You obviously haven't bothered reading my posts that well. Welcome to my ignore list.
Hmm.... "...but that seems to be what both companies are after: money at any expense (such as happy customers)."
Sorry, I read that as suggesting that Apple wanted money at the expense of happy customers. Which is ludicrous. So, what was it that you DID mean that I misunderstood?
- Free WiFi access to Softbank Mobile's Hotspots(mostly McDonalds) for the first 24 months.
WiFi Models:
- Can be bought from the Apple Online store
- Above-mentioned free WiFi Access
WiFi + 3G Models:
- Can't be reserved online, only at stores
- Sim-Locked to Softbank Mobile
- Data Plan Prices:
-> Roughly $30 on a 2 year contract (Unlimited data plan);
-> Roughly $40 a la carte (30 days or 1GB of data, whichever comes first)
=========================---
Reserved the WiFi only model, then I'm planning on applying for the WiMax Mobile Internet Service at roughly $40 per month a la carte. Same price as the 3G but faster. Service areas are pretty limited but if you live in major/ key cities then there's no problem. The [free access to wifi hotspots serivce] for all models is pretty sweet though.
I wonder how Apple will try to weasel out of this one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by swtchdtomak
I wonder if there is some sort of regulatory requirement for locking in Japan?
Otherwise, I can't figure out what Apples motivation would be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerseymac
Apple should be criticized when they do something wrong, and this is wrong. Call it what it is: a corporate sellout. You may like what it does for your stock, but locking devices and dictatating whom people do business with is bad for consumers.
Apple is not doing this to you. BTW how many of you live in Japan? Apple is going along with it. But it is certainly not their choice. Yes, Apple could walk away from Japan and say no thank you. But then everyone would be crying about that. Put the blame and pressure on the correct party, whether it be the carrier or the country regulating it.
My theory (completely plucked from the sky!) is that when Apple signed it's contract to sell the iPhone with Softbank they didn't read it carefully/think about it carefully (enough).
So it could be Softbank's period of exclusivity in Japan covers any Apple device with a cellular radio.
Maybe not, but it's the only plausible thing I can think of to explain it. Apple clearly hasn't sought out exclusivity in any other market.
Apple should be criticized when they do something wrong, and this is wrong. Call it what it is: a corporate sellout. You may like what it does for your stock, but locking devices and dictatating whom people do business with is bad for consumers.
Is it too much for you to understand that Apple is not the one requiring locked phones in Japan?
At the time of the keynote, Apple believed that it would be true that the devices would be unlocked. Since then, something happened and they are not able to offer unlocked devices in Japan. Perhaps NO ONE in Japan would support unlocked devices. How is that Apple's fault?
So what should Apple do? Refuse to sell it in Japan? How is that better for consumers than allowing it to be sold locked?
Geez. Some people will attack Apple for the stupidest reasons.
You don't know how many of their devices I've bought, currently own, or suggested others to buy. I still love their devices, it's the sales and support here in Japan that are tough to deal with. If they would fix a few things, they would sell tons more and then make more money and be able to make better products that we would all buy and then...
Quote:
Originally Posted by RCO3
Hmm.... "...but that seems to be what both companies are after: money at any expense (such as happy customers)."
Sorry, I read that as suggesting that Apple wanted money at the expense of happy customers. Which is ludicrous. So, what was it that you DID mean that I misunderstood?
Good luck with that ignore list.
RCO3, firstly, if you are in the USA then the Apple experience is very different from us outside the US, of whom make up about half of Apple's sales/revenue/etc. (the statistics are there).
What Bergermeister and myself (who has lived in the US for a few years when the best place to buy Apple anything was at CompUSA)... are trying to put forward is that Apple *internationally* alongside their major Telco partners, is playing a game... Perhaps not one whereby it's money at any expense. But perhaps it's a game whereby, you see how much money and units you can sell without pissing off too many people. A balancing act if you will... Like an illusionist.
