NTT DoCoMo CEO Cites 'Compelling Reasons' to Reach Long-Elusive iPhone Deal with Apple in Japan

really? just because they want to install their crApps? thats sad! why not give customers an option to install them intsead of pre-installing?

Why do wireless carriers insist on putting their bloatware on phones? This is one of the reasons I love the iphone

CEO or CFO?

Headline references CEO but quote is attributed to CFO.

I hate preloaded apps from carriers however I would have no issue with them IF you could delete them if you wanted to. If they are not removable like Apples stock apps or Android carrier bloatware apps then that would be terrible

Sounds just like the carriers in the usa, like they aren't the ones who just own the dumb pipes but think they are so much more

newdeal said:

I hate preloaded apps from carriers however I would have no issue with them IF you could delete them if you wanted to. If they are not removable like Apples stock apps or Android carrier bloatware apps then that would be terrible

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Yes, but if Apple allowed one carrier to do this, then it would simply snowball out of control as others will also want to do it. Even if there is/isn't the option of uninstalling it, IMHO that wouldn't make much difference.

Buy a stock HP laptop and you'll get loads of HP bloatware. Sure, you can appwiz that stuff and uninstall it, but it's still bloatware. Apple are good to stay firm on this point, and ultimately DoCoMo need the iPhone more than the iPhone needs DoCoMo.

Docomo sucks kintamas

Just get these apps on the app store and be done with it.

Love or hate Apple, but GOOD FOR THEM for demanding and never giving exception to carriers providing a clean, uniform experience with no bloatware. Could you imaging an ugly red iPhone with vCast all over it?

softbank still sell sim-locked iPads ... its just a question of ¥¥¥ or $$$

But no one wants iPhones anymore??? /s

So much for the constant FUD of how the iPhone is no longer in demand because it's hardware is totally outdated and it doesn't have a large display or a quad-core processor. If that were the case there wouldn't be carriers begging to have the iPhone on their networks. The way the iHaters talk is as though as long as there are high-end Android smartphones like the Galaxy S4, there's no longer a need for anyone to buy an iPhone. Most of those carrier CEO's realize that the iPhone will attract top-tier customers and they'll be able to make money from selling iPhones to those customers. The Japanese consumer likes iPhones probably a lot more than those smartphones coming from S. Korea. Having a contract with DoCoMo will really give Apple a boost in unit sales. It's a nice rumor to hear. I certainly hope such a contract takes place by the end of this year.

Docomo is far expensive than other carriers. I can't count how many of my friends switched from Docomo to Softbank. They are loosing so many customers every day, they are lasting only because the name NTT and maybe they have some other ways to get money (government help?). They have the typical stubbornness of an almost government company, they have no idea of the market, they keep doing the some job, the same stupid offers and marketing they used decades ago. Even the logo is so disgusting I hope I will never see such **** on a beautiful Apple product. Don't talk about bloatware!

NTT faster techniology

I remember even 10 years ago Japanese consumers watching television broadcast on their phones over NTT Docomo. I believe they had some screaming technology only with their brand. I don't know if that is still the case.

ChristianJapan said:

softbank still sell sim-locked iPads ... its just a question of ¥¥¥ or $$$

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Indeed they do, but at least SoftBank's (=Yahoo! Japan) crapware stays the hell away from iOS devices.

Compelling as in, stay in business.

I've been reading about this from time to time and I think DoCoMo needs to just suck it up and reach the same deal as any other phone company, this mean losing a lot of their tie in products and services.

I know there was a trend for cellphone companies to offer music and TV and other services, but that quickly eroded into just wanting a phone that has fast connection to the Internet. Most customers don't want to pay an extra $20 month to watch TV on a phone when they can simply get their content from other online sources.

Perhaps the Japanese crowd is a bit different, but I think clearly DoCoMo is losing customers that simply want an iPhone. DoCoMo needs to concede.

And while I am sure Apple would enjoy having DoCoMo's customer base as iPhone users, I don't think Apple is hurting at all from not having a contract with DoCoMo, however its not the same the other way around.

