????中國能否從制造業大國躍升為世界級創新者？

????太平洋兩岸已經就這個問題激辯多年。中國領導人一直希望中國能夠跟隨日本和韓國的腳步，通過增強創新能力來推動經濟持續增長。

????越來越多的跡象表明，至少就某些公司而言，答案或許是：“能”。

????上周三，聯想集團(Lenovo)首席執行官楊元慶在舊金山領取了以表彰創新著稱的愛迪生成就獎(Edison Achievement Award)。今年的另一位獲獎者是特斯拉電動汽車公司(Tesla)和Space X公司創始人埃隆?穆斯克。這個獎項的昔日得主包括蘋果公司(Apple)的史蒂夫?喬布斯、高通公司(Qualcomm)的保羅?雅各布、福特汽車公司(Ford)的艾倫?穆拉利和艾迪歐公司(Ideo)的大衛?凱利。

????愛迪生成就獎由致力于推動創新的非營利機構愛迪生國際(Edison Universe)頒發。要是沒有具體成就的支持，這個獎項也就沒有多大的意義。但聯想已經成為一家全球性計算巨頭——聯想的個人電腦銷量位居全球之首，同時也是智能手機和平板電腦領域的有力競爭者。從某種程度上說，如此傲人的成就正是這家公司專注于創新的結果。

????受到表彰的是聯想，而不是其他中國公司，這應該不是什么出人意料的事情。《財富》雜志(Fortune)在去年發表的一篇關于聯想公司的特稿中寫道，通過創新和敏銳的市場嗅覺，聯想隨時準備成為“中國第一家全球性消費品牌。”鑒于聯想準備收購谷歌(Google)旗下的摩托羅拉移動(Motorola)和IBM的低端服務器業務，這個預言似乎即將成為現實。今年早些時候宣布的這兩筆交易將顯著擴大聯想在全球的足跡。

????“這是一份沉甸甸的榮譽，”楊元慶在接受《財富》采訪時說。一如聯想等公司專利申請數量不斷增長這類指標所反映的那樣，中國公司整體上已經取得了長足的進步，這個獎項意味著這種進步正在得到認可。楊元慶說，“我們正在從事大量的創新工作?！?/p>

????但創新和市場成功必須齊頭并進，楊元慶說?！皠撔虏恢皇菫榱说锚劊彼f：“它必須影響每一個人?！?/p>

????就這層意義而言，為聯想贏得愛迪生獎的兩款產品堪稱博采眾長的混合體。

????其中，Horizon系列是一款集多項功能于一身的臺式機。平放時，27英寸的屏幕就變為一個全新設備——一款擁有自定義設計界面，允許多個用戶玩游戲，分享照片和協作的“桌面電腦”。楊元慶把它稱為“人際互動電腦”，希望它成為一個能夠把人們聚集在一起，而不是孤立開來的屏幕。Horizon系列于去年推出，售價約1,700美元。它依然是一款小眾產品，但一位聯想高管表示，這款電腦的銷量已經超出公司的預期。

????“一聽說有這種產品，許多客戶都會說，‘哇，我真想擁有一臺，’”楊元慶說。“但不幸的是，他們還沒有看到真機?！彼f，聯想公司一直未能給予Horizon系列足夠的推廣和分銷資金，但這種狀況今年有望改變。

????聯想的另一款獲獎產品是于去年10月份推出的Yoga平板。與傳統平板不同，Yoga的一側有一個凸起的圓柱體，置放于其中的電池大大延長了它的續航能力。凸起部分也使得這款設備更易于單手持握，還可以幫助它以不同的傾斜度支撐起來。

????聯想并沒有披露各產品線的銷量明細，但楊元慶表示，聯想公司已經售出了近200萬臺Yoga平板。根據國際數據公司(IDC)發布的數據，這款產品已經助推聯想成為全球第五大平板電腦制造商，僅次于蘋果、三星(Samsung)、亞馬遜(Amazon)和華碩(Asus)。楊元慶透露說，Yoga平板在歐洲和新興市場的表現尤為出色。但由于上市時間過晚，它沒有趕在節日季之前搶占美國大塊市場。軟件和屏幕分辨率進一步改進的新版Yoga平板將于近期上市。

????憑借著Yoga平板系列（它的設計理念其實是基于更早前推出的一款大獲成功，同樣名為Yoga的可變形筆記本電腦）的傲人業績，聯想現已成為平板電腦和手機銷量增速最快的公司之一。平板電腦的銷量在去年第四季度飆漲了325%，盡管這個市場的基數相對較小。而在手機市場，根據國際數據公司(IDC)發布的數據，聯想公司已經成為僅次于三星、蘋果和華為(Huawei)的全球第四大手機制造商，而且它的增長勢頭也最為迅猛。楊元慶的野心是，就像聯想在個人電腦領域超越戴爾(Dell )和惠普(HP)一樣，在移動設備領域，這家公司最終要超越三星和蘋果。

