Sir David Attenborough reveals the findings of one of the most ambitious scientific studies of our time - an investigation into what is happening to our oceans. He looks at whether it is too late to save their remarkable biodiversity.
Horizon travels from the cold waters of the North Atlantic to the tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef to meet the scientists who are transforming our understanding of this unique habitat. Attenborough explores some of the ways in which we are affecting marine life - from over-fishing to the acidification of sea water.
The film also uncovers the disturbing story of how shipping noise is deafening whales and dolphins, affecting their survival in the future. Prof Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and Dr David Kline, prepare to launch an underwater laboratory that will monitor the effects of ocean acidification on coral reefs.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Friday, December 7, 2012
Market Rebounds; Investors Stay Cautious
Equity stock market extends the gain from previous week. Market participants remain cautious. Fear of fiscal cliff is the main reason for low investor confidence. However, market participants are not ready to dump stocks yet.
There is no shortage of liquidity in the financial system. This helps to buoy equity stock market despite bad news coming out regularly. Market participants have low exposure to stocks and can pick up bargains if market retreats.
As it is approaching year end, trading activities are gradually coming down since investors are evaluating the final outcome in tax hike for the next year. When the uncertainty in tax hike is removed, market participants will turn back to economic condition again to determine market direction.
Investors Shun US Due to 'Cliff'
The looming "fiscal cliff" is causing the first signs of a shift away from U.S. markets into Europe, said Jim O'Neill, chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
"More and more longer-term investors are being influenced by [the fiscal cliff impasse] and are starting to think Europe has dealt with some of its long-term issues, even though the economies are weak." O'Neill told CNBC's "Squawk Box." "I detect the first signs of people shifting more towards Europe from the U.S."
High-Speed Trades Hurt Investors, a Study Says
A top government economist has concluded that the high-speed trading firms that
have come to dominate the nation’s financial markets are taking significant profits from traditional investors.
The study comes as a council of the nation’s top financial regulators is showing increasing concern that the accelerating automation and speed of the financial markets may represent a threat both to other investors and to the stability of the financial system.
The issue of high-frequency trading has generated anxiety among investors in the stock market, where computerized trading first took hold. But the minutes from the oversight council, and the council’s annual report released this year, indicate that top regulators are viewing the automation of trading as a broader concern as high-speed traders move into an array of financial markets, including bond and foreign currency trading.
Mr. Kirilenko, who is about to leave the C.F.T.C. for an academic position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, presented a draft of the paper at a C.F.T.C. conference last week. He said that the markets were a “zero sum game” in which the high-speed profits came at the expense of other traders.
Top U.S. FirmsAre Cash-Rich Abroad but Poor at Home
At a time when American companies hold near record amounts of cash, many are surprisingly cash poor at home. That doesn't mean they could suddenly run out of money to pay their bills. But it does mean there could be unseen limits on their ability to pay dividends and buy back shares.
With billions of dollars overseas that may never come back, the Securities and Exchange Commission is concerned that companies haven't been presenting investors with an honest appraisal of their liquidity. As a result, regulators are pressing companies to more clearly lay out how much of their cash is in the U.S. and how much is overseas and potentially encumbered by U.S. taxes.
The heavy imbalance between overseas and domestic cash at many U.S. companies in part reflects international expansion into new and sometimes more lucrative markets. Businesses may choose to pile up foreign cash to expand globally, paying for new facilities and overseas acquisitions.
Paulson Said to Blame Bet Against Europe for Most of Loss
John Paulson, manager of $20 billion in hedge funds, told investors that the bulk of his losses this year came on bets that the European sovereign-debt crisis would worsen, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Paulson lost 51 percent in his Advantage Plus Fund in 2011, mostly on a failed bet on an economic rebound.
U.S. household wealth rises to near 2007 high
The net wealth of U.S. households rose in the third quarter to its highest since late 2007, providing a hopeful sign for future consumer spending.
The data, part of the Fed's quarterly Flow of Funds report, also showed Americans continued their four-year-old effort to shed debt.
The 91% Tax Fantasy: Peter Schiff
The fiscal cliff deadline is looming and President Obama refuses to sign any legislation that doesn't raise tax rates on the top 2%. There is an understandable amount of debate on either side of the aisle over the president's decision.
