“
智能手機(jī),20年前只是一個(gè)虛擬概念到旦,現(xiàn)今已經(jīng)變成我們身體的一部分旨巷。而智能手機(jī)的生產(chǎn)廠家,從蘋(píng)果的一家獨(dú)大到三星添忘、小米采呐、華為的市場(chǎng)爭(zhēng)奪,這一產(chǎn)業(yè)可謂硝煙彌漫搁骑。
但就在大家追捧蘋(píng)果的高貴斧吐、贊美華為的質(zhì)量、喜歡小米的高性價(jià)比時(shí)仲器,卻有一匹原本不被看好的黑馬殺出重圍煤率,一夜之間占領(lǐng)全球第一大份額。
它乏冀,就是網(wǎng)友常常調(diào)侃的“藍(lán)綠大軍”——vivo, oppo
你是否現(xiàn)在才回想起來(lái)蝶糯,不知何時(shí)開(kāi)始,藍(lán)綠廣告牌已如病毒般迅速蔓延至大街小巷辆沦?
”
Smartphones in China: Upstarts on top
How OPPO and Vivo are beating Apple, Xiaomi and the gang
DONGGUAN, a southerly Chinese city near Hong Kong, is better known for cranking out cheap trinkets than for producing high-end equipment of any kind.And yet, amid the grit and grime is a gleaming low-rise factory producing some 50m smartphones a year for OPPO, a firm started by China’s BBK Electronics but which is now run independently.
Upstarts on top:后來(lái)者居上昼捍。這里upstart :one that has risen suddenly (as from a low position to wealth or power) 新秀,新貴肢扯,這個(gè)詞我們可以常用妒茬。on top:表面意思是在上面,引申是占據(jù)優(yōu)勢(shì)的蔚晨,其中top還可以作動(dòng)詞用郊闯。例:在硅谷新秀會(huì)不會(huì)領(lǐng)先?Can the Upstarts Top Silicon?在這個(gè)句子里top被當(dāng)作動(dòng)詞用的,意思是:處于……的最前頭团赁。
gang:一群;一幫谨履;一伙(經(jīng)常聚在一起的朋友)欢摄。這里指其他智能手機(jī)的玩家:蘋(píng)果,小米笋粟,錘子怀挠,金立,華為害捕,樂(lè)視……绿淋。相當(dāng)于and so on,但是so on不要用在書(shū)面語(yǔ)中尝盼。
Sb/sth is better known for… than for….:相比……吞滞,某人/某物更出名的是……。
Crank out:制作
Trinket:小飾品
High-end:higher in price and of better quality than most others高端的盾沫。類似于Premium-end裁赠。
low rise:not tall?:?having few floors低層,反義詞就是high-rise:?very tall?:?having many floors高層赴精,比如高層建筑直接就是high-rise building佩捞!
東莞,是一個(gè)靠近香港的南方城市蕾哟,相比于小飾品制作一忱,這個(gè)城市更出名的卻是各種高端設(shè)備產(chǎn)業(yè)。在東莞的沙礫和污垢中谭确,有一個(gè)閃閃發(fā)光的低矮的工廠帘营,每年為OPPO生產(chǎn)差不多5000萬(wàn)臺(tái)智能手機(jī),OPPO是中國(guó)的步步高電子創(chuàng)立現(xiàn)在單獨(dú)運(yùn)營(yíng)的一家公司琼富。
Inside, as well as the usual assembly lines and serried workers, the factory has dozens of staff in quality engineering and testing, conducting 130 different tests on OPPO’s phones before they are released to the market. Such zealous pursuit of quality would be expected of factories that produce phones for Apple—the world-class facilities run by Taiwan’s Foxconn in nearby Shenzhen house similar teams. But it is unusual at a firm that makes relatively inexpensive handsets for the local market.
as well as=besides:除了……之外
assembly lines:流水線仪吧,
conduct:執(zhí)行,進(jìn)行鞠眉。也可以作名詞薯鼠,表示“行為”。例:Are?you?ashamed?of?your?conduct??你對(duì)自己的行為感到害臊嗎械蹋?
