iPhone in Japan: innovative or insufficient?

Apple caused a commotion last week with the announcement of its newest cool gadget—the iPhone. By now, you've probably heard a lot about this device, which offers a mobile phone, Internet browsing, instant messaging, a scheduler and an iPod in one beautifully integrated package.

I have to admit that I was visually wowed: not only is the iPhone super-slim and slick, it offers a stunning, high-resolution screen and a whiz-bang, fingertip-operated interface with a full QWERTY keyboard (new technology minimizes inputting errors from people who are all thumbs). Additionally, the machine knows whether you're holding it vertically or horizontally and automatically rotates your visuals for best effect. Of course this will make for some great movie-viewing, but it promises to make web-browsing smoother too, since it's a lot easier to check out websites using the horizontal screen. What's more, Apple incorporated a really cool feature that takes advantage of the iPod's ability to track album art. Now when you're deciding which song to play, you can visually "flip" through your cds—and the same goes for your photos, which the iPhone also holds. Cool.

Of course there's more, but you can learn all about it on Apple's site.

Now, the big question is, how is this device going to fare here in Japan?

This is a tough call. I have to believe that Jobs and Co. have got something else up their sleeves.

Why?

For one, Apple has done fairly well in Japan in the past; they must have some sense of what's necessary to succeed in this market. If so, then this can't be the phone they intend to release here. As it is currently configured, the iPhone is well behind local technology. Far from "redefining what you can do on a mobile phone," the current iPhone is designed to work on communications networks that are older and slower than what Japanese consumers are used to.

Moreover, Japanese phones are equipped with plenty of features not available on this iPhone.

For instance, Japanese handsets:

- Contain IC chips that let you charge retail products to your phone and board trains with automatic ticket purchasing.
- Are equipped to read QR codes ("Quick Response" codes: Japanese bar codes that allow consumers to access information like coupons and website data).
- Incorporate safety features like fingerprint scanners to prevent others from using your phone.
- Let you watch broadcast TV.
- Have much higher-resolution built-in cameras.
- Allow conference calling with up to five people.

Consequently, how well the iPhone will do in Japan depends on what the folks at Apple are planning for future versions. According to a report I read in one of the Nikkei papers, Apple doesn't intend to release the iPhone in Japan until 2008.

Presumably, this will give them enough time to catch up with, and hopefully, even surpass many of the offerings that will be available (fingers crossed!)

UPDATE (June 10, 2008):
Apple has just announced that it will release a 3G iPhone in Japan on July 11, 2008. More info here.

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Comments

[Ken]

how well the iPhone will do in Japan depends on what the folks at Apple are planning for future versions.

Well said. All I've seen from foreigners in Japan (or even in the states: http://www.japaneconomynews.com/2007/01/25/apples-iphone-japan-and-bruce-wallace-at-the-la-times/) is slagging off the iPhone, and only what they've seen so far. Given the retail space Apple has secured in Yodabashi, Bic et al, and what they've learned from the Japanese market through the iPod experience, I think they'll have some idea what to do to make this thing work in Japan. And they have the time to do it.

[Christian Louboutin Sandals]

slagging off the iPhone, and only what they've seen so far. Given the retail space Apple has secured in Yodabashi, Bic et al, and what they've learned from the Japanese market through the iPod experience