????收購谷歌旗下的摩托羅拉移動有助于聯想進一步接近這個目標。楊元慶對投資者許諾稱，收購完成4到6個季度后，聯想將幫助年虧損額約10億美元的摩托羅拉扭虧為盈。

????楊元慶表示，他并不打算削減摩托羅拉移動的員工數量，后者目前擁有約3,500名員工。他說，聯想將通過在零部件采購環節實現規模經濟效應，積極擴展歐洲、美國和拉美市場，重新把摩托羅拉品牌引入中國等方式，顯著降低摩托羅拉移動的支出占銷售收入比例。

????楊元慶不愿評論聯想就這兩宗大型并購案與各國監管機構正在進行的磋商，但他希望這些會談能夠像最初的預期那樣，在今年年底前完成。（財富中文網）

????譯者：葉寒

????Can China make the leap from manufacturing powerhouse to world-class innovator?

????The question has been hotly debated on both sides of the Pacific for years, as China's leaders have banked on the country's ability to prolong its growth by following in the footsteps of Japan and Korea.

????There are growing signs that, at least in some cases, the answer may be "yes."

????On Wednesday, Yuanqing Yang, the chief executive of Lenovo, was in San Francisco to receive the prestigious Edison Achievement Award for innovation. His fellow honoree this year was Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and Space X, and past award recipients include Apple's Steve Jobs, Qualcomm's Paul Jacobs, Ford's Alan Mulally and Ideo's David Kelley.

????The award, which is given out by the not-for-profit Edison Universe, an organization that promotes innovation, wouldn't mean much if it weren't backed by tangible results. But Lenovo has emerged as a global computing powerhouse -- the No. 1 seller of PCs and a serious contender in smartphones and tablets -- in part through a focus on innovation.

????That it was Lenovo, and not another Chinese company, being recognized should be no surprise. In a profile of the company last year, Fortune wrote that through innovation and market savvy Lenovo was poised to become "China's first global consumer brand." It's a prediction that seems ever closer to being borne out as Lenovo gets ready to acquire Google's Motorola unit and IBM's low-end server unit, two deals announced earlier this year that will greatly expand Lenovo's global footprint.

????"It's a great honor," Yang said in an interview with Fortune. The award represents recognition for the progress that Chinese companies as a whole have made, as reflected in indicators like the growing number of patents filed by companies like Lenovo, Yang said. "We are doing a lot of innovation work."

????But innovation and market success must go hand in hand, Yang said. "Innovation isn't just for getting awards," he says. "It must impact everybody."

????On that front, the two main products for Lenovo that earned it the Edison award have been a mixed bag.

????One of them, the Horizon, is a powerful all-in-one desktop PC with a 27-inch screen that when laid flat on a surface becomes an entirely new device -- a "table PC" with a custom designed interface that allows multiple users to play games, share photos, and collaborate. Yang calls it an "interpersonal PC" and hopes it will be a screen than brings people together rather than isolate them. The Horizon, introduced last year for about $1,700, has remained a niche product, though a Lenovo executive says it has surpassed the company's sales projections.

????"Many customers, when they see this kind of product, they just say, 'Wow, I really want to get that,'" Yang said. "But unfortunately, they haven't seen it." He says the company hasn't been able to spend enough to market and distribute the Horizon, but said that will likely change this year.

????Lenovo was also recognized for the Yoga Tablet, which it introduced in October. Unlike other tablets, which are flat, the Yoga has a cylindrical bulge on its side, which holds batteries that give it extended power. The bulge also makes it easier to hold in one hand, and to prop up in various positions.

????The company doesn't break out sales by product line, but Yang said Lenovo has sold close to 2 million Yoga tablets. That's helped to propel the company into fifth place in the global market for tablets, behind Apple, Samsung, Amazon, and Asus, according to IDC. Yang said the tablet has done particularly well in Europe and emerging markets, but its introduction came too late to capture a large portion of market in the United States ahead of the holiday season. New versions of the Yoga, with improved software and screen resolution, will be released soon.

????With the Yoga tablet, which built on the success of an earlier convertible laptop also called Yoga, Lenovo is now one of the fastest-growing sellers of both tablets and phones. Tablet sales grew 325% in the fourth quarter, albeit from a small base. In phones, the company has emerged as the fourth-largest, and fastest-growing global maker, behind Samsung, Apple, and Huawei, according to IDC. Yang's ambition is to eventually surpass Samsung and Apple in mobile devices, just like Lenovo surpassed Dell and HP in PCs.

????The acquisition of Google's Motorola unit should help further that goal. Yang has promised investors that four to six quarters after the acquisition closes, Lenovo will turn Motorola, which is losing about $1 billion a year, into a profitable business.

????Yang said he does not plan to reduce headcount at Motorola, which has about 3,500 employees. He said he would reduce the ratio between sales and expenses significantly, as the company applies economies of scale to the purchase of components, and as it expands aggressively in Europe, the United States, and Latin America, and as it reintroduces the Motorola brand in China.

????Yang declined to comment on discussions with regulators around the world over its two large acquisitions, but said he hoped they would close, as initially forecast, before the end of the year.