Apple iPhone takes 72% of Japanese smartphone market

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  • Reply 81 of 101
    matlumatlu Posts: 14member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dlux View Post


    Does anyone have links to articles describing the various technologies (GSM, CDMA) and radio frequencies used in Japan? As I recall (possibly incorrectly), Japan has a mix of standards which means the iPhone can only be used with certain carriers, just like in the US and China. If this is the case, the 72% figure would be even more impressive given that there would be networks that the iPhone couldn't even be sold on.



    Well it doesn't really matter, since it is exclusive to Softbank. But both Softbank and Docomo use 3G 2100 MHz frequency as their 3G standard (which all 3G/3GS iPhone uses). Docomo is the largest carrier in Japan. I believe Softbank is still the third largest (though probably gaining a bit now on KDDI's #2 position; KDDI using the CDMA standard). If you are traveling to Japan, you can roam with the iPhone on either Softbank or Docomo's network. And the 3G penetration is pretty extensive in Japan (in terms of people coverage, since there are large middle-of-nowhere land areas without any service at all). If you can get 2G service in an area, it is almost a guarantee that you'll be able to get 3G service as well in that same area. It isn't 100% of course, but yeah, pretty extensive.
  • Reply 82 of 101
    matlumatlu Posts: 14member
    As some people have mentioned, the 'smartphone' market in Japan isn't the hugest. People buy the small flip phones dumbphones that have a ton of hardware features like double one-seg tuners and 10MP cameras. Smartphones are still a relatively small market in Japan. Which isn't too surprising when what is defined as a 'dumbphone' in Japan is still pretty darn powerful. The higher-end dumbphones there in Japan might be considered lower-end smartphones here in the States.



    Though the last time I was in Japan (last September), I was surprised to see a fair amount of people with iPhones. Softbank has been doing a very good job of promoting the phone like the article mentioned. They've been doing free iPhone promotions with 2-year contracts and they've done discounted data plans just for the iPhone. They've been pushing it pretty hard and it looks like it is paying dividends for them.
  • Reply 83 of 101
    mark2005mark2005 Posts: 1,158member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Japan is a strong market for Apple. Just this week, in its quarterly earnings report, Apple revealed that it earned $887 million there from Mac sales in the first quarter of 2010, a 51 percent increase from a year ago, with 18 percent growth in Mac shipments. During the company's conference call on Tuesday, Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook revealed that iPhone units in Japan grew 183 percent year-over-year in the last quarter. The Asia Pacific market as a whole saw 474 percent growth over a year prior.



    (I didn't read all of the comments so this may have been caught earlier.)



    Just a correction on the text: The $887 million in Japan revenue is not just from the 129K in Mac sales, which is what the article implies. That total is all Japan revenue, excluding the revenue from the seven Apple Retail Stores in that country (which are recorded under the Retail geographic segment). The 129K Macs at the ASP of $1278 would only amount to about $165M in revenue, leaving $722M for sales of iPhone, iPod, iTunes Japan, software, peripherals, etc.



    For some quick back-of-the-envelope calculations: If all $722M were for iPhones, which it is not, that would be 1.2M iPhones (not incl. Japan Apple Store iPhones). If it's about 56% iPhone (that's the global proportion of iPhone revenue to all non-Mac revenue), then it's about 666K iPhones. Adding in the many iPhones bought in those 7 Apple Stores, the Japan figure may be closer to 700K for the quarter. That's a rough ballpark figure, assuming proportionality.
  • Reply 84 of 101
    davegeedavegee Posts: 2,765member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post


    And, it certainly would get a lot of press!



    All great points but I have to wonder why this hasn't been done before... Perhaps there are SEC issues preventing this type of activity. Call me a cynic (really, I don't mind.. the mindset has served me well) but I'm sure someone would or already has devised some way of turning this into a shady scam.
  • Reply 85 of 101
    cgc0202cgc0202 Posts: 624member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ochyming View Post


    Do people realise that  aesthetic and design is very japanese and northern european inclined, very austere and stripped of nonsense?

    Japanese companies sold themselves to the West aesthetic in order to sell.



    Just look at traditional furniture and architecture from Japan and countries like Denmark (you do not have to live there just watch movies from those countries).







    I love  because of its design and boldness, for a capitalist venture they value their vision more than money ( they do not sell their soul to "features" in order to please buyers, they build things they will use. Because of that it becomes art ), and that is to Have BIG ball (sorry girls).



    Now pardon my crappy English.