In Krugman's Twinkie Manifesto, he claims that in the 1950s "incomes in the top bracket faced a marginal tax rate of 91% while taxes on corporate profits were twice as large, relative to national income, as in recent years."
Buffett's A Minimum Tax for the Wealthy article touts similar ideas.
In an op ed published in Friday's Wall Street Journal, Peter Schiff challenges the increasingly popular pro-tax rate hike argument:
"The confiscatory top marginal rates of the 1950s were essentially symbolic—very few actually paid them. In reality the vast majority of top earners faced lower effective rates than they do today," he writes.
The bottom line?
"The best thing we can do for economic growth is to lower taxes on the rich...they're already too high...but we also have to acknowledge that government is too big," he tells The Daily Ticker. "We have to dramatically reduce the size of government spending and if we don't do that then we need to be talking about tax increases on the middle class and working poor."
There is no shortage of liquidity in the financial system. This helps to buoy equity stock market despite bad news coming out regularly. Market participants have low exposure to stocks and can pick up bargains if market retreats.
As it is approaching year end, trading activities are gradually coming down since investors are evaluating the final outcome in tax hike for the next year. When the uncertainty in tax hike is removed, market participants will turn back to economic condition again to determine market direction.
Investors Shun US Due to 'Cliff'
The looming "fiscal cliff" is causing the first signs of a shift away from U.S. markets into Europe, said Jim O'Neill, chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
"More and more longer-term investors are being influenced by [the fiscal cliff impasse] and are starting to think Europe has dealt with some of its long-term issues, even though the economies are weak." O'Neill told CNBC's "Squawk Box." "I detect the first signs of people shifting more towards Europe from the U.S."
High-Speed Trades Hurt Investors, a Study Says
A top government economist has concluded that the high-speed trading firms that
have come to dominate the nation’s financial markets are taking significant profits from traditional investors.
The study comes as a council of the nation’s top financial regulators is showing increasing concern that the accelerating automation and speed of the financial markets may represent a threat both to other investors and to the stability of the financial system.
The issue of high-frequency trading has generated anxiety among investors in the stock market, where computerized trading first took hold. But the minutes from the oversight council, and the council’s annual report released this year, indicate that top regulators are viewing the automation of trading as a broader concern as high-speed traders move into an array of financial markets, including bond and foreign currency trading.
Mr. Kirilenko, who is about to leave the C.F.T.C. for an academic position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, presented a draft of the paper at a C.F.T.C. conference last week. He said that the markets were a “zero sum game” in which the high-speed profits came at the expense of other traders.
Top U.S. FirmsAre Cash-Rich Abroad but Poor at Home
At a time when American companies hold near record amounts of cash, many are surprisingly cash poor at home. That doesn't mean they could suddenly run out of money to pay their bills. But it does mean there could be unseen limits on their ability to pay dividends and buy back shares.
With billions of dollars overseas that may never come back, the Securities and Exchange Commission is concerned that companies haven't been presenting investors with an honest appraisal of their liquidity. As a result, regulators are pressing companies to more clearly lay out how much of their cash is in the U.S. and how much is overseas and potentially encumbered by U.S. taxes.
The heavy imbalance between overseas and domestic cash at many U.S. companies in part reflects international expansion into new and sometimes more lucrative markets. Businesses may choose to pile up foreign cash to expand globally, paying for new facilities and overseas acquisitions.
Paulson Said to Blame Bet Against Europe for Most of Loss
John Paulson, manager of $20 billion in hedge funds, told investors that the bulk of his losses this year came on bets that the European sovereign-debt crisis would worsen, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Paulson lost 51 percent in his Advantage Plus Fund in 2011, mostly on a failed bet on an economic rebound.
U.S. household wealth rises to near 2007 high
The net wealth of U.S. households rose in the third quarter to its highest since late 2007, providing a hopeful sign for future consumer spending.
The data, part of the Fed's quarterly Flow of Funds report, also showed Americans continued their four-year-old effort to shed debt.
The 91% Tax Fantasy: Peter Schiff
The fiscal cliff deadline is looming and President Obama refuses to sign any legislation that doesn't raise tax rates on the top 2%. There is an understandable amount of debate on either side of the aisle over the president's decision.
In Krugman's Twinkie Manifesto, he claims that in the 1950s "incomes in the top bracket faced a marginal tax rate of 91% while taxes on corporate profits were twice as large, relative to national income, as in recent years."
