How China Has Added to Its Influence Over the iPhone 中国如何塑造了今天的iPhone
今年秋天，苹果将首次在中国以外的地方生产部分旗舰款iPhone，对于这家在中国政府的帮助下打造出全球最复杂供应链之一的公司，这是一个动静虽小却意义重大的变化。但预计将于周三发布的 iPhone 14 的研发过程还是表明，苹果要真正脱离中国将会多么困难。
This fall, Apple will make some of its flagship iPhones outside China for the first time, a small but significant change for a company that has built one of the most sophisticated supply chains in the world with the help of the Chinese authorities. But the development of the iPhone 14, which is expected to be unveiled on Wednesday, shows how complicated it will be for Apple to truly untangle itself from China.
据四名熟悉苹果新业务的人士及分析师透露，苹果的中国员工和供应商为这款已问世 15 个年头的旗舰产品所贡献的全方位劳动和精密零部件，堪称前所未有，涉及到制造设计、扬声器和电池等多个方面。因此，iPhone已从一款在加州设计、中国制造的产品，变为了两国共同的创造。
More than ever, Apple’s Chinese employees and suppliers contributed complex work and sophisticated components for the 15th year of its marquee device, including aspects of manufacturing design, speakers and batteries, according to four people familiar with the new operations and analysts. As a result, the iPhone has gone from being a product that is designed in California and made in China to one that is a creation of both countries.
中国的关键贡献反映了该国过去十年中的技术进步，以及中国工程师在 iPhone 研发中的参与度达到了新高。在中国以大量廉价劳动力和无与伦比的产能将各国企业吸引至其工厂之后，中国的工程师和供应商已向供应链上游移动，想要在美国企业用于研发高科技产品的资金中分得更大一杯羹。
The critical work provided by China reflects the country’s advancements over the past decade and a new level of involvement for Chinese engineers in the development of iPhones. After the country lured companies to its factories with legions of low-priced workers and unrivaled production capacity, its engineers and suppliers have moved up the supply chain to claim a bigger slice of the money that U.S. companies spend to create high-tech gadgets.
中国负责的 iPhone 制造工作越来越多，这可能会对苹果减少依赖中国的努力构成挑战。而在台湾地缘政治紧张局势加剧、华盛顿对中国作为科技竞争对手的崛起的担忧不断升温之际，这一目标变得愈发紧迫。
The increased responsibilities that China has assumed for the iPhone could challenge Apple’s efforts to decrease its dependency on the country, a goal that has taken on increased urgency amid rising geopolitical tensions over Taiwan and simmering concerns in Washington about China’s ascent as a technology competitor.
对于苹果在印度生产部分 iPhone 的计划，在印度运营的中国企业仍将发挥关键作用。据两名知情人士透露，在印度金奈，已经在中国各地的工厂生产 iPhone 的台湾供应商富士康，将在周边包括领益智造在内的中国供应商的协助下，带领印度工人开展产品组装工作。领益智造的子公司在为 iPhone 供应充电器和其他零部件产品。这些知情人士表示，中国企业比亚迪也设立了用于显示屏的玻璃切割业务。
Chinese companies with operations in India will still play a key role in Apple’s plan to make some iPhones in the country. In Chennai, India, the Taiwanese supplier Foxconn, which already manufactures iPhones in factories throughout China, will lead Indian workers’ assembly of the device with support from nearby Chinese suppliers including Lingyi iTech, which has subsidiaries to supply chargers and other components for iPhones, according to two people familiar with the plans. China’s BYD is setting operations to cut glass for displays, as well, these people said.
“他们想搞多元化，但这是一条艰难的道路，”科技研究公司跳跃创投 (Loup Ventures) 的执行合伙人吉恩·蒙斯特说。“他们实在太依赖中国了。”
“They want to diversify, but it’s a hard road,” said Gene Munster, managing partner of Loup Ventures, a technology research firm. “They depend on China for so much.”
Apple declined to comment. Foxconn, BYD and Lingyi iTech didn’t respond to requests for comment.
新冠疫情的干扰加剧了苹果的困境。当中国在 2020 年关闭国门，苹果被迫大幅调整业务，放弃了让大批（駐加州）工程师前往中国设计旗舰款 iPhone 组装流程的做法。
Covid-related disruptions have exacerbated Apple’s predicament. When China closed its borders in 2020, Apple was forced to overhaul its operations and abandon its practice of flying hordes of California-based engineers to China to design the assembly process for flagship iPhones.
据四名知情人透露，苹果不愿让员工进行长时间隔离，而是开始授权并在深圳和上海雇佣更多中国工程师来负责其最畅销产品的关键设计工作。
Instead of subjecting staff to lengthy quarantines, Apple began empowering and hiring more Chinese engineers in Shenzhen and Shanghai to lead critical design elements for its best-selling product, according to the four people familiar with the operations.
｜尽管苹果公司缓慢地将生产移出中国，但中国工程师却在 iPhone 制造中发挥了愈发重要的作用。Chinese engineers are playing a greater role in the creation of iPhones, even as Apple takes baby steps toward production outside the country.
｜苹果首席执行官蒂姆·库克在减少依赖中国方面始终保持谨慎。Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, has been cautious about decreasing the company’s dependence on China.
苹果的制造和产品设计团队开始与亚洲同事进行深夜视频会话。这些知情人表示，在旅行恢复后，苹果试图鼓励其员工返回中国，并愿在两周的隔离期和四周的工作期间为他们提供每天 1000 美元的津贴。虽然可以获得高达 5 万美元的补偿，但许多工程师都不愿前往，因为不确定可能会被隔离多久。
The company’s manufacturing and product design teams began holding late-night video calls with counterparts in Asia. After travel resumed, Apple tried to encourage its staff to return to China by offering a stipend of $1,000 a day during the two weeks of quarantine and four weeks of work, these people said. Though the payout could be as much as $50,000, many engineers were reluctant to go because of uncertainty over how long they would have to quarantine.