I am far from anti Apple, y'all can go through my 4,000 posts and see for yourself. I'm not always cogent, but the thing that I think validly irks me right now is Apple's shift to being in the mobile devices space. Sure, it means big gains in stock and sales and revenues, but it means playing in "dirtier" markets, especially overseas where the game changes hands to the big Telcos.
I thought Apple had learned from the iPhone situation that they would be more straightforward with the iPad. But again, maybe the big Telcos just flashed them something Apple couldn't really say no to.
Does Apple HAVE to sell the iPad unlocked? No. But wasn't there a strong indication that Steve gave, that he wanted this "in the hands of as many people as possible"? I'm not holding him personally responsible, but I guess, somewhat disappointedly, that the physics of the business world caught up to him once Apple realised the iPad is going to sell far, far beyond their own expectations.
- Free WiFi access to Softbank Mobile's Hotspots(mostly McDonalds) for the first 24 months.
WiFi Models:
- Can be bought from the Apple Online store
- Above-mentioned free WiFi Access
WiFi + 3G Models:
- Can't be reserved online, only at stores
- Sim-Locked to Softbank Mobile
- Data Plan Prices:
-> Roughly $30 on a 2 year contract (Unlimited data plan);
-> Roughly $40 a la carte (30 days or 1GB of data, whichever comes first)
=========================---
Reserved the WiFi only model, then I'm planning on applying for the WiMax Mobile Internet Service at roughly $40 per month a la carte. Same price as the 3G but faster. Service areas are pretty limited but if you live in major/ key cities then there's no problem. The [free access to wifi hotspots serivce] for all models is pretty sweet though.
Waaaah. $10 more for a la carte! Waaaaaa........
PS: Thanks for lending some sanity to this cry-baby thread.
Perhaps NO ONE in Japan would support unlocked devices. How is that Apple's fault?
So what should Apple do? Refuse to sell it in Japan? How is that better for consumers than allowing it to be sold locked?
Geez. Some people will attack Apple for the stupidest reasons.
You may be right about nobody being willing to sell it unlocked here. However, there may be a reason for that that is Apple's alone: Apple Japan is a mess and many resellers had a hard time with them. I think they may have a bad reputation (I know for certain they do with one major chain) and therefore the cell companies are playing tough. If Apple had improved the way Apple Japan functions, then they may have been in a better bartering position.
Actually it's both: Apple signed a contract with SoftBank that lets them market the iPad in a certain way. Sure, it is SoftBank making the plans, but I would have thought (hoped) Apple could have pulled a little more.
Lots of things are afoot right now here in Japan with Apple, lots of restructuring. They totally bypassed Apple Japan with the iPad (in that it is imported by SoftBank). They have completely eliminated hundreds and probably thousands of retail outlets nationwide in the past month. Some thing is really going on, and I have said most of the way that, while frustrating for the customers (and the shops), my hope is that Apple is finally trying to clean up the mess that is Apple Japan. I have my doubts but I am hopeful.
1) If Japan is the only country where this is happening (and as of now, it is), then it is Japan's problem, not Apple's. Sounds to me like someone else in Japan might have demanded the same thing.
2) I recall that you are/were in the electronics retailing business in Japan. If so, perhaps you are not 100% unbiased?
3) I predict that the iPad will do exactly as the iPhone did in Japan: very well, despite all the initial naysaying.
If Apple had improved the way Apple Japan functions, then they may have been in a better bartering position.
Sorry, but I would imagine that the company has a lot on its plate than to worry about changing the nature of business practices -- of all places -- in Japan, where business practices are famous for being entrenched and are what they are, period.
Before we run out to lynch Apple... Has anyone reviewed the iPad launch keynote to see if the "unlocked" was meant to apply only to the US version? It is possible that it was specifically meant to be about the US version and the agreement with AT&T. It may as well be locked with the major competitors running a different network technology.
Steve Jobs, Apple Announces iPad Keynote, at the 1:14:27 mark:
Quote:
So, we got great breakthrough deal in the U.S. What about international? Well, we hope to have our international deals in place in the June-July timeframe. We think we can do a lot of them by June, and so we are going to start on that tomorrow.
