But this baby is going to fly off of the shelves - a true sleeper
This WILL be the best selling MP3 over the holiday season!
Those who want something bigger, will have to wait until spring
If Apple started out with a 20, 60GB or bigger unit, then folks would have no reason to move up (purchase another unit) when it becomes available.
They WILL want a bigger one, but they will purchase whats available for now, and then decide based on they're usage, which of the bigger ones is best for them.
These smaller ones, (and relativly inexpensive ones) will get handed down to a friend, younger brother or sister and or use for something or nothing else, and folks won't feel all that bad about it, when they buy a bigger one in the spring. PLUS this gives APple a chance to see which models are selling well, and which ones should get the up-grade in memory.
All iPods and iPhones have gotten to be great. BUT the iTunes store here in Japan is beyond pathetic. Our video catalog sucks -- and I don't use that word lightly. No movies, TV, other for sale. Only freebie podcast news-type video and music junk. I can window shop at the US iTunes site but can't buy anything. So, if I buy a Touch and wanna watch 'Office' on my train ride, no can do. I know all the reasons why we can't access US iTunes stuff, I just can't understand them.
If Apple can't fix this problem, does anyone have a suggestion as to how to download US videos to a Mac product in Japan? Can we buy at Amazon or the Sony store? Or some other way?
It'll sell well and cannibalize iPhone sales when it's finally released outside of the U.S. People want a lot of the iPhone features NOW. After someone who already is happy with their mobile phone buys one of these, why would they possibly want to buy an iPhone? For e-mail, and text messaging? Not likely. Apple should have at least waited to sell this internationally on the same date the iPhone is released.
My take from here in Japan is the Touch will sell like hot cakes. I'll buy one soon. In 2008, iPhone will debut and my Touch will go to my kid or ebay -- and the cycle will continue. Apple has a shrewd strategy to ween folks away from their old cellphones... to old cellphone + iPodTouch, finally to take the small jump to iPhone. They're gonna get me that way. Plus I'll buy a new Mac after Leopard to boot (pun). Man, I'm hooked.
My take from Japan is much the same.
The Touch will be more valuable than the iPhone here at first because the iPhone wont come with a lot of the software that japanese users demand. Example. Suica and Passmo function. Barcode reader function. Kao Muji function. Predictive Kanji for typing. And TV.
This makes the Touch perfect as an iPod replacement for now while these other features get put on the iPhone and Apple takes its sweet time negotiating with the Japanese service providers. Im guessing theyll go with Docomo in the end (sigh)... It will be tough weaning the masses off their phones so the Touch makes sense for now. Although those pastel shuffles and nanos will be huge for all the fashionable Tokyoites. Its a good way for Apple to increase (by halo effect) its lagging computer sales in Japan
Ill find myself in the same replacement cycle..old mobile plus touch, till the iPhone gets here.....
Does it make sense to release a Japan iPhone? I mean it would be Japan only since Japan uses a totally different network system than the rest of the world.
I expect the Asian version to be 3G, and there's very little 3G coverage in Japan. Plus, I think China is a bigger market, potentially.
Japan has near-total 3G coverage on all three main providers. (you're thinking of GSM, which Japan has none of).
UMTS 2100 MHz band (aka GSM 3G): Europe, Japan (specifically both Softbank and NTT DoCoMo), South Korea, Australia, elsewhere.
UMTS 850/1900 MHz band: North America, Australia.
In Japan the iPhone would run in 3G mode only. In Europe it would run in GSM mode and upgrade to 3G when the signal is there, or when the speed is needed.
To be fair the Japanese version does require the hardware specific one-seg mobile TV (however there are already multi-band chips that would make mobile TV work in Japan, SK, and Europe: all using different standards) and for e-cash (though neglible in space/cost).
Most of the difference would be in software. Actually, assuming you were willing to sell the European 3G iPhone with features they wouldn't use you could ship the same hardware model to both markets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tecton
The Touch will be more valuable than the iPhone here at first because the iPhone wont come with a lot of the software that japanese users demand. Example. Suica and Passmo function. Barcode reader function. Kao Muji function. Predictive Kanji for typing. And TV.