Release:釋放出皇,放出,這里做“投放市場(chǎng)”哗戈。場(chǎng)景記憶:關(guān)門(mén)郊艘,放狗! release the dog!情感釋放也可用這個(gè)詞:Exercise is a good way to?release?stress. 運(yùn)動(dòng)是釋放壓力的好辦法
除了常見(jiàn)的流水線和操作工人纱注,廠房里還有數(shù)十名質(zhì)量測(cè)試人員在進(jìn)行著OPPO手機(jī)上市前的130多項(xiàng)測(cè)試工作畏浆。類似對(duì)品質(zhì)的簇?fù)硗ǔ0l(fā)生在蘋(píng)果手機(jī)的代工廠--比如富士康公司開(kāi)在深圳的擁有世界一流設(shè)備的工作團(tuán)隊(duì)里。但是像OPPO這樣針對(duì)本土市場(chǎng)生產(chǎn)更廉價(jià)的手機(jī)的公司里狞贱,這種級(jí)別的加工廠并不常見(jiàn)刻获。
第一段從東莞,講到東莞的工廠瞎嬉,第二段進(jìn)入工廠內(nèi)部蝎毡,工廠內(nèi)部很特別,對(duì)于廉價(jià)手機(jī)制造商不常見(jiàn)氧枣。當(dāng)然我們也可以思考嘛:正常來(lái)說(shuō)只有蘋(píng)果這么干沐兵,現(xiàn)在oppo這么干了,那么接下來(lái)第三段要干嘛啦便监,一定要講這么干了之后oppo的結(jié)果是跟不這么干的機(jī)構(gòu)是不一樣的哈扎谎。
OPPO, and its sister firm, Vivo, also a child of BBK, started out in 2004 and 2009 respectively, making cheap and cheerful phones like plenty of other obscure Chinese manufacturers. They probably didn’t even register on Apple’s radar. Xiaomi was the Chinese handset-maker to watch; urban sophisticates, enticed by viral marketing, flocked to its slick devices. But in June 2016 OPPO’s R9, which costs around $400, overtook the iPhone, which is priced at twice that, as China’s best-selling handset. Vivo, which targets younger consumers with lower prices, is also surging.
sister firm:姊妹公司
a child of:起源于
start out:成立于
obscure:不著名的,默默無(wú)聞的……茬贵。比如:I was born in?an?obscure?little?Chinese town.
我出生在一個(gè)不知名的18線小城里簿透。
Didn’t even register on sb’s radar:沒(méi)有入某人的眼,比如我們暗戀某人很久解藻,結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)某人對(duì)我們根本看都沒(méi)看一眼老充,直接可以說(shuō)I didn’t even register on his radar!
Entice:引誘,例如I?enticed?him?with?more?money.?我用更多的錢(qián)引誘他螟左。
Viral marketing:病毒營(yíng)銷啡浊。All the snacks seem to be specifically designed to?entice?me from my diet. 所有的美食似乎都是特意為了引誘我放棄節(jié)食的。
flock:聚集胶背,群擁 Birds?of?a?feather?flock?together. 物以類聚巷嚣,人以群分。
Best-selling:暢銷钳吟。
Overtake:超越了廷粒,打敗了,= beat红且,top坝茎。
Surge:激增
OPPO和其姊妹公司——同是起源于步步高的Vivo,分別成立于2004年和2009年暇番,它們和中國(guó)許多默默無(wú)聞的制造商一樣都生產(chǎn)著便宜受歡迎的手機(jī)嗤放。這樣的公司甚至在蘋(píng)果的眼里都掛不上號(hào)。小米才是中國(guó)手機(jī)市場(chǎng)上需要注意的家伙壁酬,在病毒營(yíng)銷的誘惑下次酌,城市人成群結(jié)隊(duì)的去購(gòu)買它漂亮的手機(jī)恨课。但是2016年6月,售價(jià)只有400美元左右的OPPO R9一舉超越了價(jià)格是其兩倍的iPhone,成為中國(guó)最受歡迎智能手機(jī)岳服〖凉靠著更低的定價(jià)把目標(biāo)客戶鎖定在年輕消費(fèi)者群體的Vivo銷量也出現(xiàn)飆漲。
果然跟我們預(yù)測(cè)的一樣吊宋,第三段開(kāi)始講這樣做的oppo和姐妹vivo雖然一開(kāi)始很不起眼诬留,人家瞅都不瞅一眼,現(xiàn)在爆發(fā)了贫母。好既然爆發(fā)了,那么接下來(lái)內(nèi)容肯定要講講爆發(fā)的狀況唄盒刚。來(lái)看第四段腺劣。
The two brands’ achievements are remarkable. Two years ago they were struggling to join China’s top five smartphone makers; now they are among the biggest five globally. One out of every three smartphones sold in China in the third quarter of 2016 carried one of their brands; in 2012 their combined share was below 3%.
