HTC, the Taiwanese smartphone maker, is emerging as one of the biggest beneficiaries besides Apple from the growing popularity of smartphones, as it yesterday revealed its revenues jumped 58 per cent in the second quarter.

台湾智能手机制造商宏达电(HTC)正成为除苹果(Apple)以外智能手机日益流行趋势的最大受益者之一。该公司昨日透露，其第二季度营业收入飙升58%。

The world's biggest producer of handsets that support both Google's Android operating system and Microsoft's Windows Mobile software, saw shipments increase by four-fifths from a year ago to 5.4m handsets in the three months to the end of June.

在截至6月底的三个月期间，这家全球最大手机制造商的发货量比去年同期增长五分之四，达到540万部。宏达电的手机同时支持谷歌(Google) Android操作系统和微软(Microsoft) Windows Mobile软件。

HTC expects volumes to increase by another 20 per cent over the next three months to reach 6.5m in the third quarter, and for revenues to hit a record T$70bn (US$2.2bn).

宏达电预期，发货量在接下来的三个月期间将再增长20%，使第三季度的手机发货量达到650万部，而营收将达到创纪录的700亿元新台币（合22亿美元）。

Cheng Hui-ming, chief financial officer, said these numbers reflected the more general trend of “smartphone sales entering a period of very fast growth” as it transformed from a niche, high-end product to one with mass consumer appeal in developed markets in Europe and the US.

宏达电首席财务官郑慧明表示，这些数据反映出一个大趋势，即随着智能手机从一种高端利基市场产品，转变为在欧美发达市场具有大众吸引力的产品，“智能手机销售已进入快速增长期”。

Global smartphone sales grew 56.7 per cent in the first quarter of this year, and now account for nearly one-fifth of the broader mobile phone market, according to research firm IDC. HTC has taken advantage of that growth by mounting its first big global marketing drive in the past year.

根据研究公司IDC的数据，全球智能手机销售在今年第一季度增长56.7%，如今占整个移动手机市场近五分之一。宏达电在过去一年首度发起全球营销努力，从而得益于这种增长。

“Our brand awareness globally has increased significantly” from 10 per cent before the campaign to 40 per cent now, said Mr Cheng. That spending on marketing was made possible by the increasing scale of its business, he added.

郑慧明称：“本公司在全球的品牌知名度已显著上升，”从营销活动之前的10%升至现在的40%。他补充说，营销支出之所以能够增加，是因为公司的业务规模不断扩大。

Second-quarter sales rose 60 per cent from the first quarter to T$61bn, while gross profit increased 56.1 per cent quarter-on-quarter to T$17.86bn.

第二季度销售额比第一季度增长60%，至610亿元新台币，而毛利润环比增长56.1%，达到178.6亿元新台币。

The average selling price of HTC phones has remained relatively steady over the past year at about US$340.

宏达电手机的平均售价在过去一年保持相对稳定，仍为大约340美元。

HTC's profile has been further raised this year when Apple sued the company for patent infringement, and by the success of its advanced fourth-generation EVO phone, which has helped Sprint Nextel compete with rival network AT&T's Apple iPhone offerings in the US.

宏达电的知名度在今年进一步提高，原因包括苹果起诉该公司侵犯专利，同时宏达电先进的第四代EVO手机取得成功，帮助美国运营商Sprint Nextel与销售苹果iPhone手机的美国电话电报公司(AT&T)展开竞争。

Yet while the smartphone segment remains the brightest spot in the mobile industry, increasingly fierce competition has meant that not everyone has benefited equally from the rapid growth.

然而，尽管智能手机仍是手机行业最亮的亮点，但日趋激烈的竞争意味着，并非所有厂商都能均等地得益于这种快速增长。

Nokia, the biggest smartphone vendor, is plagued by rumours of a possible top management shake-up while South Korea's LG Electronics on Wednesday revealed it had suffered a 90 per cent drop in operating profit .

全球最大智能手机供应商诺基亚(Nokia)正被高级管理层可能改组的传言所困扰，而韩国的LG电子(LG Electronics)本周三报告营运利润下降了90%。