It seems Japan, the country with the most advanced mobile infrastructure on the globe, has come to embrace the iPhone. According to a survey conducted by market research company GfK’s Japanese subsidiary [JP], the 32GB model of the iPhone 3GS was the most popular phone in Japan last month.
And the 16GB was ranked 9th in the list of phone contracts. Both phones came out in Japan in June this year.
Here’s the complete breakdown of Japan’s most popular cell phones last month:
1. Apple iPhone 3GS 32 GB
2. Sharp SH-06A (AQUOS cell phone with 10MP CCD camera and 3.3-inch touch screen)
3. Panasonic 830P (extra-easy operation)
4. Sharp SH-05A (8MP CCD camera and waterproof)
5. NEC N-08A (extra-slim (13.9mm) cell phone with 8MP camera and 3-inch WVGA display)
6. Sony Ericsson Walkman Phone Premier3 (3-inch display with 480×854 resolution and superior audio quality)
7. Sharp SH-02A (supports specially designed fonts, 3-inch ASV display)
8. Casio W63CA (8.1-megapixel camera phone with 3.1-inch OLED display)
9. Apple iPhone 3GS 16 GB
10. Sharp SH001 (featuring a 8.0 megapixel CCD camera with face recognition function)
Via Mainichi Shimbun
The iPhone just keeps on selling.
Is it just me or most of those phones look exactly the same with the rectangular flip look. I am somewhat surprised the 3GS is selling so much. A few years ago many people were saying Japan is too advanced for the iPhone. I guess not. http://ziggytek.com/
Surprising. I thought that the iphone wasn’t taking in Japan.
I’m surprised about the other phones. I always thought Japan had the best cell phones but those just seem to be regular flip phones with high resolution screens?
It’s not difficult to be number 1 in Japan for a week or a month — same as any singer can have a number 1 single for a week and then never heard from them ever again.
New phone models come every 3-4 months and all the phones are carrier exclusives — makes the threshold to be number 1 very low.
It is a lot easier to be number 1 if you don’t count a competitor like AT&T RAZR, T-Mobile RAZR, Verizon RAZR and Sprint RAZR together.
iPhone lost to the Blackberry Curve in the US because the Curve is available on all 4 carriers and is counted as a single model.
Apps, it’s about the apps.
Wait til the creative maniacs in Japan realize what they’ve got on their hands.
A mobile device that can do just about anything.
Like others, I noticed how all the other phones look the same. But none have a huge app store, and none have a satisfaction rating that touches the 3GS.
It’s not for everyone, that’s true.
For Apple’s first attempt at a phone OS though, it’s outstanding.
It is a real shame that this iphone is so popular. It is such a closed and proprietary phone. It suggests that consumers haven’t yet been bitten hard enough by the lack of control they have their own devices to care.
It’s a shame you have such a closed and proprietary view on the iPhone, because you’re really missing the boat on that one.
It’s a shame you can’t use Google Voice on your iPhone.
So Wired where is that retraction about your BS article about the Japanese hating the iPhone? Hello?
Being number 1 in Japan for a week or a month — means absolutely nothing in the long run.
Being number 1 in Japan where there are brand new 50-60 phone models coming out every 3-4 months also means absolutely nothing.
Apple’s model may be closed, but it has opened the developer floodgates like no other phone before. And they’ve also made the telcos look silly by allowing customers to make an end run around them for almost all content and apps. Try putting your own ringtone on most Verizon phones. Talk about closed! Sheesh.
That “closed” model gives developers DRM, webhosting, advertising, distribution, cheap developers tools, tutorials and 70% of the profit—unheard of before the iPhone. All this allows developers to charge much less for apps and still make money. And consumers can confidently buy apps, knowing they won’t crash another app or the OS or suck the battery life out of their phone.
Yes, it’s closed, but that doesn’t mean it’s dumb. Open systems do not necessarily guarantee quality or success.
> but it has opened the developer floodgates like no other phone before.
I’m pretty sure the Palm OS-based phones had way more apps.
Ha, ha, ha, I agree with Slappy, well Wired? How would you like your Crow? Medium, rare or…well done.
Truth is, japanese phones suck. The makers keep adding useless features nobody use (who needs a pseudo 3d screen or a 8GB camera?) and the UI is a total fail.
Softbank has been promoting the iphone with a huge price incentive since april and, believe me, it worked. The only thing that’s missing is the 1seg-TV.
Docomo launched the android phone (G2?) last month.. it’s nice but they don’t promote it at all. They’re pushing their own winmo touchscreen phone, an amazing piece of crap. (but with “more memory and a faster CPU than the iphone”)
Awesome. If it’s still there next month – or into September when the promotion Softbank have on it comes to an end – then you might have a case for it being popular.
As it is it’s just about beating a phone released in May into second place.
The report could be a bit lopsided seeing as most other manufacturers (e.g. Sharp, Sony, NEC etc) have lots and lots of different models in Japan while Apple only has one (or two if the 3G is still on sale). Therefore while it may be the top selling single model, it could still come bottom of the list of top selling manufacturers. Although still a improvement for Apple over the rumors that everyone in Japan hated it and possibly an indication that the Japanese market is opening up?
Interesting. I thought I’d read several months ago about how iPhone sales were lagging. Apparently not.