Apple's iPad big in Japan

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
The launch of Apple's iPad in Asia is "generating a level of hype and excitement rarely seen these days for a new electronics product in this gadget-loving nation," according to reports from Japan on today's launch.



An article by the Wall Street Journal detailed the "frenzy" of the iPad's Japanese launch, where it was met by lines of buyers, some of whom had camped out for days.



Softbank, the exclusive carrier of the 3G iPad in Japan, stopped taking reservations after just three days in a climate where a variety of magazines ran cover stories about the iPad launch.



"Softbank says it is under strict orders from Apple not to disclose how many reservations it has accepted or how many will be distributed Friday," the report said. "It wouldn't even disclose whether consumers could buy the iPad on Friday without a reservation."



A report on the launch by the New York Times noted the parallel success of previous Apple launches. The iPod continues to dominate the music player market and the iPhone has become wildly successful in the country, citing MM Research Institute data showing that Apple has 72 share of Japan's smartphone market.



The Times said 1200 people had lined up at the Apple Store in central Tokyo for the launch of iPad.



Japanese content for iPad



It's not just consumers who are interested in the iPad launch. The Wall Street Journal said Japanese game developer Konami Digital Entertainment, "once solely focused on creating games for dedicated consoles like the Wii from Nintendo and more recently, for cellphones" has released Metal Gear Solid Touch for iPad. Capcom similarly says it will reformat BioHazard 4 for iPad.



"Japan?s publishers, which have long been cautious in moving online," the report noted, "are racing to offer their titles on the iPad." It cited Shufunotomo, a major women?s magazine, as saying it will open an electronic bookstore for iPad with about 50 magazines and books. The report also noted Yahoo Japan plans to offer 100 free comics for iPad users.



Apple's new tablet isn't without competition however; It noted that Asahi Shimbun, Japan?s second-largest newspaper, reported Thursday that it would join forces with Sony?s e-reader content platform, publisher Toppan Printing, and the cellphone carrier KDDI, a competitor of Apple's exclusive Japanese mobile partner Softbank.
«13

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 54
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    That's great news. It always seemed to me that any country with such complex writing systems would love the ability to have contextual virtual keyboards.
  • Reply 2 of 54
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    ....................."Japan is super advanced and light years ahead of anything we have in America".................
  • Reply 3 of 54
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    I can see a lot of Asia's electronics mavens just scurrying around, trying to deconstruct what the heck just happened!



    They'll have tough time with the secret sauce.
  • Reply 4 of 54
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Or not maybe!



    Bergermeister - how's the new experience shaping up?
  • Reply 5 of 54
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Surely, it's just another fluke.
  • Reply 6 of 54
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    I can see a lot of Asia's electronics mavens just scurrying around, trying to deconstruct what the heck just happened!



    They'll have tough time with the secret sauce.



    There's not much to what's in the "sauce". It's a perfect blend of two ingredients. Software and Hardware. Individually, each ingredient is easy to obtain. However, as all the other players have repeatedly failed to realize that combining the two is very difficult.



    Kudos to Apple for pulling it off. The remainder of the industry had a ridiculous amount of time to get their act together before Apple was even a blip on the radar and they are just fumbling over their big feet.
  • Reply 7 of 54
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    There's not much to what's in the "sauce". It's a perfect blend of two ingredients. Software and Hardware. Individually, each ingredient is easy to obtain. However, as all the other players have repeatedly failed to realize that combining the two is very difficult.



    Kudos to Apple for pulling it off. The remainder of the industry had a ridiculous amount of time to get their act together before Apple was even a blip on the radar and they are just fumbling over their big feet.



    xerox machines have been working full time at schmidt's office...there will be an android tablet out soon...
  • Reply 8 of 54
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by doyourownthing View Post


    xerox machines have been working full time at schmidt's office...there will be an android tablet out soon...



    Ten years from now, there'll be plenty of ten year old, tablet computer users whose only knowledge of the word android will be in representing a dozen or so crappy operating systems and not the promise of a wonderful technological utopia that it once represented! \



    Sigh.
  • Reply 9 of 54
    8corewhore8corewhore Posts: 833member
    In other news, Paul Thurrott just threw himself off a bridge.
  • Reply 10 of 54
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by doyourownthing View Post


    xerox machines have been working full time at schmidt's office...there will be an android tablet out soon...



    Android is poised to become the "Windows" of the mobile world. Does pretty much everything but does nothing well. With all the numerous types of Android devices coming out (phones, tablets, blow-up-dolls, etc..), fragmentation will be a big problem. But hey, it will be geek-nirvana while everyone else will be happy using their Apple toasters because they simply "work".
  • Reply 11 of 54
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 8CoreWhore View Post


    In other news, Paul Thurrott just threw himself off a bridge.