在不能出差的情况下，公司鼓励亚洲员工来主持那些曾由加州同事主持的会议。这些员工还承担了为未来 iPhone 零部件挑选部分亚洲供应商的工作。
In the absence of travel, the company has encouraged staff in Asia to lead meetings that colleagues in California once led, these people said. The staff also assumed responsibility for the selection of some Asian suppliers of future iPhone parts.
这些知情人说，苹果现在正越来越多地依靠中国的高薪工人来完成这些工作。根据追踪科技行业招聘趋势的 GlobalData 的数据，今年苹果在中国发布的工作岗位比 2020 年全年增加了50%。这些知情人说，很多新招进来的员工都是受过西方教育的中国公民。
The company is now increasingly tapping China to supply high-wage workers to do these jobs, these people said. This year, Apple has posted 50 percent more jobs in China than it did during all of 2020, according to GlobalData, which tracks hiring trends across tech. Many of those new hires are Western-educated Chinese citizens, these people said.
苹果业务上的变化与其中国供应商的增加是一致的。就在十年前，中国对iPhone 的生产还贡献甚微。那时中国能提供的主要就是组装手机的低薪工人，手机零部件都从美国、日本和韩国运送过来。根据东京政策研究大学院的经济学教授邢予青的研究，中国贡献劳动的价值约为六美元，仅占一台 iPhone 价值的3.6%。
The change in the way Apple works has coincided with an increase in the number of Chinese suppliers it uses. A little over a decade ago, China contributed little value to the production of an iPhone. It primarily provided the low-wage workers who assembled the device with components shipped in from the United States, Japan and South Korea. The work accounted for about $6 — or 3.6 percent — of the iPhone’s value, according to a study by Yuqing Xing, an economics professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo.
随着时间推移，中国培养出了开始取代苹果全球供应商的本土企业。中国企业开始制造扬声器、切割玻璃、供应电池和制造摄像头模块。根据邢予青的研究，现在中国供应商在 iPhone 价值中占到的比例已超过 25%。
Gradually, China nurtured homegrown suppliers that began to displace Apple’s suppliers from around the world. Chinese companies began making speakers, cutting glass, providing batteries and manufacturing camera modules. Its suppliers now account for more than 25 percent of the value of an iPhone, according to Mr. Xing.
独立经济研究公司佳富龙洲的分析师王丹（音）表示，这样的增长表明，中国已经扩大了对智能手机供应链的掌控。“这一趋势并没有放缓，”他说。
The gains illustrate how China has expanded its mastery of the smartphone supply chain, said Dan Wang, an analyst with Gavekal Dragonomics, an independent economic research firm. “That trend isn’t slowing down,” he said.
｜苹果授权并雇佣了更多中国工程师来负责其最畅销产品的关键设计工作。Apple has empowered and hired more Chinese engineers to lead critical design elements for its best-selling product.
在新冠疫情的大部分时间里，苹果对中国制造的依赖都得到了回报。分析师都表示，尽管 2020 年和 2021 年苹果在别国都遭遇了多次停产，但在中国的稳定生产帮助苹果提升了智能手机市场份额，iPhone销量突破历史纪录。对于一款问世超过十年、已从革命性创新转变为渐进式改进的电子设备来说，这是个了不起的成就。Through most of the pandemic, China has rewarded Apple’s reliance on the country for manufacturing. Its steady production — even as other countries’ shut down for periods in 2020 and 2021 — helped Apple increase its smartphone market share and sell its most iPhones ever, according to analysts, a remarkable achievement for a decades-old electronics device that has shifted from offering revolutionary innovations to incremental improvements.
分析师预计，苹果今年将发布四款iPhone，面部识别传感器所在的缺口将比此前的型号更小。苹果将比往常提前一周发布新手机，通过增加一周的销售来提振当前季度的营收。预计苹果还会将 iPhone 14 Pro 机型涨价 100 美元，至 1600 美元以上，以抵消部分零部件成本上涨的影响。
This year, analysts expect Apple to release four iPhones that have smaller notches for its Face ID feature than previous models. It is unveiling the phones a week earlier than usual, which could boost revenue in the current quarter by adding a week of sales. It also is expected to increase the price of its iPhone 14 Pro models by $100 to more than $1,600 to offset the higher costs of some components.
苹果相信 iPhone 14 能在过往的成功基础上更进一步。金融公司海纳国际集团的数据显示，在其他智能手机制造商因全球经济低迷而减产之际，苹果却要求供应商制造比上一年度更多的手机。
Apple expects the iPhone 14 to build on the success of past years. While other smartphone manufacturers are cutting production as the global economy sputters, Apple has called for its suppliers to make more phones than it did a year ago, according to Susquehanna International Group, a financial firm.
生产订单的增加证明了在通胀和经济不景气的大背景下，苹果的富有客户依然坚挺，雄厚的财力让他们仍可以购买高价智能手机。
The increased manufacturing order is a testament to the resilience of Apple’s affluent customers, whose deep pockets allow them to buy high-priced smartphones despite rising inflation and the economic downturn.
“智能手机产业的消费者支出差距非常巨大，”CCS Insight 的科技分析师韦恩·林 (Wayne Lam) 表示。“相比竞争对手，苹果的处境是安全的。”
“There’s a huge wealth gap in consumer spending in the smartphone industry,” said Wayne Lam, a tech analyst with CCS Insight. “Apple is safe relative to the competition.”