中國國內智能手機迅速奪回市場佔有率...

A few weeks ago the Yomiuri News on-line reported the following:

中国国産スマホあっという間にシェア奪ったが…

2015年01月12日 14時18分

　スマートフォンの中国メーカーが、自国市場で急速に外国勢からシェア（占有率）を奪っている。

　世界最大の中国市場の販売増を土台に、海外でブランド価値を高めることができれば、中国メーカーも２０１５年に出荷台数が１億台を突破しそうだ。

　◆「１５年に１億台」

　華為技術（ファーウェイ）の１４年の世界出荷台数は年間７５００万台を超えた。米調査会社ＩＤＣによると１３年は４９００万台で、韓国サムスン電子（３億１６００万台）、米アップル（１億５３００万台）に次いで世界３位だったが、２強との差は縮まった模様だ。

　ファーウェイは「１５年に１億台を目指す」と表明している。日本全体のスマホ出荷台数（１３年は３０３１万台）の３倍の規模だ。胡厚崑（ケン・フー）輪番最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）は、読売新聞のインタビューに対し、「企業の成長に強い自信を持っている。新製品の開発に加え、中国国内でネット販売を強化する」と話す。

　新興企業の小米科技（シャオミ）は１４年の出荷台数が６１１２万台と前年の３倍を超えた。この勢いが続けば１５年に１億台に達する可能性がある。１月中に発表される新製品に注目が集まる。

　◆若者中心に支持

　中国メーカーは、足元の国内市場で販売が伸びている。１４年７～９月期のシェアはシャオミが首位、ファーウェイが４位など、中国勢４社で全体の半数近くを占めた。１０年時点は欧米３社で約８割を占めていた。

　中国勢の評価が上昇したのは、高画素カメラや指紋認証システムなどの部品価格が下がり、外国メーカーと性能の差が縮まったからだ。上位機種同士を比べると、中国メーカーのスマホは、サムスンやアップルの端末の半額程度で、初めてスマホを購入する若者を中心に支持を集める。シャオミは世界販売に占める中国国内の割合が９５％、ファーウェイは５０％だ。

　１３年のスマホ出荷台数は中国市場全体で約３億５０７０万台と、前年より６割増えた。１４年も伸びており、中国勢の成長は続きそうだ。

　ただ、世界市場の攻略には、ブランド力が課題となりそうだ。ファーウェイは、日本市場に１１年から参入し、現在はＮＴＴドコモやソフトバンク向けに出荷するが、認知度は低い。１４年の世界の企業ブランド価値の９４位に入ったが、まだ力不足だ。

　１３年の中国スマホ市場で２位のレノボは、米モトローラの買収手続きを１４年１０月に完了した。米国市場で地盤を築くとともに、日本参入も目指すが、性能面と低価格のどちらを押し出してブランドを築くのかが課題になりそうだ。（北京　栗原守）

(試譯文)

Chinese manufacturers of smart phones were quickly taking back from foreign competitors their share (market share) in their own country.

 Regarding the Chinese market, as the biggest location in sale increase in the world where overseas brands could raise its value, the shipment amount of Chinese manufacturers seemed to have broken through 100 million in 2015.

 ◆ "100 million in 2015"

 The world shipment number of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. in the year 2014 exceeded 75 million. According to IDC an investigating company in the US, in 2013 it was 49 million, which followed Korean Samsung electronic (316 million) and US Apple (153 million) to stay at the 3rd place in the world. But the situation was that the difference between it and the two leading big producers was narrowing.

 Huawei was expressing that it was "aiming at 100 million in 2015". It would be a triple in the size of Japan’s total smart phone shipment (30,310,000 in 2013). In an interview with Yomiuri Shimbun, Hu Houkun (Ken Hu) the chief executive (CEO) by rotation said that "I have a strong confidence in the growth of the enterprise. The net sale is strengthened in China in addition to the development of new products".

For the new company Xiaomi Inc. (Xiaomi) its shipment number in 2014 was 61,120,000, exceeding last year's by three folds. If this momentum continued, there was a possibility that it would reach 100 million 2015. Attention was being attracted to its new products to be released by the end of January.

 ◆ Support was from the young people

 Chinese manufacturers were developing their sales footing in domestic markets. For 2014 July-September the share of Xiaomi occupied the top place while Huawei was at the 4^th place etc. The four big companies of China took up about half of the total market share. In 2010 three companies from Europe and America accounted for about 80 percent of the total share.

 On evaluating the upward moving momentum in China, it was noted that there was a fall in product price in high quality picture camera and finger print recognition system, and the difference in performance compared with foreign manufacturers was being narrowed. When compared each other’s high-end models, Xiaomi of the Chinese manufacturers had the backing mainly from the young people who for the first time could buy Xiaomi, which was at half the price of the terminal appliances of Samsung and the Apple. For Xiaomi’s global total sales, the ratio in China was 95% percent; for Huawei it was 50%.

 In the whole Chinese market, smart phone shipment number in 2013 was 350,700,000, being an increase of 60 percent over last year. It seemed that the momentum of growth in China would continue in 2014.

 Brand image seemed to be a problem in securing the global market. Huewei joined the Japanese market since 2011. At present it shipped for NTT domoco and Softbank, but the brand was not well known. In 2014 it was at the 94^th place at the enterprise brand value in the world, and was still lacking the momentum.

Lenovo, which was at the second place in 2013 in Chinese smart phone market, had completed the procedures in buying Motorola of the US in October 2014. It had built up a basis of support in the American market and was also aiming at entering into Japan as well. But whether to press ahead on the performance or on the low price so as to build up the brand would be a question.

So, Chinese smart phones are trying to gain grounds in the world market.