Buffett's A Minimum Tax for the Wealthy article touts similar ideas.
In an op ed published in Friday's Wall Street Journal, Peter Schiff challenges the increasingly popular pro-tax rate hike argument:
"The confiscatory top marginal rates of the 1950s were essentially symbolic—very few actually paid them. In reality the vast majority of top earners faced lower effective rates than they do today," he writes.
The bottom line?
"The best thing we can do for economic growth is to lower taxes on the rich...they're already too high...but we also have to acknowledge that government is too big," he tells The Daily Ticker. "We have to dramatically reduce the size of government spending and if we don't do that then we need to be talking about tax increases on the middle class and working poor."
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Golden Spike space venture wants to fly you to the moon ... for $1.4 billion
By Alan Boyle
A group of space veterans and big-name backers today took the wraps off the Golden Spike Company, a commercial space venture that aims to send paying passengers to the moon and back at an estimated price of $1.4 billion or more for two.
The venture would rely on private funding, and it's not clear when the first lunar flight would be launched — but the concept received a vote of support from NASA, which abandoned its own back-to-the-moon plan three and a half years ago.
Golden Spike's announcement came on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 17, the last manned moonshot. Backers of the plan, including former NASA executive Alan Stern and former Apollo flight director Gerry Griffin, discussed the company's strategy at a National Press Club briefing in Washington.
"The time is ripe for commercial human lunar exploration," Griffin told journalists.
Stern said Golden Spike's experienced team of board members and advisers gave him confidence that they'd be able to make good on what sounds like a supremely overambitious plan. "We realize this is the stuff of science fiction," he said. "We intend to make it science fact."
Stern, a planetary scientist who was NASA's associate administrator for science in 2007-2008, is Golden Spike's president and CEO, while Griffin is chairman of the board. Other board members include new-space entrepreneur Esther Dyson and Taber McCallum, co-founder and CEO of Paragon Space Development Corp. The lineup of advisers taps into a who's who of space figures, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former NASA shuttle program manager Wayne Hale, former NASA engineer Homer Hickam and Bill Richardson, who has served as U.N. ambassador, energy secretary and the governor of New Mexico.
The venture also numbers United Launch Alliance, Armadillo Aerospace, Masten Space Systems and several other space-industry players on its team for the lunar lander system.
Golden Spike takes its name from the ceremonial spike that joined the rails of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States in 1869, a milestone that opened up the Western frontier to new opportunities.
"We’re not just about America going back to the moon; we’re about American industry and American entrepreneurial spirit leading the rest of the world to an exciting era of human lunar exploration," Stern said in the venture's first news release. "It’s the 21st century, we’re here to help countries, companies, and individuals extend their reach in space, and we think we’ll see an enthusiastic customer manifest developing.”
Ambitions and doubts
Golden Spike's news release said the venture would make use of existing rockets as well as commercial spacecraft that are currently under development to send expeditions to the lunar surface, with the estimated cost of a two-person lunar surface mission starting at $1.4 billion. That's roughly equivalent to the cost of a flagship robotic mission to the moon or Mars, such as the Curiosity-class rover mission that NASA is planning to launch to the Red Planet in 2020.
Stern said Golden Spike's mission architecture has been in development for two years. Each expedition would involve two sets of two launches: The first set would put the pieces in place to pre-position a lander in lunar orbit, and the second set would deliver a two-person crew to hook up with the lander, head down to the lunar surface, return to lunar orbit and then sail home in a return capsule.
That architecture could be put in place for $7 billion to $8 billion, Stern said. "This is a breakthrough cost," he said. In addition to the $1.4 billion for each two-person expedition, Golden Spike would derive revenue from media ventures associated with each moonshot, Stern said.
Golden Spike said market studies indicated that 15 to 20 expeditions could be undertaken in the decade after the first landing. However, no time frame was given for that landing. That's just one of the gaps in Golden Spike's plan. Among the other questions yet to be resolved:
•How will Golden Spike fund its operations during the buildup to the first flight?
•Can private-sector efforts produce a workable lunar launch and landing system at a cost far less than the $100 billion that NASA said it would cost in 2005?
•Are Golden Spike's assumptions about the demand for lunar missions correct, even if the price point is in its estimated range of $1.4 billion and up?
•What relationships would Golden Spike be able to forge with NASA and international space efforts?