One-seg TV and e-cash are hardware features. However I actually do think the Japanese iPhone will come with the required software for the Japanese market.
Comments
It might be to small for others
It might not have the color(s) folks want
It might not have enough memory for some
But this baby is going to fly off of the shelves - a true sleeper
This WILL be the best selling MP3 over the holiday season!
Those who want something bigger, will have to wait until spring
If Apple started out with a 20, 60GB or bigger unit, then folks would have no reason to move up (purchase another unit) when it becomes available.
They WILL want a bigger one, but they will purchase whats available for now, and then decide based on they're usage, which of the bigger ones is best for them.
These smaller ones, (and relativly inexpensive ones) will get handed down to a friend, younger brother or sister and or use for something or nothing else, and folks won't feel all that bad about it, when they buy a bigger one in the spring. PLUS this gives APple a chance to see which models are selling well, and which ones should get the up-grade in memory.
If Apple can't fix this problem, does anyone have a suggestion as to how to download US videos to a Mac product in Japan? Can we buy at Amazon or the Sony store? Or some other way?
It sucks you in and then you have to go for the phone...
Apple, has their interface now they want as many people as possible using it, and getting into it.
Personally I'm waiting for the how it the new platform develops.. Hacks, apps, extensions and the rest. ;-)
It'll sell well and cannibalize iPhone sales when it's finally released outside of the U.S. People want a lot of the iPhone features NOW. After someone who already is happy with their mobile phone buys one of these, why would they possibly want to buy an iPhone? For e-mail, and text messaging? Not likely. Apple should have at least waited to sell this internationally on the same date the iPhone is released.
My take from here in Japan is the Touch will sell like hot cakes. I'll buy one soon. In 2008, iPhone will debut and my Touch will go to my kid or ebay -- and the cycle will continue. Apple has a shrewd strategy to ween folks away from their old cellphones... to old cellphone + iPodTouch, finally to take the small jump to iPhone. They're gonna get me that way. Plus I'll buy a new Mac after Leopard to boot (pun). Man, I'm hooked.
My take from Japan is much the same.
The Touch will be more valuable than the iPhone here at first because the iPhone wont come with a lot of the software that japanese users demand. Example. Suica and Passmo function. Barcode reader function. Kao Muji function. Predictive Kanji for typing. And TV.
This makes the Touch perfect as an iPod replacement for now while these other features get put on the iPhone and Apple takes its sweet time negotiating with the Japanese service providers. Im guessing theyll go with Docomo in the end (sigh)... It will be tough weaning the masses off their phones so the Touch makes sense for now. Although those pastel shuffles and nanos will be huge for all the fashionable Tokyoites. Its a good way for Apple to increase (by halo effect) its lagging computer sales in Japan
Ill find myself in the same replacement cycle..old mobile plus touch, till the iPhone gets here.....
Does it make sense to release a Japan iPhone? I mean it would be Japan only since Japan uses a totally different network system than the rest of the world.
I expect the Asian version to be 3G, and there's very little 3G coverage in Japan. Plus, I think China is a bigger market, potentially.
Japan has near-total 3G coverage on all three main providers. (you're thinking of GSM, which Japan has none of).
UMTS 2100 MHz band (aka GSM 3G): Europe, Japan (specifically both Softbank and NTT DoCoMo), South Korea, Australia, elsewhere.
UMTS 850/1900 MHz band: North America, Australia.
In Japan the iPhone would run in 3G mode only. In Europe it would run in GSM mode and upgrade to 3G when the signal is there, or when the speed is needed.
To be fair the Japanese version does require the hardware specific one-seg mobile TV (however there are already multi-band chips that would make mobile TV work in Japan, SK, and Europe: all using different standards) and for e-cash (though neglible in space/cost).
Most of the difference would be in software. Actually, assuming you were willing to sell the European 3G iPhone with features they wouldn't use you could ship the same hardware model to both markets.
The Touch will be more valuable than the iPhone here at first because the iPhone wont come with a lot of the software that japanese users demand. Example. Suica and Passmo function. Barcode reader function. Kao Muji function. Predictive Kanji for typing. And TV.
One-seg TV and e-cash are hardware features. However I actually do think the Japanese iPhone will come with the required software for the Japanese market.