However, all of the iPad 3G models are unlocked. And, they use the new GSM micro SIMs. So internationally, some of the carriers offer micro SIMs, so very high likelihood they'll just work.
And we'll be back, this summer, with even some better deals for our customers, internationally.
Doesn't sound that Apple is involved in any conspiracy to thwart the people of Japan or any other country. And for anybody to suggest that, "If Apple had improved the way Apple Japan functions, then they may have been in a better bartering position," is just plain ignorance, period.
1) If Japan is the only country where this is happening (and as of now, it is), then it is Japan's problem, not Apple's. Sounds to me like someone else in Japan might have demanded the same thing.
2) I recall that you are/were in the electronics retailing business in Japan. If so, perhaps you are not 100% unbiased?
3) I predict that the iPad will do exactly as the iPhone did in Japan: very well, despite all the initial naysaying.
1 I do know that the Japanese government has been considering banning locking for a while, and also that locking is pretty common here. I think that it would have been awesome if Apple had been able to add its weight to opening this up. I also know that changing things here isn't that easy.
2 No. I am not in the electronics retail business at all and never have been. So, I am not biased. I simply am a customer who has dealt with Apple Japan for many years. It has been an exasperating experience and I am honest when I say I don't know when I won't be able to take it anymore. I truly love Apple's devices, but the way AJ works is mind boggling. Even the Apple B&M stores complain about them (the B&M stores are run by Apple USA). IMHO, Because of AJ, the state of Apple here in Japan is not what it could be. If Apple could fix things here, I would be very happy. I have no idea what their contract with AJ contains.
3 Yeah, I think the iPad will do very well here. There will be plenty of unhappy people, but plenty of buyers. Again, however, I would have hoped that Apple would have managed to leverage this to follow their goal of unlocked devices worldwide.
2 No. I am not in the electronics retail business at all and never have been. So, I am not biased. I simply am a customer who has dealt with Apple Japan for many years.
Apple in Japan... pathetic. If I didn't absolutely love their devices, they would have lost me as a customer years ago for the way they operate here.
if you have lived in japan. you should know some policies regarding cellular services here:
- a carrier is prohibited to sell unlock units.
- you cannot buy a unit only
- you cannot buy a simcard
- prepaid units are also carrier locked
so this is not apple, softbank or japan's fault. this is how the system runs here. due to some cellular abused before, a law have been enacted to protect consumers. i hope i clear something here.
Sorry, but I would imagine that the company has a lot on its plate than to worry about changing the nature of business practices -- of all places -- in Japan, where business practices are famous for being entrenched and are what they are, period.
I am not suggesting changing how business is done here. I would suggest bringing AJ up to Japanese standards. They have had years to do this.
1 I do know that the Japanese government has been considering banning locking for a while, and also that locking is pretty common here. I think that it would have been awesome if Apple had been able to add its weight to opening this up. I also know that changing things here isn't that easy.
2 No. I am not in the electronics retail business at all and never have been. So, I am not biased. I simply am a customer who has dealt with Apple Japan for many years. It has been an exasperating experience and I am honest when I say I don't know when I won't be able to take it anymore. I truly love Apple's devices, but the way AJ works is mind boggling. Even the Apple B&M stores complain about them (the B&M stores are run by Apple USA). IMHO, Because of AJ, the state of Apple here in Japan is not what it could be. If Apple could fix things here, I would be very happy. I have no idea what their contract with AJ contains.
3 Yeah, I think the iPad will do very well here. There will be plenty of unhappy people, but plenty of buyers. Again, however, I would have hoped that Apple would have managed to leverage this to follow their goal of unlocked devices worldwide.
Great recap of your points. I took a stroll through my local big IT shopping plaza, and yes, Apple does create products in just a different league. The rest of the market - no tablet to be seen. Sony came out with a new range of super-thin laptops, and just for fun, I tried to bend the screen a bit. It does flex quite shockingly. Not sure if it's supposed to do that. And then there's netbooks, netbooks and netbooks. Boring. Then to phones, WTF is that Corby series from Samsung? What happened to Sony Ericsson? Sure, now Android phones are out and are HD and touchscreen and what not, but what sort of experience does it offer?