    I became enamored with Japanese culture when I was quite young (before I even entered school, maybe 4-5 year old) the firts time I came upon a glossy magazine at home filled with all things Japanese -- architecture, gardens, flowers, food, etc. I did not understand any of the text, of course but the pictures captured the mind and the heart.



    This fascination deepened further as I grew up to include their movies, literature and modern architecture. I have only stopped by the Narita airport twice and never had a chance yet to travel in Japan, but I was lucky enough to interact on a daily basis when I came to study in the US, and later on when I worked in different places also here in the US, allowing me to interact with more Japanese cominng directly from Japan or working from other countries.



    [This was amazing in itself because according to the stories from my parents, our country suffered a lot during the Japanese occupation of our country.]



    My introduction to Scandinavian architecture, literature, movies, and more was much later -- when I was already in college and more so when I came to the US.



    Indeed, I agree with your observation about the shared simplicity and aesthetics of Japanese and Scandinavian architecture and design. It took an English, Jonathan Ive, to integrate those aesthetic to Apple's products



    CGC
  • Reply 86 of 101
    ckh1272ckh1272 Posts: 107member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chronster View Post


    Who the fuck says things like this? Seriously. A few random trolls on the thread? I have a feeling people around here have setup this fake outcry from "those other guys" in order to have a chuckle over how Apple is doing great, and feel like somehow you're rubbing it in their faces.





    ANYWAYS, nobody has mentioned the obvious: Japan is always ahead of us technologically, and here they are being dominated by an AMERICAN device. This is big news! (Also, maybe a vision of things to come HERE.)



    I don't see that much of Japan Tech touting here but you should see some the comments on CNET. Look up user play7 to get a great example of denial.
  • Reply 87 of 101
    rosujinrosujin Posts: 42member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by roy61 View Post


    That headline is somewhat misleading. To put in perspective, 72% of the smartphone market is only around 4.9% of the total handset market in Japan which is still pretty good for any one handset but I wouldn't go as far as saying Apple has conquered Japan.

    http://asiajin.com/blog/2010/04/23/i...hare-in-japan/



    You are absolutely right! Anyone who has lived in Japan (me: 3 years in Osaka, 2 months Tokyo) would not be impressed with this article as ALL JAPANESE PHONES sold in the past 8 years have been fully email enabled (yes real email, not SMS). Also, each provider has had at least basic internet access for many years as well. Just about every web site in Japan has an iMode version for DoCoMo phones to view, so Apps are not necessary. I'm not bashing the iPhone, since it is the coolest phone available in the US, but if I were to live in Japan again I wold have many other cool choices.



    When I left Japan in 2006, my cheap 2-year old Vodafone phone (now Softbank) had the following features:



    - email (full on [email protected])

    - tons of animated "emoji" () for said email

    - web browser (not quite like Safari, but pretty damn good)

    - proprietary network with access to online apps (weather, train schedules, movie listings, etc)

    - access to tons and tons of mp3 ring tones.

    - 2.x megapixel camera

    - 2D Barcode Reader - link



    If you were willing to spend a few extra bucks in 2006, you could get:



    - IC-enabled eWallet (for swiping your phone to jump on and off the train w/no ticket)

    - real, broadcast TV (not streaming)

    - 5 megapixel camera w/ removable SD and video

    - GPS (mostly worthless since nobody in .jp drives).

    - The ability to beam your contact info to the girl sitting next to you in a bar.



    The features listed above wouldn't even necessarily equal "smartphone" so the "72% of Smartphone market" claim is entirely misleading.



    Two (often overlooked reasons why the iPhone is not perfectly suited for Japan.



    1.) You must sync an iPhone to a computer. Contrary to the popular assumption that Japan is a high-tech country, there is still a SHOCKINGLY high number of households without a computer.



    2.) Touchscreens don't do well in Japan because of all of the one-handed emailing done while riding bikes. Also, girls cover up the keypad with these "purikura" stickers and type by feel (quite quickly). Here is a tame example: link



    Bottom line: Don't be fooled into thinking that the iPhone is a runaway hit in Japan. I'd take another DocoMo or Softbank phone again in a heartbeat.
  • Reply 88 of 101
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rosujin View Post


    When I left Japan in 2006, my cheap 2-year old Vodafone phone (now Softbank) had the following features:

    - web browser (not quite like Safari, but pretty damn good)



    I'm curious what cellphone you had that had in 2006. I don't know of any tech the Japanese have over the rest of the world that would have allowed only Japan to have a "pretty damn good" web browsers in 2006 when every other phone had shitty web browsers.