Reaction, pro and con
NASA's associate administrator for communications, David Weaver, issued a statement that portrayed the venture in a positive light while steering clear of a formal endorsement.
"This type of private-sector effort is further evidence of the timeliness and wisdom of the Obama administration's overall space policy— to create an environment where commercial space companies can build upon NASA’s past successes, allowing the agency to focus on the new challenges of sending humans to an asteroid and eventually Mars," Weaver said. "As the private sector works to develop human missions to the International Space Station and eventually the moon, NASA will continue to develop new technologies and capabilities to advance the frontier ever further into space."
But John Pike, a longtime expert on space policy who heads GlobalSecurity.org, said he was "deeply skeptical" about Golden Spike's business plan.
"If you could do it this cheap, somebody would have already done it," he told me.
Even if a lunar exploration program could be created for $8 billion, Pike said he didn't think the moonshot market would match Stern's expectations. "The implication is that they've got 20 countries that want to shoot people to the moon. I doubt it," he said.
India and China might be interested — but after that, Pike said, "How many countries are going to be prepared to spend money to be the 12th to land on the moon? ... I think a lot of these rocket men are just taking too many happy pills."
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
第59屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車(2012)賽事重溫 (YouTube)
11月16日 (星期五)
14:35 15:05 「澳博」澳門格蘭披治三級方程式大賽 - 排位賽
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 三級方程式大賽 排位賽 (11月16日) - 不完整
15:25 16:15 FIA世界房車錦標賽 – 澳門東望洋大賽 –「澳博」特約 – 排位賽
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 FIA世界房車錦標賽 排位賽
16:35 17:05 澳門格蘭披治電單車 - 第四十六屆大賽 – 排位賽
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 電單車大賽 排位賽 (11月16日)
11月17日 (星期六)
08:20 09:20 財神酒店澳門/香港埠際賽 – 10圈
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 財神酒店澳門/香港埠際賽
09:50 10:50 太陽城集團澳門路車挑戰賽 – 10圈
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 太陽城集團澳門路車挑戰賽
