Mobile rental is heating up under the context of shared economy. Customers can rent a new iPhone for one year at the cost of 9.9 yuan a day, but owing to some concerns, this business is attracting fewer customers than expected, Beijing Daily reported.
在共享经济的大环境下，手机租赁也开始升温。消费者可以租用一年的苹果手机，每天只花9.9元。不过出于某些担心，这项业务吸引的顾客少于预期，据《新京报》报道。
Gome, a home appliance giant, recently announced that over 1,600 stores in China have officially started a smartphone rental service. Customers can rent an iPhone 7 (32G) for a whole year for 300 yuan ($45) a month.
国内家电业巨头国美近期宣布，在中国的1600多家门店已正式启动智能手机出租业务。顾客只用每月出300元（45美元），就可以租用一年的苹果7(32G)手机。
The policy was made according to a big data research, which shows customers change their mobile phones every 17 months on average. Renting a phone enables users to experience the latest phone at a lower cost, a Gome staff in charge of the service told Beijing Daily.
此举的出台基于相关统计数据显示，消费者的手机更换频次平均为17个月。手机租赁使得消费者能花低成本享受到最新款的手机，国美电器负责此项业务的员工接受《新京报》采访时说。
Besides Gome, a dozen giant companies are offering mobile rental services, including e-commerce giant JD.com, China’s big payment service Alipay, and some startups.
除了国美，像电商巨头京东、中国最大的支付服务公司支付宝，以及一些初创企业，都挤进了共享手机服务领域。
Monthly payments can ease pressure on those who like to use the newest phone every year. However, customers have given a lukewarm response to phone rental service due to its cost and information security.
按月付款减轻了那些每年都想使用最新款手机的用户的压力，然而，出于对其成本和信息安全的顾虑，用户对此反应冷淡。
Mobile phones have recently transformed from durable goods to fast moving goods. Next year’s phone will be a main trend, Chen Liteng, an analyst of CIECC said.
近年来手机已从耐用品转变成了快速消费品，来年的手机总会成为主流，据CIECC的分析师陈立腾称。
The experience of new functions is the reason why people change their phones, something phone rentals can help with, Chen added.
对手机新功能的体验是人们换手机的主要原因，一些手机租赁服务确能有一些帮助。
An insider said that smart phone rental has a large market, but it is better to focus on those who cannot afford a one-off payment and those who like to frequently change their phone.
一位业内人士说，智能手机租赁有巨大的市场，但最好是关注那些无法一次性付款的人，以及那些喜欢频繁更换手机的人。
Mobile phone rental is still in the incubation stage. With proper operation, this new service will not only reduce waste, but also become a good investment choice, the analyst said.
这位分析师说，手机租赁市场仍在潜伏期。只要恰当运作，这项新的服务不仅能降低费用，还能成为一个很好的投资选择。