Not sure if this is another situation where Japanese honor or pride is hurting their business, but we have seen this over and over again with many Japanese companies over the last decade not adapting fast enough to the needs of their customers, both local and worldwide.

ChrisCW11 said:

Not sure if this is another situation where Japanese honor or pride is hurting their business, but we have seen this over and over again with many Japanese companies over the last decade not adapting fast enough to the needs of their customers, both local and worldwide.

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I don't think its honor or pride. They are just stubborn. Japanese are hard workers but they are also slow thinker due to their "rigid-pyramid" society. Each guy is always scared like hell by the upper guy and they seldom take risks. It was OK few years ago when the guys on the top of the pyramid were younger and the slaves on the base were competitive. Now we have only obtuse CEO s in Japan and better slaves in China.
This news about docomo asking Apple to accept their rules is not a news at all. They are keep asking since a long time. This is the only thing they are able to do. No way to give birth to new ideas, of course.

ChristianJapan said:

softbank still sell sim-locked iPads ... its just a question of ¥¥¥ or $$$

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The only compelling reason for NTT/DoCoMo is profit. Japanese/company culture may slow down the compulsion, but in the end, profit is all that matters.

Eventually, to compete with SoftBank (and assuming had other outlets to sell iPhones), they had to change.

The inevitability aspect of this is amazing.

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tubomac said:

I don't think its honor or pride. They are just stubborn. Japanese are hard workers but they are also slow thinker due to their "rigid-pyramid" society. Each guy is always scared like hell by the upper guy and they seldom take risks.

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Stubborn is pride/ego/laziness. So, you can't be stubborn without a reason, and even stupidity at a corporate exec level is pride/ego/laziness based.

It may be engrained via the companyman attitude of corporate servitude and ladderclimbing, and the long term benefit of the individual is toeing the company line, but I hardly think it's slow thinking... it's pride at the top supported by rank and file corporate survival.

thasan said:

really? just because they want to install their crApps? thats sad! why not give customers an option to install them intsead of pre-installing?

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DoCoMo is heavily into mobile payments, and is under the delusion that it can keep things that way. THAT is what this is all about.
I imagine that they could do what they do with an App Store app (though I don't know how their system works) but they'd presumably have to give Apple a cut of that on-going revenue, and that's what they're trying to avoid.

The issue is less, I would say, about pre-loaded apps and more about the split of mobile payments revenue.

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LFMNX said:

I remember even 10 years ago Japanese consumers watching television broadcast on their phones over NTT Docomo. I believe they had some screaming technology only with their brand. I don't know if that is still the case.

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Don't get caught up in the hype.
Japan has been very big in the past on technology that superficially looked cool but was actually a ridiculously stupid and impractical idea.

Their analog (rather than digital) HDTV system was one example; broadcasting movies over the cell network is another example --- solving a non-existent problem in a way that will never be practical because the bandwidth IS NOT THERE.

There's a reason no-one speaks in awed tones about the dominance of Japan in the mobile market. A solution that takes off has to actually WORK (which means things like be able to scale to the realities of the practical world) rather than just be a neat tech demo.

MacRumors said:

DoCoMo has been shedding customers to its rivals over the last few years as it has yet to launch the iPhone, with the carrier reportedly remaining firm in its demands to be able to preload its own apps and services on the device.

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What a bunch of jerks. Losing subscribers and revenue to competitors.
Because they want to dump spamware onto iPhones?
Sounds like what Verizon does with Android.

theOtherGeoff said:

but I hardly think it's slow thinking... it's pride at the top supported by rank and file corporate survival.

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I don't think it's individual slow thinking, I didn't want to say that. I believe that regardless of individual skills, Japanese typical rigid working system generates slow reaction and inefficiency. In the past they covered this problem asking people to sacrifice their lives working in inhuman conditions (I mean especially working for a very, very long time every day). Now this is not enough because Chinese are cheaper and they sacrifice even more.

