市場尋求發展。

But with the most expensive iPhone costing more than the average annual wage, Apple (AAPL) faces an uphill battle to take a much bigger share of India"s market than its current 2%.

但由於最昂貴的iPhone售價高於平均年薪，蘋果公司要想在印度市場佔據比目前的2%大得多的市場份額，它將面臨一場艱難的戰鬥。

Tariffs on imported smartphones, a ban on Apple Stores in India and the weakness of the Indian rupee against the US dollar have hobbled the Silicon Valley giant.

對進口智能手機徵收關稅、禁止在印度開設蘋果專賣店，以及印度盧比兌美元匯率走弱，都令這家矽谷巨頭步履蹣跚。

Meanwhile, global competitors such as Samsung and Xiaomi have carved up India between them, accounting for one in every two smartphones sold. They"re supplying devices that compete on quality at much more affordable prices, and have set up huge local manufacturing operations to avoid tariffs and keep costs down.

與此同時，三星和小米等全球競爭對手瓜分了印度市場，占智能手機銷量的二分之一。他們提供的設備在質量上更具競爭力，價格也更便宜，並在當地建立了龐大的製造業務，以避免關稅和降低成本。

Apple began making older, cheaper iPhones in India in 2017 at a plant near the southern tech hub of Bangalore, starting with the iPhone SE and adding the iPhone 6S in the middle of last year. CEO Tim Cook described that effort as having "gone well."

蘋果從2017年開始在印度南部科技中心班加羅爾附近的一家工廠生產較舊、較便宜的iPhone，首先是iPhone SE，然後在去年年中又增加了iPhone 6S。蘋果首席執行官蒂姆?庫克稱這一努力「進展順利」。

Making iPhones in India

在印度生產iphone

Now the company is reported to be considering expanding local production to include the latest iPhone models. One of Apple"s key manufacturing partners, Taiwan"s Foxconn, plans to start making iPhone X models at its plant in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu in 2019, according to multiple media reports.

現在，據報道，蘋果公司正在考慮擴大在當地的生產，包括最新款的iPhone。據多家媒體報道，蘋果的主要製造合作夥伴之一、台灣的富士康計劃2019年在其位於印度南部泰米爾納德邦的工廠開始生產iPhone X型號的蘋果手機。

Apple and Foxconn declined to comment on the reports.

蘋果和富士康拒絕對這些報道置評。

The move would allow Apple to avoid the country"s heavy import taxes on iPhones, potentially making them cheaper for Indian customers.

此舉將使蘋果得以避免印度對iphone徵收高額進口稅，對印度消費者來說，這可能會讓他們購買到更便宜iphone手機。

Apple sets prices in different countries based in part on taxes and the local currency"s strength against the dollar. It jacked up its prices in India last year after the government raised smartphone tariffs from 15% to 20%.

蘋果在不同國家定價的部分依據是稅收和當地貨幣兌美元的強勢。去年印度政府將智能手機的關稅從15%提高到20%後，它提高了在印度的價格。

The 64 GB variant of the iPhone XS costs about $430 more in India than it does in the United States.

64g版本的iPhone XS在印度的售價比在美國高430美元。

"Assembly in India is important for Apple as it seeks to grow revenues in the Indian market," analysts at research firm Fitch Solutions wrote in a note this week.

研究公司惠譽解決方案的分析師本周在一份報告中寫道:「在印度組裝對蘋果來說很重要，因為它正尋求在印度市場增加其收入。」

India is already the world"s second largest smartphone market behind China, where years of uninterrupted growth have come to an end. In India, however, there"s still huge potential: roughly 900 million people have yet to buy a smartphone.

印度已經是世界上僅次於中國的第二大智能手機市場，多年不間斷的增長已經結束。然而，在印度，智能手機仍有巨大的潛力：大約還有9億人尚未購買智能手機。

Apple"s biggest competitors are already cashing in, but the iPhone has barely made a dent.

蘋果最大的競爭對手已經在大賺一筆，但iPhone幾乎沒有取得任何進展。

Still, Cook is confident in Apple"s ability to narrow the enormous gap with its competitors, and overcome restrictions that prevent single-brand retailers opening stores in the country. Regulations mandate that foreign retailers source at least 30% of their raw materials locally, a rule Apple has been seeking an exemption from.

不過，庫克相信蘋果有能力縮小與競爭對手之間的巨大差距，並克服阻礙單一品牌零售商在中國開設門店的種種限制。相關規定要求外國零售商至少30%的原材料必須在當地採購，蘋果一直在尋求這一規定的豁免。

"I am a big believer in India. I am very bullish on the country and the people and our ability to do well there," he said during the company"s most recent earnings call in November. "I fully expect that, at some point, they will agree to allow us to bring our stores into the country."

「我是印度的忠實信徒。我非常看好這個國家和人民，我認為我們能夠在那裡做得很好」他在去年11月該公司最近的一次財報電話會議上說：「我表示完全期望，希望在未來的某一時刻，他們會同意讓我們把我們的商店帶入這個國家。」

Apple needs a cheaper product

蘋果需要更便宜的產品

Making high-end iPhones locally may shave a few hundred dollars off prices in India, where the cheapest XS costs $1,430 and the average annual wage is about $2,000, but making real headway will require Apple to offer a much cheaper product. (The most expensive 512 GB version of the XS Max costs $2,079.)

在印度，最便宜的XS售價為1430美元，平均年薪約為2000美元。而在當地生產高端iphone可能會讓價格下降幾百美元，但要想取得真正的進展，蘋果需要提供更便宜的產品。(最貴的512gb版本的XS Max售價2079美元。)

Even the devices Apple already makes in India — the iPhone SE and iPhone 6S — are out of reach for most people. They cost $430 and $270 respectively, compared with the country"s average smartphone price of $160.

即便是蘋果已經在印度生產的設備——包括iPhone SE和iPhone 6S——對大多數人來說也是遙不可及的。它們的售價分別為430美元和270美元，而中國智能手機的平均售價為160美元。

Apple"s tendency to charge more for iPhones outside the United States has "led to slowing demand" in markets such as India, said Neil Shah, an analyst at Counterpoint Research. "Apple needs to correct its pricing strategy."

Counterpoint Research分析師尼爾?沙阿表示，蘋果傾向於在美國以外的市場對iphone定價更高，這「導致了印度等市場的需求放緩」。「蘋果需要修正其定價策略。」

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