Alibaba places China smartphone business bet with $590 million Meizu deal
An article by PAUL CARSTEN AND JOHN RUWITCH
Publicado por Liuyang
viernes, 13 de marzo de 2015 a las 14:50
China's Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is taking a $590 million stake in an obscure domestic smartphone maker as the e-commerce giant tests ways to expand its mobile operating system in a shrinking, cut-throat handset market.
Extending a previously muted push into hardware, Alibaba said on Monday it will buy an unspecified minority stake in smartphone maker Meizu Technology Co. Dwarfed by rivals like Xiaomi Inc [XTC.UL], privately owned Meizu's slice of China's smartphone market is estimated by analysts at below 2 percent.
The deal, unlike U.S. rival Amazon.com Inc's foray into smartphones with its own-brand Fire Phone, is designed to help Alibaba push its mobile operating system within China through Meizu's handsets. In return, Zhuhai, Guangdong-based Meizu will get access to Alibaba's e-commerce sales channels and other resources, the companies said in a joint statement.
For China's e-commerce king, with a market value of $213 billion market value, the $590 million price tag may be a costly entry fee. Meizu's reach in China, and likely that of the Alibaba operating system, is severely blunted by domestic leaders Xiaomi, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] and Lenovo Group, as well as multinational giants Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.
Vía: Reuters
Authors: BY PAUL CARSTEN AND JOHN RUWITCH
Fuente original del contenido:
Reuters
PAUL CARSTEN AND JOHN RUWITCH
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/09/us-alibaba-group-meizu-idUSKBN0LD03H20150209
13/03/2015 14:50 | Liuyang
https://asianentrepreneurship.emprenemjunts.es/?op=8&n=10724