Achievements:成就
Struggling:做某事力不從心,he is struggling to deliver on his existing promises.
The biggest five:注意這種表達(dá)因块,五大橘原。
這倆品牌的成就非常顯著。兩年前進(jìn)入中國(guó)前五都困難涡上,現(xiàn)在他們是全球五大趾断。每三個(gè)賣出去的手機(jī)里就有一個(gè)是oppo或者vivo。而2012年的時(shí)候他們的市場(chǎng)份額加起來(lái)還不足3%吩愧。
這里連續(xù)兩次通過(guò)新舊對(duì)比的方式來(lái)展現(xiàn)其成就之大芋酌。好接下來(lái)看第五段要干啥?
That should give Apple pause. Tim Cook, its boss, predicted in 2013 that China would become his firm’s biggest market. But iPhone sales there have stagnated (see chart). In the third quarter its market share fell to 7.1%, down from 11.4% a year earlier.
stagnated:停滯雁佳,整個(gè)詞的名詞形式stagnation脐帝。
在經(jīng)濟(jì)里用的比較多,表示“經(jīng)濟(jì)滯脹”糖权。The?pricking?of?the?bubble?led?to?20?years?of?economic?stagnation. 泡沫被戳破后堵腹,日本陷入了長(zhǎng)達(dá)20年的經(jīng)濟(jì)停滯。
oppo和vivo的成績(jī)星澳,必須讓蘋(píng)果愣一下(言外之意就是apple你得慌熬吻辍!)Cook在2013年預(yù)測(cè)中國(guó)將成為蘋(píng)果最大的市場(chǎng)禁偎,但是iphone的銷量從預(yù)言之后停滯了腿堤。第三季度iPhone市場(chǎng)份額從之前的11.4%降到了7.1%。
這一段通過(guò)對(duì)手的下降來(lái)暗示對(duì)手應(yīng)該開(kāi)始懼怕oppo和vivo了届垫。
Xiaomi has even more reason to fret. About six years ago it bet on an “asset light” strategy, meaning it relied almost entirely on selling its phones online. This worked brilliantly when the overall market for smartphones was growing, and the richest cities, with the largest number of tech-aware consumers, were booming. Xiaomi was once valued at some $46bn, but its fortunes in China have plunged.
