????在推出Fire Phone智能手機(jī)進(jìn)軍移動(dòng)電子市場(chǎng)的嘗試遭遇失敗后,，亞馬遜似乎開始反思自己能否成為一家大型硬件制造商。就在上周,，該公司解聘了幾十名手機(jī)部門的工程師,，這是亞馬遜硬件部門Lab126近 11年來首次裁員。

????從Fire Phone這類硬件產(chǎn)品中全身而退,，可能是亞馬遜做出的最明智的決定,。這家公司最成功的產(chǎn)品往往與他們出售的軟件產(chǎn)品緊密結(jié)合在一起，比如Kindle電子書,，為廣受好評(píng)的無線音箱Echo提供Amazon Prime Music服務(wù),。

????通過提供方便和快捷的服務(wù)——從Amazon Prime免費(fèi)兩日送達(dá)服務(wù)，到Amazon Locker包裹自提柜——以及透明的數(shù)字銷售環(huán)境,，亞馬遜積累了超過4000萬名用戶,。

????Current Analysis公司分析師艾維?格林加特表示：“電子閱讀器、平板電腦和電視機(jī)頂盒都專注于內(nèi)容消費(fèi),，這是亞馬遜最具競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力的領(lǐng)域,。值得一提的是，亞馬遜也是最早進(jìn)入這些產(chǎn)品領(lǐng)域的公司之一,，而不是隨大流推出受歡迎產(chǎn)品的跟風(fēng)者,。”

????一款像Fire Phone這種專注于亞馬遜自身服務(wù)（而不是像其他安卓手機(jī)那樣運(yùn)行）的產(chǎn)品,，要求用戶調(diào)整對(duì)智能手機(jī)的期望,，而不是提高期望。

????行業(yè)分析師杰夫?卡干表示：“Fire Phone從未抓住用戶的想象力,。這里也要提一句,，F(xiàn)acebook的智能手機(jī)也是如此?！?/p>

????兩款產(chǎn)品失敗的原因非常類似：“他們優(yōu)先考慮的是自己公司的喜好,，而不是用戶的喜好。就像卡干所說：“用戶可以用自己手機(jī)應(yīng)用在亞馬遜網(wǎng)站下單,，這才是他們想要的,。”就算要把各種產(chǎn)品全部賣給顧客,，該公司也幾乎不需要特別的設(shè)備,。

????在硬件領(lǐng)域，尤其是移動(dòng)產(chǎn)品上,，已經(jīng)有許多競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力十足的智能手機(jī)品牌了——蘋果,、三星和許多其他公司都可以做得更好,。而亞馬遜擅長(zhǎng)的，是把音樂,、視頻和Kindle內(nèi)容通過一系列兼容設(shè)備無縫遞送給用戶,，消除任何有可能阻止用戶購(gòu)買該公司產(chǎn)品的障礙。

????一個(gè)例外可能是廚房設(shè)備Kabinet,。據(jù)《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》報(bào)道,，這款設(shè)備正處于開發(fā)階段。它將會(huì)作為一個(gè)管理任務(wù)的聯(lián)網(wǎng)中樞,，實(shí)現(xiàn)在亞馬遜網(wǎng)站下訂單等功能,。在這個(gè)領(lǐng)域，亞馬遜無需與其他根深蒂固的品牌競(jìng)爭(zhēng),，實(shí)際上,，公司等于是開發(fā)了一項(xiàng)新設(shè)備直接用于產(chǎn)品提供，同時(shí)還能滿足忙碌的家庭需要,。

????從長(zhǎng)期來看,，這次失敗對(duì)亞馬遜意味著什么？卡干表示：“我不認(rèn)為它會(huì)影響公司的未來,。亞馬遜已經(jīng)非常壯大了,，它還會(huì)繼續(xù)發(fā)展下去?！?span>（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：嚴(yán)匡正

????審校：任文科

????After an unsuccessful foray into the mobile electronics market with the Fire Phone, Amazon appears to be rethinking its ambitions to become a major hardware maker. Just last week, the company let go dozens of engineers who worked on the flop of a smartphone—marking the first layoffs in 11 years for Amazon’s Lab126 hardware unit.

????Backing away from hardware like the Fire Phone is the smartest thing Amazon could do. The company’s greatest product successes have been those that tie directly into the software offerings it sells, such as ebooks for the Kindle and Amazon Prime Music for the well-received Echo speaker.

????Amazon’s amassed more than 40 million users by offering convenience and speed—from free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime to package pickup with Amazon Locker—in addition to selling everything under the sun via its digital storefront.

????“e-Readers, tablets, and TV set top boxes are all focused on content consumption, where Amazon is more competitive,” says Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis. It’s also worth noting that Amazon has been an early entrant in many of these product categories, not an also-ran introducing its own take on a popular device.

????A product like the Fire Phone, which focuses on Amazon’s own services rather than functioning like any other Android phone, requires users to adjust their expectations of a smartphone rather than raise them.

????“The Fire Phone simply never caught the imagination of users,” says industry analyst Jeff Kagan. “Then again, neither did Facebook’s smartphone.”

????Both products failed for similar reasons: They put the company’s priorities ahead of users’ preferences. As Kagan says, “Users can order on Amazon.com from their smartphone with the app and that is what they want.” To sell its vast selection of products to customers, the company hardly needs specialized devices.

????When it comes to hardware—especially mobile, with so many competitive smartphones already on the market—Apple, Samsung, and many others can do it better. What Amazon can do better is seamlessly deliver its music, video, and Kindle content to users across a range of compatible devices, without any friction that could prevent customers from purchasing the company’s products.

????One exception to the rule may be Kabinet, a device for the kitchen which, WSJ reports, is in development. The product will serve as an Internet-connected hub for managing tasks such as ordering items on Amazon. Here, though, the company wouldn’t be competing with other well-established products; rather, it would be developing a new device that ties directly into its product offerings while addressing the needs of a busy household.

????As to what Amazon’s latest consumer-electronics flop could mean in the long term, Kagan says, “I don’t think this will have an impact on the company’s future. Amazon has grown and will continue to grow.”