    Quote:

    Don't be fooled into thinking that the iPhone is a runaway hit in Japan.



    Okay, but do you have any links that support the iPhone isn't a hit. What other smartphone sells more units? What other handset vendor makes more profit?
  • Reply 89 of 101
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cgc0202 View Post


    I became enamored with Japanese culture when I was quite young (before I even entered school, maybe 4-5 year old) the firts time I came upon a glossy magazine at home filled with all things Japanese -- architecture, gardens, flowers, food, etc. I did not understand any of the text, of course but the pictures captured the mind and the heart.



    This fascination deepened further as I grew up to include their movies, literature and modern architecture. I have only stopped by the Narita airport twice and never had a chance yet to travel in Japan, but I was lucky enough to interact on a daily basis when I came to study in the US, and later on when I worked in different places also here in the US, allowing me to interact with more Japanese cominng directly from Japan or working from other countries.



    [This was amazing in itself because according to the stories from my parents, our country suffered a lot during the Japanese occupation of our country.]



    My introduction to Scandinavian architecture, literature, movies, and more was much later -- when I was already in college and more so when I came to the US.



    Indeed, I agree with your observation about the shared simplicity and aesthetics of Japanese and Scandinavian architecture and design. It took an English, Jonathan Ive, to integrate those aesthetic to Apple's products



    CGC





    *sigh*



    *Looks fondly at his rare copy of Tales of Old Japan.* Some of the most beautiful and expressive woodcut imprints I've ever seen.



    Steve Jobs being a Buddhist (and Zen, at that), has a great deal to do with his outlook on life and technology. You can see some of those influences infused in Apple products.
  • Reply 90 of 101
    matlumatlu Posts: 14member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Okay, but do you have any links that support the iPhone isn't a hit. What other smartphone sells more units? What other handset vendor makes more profit?



    Well that's the thing, smartphones vs. all phones. What are considered as 'smartphones' aren't that big in Japan. It isn't really what people buy. I can't remember the exact percentage, but it is somewhere around 95% of all phones in Japan are dumphones and 5% are smartphones (don't quote me on those numbers though; can't seem to find the exact ratio by Googling it, so maybe the smartphone numbers are higher, I'm not exactly sure). For comparison: In the US, I believe smartphones make up somewhere around 20-25% of the total cellphone market.



    So when the article says iPhone makes up 72% of of the smartphone market, what that means iPhones (3G and 3GS) make up 72% of a 5% market. And if my 5% number is correct (someone please tell me if you know the actual percentage), that means iPhones make up 3.6% of the total Japanese cellphone market.
  • Reply 91 of 101
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MatLu View Post


    Well that's the thing, smartphones vs. all phones. What are considered as 'smartphones' aren't that big in Japan. It isn't really what people buy. I can't remember the exact percentage, but it is somewhere around 95% of all phones in Japan are dumphones and 5% are smartphones (don't quote me on those numbers though; can't seem to find the exact ratio by Googling it, so maybe the smartphone numbers might be a bit higher, I'm not exactly sure). For comparison: In the US, I believe smartphones make up somewhere around 20-25% of the total cellphone market.



    So when the article says iPhone makes up 72% of of the smartphone market, what the means is iPhones make up 72% of a 5% market. And if I'm doing my math correctly, that means iPhones make up 3.6% of the total Japanese cellphone market.



    Okay, it's a label thing, I get that, but what are these non-smartphones that have "pretty damn good" web browsers?
  • Reply 92 of 101
    matlumatlu Posts: 14member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Okay, it's a label thing, I get that, but what are these non-smartphones that have "pretty damn good" web browsers?



    Well I wouldn't know about that. That was rosujin who was talking about web browsers.
  • Reply 93 of 101
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Postulant View Post


    Pay up, Skater. You bet me $1000 that the stock would hit $70 before it would $270. And seeing that you're making so much money, it wouldn't hurt to throw in an iMac, too.







    I am fairly certain I didn't have anyone willing to take me up on any bets. You guys are great monday morning quarterbacks. I bet you all wear the jersey of the team the day after they win the superbowl. But you are right about one thing I have made alot of money off Apple this year.



    But thats okay I don't mind being wrong and having a stock beat my expectations. Its when they don't perform that makes me upset. I will take being wrong like this everyday.
  • Reply 94 of 101
    I've been living in Japan for 13 years now. I bought my first cell phone in 1998, I think. It was a side-lit (orange or green LED) dot matrix screen, no camera...