fret:我們之前課程中學(xué)過(guò)fret about=worry about释液。 這里對(duì)應(yīng)上一段give apple a pause。所以這里give sb a pause類似于fret或者worry就是讓某人擔(dān)憂装处。
bet on sth:下注某件事……
asset light:輕資產(chǎn)
growing误债,booming= surging都表示“增長(zhǎng)”浸船,所以以后說(shuō)增長(zhǎng)的時(shí)候不要老盯著increasing不放過(guò)。
some在這里等于about寝蹈,大約李命。
Plunge:縮水,例The government's political and economic reforms threaten to plunge the country into chaos. 政府的政治和經(jīng)濟(jì)改革可能會(huì)使國(guó)家陷入混亂局面
小米更應(yīng)該擔(dān)憂箫老,六年前封字,小米賭“輕資產(chǎn)”戰(zhàn)略,幾乎全部依賴線上渠道銷售手機(jī)耍鬓。這一招極為有效阔籽,正當(dāng)智能手機(jī)市場(chǎng)迅速擴(kuò)張的時(shí)候,擁有眾多科技品消費(fèi)者的大城市也蓬勃發(fā)展牲蜀,小米曾一度估值460億美元笆制,但是如今這家公司的財(cái)富已經(jīng)開(kāi)始縮水。
That is chiefly due to the fact that growth has shifted sharply to the rising middle classes in smaller cities. Consumers there are less experienced with smartphones than their fancier cousins in Beijing and Shanghai, and are wary of buying them online. They want to touch and compare handsets. OPPO and Vivo spotted this difference early. OPPO in particular shot to the top because it invested heavily in bricks-and-mortar retail distribution in lower-tier cities. Today the firm’s phones are sold at some 200,000 retail outlets across the mainland, which gives its salesmen the chance to coddle customers and nudge them to buy pricier phones.
Chiefly= mainly
the rising middle class:崛起的中產(chǎn)階層
Spot:發(fā)現(xiàn)涣达,在現(xiàn)場(chǎng)on spot在辆。
bricks-and-mortar:實(shí)體,例Already we've seen internet shopping become a competitor to bricks-and-mortar stores.我們已經(jīng)看到網(wǎng)上購(gòu)物成為一個(gè)磚塊和水泥商店的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手度苔。
Give sb the chance to do sth:給某人作某事的機(jī)會(huì)匆篓。
主要是因?yàn)椋?市場(chǎng)發(fā)展勢(shì)頭快速切換到了小城市正在崛起的中產(chǎn)階層。在小城市的消費(fèi)者相對(duì)北京上海的消費(fèi)者來(lái)說(shuō)對(duì)于智能手機(jī)的經(jīng)驗(yàn)更少寇窑,并且很戒備在線購(gòu)買智能手機(jī)鸦概。他們更愿意親手觸摸到實(shí)物。OPPO和Vivo更早地摸到了這一差異疗认。尤其是OPPO銷量直接沖頂完残,因?yàn)樗霸谌木€城市下重金鋪開(kāi)了大量實(shí)體零售店。如今横漏,這家公司的手機(jī)出現(xiàn)在全國(guó)約20萬(wàn)家零售網(wǎng)點(diǎn)谨设,里面的銷售人員可以笑臉迎客,甜言蜜語(yǔ)說(shuō)服消費(fèi)者買下這些價(jià)格上占優(yōu)勢(shì)的手機(jī)缎浇。
第五段扎拣,第六段都在講標(biāo)題中的兩個(gè)對(duì)手害怕oppo和vivo,第七段講了一下為什么oppo會(huì)打敗他的對(duì)手們素跺。我們繼續(xù)看看第八段要干嘛啦:
At first, OPPO’s strategy was masterminded by Duan Yongping, founder of BBK, who began by selling basic electronics. He is known in China as “Duanfett”, a play on Warren Buffett, because of his financial acumen and also his admiration for MrBuffett (he paid over $600,000 at an auction to have lunch with him in 2007). Mr Duan has since retired, but still influences the firms’ cultures.
Masterminded:神機(jī)妙算二蓝,策劃
financial acumen:比如business acumen 商業(yè)嗅覺(jué),例His sharp business acumen made him to the top.他精明的商業(yè)頭腦令其青云直上指厌。
Auction:拍賣刊愚,拍賣會(huì)
起初,OPPO的操盤(pán)都掌握在步步高的創(chuàng)始人段永平手中踩验,因其對(duì)在財(cái)務(wù)上的敏銳以及對(duì)巴菲特的推崇鸥诽,被稱為中國(guó)的“段菲特”(段永平在2007年曾經(jīng)花60萬(wàn)美元拍下了與巴菲特共進(jìn)午餐的機(jī)會(huì)商玫。)現(xiàn)在雖然段已經(jīng)退休,但他依然在影響著這家公司的文化牡借。
哦拳昌,第八段在爆夸oppo牛逼是因?yàn)楸澈笥袀€(gè)牛逼的人,那后面必須要展開(kāi)說(shuō)說(shuō)這神來(lái)之大腦了唄钠龙。
It took discipline not to be waylaid by the striking (though short-lived) success of Xiaomi’s hype-fuelled internet strategy. Many other companies tried to copy it. From 2011 to 2013, insiders say, OPPO looked hard at expanding its online sales channels, but decided against it. Sky Li, managing director of OPPO’s international mobile business, says the reason lies in her firm’s long-held adherence to the philosophy of ben fen—loosely translated, sticking to one’s knitting.
