Apple’s iPhone has wowed most of the globe — but not Japan, where the handset is selling so poorly it’s being offered for free.
What’s wrong with the iPhone, from a Japanese perspective? Almost everything: the high monthly data plans that go with it, its paucity of features, the low-quality camera, the unfashionable design and the fact that it’s not Japanese.
In an effort to boost business, Japanese carrier SoftBank this week launched the “iPhone for Everybody” campaign, which gives away the 8-GB model of the iPhone 3G if customers agree to a two-year contract.
“The pricing has been completely out of whack with market reality,” said Global Crown Research analyst Tero Kuittinen in regard to Apple’s iPhone prices internationally. “I think they [Apple and its partners overseas] are in the process of adjusting to local conditions.”
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Using
But in the real world
The iPhone is free in the UK too - with a monthly plan.
Hope you are liking the new Safari 4 with the Full Screen menu option. They must have added that just for you
Using
Yes Duncan .. Seems Apple hear me through this blog.
Using
Well if anyone here has ever been to Japan, you would understand why. Japanese phones have many more features that are taken for granted, and NONE of the phones in the US or UK compare. The reason for this is the phones are so integrated into society they are now so much more than just a phone/email assistant as they double as televisions, gaming units, credit cards (you can actually ‘tap’ your phone against a credit card reader and it will automatically charge you), cameras (some as good as the digital cameras you can buy for $200-$300 here), etc. Don’t be just hatin’ on the iPhone… the blackberries, Q’s, Palm’s and any other “smart” phone here would fail as miserably in Japan as the iPhone. Come on now!
Using
@UmWat
Okay, to compare with iPhone :-
1. Television - Nope. I don’t think Apple is going to do this. Unless you talk about streaming TV, which Apple can control.
2. Gaming units - Yes, albeit with weird control. Touch controls can cut it, but not against physical keys.
3. Digital camera - Okay, iPhone digital camera sucks.
4. Credit card - I don’t think Apple is going to do this, unless it gets a cut
Apart from that, iPhone can do almost everything that computer can do, and some more (ie. Augmented reality on the go). You can seamlessly edit your picture to have certain effects on the phone itself after taking the picture. Don’t like the effects? Simple, just get another app. I’d like to know if that option is possible with any of the Japanese phone.
That being said, most (if not all) japanese phones are clam shell. I think they just love that form factor.
Most of the phone in Japanese have a lot functionality out of the box. The same can’t be said for iPhone, which needs third party apps for that (although with that, it can actually do a lot).
Oh well, I think they just have higher standards for their baselines.
Using
I agrree with the above posts, japan has the awesome phones, and we in the americas are still catching up. So to them its not as much of a big deal as it is here