    My last "dumbphone" was a Sharp with 5Mpixel, micro SD, flash lite and the so-called "PC site browser". Very functional, but very backwards in terms of estbetics/UX. The UI graphics were kind of Windows 3.1.



    I'm glad I switched to a 3GS. But then again, I'm not japanese!
  • Reply 95 of 101
    steviestevie Posts: 956member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    Steve Jobs being a Buddhist (and Zen, at that), has a great deal to do with his outlook on life and technology. You can see some of those influences infused in Apple products.



    Will he follow the Buddha way in his dealings with Google and Adobe?
  • Reply 96 of 101
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    Stop bragging, shut up, and do it.



    So that you can spare us this juvenile nonsense.



    I just assumed with his nick being what it is, that he actually IS a juvie.
  • Reply 97 of 101
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    "As reported by Bloomberg Businessweek, Tokyo's MM Research Institute Ltd. issued a report that said Apple sold 1.69 million units in the 12-month period ending March 31. That took the lion's share of the total 2.3 million handsets sold in Japan in the same frame."



    This is a load of crap. I couldn't find 2009 numbers, but on average (data for 2006 - 2008) the domestic Japanese market sees about 40-50 million mobile phone sales per year, just a bit more than 2.3 million.



    That number appears very low even if they are only counting "smartphones" -- which brings up another issue. How are they determining what represents a "smartphone"? Most Japanese "dumbphones" are similar in complexity and features to what most people would refer to as a smartphone in most other countries. Therefore, a better way to look at it then is what percentage of the total mobile phone market does the iPhone have? If 2009 sees ~40-50 million phone sales, the iPhone would represent roughly 5-6% of the market.



    Based on what I could find, the iPhone accounted for roughly 4% of total mobile phone sales in the USA in 2009 (unit sales: 25 million). ref: (http://www.cultofmac.com/iphone-4-of...ne-sales/24115)



    So, the iPhone in Japan having a few more absolute percentage points of the market is great, but hardly worth the "iPhone has 90% market share in Japan" title
  • Reply 98 of 101
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by winterspan View Post


    This is a load of crap. I couldn't find 2009 numbers, but on average (data for 2006 - 2008)



    Check Bloomberg Businessweek they are reporting it from Tokyo's MM Research Institute Ltd. The



    Quote:

    the domestic Japanese market sees about 40-50 million mobile phone sales per year, just a bit more than 2.3 million.



    [/QUOTE]

    The entire article is about smartphones so the 2.3M reference is about smartphones.



    Quote:

    That number appears very low even if they are only counting "smartphones" -- which brings up another issue. How are they determining what represents a "smartphone"?



    That is the question we can't get an answer too, but I wouldn't call a complex phone smart simply because it requires an engineering degree to use.



    Quote:

    So, the iPhone in Japan having a few more absolute percentage points of the market is great, but hardly worth the "iPhone has 90% market share in Japan" title



    The article states 72%, not 90%.
  • Reply 99 of 101
    I guess we will never now 72% of what market exactly.



    Strange, I live in Japan and I may saw one out of ten people with an IPhone in the hand, but certainly not 7 or 8 people !!

    All my friends and colleagues around, nor more than 10/15 % of them have an IPhone ...



    Guess you can turn the figures as much as you want to fit your conclusion.



    What's a Smartphone ? Something that cost 9000 JPY per month, minimum.

    2000 Y the handset, 4000 Y the internet connection, 1000 JPY for Softbank and 2000 Y for the phone function.

    That's just too expensive !!

    I am on Au and I pay 1300 JPY each month.

    On a yearly basis, I save more than 90 000 JPY.

    When I said that to my friends who have an IPhone, they swear they won't gonna renew their contract with Softbank next time ...
  • Reply 100 of 101
    I haven't read through all the replies so here goes... iphones are selling like hot cakes here, but many Japanese are not fully switching over to an iphone, My close mate at Apple Tokyo HQ said most Japanese buy the iphone as a second phone, and use it for data/video/music. While retaining their old phone for calls and mail. Also noting that many people especially young are on a family plan with their docomo/au services in which parents often pay their bills.



    One of the biggest reasons for not fully changing over for those not on a family plan is the lack of battery power which won't get most Japanese through the day.



    Seeing as the new phone has a slightly more powerful battery, this will surely increase Apples already impressive share and possibly eliminate the need for a second phone.



    edit* I'd like to note, that most of my foreign friends also own an iphone, it is a very popular phone amongst all foreigners as we rely on Skype to communicate with loved ones overseas and the ability for many to use a keyboard other than Japanese/English.
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