It took discipline not to do sth:不做某件事是需要定力的炬藤。
the striking success:劈頭蓋臉的成功
short-lived:短命
不被小米當(dāng)時(shí)吹得天花亂墜的帶來(lái)驚人成功的互聯(lián)網(wǎng)策略帶偏需要很強(qiáng)的定力。當(dāng)時(shí)很多公司都在跟風(fēng)模仿小米碴里。據(jù)內(nèi)部人透露沈矿,2011年到2013年間,OPPO也曾努力擴(kuò)張其在線銷售渠道咬腋,但最終決定封死這一路徑细睡。OPPO國(guó)際移動(dòng)手機(jī)部的總裁Sky Li說(shuō),原因在于公司長(zhǎng)久堅(jiān)持的“本分”理念帝火,也就是說(shuō)堅(jiān)持自己的原則。
第九段講完堅(jiān)持自己不容易湃缎,既然堅(jiān)持自己犀填,那到底是怎么個(gè)堅(jiān)持法啊,第十段是不是該講講了呢嗓违?
Instead, OPPO became still more expert at incentivizing its physical retailers. It has shown itself willing to share some of its profits with local stores. It uses a sophisticated system of subsidies that vary by model and season. One retailer in a small town in Sichuan says that although he sells many brands of smartphones, OPPO’s generous subsidies make him extra-eager to peddle its wares.
Expert at=good at 擅長(zhǎng)
Extra-eager:格外想要
(與小米)相反九巡,OPPO更專于激勵(lì)實(shí)體零售商。它更愿意與本地零售店分羹蹂季,它建立了一個(gè)復(fù)雜的補(bǔ)貼制度冕广,根據(jù)不同的季節(jié)和機(jī)型來(lái)作出調(diào)整。四川一個(gè)零售商就表示偿洁,雖然自己店里賣很多品牌的智能手機(jī)撒汉,但OPPO的慷慨的補(bǔ)貼讓他更愿意去兜售它們家的產(chǎn)品。
嗯讀完第十段明白了涕滋,oppo更愿意和實(shí)體店做朋友睬辐。
That has its costs, of course: OPPO does not disclose the size of its total subsidies nor its profit margin, which may be low compared with other smartphone makers. Fat profits are hard to come by in China’s giant smartphone market. Because it is simple for firms to outsource almost every aspect of phonemaking, from designing components and chipsets to contract manufacturing, the barrier to entry is low (the physical networks that OPPO and Vivo have built will be far harder to replicate than an online presence). Teeming firms means vicious price competition, especially for cheaper phones. The price of a Chinese smartphone may drop to as little as $50, analysts reckon.
the barrier to entry:門(mén)檻
Replicate=copy 復(fù)制
當(dāng)然,這也會(huì)有代價(jià):OPPO沒(méi)有披露其總的補(bǔ)貼規(guī)模也沒(méi)有提及其利潤(rùn)率宾肺,據(jù)猜測(cè)這會(huì)比其他智能機(jī)生產(chǎn)商要低溯饵。中國(guó)巨大的手機(jī)市場(chǎng)總是很難得到豐厚的利潤(rùn)。因?yàn)樵谶@里幾乎手機(jī)生產(chǎn)線上的所有流程锨用,從設(shè)計(jì)到芯片再到合約組裝丰刊,都可以外包出去,進(jìn)入門(mén)檻非常的低(OPPO增拥,VIVO打造的實(shí)體零售網(wǎng)相比起來(lái)比線上渠道更難復(fù)制)啄巧。公司多就意味著惡性的價(jià)格競(jìng)爭(zhēng)寻歧,尤其是對(duì)廉價(jià)的智能機(jī)而言。分析師稱棵帽,中國(guó)智能手機(jī)的價(jià)格能低至50美元熄求。
第十一段講了一下這種模式不好的地方,既然又不好的地方逗概,那是不是大家都在想辦法克服呢弟晚?看第十二段這么說(shuō)?
