Verizon进军平板市场 苹果三星受威胁

平板市场 苹果三星受威胁0' title='Verizon进军平板市场 苹果三星受威胁0' />

元器件交易网讯 11月18日消息，据外媒 Fool报道，Verizon无线公司作为美国最大的无线通讯运营商，进军低端平板市场，可能将窃取其代理的苹果和三星的一些平板电脑销售策略，从而对其造成威胁。上周，Verizon开始独家销售自己的7英寸平板电脑——Ellipsis 7，它搭载Android系统，并拥有LTE连接。

Verizon进军平板设备市场

Verizon没有自己的生产线，不可能自己生产Ellipsis 7，所以它应该是与一家像富士康这样的制造设备公司合作。无论如何，Ellipsis 7作为Verizon的品牌设备，运营商可能会用尽全力力推Ellipsis 7给用户，此外，还Verizon提供了在官网购买Ellipsis 7合约机(为期两年)可获得100美元的折扣。

Verizon公司曾销售多种型号神似苹果iPad和三星平板电脑的中低端机型，但Ellipsis 7是运营商迄今为止提供的最便宜的平板电脑。考虑价格的消费者更可能选择Verizon的Ellipsis 7，而非三星或苹果设备。

但追求质量的买家Ellipsis 7可能就不合适了。即使裸机售价250美元，合约机(为期两年)售价150美元，Ellipsis 7相对苹果的iPad Mini Retina而言，显得动力不足，例如处理器、分辨率、相机方面都差远了。当然，iPad Mini Retina 合约机(为期两年)售价429美元，售价超出两倍多。

苹果平板电脑市场份额下降

虽然Ellipsis 7具体对iPad的销售影响不大，但两者的极端定价差异，依然对苹果公司的平板电脑业务有所动摇 。在最近几个季度，iPad的需求已显著放缓，甚至说是倒退，因为消费者可能会选择更便宜的平板电脑，而不是定位高端的苹果产品。

苹果曾拥有90％以上的平板电脑产品市场份额。现在，根据IDC的统计数据显示，其市场份额少于30％。假以时日，苹果的平板电脑市场份额将下降到个位数，并联Mac的PC市场份额。

三星依然主导平板市场份额

随着苹果平板电脑市场份额的下降，三星的业务延伸空间越来越大。根据IDC的数据显示，在第三季度三星平板出货量约占平板总出货量的1/5，营收同比增123％。

与智能手机一样，三星一直遵循在不同的价格点提供众多产品的策略。例如，三星 Galaxy Note 10.1实际上比苹果iPad Air 更昂贵，但三星同时为考虑价位的消费者提供了一些更便宜的机型选择，如Galaxy Tab 7.0 (Wi-Fi版)售价180美元。

就目前来看，三星平板电脑依然保持 Android 霸主地位的主要障碍。苹果iPad 有专属Apple Store，大部分Android平板电脑拥有成熟版本Android手机应用程序。然而，三星已独家与TwitterAndroid手机应用合作，为三星平板电脑应用程序开发一套独有的开发者大会。

Verizon不可能很快主宰平板电脑市场

鉴于 Verizon庞大的用户群，和Ellipsis 7低廉的价格定位，平板电脑市场发展依旧活跃。但投资者不应期望Verizon公司借鉴苹果或三星销售策略。2012年，分析师Chetan Sharma预计，在美国销售的平板电脑，90％具有Wi-Fi连接功能；但2013年，他预测仅有5％的设备 能实现无线网络连接。对于大多数消费者来说，购买具备LTE功能的平板电脑是没有任何意义的。相比而言，购买便宜的Wi-Fi 版本平板，同时还可以连接到手机进行数据连接更具有性价比。(元器件交易网龙燕 译)

外媒原文：

Last week, Verizon Wireless started selling its own tablet, the 7-inch Ellipsis 7. The device, which is exclusive to Verizon, uses the Android operating system and boasts LTE connectivity.

As the nation's largest carrier, Verizon could steal some tablet sales from Apple and Samsung . Still, investors shouldn't get too concerned just yet.

Verizon enters the device business

It's unlikely that Verizon is making the Ellipsis 7 itself. More probable is that it is partnering with a company such as Foxconn to manufacture the device. Regardless, it's a Verizon-branded device, and the carrier will likely use its sales force to push the tablet on subscribers. Verizon gives the Ellipsis top billing on its website and is offering a $100 discount on the tablet when subscribers sign a two-year contract.

Verizon sells several models of Apple's iPad and half a dozen different Samsung tablets, but the Ellipsis 7 is by far the cheapest tablet the carrier offers. Price-conscious consumers may be more likely to opt for Verizon's product over a Samsung or Apple device.

But buyers seeking quality are likely to stay away. Even though it's fairly cheap -- just $250, or $150 on contract -- the Ellipsis 7 is relatively underpowered. Compared to Apple's iPad Mini with Retina display, the Ellipsis has a much slower processor, lower-resolution display, and a far worse camera. Of course, the iPad Mini costs more than twice as much -- $429 with a two-year contract.

Apple's tablet business has slowed

While I don't think the Ellipsis specifically will weigh on iPad sales, that extreme difference in pricing is symptomatic of the precarious state of Apple's tablet business. In recent quarters, iPad demand has slowed significantly, or even declined, as consumers may be opting for cheaper tablets in place of Apple's premium products.

Apple once had more than 90% of the tablet market. Now, according to IDC, it has less than 30%. In time, I predict that Apple's share of the tablet market will fall into the single digits, paralleling the Mac's share of the PC market.[!--empirenews.page--]

Apple shareholders shouldn't necessarily be troubled by this trend. Despite having just a sliver of the PC market, Apple makes more from its Macs than the top five PC vendors combined, according to analyst Horace Dediu. Nevertheless, the iPad business may never be as big as some investors may have hoped.

Samsung's market share dominance is extending into the tablet space

As Apple's share of the tablet market declines, Samsung's business is growing. In the third quarter, Samsung shipped about one-fifth of all tablets, according to IDC, a gain of 123% from the prior year.

As with smartphones, Samsung has followed the strategy of offering a multitude of tablets at different price points. Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1, for example, is actually more expensive than Apple's competing iPad Air, but for consumers on a budget Samsung offers several cheaper models. The Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 is just $180 with Wi-Fi, and it has similar specs to Verizon's Ellipsis 7.

For now, the Android ecosystem may remain the primary impediment to Samsung's tablet dominance. Apple's iPad has a plethora of apps made for it specifically, while most Android tablet apps are simply blown-up versions of Android phone apps. Samsung, however, has taken things into its own hands, partnering with Twitter for a Samsung-exclusive tablet app, and going after developers with its own developers conference.

Don't expect Verizon to dominate the tablet market anytime soon

Given Verizon's large base of subscribers, and the Ellipsis' cheap price point, it would shock me if the tablet was a total failure. But investors shouldn't expect Verizon to take a meaningful amount of sales from Apple or Samsung, at least not anytime soon. Ultimately, most consumers just don't buy tablets through their wireless provider. Last year, analyst Chetan Sharma estimated that 90% of tablets sold in the U.S. are Wi-Fi-only, and earlier this year analyst Craig Moffett reported that only 5% of the devices are connected to a wireless network. For most consumers, buying an LTE-capable tablet just doesn't make sense. It's cheaper to buy the Wi-Fi version, and to tether the device to their phone if they need Internet on the go.

Maybe Verizon's move into hardware could help reverse this trend, but I doubt it.

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