    ...Onto the tracks ahead of a scheduled Redmond Express. The next morning as he recovered, he was still counting his lucky stars that the express was late!
  • Reply 12 of 54
    umijinumijin Posts: 133member
    Interestingly, until recently the iBooks app was not mentioned or seen on Apple's iPad page. Looks like they just got some publishers to agree on content.



    As for this being a big hit - not nearly as many people lined up to reserve as waited in line for New Years lucky bags.
  • Reply 13 of 54
    davegeedavegee Posts: 2,765member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    ....................."Japan is super advanced and light years ahead of anything we have in America".................



    Well .... NOW they are...



    Quote:

    Apple has 72 share of Japan's smartphone market



    I also found (above) quite interesting... I was under the impression that in Japan, products built by Japanese corporations were most favored by the press/public and buying a non-Japanese product was usually considered undesirable/shameful or is that just an over-exagerated misconception/stereotype?
  • Reply 14 of 54
    myapplelovemyapplelove Posts: 1,515member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by doyourownthing View Post


    xerox machines have been working full time at schmidt's office...there will be an android tablet out soon...



    yeah google's headquarters are the new Xerox Park with all the copying going down.



    Btw we should TM, besides the apple is doomed motto, the other great idiot mantra, apple can't break the gadget market in Japan.
  • Reply 15 of 54
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaveGee View Post


    I also found (above) quite interesting... I was under the impression that in Japan, products built by Japanese corporations were most favored by the press/public and buying a non-Japanese product was usually considered undesirable/shameful or is that just an over-exagerated misconception?



    I think the definition of smartphone is different there. I think they are mostly comprised of "dumb phones" that offer OTA TV and other "archaically advanced" features that might be considered smart in other parts of the world, at least they would have been years past.. I would assume they don't have proper web browsers and rich app environments. Are there many WinMo or Android phones being sold over there in droves?
  • Reply 16 of 54
    I live in Japan. The idea that Japan has technology anywhere near comparable is a misconception. Yes, Japanese people much prefer to buy Japanese products, but they're not stupid. They see something as good as an iPhone or iPad, they'll use it.
  • Reply 17 of 54
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GregoryHarbin View Post


    I live in Japan. The idea that Japan has technology anywhere near comparable is a misconception. Yes, Japanese people much prefer to buy Japanese products, but they're not stupid. They see something as good as an iPhone or iPad, they'll use it.



    Welcome to the forum. Could you explain how the iPhone can have a 72% marketshare of smartphones.
  • Reply 18 of 54
    davegeedavegee Posts: 2,765member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GregoryHarbin View Post


    I live in Japan. The idea that Japan has technology anywhere near comparable is a misconception. Yes, Japanese people much prefer to buy Japanese products, but they're not stupid. They see something as good as an iPhone or iPad, they'll use it.



    Thanks!



    I did find some round numbers that showed how the game console market behaves in Japan.





    1 - WII 10.34m units

    2 - PS3 5.0m+ units

    3 - XB3 1.23m units



    So yea... the US based X-Box 360 isn't getting any loving in Japan... While in the US and Europe the X-Box has more favorable numbers.
  • Reply 19 of 54
    spicedspiced Posts: 98member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaveGee View Post


    Well .... NOW they are...







    I also found (above) quite interesting... I was under the impression that in Japan, products built by Japanese corporations were most favored by the press/public and buying a non-Japanese product was usually considered undesirable/shameful or is that just an over-exagerated misconception/stereotype?



    Japanese travel alot both in and out of their country. Their people are like any other earth bound humanoids easily influenced by the west especially their younger generation of populace. So it is no longer a cool thing to own everything of their own. In the whole even Asians. They have grown out of that.....my one cent thought. Go Apple go....



    P/S: Nintendo should start a new department to develop game titles for iDevices.
  • Reply 20 of 54
    davegeedavegee Posts: 2,765member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Welcome to the forum. Could you explain how the iPhone can have a 72% marketshare of smartphones.



    I just found this comment that could explain things...



    Quote:

    "And third, remember that Symbian is more than Nokia. Symbian is the best-selling phone operating system in Japan, where the world's most advanced phones are made. The typical Japanese "featurephone" runs on Symbian, but is not considered a "real" smartphone, because it does not allow end-users to install apps (the phone OS is closed to the user)."



    Its reported that Symbian and others will be making moves to offer an Apple Like 'App Store' but no concrete word on when or how it would happen.
Sign In or Register to comment.