So in regards to your points above,
1. When it comes to the big Telcos there's perhaps only so much ~different~ Apple is willing to be.
2. This comes down to Apple having to rethink their entire international strategy, which they are doing, but have a ways to go. The reseller system has many flaws. Only once Apple started opening their own Stores in various countries did they realise how bad some countries' Resellers were. In the UK they discovered a lot of fraud with the way third-party authorised service centres were run, because the operating data from Apple Genius Bars in official Stores was way different from third-party service centres. Probably Japan, maybe Australia, maybe some European countries, other countries... once Apple Stores open up, I think maybe Apple USA gets a lot of feedback on things that were unsatisfactory before the official Stores opened.
3. I am starting to cool down a bit and I think bottom line will be Apple will try to get the iPad out to as many people as fast as possible without quality being drastically affected. People will just have to deal with it, or not. As I mentioned, in context of the general IT scene, maybe I've been spoilt being in the Apple ecosphere. I use my Windows 7 PC for gaming, and nowadays if I'm not actively playing a particular game, or I'm a bit more socially active, my PC just sits there.
To be fair as well I have to admit my Macbook Aluminium has been bugging me because the trackpad is a bit off, it's losing "clicks sometimes", the screen doesn't shut flush, and CDs were getting stuck. My very own company I am on contract with used to do decent repairs but a few of their decent technicians left, leaving the repair service in this country in a shocking state right now --> which dovetails with me understanding Bergermeister's frustration with Apple's country offices and/or Resellers/Service Centres.
Apple's strategy for dominating the computing market starts by identifying what the customer wants, making sure the customer can't have it, and doubling the cost of the device. Then they go out and radiate mind-control fields, located in the magneto-gravitic spectrum, which they have secretly developed in their labs in East Timor and which cause otherwise normal and rational human beings to donate all of their money to the Buy Steve Jobs A New Adam's Apple fund in exchange for a Apple-logo'd plastic bag and whatever leftover PCBs and recycled LCD monitors they can cram into a laptop-sized enclosure. It's amazing how many people not only buy these things, but how many of them pretend to be happy with them so that their neighbors don't mock them. Fortunately, we have folks posting the TRUTH here on AI. Thanks, guys.
You can see the signs: Apple pretends that it's AT&T who won't allow tethering, but we all know that if Apple wanted it, they'd just go take tethering away from RIM and make AT&T do it. No, Apple doesn't WANT you to actually use your hardware. They want your money once and ONLY once, and then they want to find some other sucker to fleece. That's why Apple has the best customer satisfaction in the industry, why Apple consistently owns the high-value laptop and desktop market, and why no other vendor currently stands a chance of sniffing 25% market share in portable music devices - because Apple is so anti-consumer and makes crap that no one really wants. Really. I promise.
You people with your "waagh, Apple doesn't rub my tummy and make me warm milk before I go to sleep at night" rants about how a sim-locked iPad suddenly represents the Fall of Western Civilization are just ridiculous. If you really think that this is the last straw and you can't ever buy another Apple product again, GOOD! Stop buying Apple. And stop posting on AppleInsider while you're at it, since you no longer have any interest in Apple. Just take the whining back to Mommy where it belongs. I'm tired of hearing it.
P.S. I'm telling Steve on you. Both of you. You're gonna be in trouble.
I'm not sure who is worse? The people complaining or the people complaining about the people complaining, or me the person complaining about the person complaining about the people complaining? or, oh I don't know.
[B]And for anybody to suggest that, "If Apple had improved the way Apple Japan functions, then they may have been in a better bartering position," is just plain ignorance, period.
Thanks for the insult.
I stand by my opinion that Apple Japan could be greatly improved and that that would help Apple do better business in this country. Whether it would have helped with SIMS specifically, I'm not entirely sure, but as a general opinion, yeah, I'll stand by it.
I'm not sure who is worse? The people complaining or the people complaining about the people complaining, or me the person complaining about the person complaining about the people complaining? or, oh I don't know.
A nice note to end on.
