真乄科技業的頂尖投資團隊

雖說在 2012 年第三季中手機市場的總銷量呈現出了下滑的趨勢，但是單單智慧型手機這一塊的話則是一路保持著高歌猛進的勢頭。放眼 2012 年全年的話情況也是這樣，和 2011 年相比手機總銷量下降了 1.7%，但智慧型手機的銷量卻上漲了 38.3%。在 2012 年最後一季中 Samsung 和 Apple 兩大巨頭的表現依然不俗，攜手拿下了智慧型手機市場 52% 的銷量（在第三季中雙方的銷量綜合為 46%）。與此同時來自中國大陸的華為在第四季中也賣出了 2,720 萬台智慧型手機，和前一年同時期相比提升了 73.8％，雖說和 Samsung（銷量達 6,450 萬台）及 Apple（銷量達 4,350 萬台）還有一定差距，但總的來說已經完成了非常大的飛躍（希望他們今年不會再惹上其它麻煩了）。此外 Nokia 的銷量為 3,930 萬台，和前一年同期相比「縮水」了 53.6%，不過 Windows Phone 8 才上市不久，以現在的銷量來評價 Nokia 的表現可能還為時尚早了一些。

Huawei Reached No. 3 Spot in Worldwide Smartphone Sales Ranking

Apple and Samsung Increased Share to Control 52 Percent of Worldwide Smartphone Sales

Worldwide mobile phone sales to end users totaled 1.75 billion units in 2012, a 1.7 percent decline from 2011 sales, according to Gartner, Inc. Smartphones continued to drive overall mobile phone sales, and the fourth quarter of 2012 saw record smartphone sales of 207.7 million units, up 38.3 percent from the same period last year. 

“The last time the worldwide mobile phone market declined was in 2009,” said Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner. “Tough economic conditions, shifting consumer preferences and intense market competition weakened the worldwide mobile phone market this year.” 

Demand for feature phones remained weak in 2012 and in the fourth quarter. Feature phone sales totaled 264.4 million units in the fourth quarter of 2012, down 19.3 percent year-on-year. Gartner analysts expect feature phones sales to continue to fall in 2013. Gartner predicts that sales of worldwide smartphone sales to end users will be close to 1 billion units in 2013, and overall mobile phone sales to end users are estimated to reach 1.9 billion units. 

In the fourth quarter of 2012, Apple and Samsung together raised their worldwide smartphone market share to 52 percent from 46.4 percent in the third quarter of 2012. Samsung ended the year in the No. 1 position, in both worldwide smartphone sales and overall mobile phone sales. 

“There is no manufacturer that can firmly lay claim to the No. 3 spot in global smartphone sales,” said Mr. Gupta. “The success of Apple and Samsung is based on the strength of their brands as much as their actual products. Their direct competitors, including those with comparable products, struggle to achieve the same brand appreciation among consumers, who, in a tough economic environment, go for cheaper products over brand.” 

Huawei had a good fourth quarter, which helped it reach the No. 3 position among smartphone vendors for the first time. In 2012, Huawei sold 27.2 million smartphones to end users, up 73.8 percent from 2011. Both, the Ascend D2 and Mate announced at this year’s Computer Electronics Show (CES) aim to grow the company’s brand perception as a premium product and increase its mobile phone margins. Gartner analysts said international markets are key for Huawei’s growth in 2013, as well as being able to improve its product mix to a higher tier. 

In the fourth quarter of 2012, Samsung’s overall smartphone sales continued to accelerate totaling 64.5 million units, up 85.3 percent from the fourth quarter of 2011. In 2012, Samsung totaled 384.6 million mobile phones sales, of which 53.5 percent (up from 28 percent in 2011) were smartphone sales. 

Samsung's resources and ability to build a broad market reach is an advantage that no other competitor can easily match. However, the competition will intensify in 2013 as players such as Sony and Nokia improve. “With Samsung commanding over 42.5 percent of the Android market globally, and the next vendor at just 6 percent share, the Android brand is being overshadowed by Samsung's brand with the Galaxy name nearly a synonym for Android phones in consumers' mind share,” said Mr. Gupta. 

Apple’s sales reached 43.5 million units in the fourth quarter of 2012, up 22.6 percent year-on-year. In 2012, Apple totaled 130 million smartphone sales worldwide. While the demand for iPhones in the fourth quarter remained strong, consumers’ demand favored the less expensive iPhone 4 and 4S models. The arrival of the iPad Mini also created a dilemma for some users when deciding if to upgrade an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S to an iPhone 5, or buy the new tablet. 

In the fourth quarter of 2012, Nokia’s handset sales improved from a good response to its Asha mobile phones and the launch of the latest Lumia Windows Phone 8 models. It was not sufficient to stop Nokia to lose further market share, totaling 18 percent, the lowest it has ever been. In 2012, Nokia reached 39.3 million smartphone sales worldwide, down 53.6 percent from 2011. Analysts said that aside from the continued focus on Lumia, Nokia needs to build on momentum around Asha in 2013 by adding devices and apps to further enhance its overall value proposition and, in doing so, moving up the price point slightly to achieve better margins breaching the gap left by Symbian. 

資料來源:http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2335616