Google Inc. is shifting its
strategy for its Android mobile operating system, in a bid to create a united front with smartphone and
tablet makers to take on rivals like Apple Inc. and prevent wireless carriers from controlling the devices.
谷歌公司(Google Inc.)正在改变其安卓(Android)手机操作系统战略,力图同智能手机和平板电脑制造商建立统一战线,以便同苹果公司(Apple Inc.)等对手竞争,同时防止无线运营商控制安卓设备。
Google plans to give multiple mobile-device makers early
access to new releases of Android and to sell those devices directly to consumers, said people familiar with the matter. That is a shift from Google's
previous practice, when it joined with with only one
hardware maker at a time to produce 'lead devices,' before releasing the software to other
device makers. Those lead devices were then sold to consumers through wireless carriers or retailers.
知情人士透露,谷歌计划向多家移动设备制造商提前提供新版安卓系统,并打算将这些设备直接销售给消费者。这一计划和谷歌此前的做法不同:以前在向其它设备制造商发布新版操作系统前,谷歌只和一家硬件制造商合作,以便推出"领先设备"。这些"领先设备"随后通过无线运营商或零售商销售给消费者。
The
expansion of direct sales marks a bid to exert more control over key features and apps that run on Android-powered phones and tablets, thus reducing the influence of wireless carriers over such devices, these people said. Wireless carriers typically handle marketing and sales of devices and thus can exert some control over the services that run on them.
知情人士说,扩大直销范围标志着谷歌试图对安卓手机和平板电脑上运行的主要功能和应用施加更大的控制力,从而降低无线运营商对此类设备的影响力。无线运营商通常负责设备的营销和销售,从而可以对设备上运行的服务施加一定控制力。
The plan also aims to assuage concerns of smartphone and
tablet makers that build devices using Android, many of whom are wary of Google because of its
pendingacquisition of device-maker Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc., these people said.
知情人士说,该计划同时旨在消除安卓智能手机和平板电脑制造商的担忧。很多安卓设备厂商都在提防谷歌,因为谷歌提出收购移动设备制造商摩托罗拉移动公司(Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.),虽然这一收购计划还有待审批。
Many manufacturers fear Google will try to boost Motorola's business at their expense, something Google has said won't happen. Under its new model, Google could give Motorola early
access to Android software without putting other partners at a disadvantage, said a person familiar with the matter.
许多制造商担心谷歌会牺牲其它厂商的利益来试图促进摩托罗拉的业务,虽然谷歌说不会发生这样的情况。一位知情人士说,在新的业务模式下,谷歌在提前向摩托罗拉提供安卓系统的同时不会令其他合作伙伴处于不利地位。
A Google spokeswoman declined to comment.
谷歌公司一位发言人不予置评。
Android is the No. 1 smartphone operating system, but Google's model for the software has sometimes upset
device makers that aren't chosen to work with Google on a lead device, said some industry executives.
安卓是全球智能手机操作系统的老大,但部分业内高管说,谷歌此前的安卓模式有时会令那些没有被谷歌选中一同开发"领先设备"的硬件厂商感到不安。
Now Google will work with as many as five manufacturers at a time to create a portfolio of 'Nexus' lead devices that include smartphones and tablets, said a person familiar with the matter. Google also plans to sell the gadgets directly to consumers in the U.S., Europe and Asia through its website, and potentially through some retailers, this person said.
一位知情人士说,现在谷歌将同时与五家厂商合作开发包括智能手机和平板电脑在内的名为"Nexus"的"领先设备"组合。这位知情人士说,谷歌还计划通过其网站在美国、欧洲和亚洲直接向消费者销售安卓设备,可能还会同部分零售商合作。
The devices will run on Google's
forthcomingversion of Android called Jelly Bean, and it hopes to have the full portfolio of devices ready for sale by Thanksgiving, this person said.
这位知情人士说,这些设备将搭载谷歌即将推出的代号为Jelly Bean的新一代安卓系统,谷歌希望在
感恩节前能准备好全线设备的销售工作。
Google also hopes the effort will help rev up sales of Android-powered tablets, which have lagged behind Apple's iPad and Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle Fire, said one person familiar with the matter.
一位知情人士说,谷歌还希望此举能提振安卓平板电脑的销量。目前安卓平板电脑的销量不及苹果公司的iPad和亚马逊公司(Amazon.com Inc.)的Kindle Fire。
Selling devices directly to consumers online is challenging, particularly in the U.S. Many consumers prefer to test phones or tablets in a store before purchasing. The cost of most smartphones is also subsidized by wireless carriers, which sell the devices with multiyear contracts.
在网上向消费者直接销售设备有一定的难度,特别是在美国。很多消费者更喜欢在购买手机或平板电脑前在实体店中先体验一下。此外,大部分智能手机的价格会从无线运营商得到一定的补贴,无线运营商会将手机和多年上网合约捆绑销售。
The new Nexus smartphones are expected to be sold unlocked, meaning they would come without a wireless contract and can run on multiple wireless networks by inserting a SIM card. Selling an unlocked phone could cost $150 or $200 more than a contract phone, and consumers would have to buy a contract separately. Google in April began selling Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Nexus on its website for $400, or about twice the
amount it costs to buy the phone with a contract. Such an approach is common outside the U.S.
预计新款Nexus智能手机将以裸机的形式销售,也就是说,不捆绑无线上网合约,插入一张SIM卡就能使用多种无线网络。裸机的售价可能会比合约机高150至200美元,此外,消费者还必须另外购买上网服务。谷歌今年4月开始在其网站上销售三星电子(Samsung Electronics Co.)生产的Galaxy Nexus,售价为400美元,大约相当于合约机售价的两倍。这种做法在美国以外的国家很常见。
For Google, circumventing wireless carriers has many benefits, including preventing them from blocking certain apps. Currently, Verizon Wireless doesn't allow the Google Wallet app on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus.
对谷歌而言,绕过无线运营商有很多好处,包括可以防止运营商阻止某些应用程序的使用。目前,Verizon Wireless不允许在三星Galaxy Nexus上使用谷歌钱包 (Google Wallet) 应用程序。
A Verizon Wireless spokeswoman declined to comment.
Verizon Wireless的一名发言人拒绝置评。
Carriers also are sometimes slow to push through software updates to phones, and they preload apps of their own choosing on devices. By avoiding carriers, Google and its
hardware partners can get devices to market faster, often by several months.
在手机软件升级方面运营商有时也动作缓慢。此外,运营商还会在设备上预装自己选择的应用程序。通过绕开运营商,谷歌及其硬件合作伙伴就可以将设备更快地推向市场,通常可以提前几个月。
Rajeev Chand, head of
research at Rutberg & Co., said Android has become a kind of 'Wild West' in which app developers have struggled to make sure apps are compatible with hundreds of different Android-powered devices. Both
device makers and carriers have left their imprint on devices, meaning the 'consumer experience is highly variant,' he said.
投行Rutberg & Co.的研究业务主管昌德(Rajeev Chand)说,安卓已经有点类似"荒蛮的西部",应用程序开发商难以确保其应用程序与数百款不同的安卓设备相兼容。他说,设备生产商和无线运营商都在手机或平板电脑上留下了印迹,这意味着不同消费者的体验也极为不同。
Mr. Chand said Google's shift appears to be a move 'to create a more standardized experience for consumers and app developers,' similar to that of Apple.
昌德说,谷歌的战略调整看起来目的在于为消费者和应用程序开发商创造一个更加标准化的体验,这一点与苹果类似。