Good night to all and may Tuesday bring us some more great Apple products.
Comments
Having a nice day?
You obviously haven't bothered reading my posts that well. Welcome to my ignore list.
Hmm.... "...but that seems to be what both companies are after: money at any expense (such as happy customers)."
Sorry, I read that as suggesting that Apple wanted money at the expense of happy customers. Which is ludicrous. So, what was it that you DID mean that I misunderstood?
Good luck with that ignore list.
All Models:
- Free WiFi access to Softbank Mobile's Hotspots(mostly McDonalds) for the first 24 months.
WiFi Models:
- Can be bought from the Apple Online store
- Above-mentioned free WiFi Access
WiFi + 3G Models:
- Can't be reserved online, only at stores
- Sim-Locked to Softbank Mobile
- Data Plan Prices:
-> Roughly $30 on a 2 year contract (Unlimited data plan);
-> Roughly $40 a la carte (30 days or 1GB of data, whichever comes first)
=========================---
Reserved the WiFi only model, then I'm planning on applying for the WiMax Mobile Internet Service at roughly $40 per month a la carte. Same price as the 3G but faster. Service areas are pretty limited but if you live in major/ key cities then there's no problem. The [free access to wifi hotspots serivce] for all models is pretty sweet though.
I wonder how Apple will try to weasel out of this one.
I wonder if there is some sort of regulatory requirement for locking in Japan?
Otherwise, I can't figure out what Apples motivation would be.
Apple should be criticized when they do something wrong, and this is wrong. Call it what it is: a corporate sellout. You may like what it does for your stock, but locking devices and dictatating whom people do business with is bad for consumers.
Apple is not doing this to you. BTW how many of you live in Japan? Apple is going along with it. But it is certainly not their choice. Yes, Apple could walk away from Japan and say no thank you. But then everyone would be crying about that. Put the blame and pressure on the correct party, whether it be the carrier or the country regulating it.
So it could be Softbank's period of exclusivity in Japan covers any Apple device with a cellular radio.
Maybe not, but it's the only plausible thing I can think of to explain it. Apple clearly hasn't sought out exclusivity in any other market.
Apple should be criticized when they do something wrong, and this is wrong. Call it what it is: a corporate sellout. You may like what it does for your stock, but locking devices and dictatating whom people do business with is bad for consumers.
Is it too much for you to understand that Apple is not the one requiring locked phones in Japan?
At the time of the keynote, Apple believed that it would be true that the devices would be unlocked. Since then, something happened and they are not able to offer unlocked devices in Japan. Perhaps NO ONE in Japan would support unlocked devices. How is that Apple's fault?
So what should Apple do? Refuse to sell it in Japan? How is that better for consumers than allowing it to be sold locked?
Geez. Some people will attack Apple for the stupidest reasons.
You don't know how many of their devices I've bought, currently own, or suggested others to buy. I still love their devices, it's the sales and support here in Japan that are tough to deal with. If they would fix a few things, they would sell tons more and then make more money and be able to make better products that we would all buy and then...
Hmm.... "...but that seems to be what both companies are after: money at any expense (such as happy customers)."
Sorry, I read that as suggesting that Apple wanted money at the expense of happy customers. Which is ludicrous. So, what was it that you DID mean that I misunderstood?
Good luck with that ignore list.
RCO3, firstly, if you are in the USA then the Apple experience is very different from us outside the US, of whom make up about half of Apple's sales/revenue/etc. (the statistics are there).
What Bergermeister and myself (who has lived in the US for a few years when the best place to buy Apple anything was at CompUSA)... are trying to put forward is that Apple *internationally* alongside their major Telco partners, is playing a game... Perhaps not one whereby it's money at any expense. But perhaps it's a game whereby, you see how much money and units you can sell without pissing off too many people. A balancing act if you will... Like an illusionist.
I am far from anti Apple, y'all can go through my 4,000 posts and see for yourself. I'm not always cogent, but the thing that I think validly irks me right now is Apple's shift to being in the mobile devices space. Sure, it means big gains in stock and sales and revenues, but it means playing in "dirtier" markets, especially overseas where the game changes hands to the big Telcos.
