戴尔拟携手中国移动推出智能手机

Dell disclosed yesterday that it is preparing to enter the smartphone business, adding to the escalating competition as mobile handset and computer makers converge on one of the only parts of the personal technology market still showing strong growth and profits.

戴尔(Dell)昨日透露，其正准备进军智能手机业务。作为个人技术市场中少数几个增长依然强劲、利润依然丰厚的领域之一，智能手机市场正成为手机和电脑厂商的汇聚之地，而戴尔此举将加剧该市场日益激烈的竞争。

Confirmation of Dell's long-rumoured intentions in the mobile market came as China Mobile showed off a model of a Dell smartphone running Google's Android operating system.

在戴尔有意进入手机市场的长期传言得到证实之际，中国移动(China Mobile)展示了一款戴尔智能手机，该手机使用Google的Android操作系统。

Dell described the handset as a “proof-of-concept prototype” and said that the company was working with the Chinese mobile operator on launch plans. Dell did not disclose further details or timing.

戴尔称该手机是“概念验证(POC)原型”，表示正与中国移动共同拟定手机推出计划，但未透露进一步详情和时间安排。

Founder Michael Dell once ruled out the prospect that his company, now the world's second-largest PC maker, would ever enter the mobile handset business, arguing that profit margins were too slim and that Nokia, with 40 per cent of the business, represented too tough a competitor.

全球第二大个人电脑(PC)厂商的创始人迈克尔•戴尔(Michael Dell)一度明确表示，戴尔不会涉足手机业务，他当时辩称手机利润率过薄，而占据40%业务的诺基亚(Nokia)是个过于厉害的竞争对手。

Since then, however, the success of Apple's touchscreen iPhone has provoked a stampede by other makers of personal technology and forced Dell to rethink.

但后来苹果(Apple)触屏手机iPhone的成功，引起其他个人技术厂商争相涌入这个市场，也迫使戴尔重新思考。

“With the iPhone, Apple brought a lot of new people to the brand, and captured some of the highest margins in the industry,” said Rob Enderle, a US tech industry analyst. With sales of PCs and traditional mobile handsets falling in the first half of this year, that has made smartphones one of the few bright spots.

“推出iPhone，给苹果这个品牌吸引了很多新用户，苹果也因此攫取了业内最高的利润率，”美国科技行业分析师罗伯特•恩德勒(Rob Enderle)表示。今年上半年，PC和传统手机的销量不断下滑，智能手机成为市场上少数几个亮点之一。

Dell's attempt to break into smartphones also reflects a defensive move to protect its PC business, since it could be vulnerable if it does not sell a full range of personal computing devices, according to analysts. The US company has already launched netbooks – low-priced, small-scale PCs that have become another hot area of personal technology.

试图打入智能手机市场，也是戴尔保护其PC业务的一个防守动作。分析师认为，戴尔如果不能提供品种齐全的个人电脑设备，其PC业务可能变得脆弱。这家美国公司业已推出上网本(netbook)产品，这是一种便宜、小型的PC，也已成为一种热门的个人技术产品。

译者/岱嵩