Apple seems to be gaining some ground in the world's largest smartphone market.
苹果公司(Apple)在全球最大智能手机市场的“版图”似乎有所扩大。
In China, Apple's market share rose slightly in the fourth quarter of last year, helped by strong demand for its new iPhone 5S, the latest market research data shows.
最新市场研究数据显示，受新款iPhone 5S的强劲需求推动，苹果在中国的市场份额去年第四季度小幅上升。
According to research firm IDC, Apple's market share in mainland China rose to 7% in the quarter from 6% in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was the first full quarter after Apple launched its iPhone 5S and 5C in China in late September, on the same day the new phones came out in the U.S. and a host of other markets. In the past, iPhones went on sale in China months after they were launched in the U.S.
据研究公司国际数据公司(IDC)说，第四季度苹果在中国内地的市场份额从第三季度的6%上升至7%。第四季度是苹果去年9月底在中国、美国及其他一些市场同时推出iPhone 5S和5C之后第一个完整的季度。过去，iPhone通常是登陆美国几个月后才在中国推出。
Still, the latest quarterly ranking was yet another reminder that China's smartphone market consists mainly of Android models that are much cheaper than the iPhone. With its 7% share, Apple was the fifth-largest smartphone vendor in China.
尽管如此，最新的季度排名让人们再次看到，中国的智能手机市场主要由比iPhone便宜得多的安卓(Android)手机占主导。苹果销量在中国智能手机市场排第五，占7%的市场份额。
Samsung, which sells smartphones at various price points from high-end to low-end, held onto its No. 1 position in China with a 19% share in the fourth quarter, followed by Lenovo Group with a 13% share. Coolpad -- the smartphone brand of Shenzhen-based Yulong Computer Telecommunication Scientific -- and Huawei Technologies came third and fourth, taking up 11% and 10% respectively.
三星(Samsung)继续保持在中国销量第一的位置，第四季度市场份额为19%，其次是联想(Lenovo Group)，市场份额为13%。三星销售从高端到低端等各种价位的智能手机。酷派(Coolpad)和华为技术有限公司(Huawei Technologies)分别以11%和10%的份额排在第三和第四位。酷派是深圳宇龙计算机通信科技(Yulong Computer Telecommunication Scientific)推出的智能手机品牌。
Lagging just outside of the top five in the quarter is upstart smartphone maker, Xiaomi, with 6% of the market, a significant jump from about three years ago when the company first began offering phones. Though Xiaomi sits below Apple in China for now, IDC analyst Melissa Chau said the company is poised to get into the top five soon.
第四季度销量排第六的是新贵智能手机生产商小米(Xiaomi)，市场份额为6%，较大约三年前该公司首次开始销售手机时有大幅上升。尽管目前小米在华销量排名不及苹果，但国际数据公司的分析师Melissa Chau说，小米很快有望跻身前五。
'[Xiaomi] is still rising, at some point it could come into top five on the growth path it's on,' she said.
她说，小米仍在上升，按它目前的增长势态，有朝一日可能跻身前五。
Still, Apple, which sat just above Xiaomi in the fourth quarter, is expected to get a boost of its own in the current quarter through March due to its new agreement to sell its phones through China Mobile, which is by far the country's largest carrier with more than 760 million subscribers. China Mobile, which started selling iPhones Jan. 17, is expanding its speedier fourth-generation network in the country, and the iPhone is expected to play a major role in getting more subscribers to sign up for 4G services.
尽管如此，由于苹果与中国移动(China Mobile)达成新的手机销售协议，预计苹果销量在今年第一季度可能获得提振。中国移动是中国最大的移动运营商，有超过7.6亿用户。中国移动于1月17日开始销售iPhone。该公司目前正在中国扩大速度更快的4G网络，预计iPhone将在吸引更多用户使用4G服务方面发挥重要作用。
Apple couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
记者无法立即联系到苹果置评。
As a measure of Apple's performance in China, shipment volume is a tricky one that often triggers heated debates. Some argue that maintaining a certain level of market share by volume is essential, while others say Apple as a high-end brand doesn't have to compete on volume with cheap Chinese smartphones.
发货量作为衡量苹果在华表现的一个指标也常常引发激烈争论。有些人称，通过提高销量保持一定水平的市场份额很重要，另外一些人则说，苹果作为一个高端品牌，不必在销量上与其他低价中国智能手机竞争。
Either way, a slowdown in total smartphone sales in the fourth quarter from the third quarter shows that both high-end and low-end makers are now competing for a China market that is unlikely to return to the eye-popping growth levels it experienced over the past two years.
无论怎样，第四季度智能手机总销量增速较第三季度放缓都是一个不争的事实，显示出高端和低端生产商都在争夺中国市场，而目前的中国市场不太可能重现过去两年那种惊人的增长水平。
'Not everyone will be picking up a smartphone. A segment of the market won't be able to afford them,' said Chau, pointing out that new users in China will increasingly be coming from smaller cities and rural areas.
Chau说，并非每个人都会买智能手机，有些人买不起。她指出，中国新的智能手机用户将越来越多地来自较小的城市和农村地区。
Still, Apple is competing to win over users who might look to upgrade their phone, or switch from Android, as fourth-generation networks continue to be built in China.
尽管如此，随着中国继续建设4G网络，苹果正在努力争取可能寻求手机更新换代或从安卓转向其他系统的用户。
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal earlier this month, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook shared his view on market share. 'I look at the mobile phone market as having three kinds of phones: feature phones, smartphones that function as or are used as feature phones, and real smartphones,' he said. 'I do care about the market share of the last category and you want to be relevant.'
在本月早些时候接受《华尔街日报》采访时，苹果首席执行长库克(Tim Cook)讲述了自己对市场份额的看法。他说，我认为手机市场有三类手机：功能手机、被当做功能手机使用的智能手机和真正的智能手机。我确实关心最后一个类别的市场份额，我们希望参与其中。