I thought Apple had learned from the iPhone situation that they would be more straightforward with the iPad. But again, maybe the big Telcos just flashed them something Apple couldn't really say no to.
Does Apple HAVE to sell the iPad unlocked? No. But wasn't there a strong indication that Steve gave, that he wanted this "in the hands of as many people as possible"? I'm not holding him personally responsible, but I guess, somewhat disappointedly, that the physics of the business world caught up to him once Apple realised the iPad is going to sell far, far beyond their own expectations.
iPad in Japan:
All Models:
- Free WiFi access to Softbank Mobile's Hotspots(mostly McDonalds) for the first 24 months.
WiFi Models:
- Can be bought from the Apple Online store
- Above-mentioned free WiFi Access
WiFi + 3G Models:
- Can't be reserved online, only at stores
- Sim-Locked to Softbank Mobile
- Data Plan Prices:
-> Roughly $30 on a 2 year contract (Unlimited data plan);
-> Roughly $40 a la carte (30 days or 1GB of data, whichever comes first)
=========================---
Reserved the WiFi only model, then I'm planning on applying for the WiMax Mobile Internet Service at roughly $40 per month a la carte. Same price as the 3G but faster. Service areas are pretty limited but if you live in major/ key cities then there's no problem. The [free access to wifi hotspots serivce] for all models is pretty sweet though.
Waaaah. $10 more for a la carte! Waaaaaa........
PS: Thanks for lending some sanity to this cry-baby thread.
Perhaps NO ONE in Japan would support unlocked devices. How is that Apple's fault?
So what should Apple do? Refuse to sell it in Japan? How is that better for consumers than allowing it to be sold locked?
Geez. Some people will attack Apple for the stupidest reasons.
You may be right about nobody being willing to sell it unlocked here. However, there may be a reason for that that is Apple's alone: Apple Japan is a mess and many resellers had a hard time with them. I think they may have a bad reputation (I know for certain they do with one major chain) and therefore the cell companies are playing tough. If Apple had improved the way Apple Japan functions, then they may have been in a better bartering position.
Actually it's both: Apple signed a contract with SoftBank that lets them market the iPad in a certain way. Sure, it is SoftBank making the plans, but I would have thought (hoped) Apple could have pulled a little more.
Lots of things are afoot right now here in Japan with Apple, lots of restructuring. They totally bypassed Apple Japan with the iPad (in that it is imported by SoftBank). They have completely eliminated hundreds and probably thousands of retail outlets nationwide in the past month. Some thing is really going on, and I have said most of the way that, while frustrating for the customers (and the shops), my hope is that Apple is finally trying to clean up the mess that is Apple Japan. I have my doubts but I am hopeful.
1) If Japan is the only country where this is happening (and as of now, it is), then it is Japan's problem, not Apple's. Sounds to me like someone else in Japan might have demanded the same thing.
2) I recall that you are/were in the electronics retailing business in Japan. If so, perhaps you are not 100% unbiased?
3) I predict that the iPad will do exactly as the iPhone did in Japan: very well, despite all the initial naysaying.
If Apple had improved the way Apple Japan functions, then they may have been in a better bartering position.
Sorry, but I would imagine that the company has a lot on its plate than to worry about changing the nature of business practices -- of all places -- in Japan, where business practices are famous for being entrenched and are what they are, period.
Before we run out to lynch Apple... Has anyone reviewed the iPad launch keynote to see if the "unlocked" was meant to apply only to the US version? It is possible that it was specifically meant to be about the US version and the agreement with AT&T. It may as well be locked with the major competitors running a different network technology.
Steve Jobs, Apple Announces iPad Keynote, at the 1:14:27 mark:
Quote:
So, we got great breakthrough deal in the U.S. What about international? Well, we hope to have our international deals in place in the June-July timeframe. We think we can do a lot of them by June, and so we are going to start on that tomorrow.
However, all of the iPad 3G models are unlocked. And, they use the new GSM micro SIMs. So internationally, some of the carriers offer micro SIMs, so very high likelihood they'll just work.