11:20 12:20 澳門電訊房車盃 – 12圈
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 澳門電訊房車盃
12:50 13:10 新濠天地澳門GT盃 – 排位賽
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 新濠天地澳門GT盃 排位賽 (11月17日)
14:00 14:50 「澳博」澳門格蘭披治三級方程式大賽 – 選拔賽 – 10圈
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 三級方程式大賽 (選拔賽)
11月18日 (星期日)
09:00 10:00 新濠天地澳門GT盃 – 12圈
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 新濠天地澳門GT盃
10:30 13:00 FIA世界房車錦標賽 – 澳門東望洋大賽 –「澳博」特約 – 兩回合各9圈 (兩回合之間設15分鐘歇息)
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 FIA世界房車錦標賽 第一回合
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 FIA世界房車錦標賽 第二回合
13:45 14:45 特備節目
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 特備節目 (11月17日)
15:30 16:30 「澳博」澳門格蘭披治三級方程式大賽 – 15圈
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 三級方程式大賽
16:30 17:10 澳門格蘭披治電單車 - 第四十六屆大賽 – 10圈
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 電單車大賽
14:35 15:05 「澳博」澳門格蘭披治三級方程式大賽 - 排位賽
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 三級方程式大賽 排位賽 (11月16日) - 不完整
15:25 16:15 FIA世界房車錦標賽 – 澳門東望洋大賽 –「澳博」特約 – 排位賽
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 FIA世界房車錦標賽 排位賽
16:35 17:05 澳門格蘭披治電單車 - 第四十六屆大賽 – 排位賽
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 電單車大賽 排位賽 (11月16日)
11月17日 (星期六)
08:20 09:20 財神酒店澳門/香港埠際賽 – 10圈
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 財神酒店澳門/香港埠際賽
09:50 10:50 太陽城集團澳門路車挑戰賽 – 10圈
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 太陽城集團澳門路車挑戰賽
11:20 12:20 澳門電訊房車盃 – 12圈
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 澳門電訊房車盃
12:50 13:10 新濠天地澳門GT盃 – 排位賽
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 新濠天地澳門GT盃 排位賽 (11月17日)
14:00 14:50 「澳博」澳門格蘭披治三級方程式大賽 – 選拔賽 – 10圈
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 三級方程式大賽 (選拔賽)
11月18日 (星期日)
09:00 10:00 新濠天地澳門GT盃 – 12圈
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 新濠天地澳門GT盃
10:30 13:00 FIA世界房車錦標賽 – 澳門東望洋大賽 –「澳博」特約 – 兩回合各9圈 (兩回合之間設15分鐘歇息)
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 FIA世界房車錦標賽 第一回合
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 FIA世界房車錦標賽 第二回合
13:45 14:45 特備節目
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 特備節目 (11月17日)