Pressures at home explain why Chinese firms are also looking abroad. In the fourth quarter of 2016, Xiaomi and Vivo were vying with each other behind Samsung in the race for second place in India’s smartphone market. Huawei, a local telecoms- equipment giant that ranks third in the domestic market, already makes two fifths of its sales outside China; Shao Yang of its consumer-business group says this share will rise to three-fifths within five years. OPPO is already a force in India, and is in second place in South-East Asia behind Samsung. It has opened a new marketing centre in Cairo to spearhead expansion in Africa and the Middle East.
Vie:競(jìng)爭(zhēng)逾苫,激烈爭(zhēng)奪
國(guó)內(nèi)的激烈競(jìng)爭(zhēng)解釋了為何中國(guó)的公司都把目光投向了海外卿城。2016年第四季度,小米和Vivo緊隨三星之后铅搓,彼此輪替著成為在印度智能手機(jī)市場(chǎng)上的榜眼瑟押。中國(guó)本土的電信設(shè)備巨頭華為,中國(guó)本土排名第三的手機(jī)品牌星掰,有五分之二的銷售額是在海外完成多望,公司的消費(fèi)者業(yè)務(wù)部負(fù)責(zé)人表示,五年內(nèi)海外市場(chǎng)份額的占比將提升至五分之三氢烘。OPPO已經(jīng)在印度展露頭角怀偷,同樣在東南亞市場(chǎng)也只落后三星位居第二。同時(shí)播玖,它還在開(kāi)羅開(kāi)辟了新的營(yíng)銷中心椎工,意圖開(kāi)辟非洲和中東市場(chǎng)。
看來(lái)大家的辦法就是目光投向海外了唄……
Kevin Wang of IHS Markit, a research firm, nonetheless reckons that a round of consolidation must be on its way. Within five years, he reckons, most of the 50 or so local Chinese phone manufacturers will be gone. If OPPO and Vivo can stay at the summit, that would be nearly as surprising as the dizzying speed of their ascent.
Must be on its way:勢(shì)在必行蜀踏。
Summit=top 頂峰
最后一段维蒙,作者當(dāng)然要提高到另外一個(gè)層面了,從更高的層面來(lái)看中國(guó)智能手機(jī)行業(yè):
研究公司IHS Markit的Kevin Wang 認(rèn)為果覆,一輪并購(gòu)勢(shì)在必行颅痊。他認(rèn)為,五年之內(nèi)中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)現(xiàn)有的50家左右的手機(jī)制造商會(huì)消失局待。如果OPPO和Vivo仍然可以待在頂端八千,那和它們將以驚人炫目的速度崛起一樣令人驚訝。(言外之意就是OPPO和VIVO有可能會(huì)消亡在這一輪并購(gòu)中)
其實(shí)燎猛,我們說(shuō)商場(chǎng)如戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)恋捆,每個(gè)品牌的崛起離不開(kāi)大環(huán)境,以及他根據(jù)環(huán)境選擇的戰(zhàn)略重绷。任何一個(gè)公司都很難是永遠(yuǎn)的王者沸停,時(shí)代在變遷,順者昌昭卓,逆者亡愤钾。因此瘟滨,只有不斷求變,走在時(shí)代前面的公司才能長(zhǎng)久存活發(fā)展下去能颁。
英文原文:
http://www.economist.com/news/business/
講解:霞姐 / Tiassa / 魔力性尤常花
編排 / 校對(duì):魔力校花
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