照相手機與數位相機廠商競合策略之研究

Abstract

照相手機無疑的對數位相機來說是一大挑戰者，無論從市場、客戶、供應商的角度來看，照相機與行動裝置整合、畫素與功能逐漸提高及易於攜帶性，頗有取代中低階DSC的架勢，但由於手機內建較高階的照相模組多由DSC製造廠設計提供，故其彼此間又是競爭者又是供應商的關係，使得DSC廠對提供照相模組予手機製造廠的這種商業模式，既期待又怕受傷害：因為照相手機賣得好，表示照相模組銷售量也相對增加，但相對的會侵蝕到中低階DSC市場，使消費者對於中低階DSC之需求減少。 許多手機照相模組供應大廠如普立爾本身就是DSC的自有品牌或ODM/OEM代工廠，但由於手機照相模組的需求量大，且對於這些光學廠來說，手機照相模組相較於DSC的光學技術門檻不高、畫質要求也較低，所以這些大廠也樂於提供照相模組予手機製造商整合於手機內。可是剛開始照相手機的畫素低（從十萬畫素開始），且畫質及功能也不佳，難以和DSC比擬，就DSC的觀點來看，只是玩具照相機的水準；但照相模組現已進步到五百萬畫素，除了自動對焦，還有2倍或3倍光學變焦的功能，甚至有些還有機械式快門，嚴然已是完整的DSC，這時對DSC來說，照相手機是威脅其中低階市場的強大競爭對手，不可等閒。 對於像是Sony這種集團來說，旗下既有SonyDSC，也有Sony Ericsson的照相手機，而且Sony還微型化、移植其著名的Cyber-shotDSC內的照相模組予Sony Ericsson的K系列照相手機，使其照相手機與DSC在市場上互為競爭者，形成頗為矛盾、不合邏輯的產品策略，但為何Sony還願意繼續提供Sony Ericsson照相模組呢？ 本研究嘗試以「賽局理論」的「競合策略」來解釋此一現象，將賽局要素以參賽者、附加價值、規則、戰術及賽局範圍等五個部份為探討依據，再配合實際例子-Sony vs. Sony Ericsson來探討照相手機對數位相機所造成的影響。

Cameras are embedded into mobile phones more and more and camera-phones have undoubtedly created big challengers to Digital Still Cameras（DSC）. From the standpoints of markets, customers and suppliers, camera-phones are now replacing middle-end and low-end Digital Still Cameras due to the integration with mobile phones, improving image quality, DSC functions and mobility. Since most high quality Compact Camera Modules（CCM） are provided by DSC ODM/OEM makers, digital still camera makers and camera-phone makers are both competitors and business partners. On the one hand, DSC makers are keen on providing CCM to phone makers. On the other hand, they do not wish to see the sales of DSC’s encroached by it. Many CCM providers like PREMIER were themselves big DSC OBM/ODM/OEM manufacturers. For these Optic companies, CCM is a new business opportunity with huge quantity demand but less technical skill and image quality requirements compared to DSC. These optic companies are therefore happy to provide CCM to phone makers. At the initial stage, the camera-phones are more like toy cameras due to the lower pixel numbers, poor image quality and functions. But camera-phones have now become devices with 5 mega-pixel, auto-focus（AF） and 2 /3 times optical zoom. Some high-end camera-phones are more like DSC with other advanced DSC functions which makes the DSC makers wary. The camera-phones have become strong competitors in the middle to low-end DSC markets.Sony group owns both DSC maker and camera-phone maker, within the corporation. Sony even provides their famous camera module, Cyber-shot, to Sony Ericsson for the built-in K-series camera-phones thus making Sony Ericsson K-series camera-phones competitors against Sony Cyber-shot Digital Still Cameras. This business model seems contradictive and confusing. Why then is Sony willing to provide CCM to Sony Ericsson? This study attempts to explain this situation by using Co-opetition of Game Theory which probes into this business model from 5 elements -players, added values, rules, tactics and scope.