15:30 16:30 「澳博」澳門格蘭披治三級方程式大賽 – 15圈
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 三級方程式大賽
16:30 17:10 澳門格蘭披治電單車 - 第四十六屆大賽 – 10圈
第五十九屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車 電單車大賽
山寨手機末路 華強北爆結業潮 (原載《東方日報》)
國產山寨手機由於成本低廉、生產容易等特點，近十年間席捲神州，另憑「雙卡雙待」等便利功能，更成功打入港澳市場。不過，隨着新一代智能手機崛起、民眾消費能力提高，加上面對政府部門、網絡商店嚴打仿冒的「夾擊」，近年山寨手機銷量已大不如前，大批山寨廠被迫結業。其中被稱為「山寨手機大本營」的深圳華強北，近期更爆發大規模「執笠潮」，山寨手機步入前所未有的寒冬。
深圳華強北路多間商場均以出售山寨手機聞名，昔日人山人海。（資料圖片）
華強北遠望數碼商城、賽格廣場的商店以出售山寨手機聞名，批發網絡遍及全國，曾經是淘寶網最大山寨手機賣家的「藍優數碼」，亦是在這裏發迹。不過，本報記者昨到華強北視察，卻發現門面冷清，「櫃台轉讓」招牌到處可見。業內人士指，以往中小手機企業爭相進駐的現代之窗大廈，近兩月大批公司倒閉，其中一層原約廿間公司只剩九間。
高峰期年銷1.5億部
國產山寨手機是於○二年掀起首波浪潮，○七年起，諾基亞、三星等進軍內地市場，令國產品牌僅餘一成半市場份額。台灣聯發科翌年推出「Turnkey-Solution」的低價晶片方案，山寨廠只需採購鏡頭、外殼等零件，就能快速生產手機，再掀山寨浪潮。○九年，山寨手機出貨量創下近一億五千萬部的高峰。
華強北明通數碼城許多手機櫃枱人去樓空，顯得非常蕭條。（黃少君攝）
華強北電子市場現倒閉潮。
不過，隨着內地近年經濟崛起，民眾消費能力提高，而蘋果iPhone系列於○九年十月進入內地市場後，令高檔智能手機逐步成為主流。加上外國品牌進軍，迫使當局加強打擊仿冒貨，假貨氾濫的網絡商店遂成主要目標，「藍優數碼」就是於今年四月被深圳海關查封。
華強北電子市場生意蕭條，位於曼哈數碼廣場二樓的旺舖都要轉讓離場。
平時忙到連飯都沒時間吃的貨運業也大受打擊，員工坐等生意上門。
軟件無法與外商匹敵
「今天MP3賺就做MP3，明天手機賺就做手機！」中國移動互聯網產業聯副理事長李易批評，山寨廠只為賺快錢，普遍欠缺長遠目標。分析師閆小佳則指，蘋果手機所用配件由內地生產，硬件上，全球廠商其實處於同一起跑線，但軟件開發卻盡失先機，無法對抗蘋果iOS及谷歌Andriod等手機作業系統。有分析更認為，國產手機動輒打價格戰，懶理功能及品牌名聲，最終集體走向滅亡。
事實上，國產山寨手機今年七、八月曾出現「小陽春」。業內人士表示，當時市場上智能手機零件短缺，山寨廠商卻利用各種門路，搶到零件率先出貨。不過，由於山寨廠商過於樂觀，反導致供應過剩，近兩個月銷路暴跌，大批中小廠商損失嚴重，成為華強北爆發「執笠潮」的最直接因素。
一味靠抄 拖累國產品牌
山寨手機熱潮令大批創業者獲「第一桶金」，背後卻產生抄襲、無新意等種種質疑。有北京媒體指出，就算多個大型國產品牌多番求變，並相繼打進國際市場，但十年過去，國產手機不但未洗脫「山寨」污名，產品質素還有待改善。
「山寨」原形容小規模或家庭式工廠，但國產手機商為吸引消費者，往往選取與外國品牌極似的名稱，就連外形、作業系統等亦抄足，因而令「山寨」添上抄襲的意思。此外，山寨機質量屢受質疑，更不時發生爆炸事件。
山寨廠短視向錢看
《北京晨報》報道，山寨企業的高仿及純粹賺錢特質，只靠減價戰搶生意，暴露國產手機廠商過於浮躁。中興通訊旗下努比亞智能手機總經理倪飛直言，山寨給整個行業造成的傷害，需動員所有國產廠商以行動去修復。
報道援引國家知識產權局數據顯示，在全球智能手機專利排名中，國產品牌中興與華為，分別排名第四和第十，但指出兩者雖有自己的手機晶片，並開始研發手機作業系統，然而在穩定性、成本、使用範圍上，仍不能與國際廠商相比。
生意跌八成 汰弱留強困局
深圳華強北掀起「執笠潮」，大批中、小型店舖率先結業，餘下勉強經營的大型商店生意亦暴跌近八成。有店主坦承經營環境若未見好轉，年底前恐亦要「告別華強北」。不過，本港出售「山寨」的手機店卻未受影響，更有店主認為只是內地手機業汰弱留強的現象。
港人點睇
張先生（工程從業員）：「內地（手機廠）有執笠潮都不足為奇，因為佢哋比較亂，有時又幫啲大廠趕吓貨。」
店主叫苦「生意從未這樣差」
「太難以想像，從來沒試過生意如此差！」華強北遠望數碼城的新天建通訊有限公司負責人溫先生指，公司以往每日出貨量最少三、四千部，但現在最多只有六、七百部，生意暴跌七至八成。曼哈數碼廣場的店主吳先生更打算撐到農曆新年前，其後便回汕頭老家轉行。
昨到華強北購物的顧客鄭小姐表示，華強北的手機等貨品以價格便宜聞名，本來她亦打算添置一部平價山寨手機，但許多國際品牌手機都推出低價智能手機，相同條件下，現在已打消購買山寨手機念頭。
林小姐（大學生）：「冇試過用山寨手機呀，新聞話會爆炸，其實自己都好少用大陸嘢，就算充電器都唔會用。」