By the way this is only my opinion, I've been in Japan more than 15 years and that was my impression.

name99 said:

DoCoMo is heavily into mobile payments, and is under the delusion that it can keep things that way. THAT is what this is all about.
I imagine that they could do what they do with an App Store app (though I don't know how their system works) but they'd presumably have to give Apple a cut of that on-going revenue, and that's what they're trying to avoid.

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The system that's being used in Japan is called FeliCa which is basically NFC with a special chip which provides the security and stores your credits that can be used for payments and public transport fares. It is supported by all operators, so it's not just DoCoMo exclusive. In order to function, in addition of the NFC/FeliCa chip, the system also needs an App, like for example Mobile Suica or Edy (can be downloaded from Play store with Android devices) which handles the transactions and is used to recharge your phone's credits (either with your credit card, bank account or manually with cash in some stores).

Since the system needs both software and hardware to function, it won't work with just "downloading an app from app store" with iPhones unless Apple adds NFC/FeliCa chip into their next iPhone.

Also regarding the cut's and revenue, in it's current form the carrier doesn't get any cut from payments since they are not processed by them, so it's quite difficult to think that people would accept suddenly Apple taking 30% cut from their payments.

name99 said:

Their analog (rather than digital) HDTV system was one example; broadcasting movies over the cell network is another example --- solving a non-existent problem in a way that will never be practical because the bandwidth IS NOT THERE.

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Their HDTV is digital btw and the mobile tv broadcasts (that's called 1seg) are not using the cell phone networks to deliver the content (they actually have an antenna to receive terrestrial digital broadcasts). The resolution is quite low, but it's enough if you want to watch live tv from your cell phone while you are commuting between your home and workplace on a train).

Why do they need the iPhone

Pretty sure those Sharp phones with the IGZO screens are pretty damn sweet, and i'd take one easy over an iphone, i mean 45 hours of use!!!!! we in iphone land can only dream of such battery life, maybe with the iphone 5s things will be closer, but with those sharp phones i see no reason why they must offer the iPhone.

patent10021 said:

Docomo sucks kintamas

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Masayoshi Son, is that you?

DoCoMo is far superior to any other carrier in Japan — and is arguably one of the best carriers in the world. Great voice quality, fantastic customer service, competitive pricing.

Yes, the bloatware DoCoMo installs on phones does indeed suck. But if DoCoMo does manage to get the iPhone, Son's Softbank will be doomed.

2 closed systems

i have been on softbank fones even before softbank entered the market: meaning i was using vodaphone japan, and then softbank bought them out.

softbank sucks. theres even a web site entitled something like that.

but masayoshi son and steve jobs had a great and mutually respectful relationship.

softbank had respect for apple and there was always been a blind faith in following apple such as allowing no softbank branding on iPhones in japan and allowing iPhone customers to not be an integrated part of softbank's yahoo network.

softbank is sucking less and less for the past 2 years.

apple also allowed softbank fones to be sim locked to only softbank. both in japan and overseas roaming. they still are. (iPad however is locked only to softbank while it is japan - if outside of japan you can plop in a foreign sim and use local ip).

but softbank is still japan's #3 network in terms of size:
2013.04 subscriber data:
docomo 61 million
au 37 million
softbank 32 million

but because of the iPhone the rate of increase almost every month into softbank from docomo is greater than docomo. this is a trend that has continued almost non stop since iPhone launched in japan 5 years ago.

docomo practically invented the closed mobile platform with its iMode platform so long ago.

the differences between docomo and apple maybe / probably relate to:

- apple insistence at no handset branding other than the apple logo

- no direct inclusion of an integrated gateway into docomo's information and games and news gateways

- high minimum guarantee of handsets to be sold during the contract period

i read nothing special into the latest reported comments by the CFO of docomo. he is expressing a hope: he said (paraphrased): how can docomo and apple continue to not enter into business. its better for them both if a contract can be made.

hes saying the obvious and not focusing on the hurdles.

theres nothing new here. move along.