And we'll be back, this summer, with even some better deals for our customers, internationally.
Doesn't sound that Apple is involved in any conspiracy to thwart the people of Japan or any other country. And for anybody to suggest that, "If Apple had improved the way Apple Japan functions, then they may have been in a better bartering position," is just plain ignorance, period.
1) If Japan is the only country where this is happening (and as of now, it is), then it is Japan's problem, not Apple's. Sounds to me like someone else in Japan might have demanded the same thing.
2) I recall that you are/were in the electronics retailing business in Japan. If so, perhaps you are not 100% unbiased?
3) I predict that the iPad will do exactly as the iPhone did in Japan: very well, despite all the initial naysaying.
1 I do know that the Japanese government has been considering banning locking for a while, and also that locking is pretty common here. I think that it would have been awesome if Apple had been able to add its weight to opening this up. I also know that changing things here isn't that easy.
2 No. I am not in the electronics retail business at all and never have been. So, I am not biased. I simply am a customer who has dealt with Apple Japan for many years. It has been an exasperating experience and I am honest when I say I don't know when I won't be able to take it anymore. I truly love Apple's devices, but the way AJ works is mind boggling. Even the Apple B&M stores complain about them (the B&M stores are run by Apple USA). IMHO, Because of AJ, the state of Apple here in Japan is not what it could be. If Apple could fix things here, I would be very happy. I have no idea what their contract with AJ contains.
3 Yeah, I think the iPad will do very well here. There will be plenty of unhappy people, but plenty of buyers. Again, however, I would have hoped that Apple would have managed to leverage this to follow their goal of unlocked devices worldwide.
2 No. I am not in the electronics retail business at all and never have been. So, I am not biased. I simply am a customer who has dealt with Apple Japan for many years.
Please accept my apologies (deep bow
Apple in Japan... pathetic. If I didn't absolutely love their devices, they would have lost me as a customer years ago for the way they operate here.
if you have lived in japan. you should know some policies regarding cellular services here:
- a carrier is prohibited to sell unlock units.
- you cannot buy a unit only
- you cannot buy a simcard
- prepaid units are also carrier locked
so this is not apple, softbank or japan's fault. this is how the system runs here. due to some cellular abused before, a law have been enacted to protect consumers. i hope i clear something here.
Sorry, but I would imagine that the company has a lot on its plate than to worry about changing the nature of business practices -- of all places -- in Japan, where business practices are famous for being entrenched and are what they are, period.
I am not suggesting changing how business is done here. I would suggest bringing AJ up to Japanese standards. They have had years to do this.
1 I do know that the Japanese government has been considering banning locking for a while, and also that locking is pretty common here. I think that it would have been awesome if Apple had been able to add its weight to opening this up. I also know that changing things here isn't that easy.
2 No. I am not in the electronics retail business at all and never have been. So, I am not biased. I simply am a customer who has dealt with Apple Japan for many years. It has been an exasperating experience and I am honest when I say I don't know when I won't be able to take it anymore. I truly love Apple's devices, but the way AJ works is mind boggling. Even the Apple B&M stores complain about them (the B&M stores are run by Apple USA). IMHO, Because of AJ, the state of Apple here in Japan is not what it could be. If Apple could fix things here, I would be very happy. I have no idea what their contract with AJ contains.
3 Yeah, I think the iPad will do very well here. There will be plenty of unhappy people, but plenty of buyers. Again, however, I would have hoped that Apple would have managed to leverage this to follow their goal of unlocked devices worldwide.
Great recap of your points. I took a stroll through my local big IT shopping plaza, and yes, Apple does create products in just a different league. The rest of the market - no tablet to be seen. Sony came out with a new range of super-thin laptops, and just for fun, I tried to bend the screen a bit. It does flex quite shockingly. Not sure if it's supposed to do that. And then there's netbooks, netbooks and netbooks. Boring. Then to phones, WTF is that Corby series from Samsung? What happened to Sony Ericsson? Sure, now Android phones are out and are HD and touchscreen and what not, but what sort of experience does it offer?