顧客鄭小姐表示，現在許多名牌機都推出千餘元的智能手機，肯定不會再幫襯山寨機。
本港一間手機店的負責人梁先生表示今次內地山寨機執笠潮是淘汰技術較落後的廠家。
而本港深水埗的手機店負責人梁先生指出，以往國產山寨手機沿用舊的JAVA技術，模擬外國手機的應用程式，雖然外觀相似及價格低，但功能較差，且傳送速度亦緩慢。他認為，即使行業出現執笠潮，亦只是淘汰一班技術較落後的廠家。
深圳華強北路多間商場均以出售山寨手機聞名，昔日人山人海。（資料圖片）
華強北遠望數碼商城、賽格廣場的商店以出售山寨手機聞名，批發網絡遍及全國，曾經是淘寶網最大山寨手機賣家的「藍優數碼」，亦是在這裏發迹。不過，本報記者昨到華強北視察，卻發現門面冷清，「櫃台轉讓」招牌到處可見。業內人士指，以往中小手機企業爭相進駐的現代之窗大廈，近兩月大批公司倒閉，其中一層原約廿間公司只剩九間。
高峰期年銷1.5億部
國產山寨手機是於○二年掀起首波浪潮，○七年起，諾基亞、三星等進軍內地市場，令國產品牌僅餘一成半市場份額。台灣聯發科翌年推出「Turnkey-Solution」的低價晶片方案，山寨廠只需採購鏡頭、外殼等零件，就能快速生產手機，再掀山寨浪潮。○九年，山寨手機出貨量創下近一億五千萬部的高峰。
華強北明通數碼城許多手機櫃枱人去樓空，顯得非常蕭條。（黃少君攝）
華強北電子市場現倒閉潮。
不過，隨着內地近年經濟崛起，民眾消費能力提高，而蘋果iPhone系列於○九年十月進入內地市場後，令高檔智能手機逐步成為主流。加上外國品牌進軍，迫使當局加強打擊仿冒貨，假貨氾濫的網絡商店遂成主要目標，「藍優數碼」就是於今年四月被深圳海關查封。
華強北電子市場生意蕭條，位於曼哈數碼廣場二樓的旺舖都要轉讓離場。
平時忙到連飯都沒時間吃的貨運業也大受打擊，員工坐等生意上門。
軟件無法與外商匹敵
「今天MP3賺就做MP3，明天手機賺就做手機！」中國移動互聯網產業聯副理事長李易批評，山寨廠只為賺快錢，普遍欠缺長遠目標。分析師閆小佳則指，蘋果手機所用配件由內地生產，硬件上，全球廠商其實處於同一起跑線，但軟件開發卻盡失先機，無法對抗蘋果iOS及谷歌Andriod等手機作業系統。有分析更認為，國產手機動輒打價格戰，懶理功能及品牌名聲，最終集體走向滅亡。
事實上，國產山寨手機今年七、八月曾出現「小陽春」。業內人士表示，當時市場上智能手機零件短缺，山寨廠商卻利用各種門路，搶到零件率先出貨。不過，由於山寨廠商過於樂觀，反導致供應過剩，近兩個月銷路暴跌，大批中小廠商損失嚴重，成為華強北爆發「執笠潮」的最直接因素。
一味靠抄 拖累國產品牌
山寨手機熱潮令大批創業者獲「第一桶金」，背後卻產生抄襲、無新意等種種質疑。有北京媒體指出，就算多個大型國產品牌多番求變，並相繼打進國際市場，但十年過去，國產手機不但未洗脫「山寨」污名，產品質素還有待改善。
「山寨」原形容小規模或家庭式工廠，但國產手機商為吸引消費者，往往選取與外國品牌極似的名稱，就連外形、作業系統等亦抄足，因而令「山寨」添上抄襲的意思。此外，山寨機質量屢受質疑，更不時發生爆炸事件。
山寨廠短視向錢看
《北京晨報》報道，山寨企業的高仿及純粹賺錢特質，只靠減價戰搶生意，暴露國產手機廠商過於浮躁。中興通訊旗下努比亞智能手機總經理倪飛直言，山寨給整個行業造成的傷害，需動員所有國產廠商以行動去修復。
報道援引國家知識產權局數據顯示，在全球智能手機專利排名中，國產品牌中興與華為，分別排名第四和第十，但指出兩者雖有自己的手機晶片，並開始研發手機作業系統，然而在穩定性、成本、使用範圍上，仍不能與國際廠商相比。
生意跌八成 汰弱留強困局
深圳華強北掀起「執笠潮」，大批中、小型店舖率先結業，餘下勉強經營的大型商店生意亦暴跌近八成。有店主坦承經營環境若未見好轉，年底前恐亦要「告別華強北」。不過，本港出售「山寨」的手機店卻未受影響，更有店主認為只是內地手機業汰弱留強的現象。
港人點睇
張先生（工程從業員）：「內地（手機廠）有執笠潮都不足為奇，因為佢哋比較亂，有時又幫啲大廠趕吓貨。」
店主叫苦「生意從未這樣差」
「太難以想像，從來沒試過生意如此差！」華強北遠望數碼城的新天建通訊有限公司負責人溫先生指，公司以往每日出貨量最少三、四千部，但現在最多只有六、七百部，生意暴跌七至八成。曼哈數碼廣場的店主吳先生更打算撐到農曆新年前，其後便回汕頭老家轉行。
昨到華強北購物的顧客鄭小姐表示，華強北的手機等貨品以價格便宜聞名，本來她亦打算添置一部平價山寨手機，但許多國際品牌手機都推出低價智能手機，相同條件下，現在已打消購買山寨手機念頭。
林小姐（大學生）：「冇試過用山寨手機呀，新聞話會爆炸，其實自己都好少用大陸嘢，就算充電器都唔會用。」
顧客鄭小姐表示，現在許多名牌機都推出千餘元的智能手機，肯定不會再幫襯山寨機。
本港一間手機店的負責人梁先生表示今次內地山寨機執笠潮是淘汰技術較落後的廠家。
而本港深水埗的手機店負責人梁先生指出，以往國產山寨手機沿用舊的JAVA技術，模擬外國手機的應用程式，雖然外觀相似及價格低，但功能較差，且傳送速度亦緩慢。他認為，即使行業出現執笠潮，亦只是淘汰一班技術較落後的廠家。
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)