So in regards to your points above,
1. When it comes to the big Telcos there's perhaps only so much ~different~ Apple is willing to be.
2. This comes down to Apple having to rethink their entire international strategy, which they are doing, but have a ways to go. The reseller system has many flaws. Only once Apple started opening their own Stores in various countries did they realise how bad some countries' Resellers were. In the UK they discovered a lot of fraud with the way third-party authorised service centres were run, because the operating data from Apple Genius Bars in official Stores was way different from third-party service centres. Probably Japan, maybe Australia, maybe some European countries, other countries... once Apple Stores open up, I think maybe Apple USA gets a lot of feedback on things that were unsatisfactory before the official Stores opened.
3. I am starting to cool down a bit and I think bottom line will be Apple will try to get the iPad out to as many people as fast as possible without quality being drastically affected. People will just have to deal with it, or not. As I mentioned, in context of the general IT scene, maybe I've been spoilt being in the Apple ecosphere. I use my Windows 7 PC for gaming, and nowadays if I'm not actively playing a particular game, or I'm a bit more socially active, my PC just sits there.
To be fair as well I have to admit my Macbook Aluminium has been bugging me because the trackpad is a bit off, it's losing "clicks sometimes", the screen doesn't shut flush, and CDs were getting stuck. My very own company I am on contract with used to do decent repairs but a few of their decent technicians left, leaving the repair service in this country in a shocking state right now --> which dovetails with me understanding Bergermeister's frustration with Apple's country offices and/or Resellers/Service Centres.
Apple's strategy for dominating the computing market starts by identifying what the customer wants, making sure the customer can't have it, and doubling the cost of the device. Then they go out and radiate mind-control fields, located in the magneto-gravitic spectrum, which they have secretly developed in their labs in East Timor and which cause otherwise normal and rational human beings to donate all of their money to the Buy Steve Jobs A New Adam's Apple fund in exchange for a Apple-logo'd plastic bag and whatever leftover PCBs and recycled LCD monitors they can cram into a laptop-sized enclosure. It's amazing how many people not only buy these things, but how many of them pretend to be happy with them so that their neighbors don't mock them. Fortunately, we have folks posting the TRUTH here on AI. Thanks, guys.
You can see the signs: Apple pretends that it's AT&T who won't allow tethering, but we all know that if Apple wanted it, they'd just go take tethering away from RIM and make AT&T do it. No, Apple doesn't WANT you to actually use your hardware. They want your money once and ONLY once, and then they want to find some other sucker to fleece. That's why Apple has the best customer satisfaction in the industry, why Apple consistently owns the high-value laptop and desktop market, and why no other vendor currently stands a chance of sniffing 25% market share in portable music devices - because Apple is so anti-consumer and makes crap that no one really wants. Really. I promise.
You people with your "waagh, Apple doesn't rub my tummy and make me warm milk before I go to sleep at night" rants about how a sim-locked iPad suddenly represents the Fall of Western Civilization are just ridiculous. If you really think that this is the last straw and you can't ever buy another Apple product again, GOOD! Stop buying Apple. And stop posting on AppleInsider while you're at it, since you no longer have any interest in Apple. Just take the whining back to Mommy where it belongs. I'm tired of hearing it.
P.S. I'm telling Steve on you. Both of you. You're gonna be in trouble.
I'm not sure who is worse? The people complaining or the people complaining about the people complaining, or me the person complaining about the person complaining about the people complaining? or, oh I don't know.
[B]And for anybody to suggest that, "If Apple had improved the way Apple Japan functions, then they may have been in a better bartering position," is just plain ignorance, period.
Thanks for the insult.
I stand by my opinion that Apple Japan could be greatly improved and that that would help Apple do better business in this country. Whether it would have helped with SIMS specifically, I'm not entirely sure, but as a general opinion, yeah, I'll stand by it.
I'm not sure who is worse? The people complaining or the people complaining about the people complaining, or me the person complaining about the person complaining about the people complaining? or, oh I don't know.
A nice note to end on.
Good night to all and may Tuesday bring us some more great Apple products.