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iPhone Snags 60% of Japanese Smartphone Market

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Apr 12, 2001
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114849-japan_smartphones_apr_sep_2010.jpg


MobileCrunch reports on a new report from Japanese research firm MMRI claiming that Apple held a 60% share of the Japanese smartphone market for the period of April through September, easily outdistancing second-place Sony Ericsson's 20.6% share.
According to MMRI, a total of 2.23 million smartphones (Android/Windows Mobile/Blackberry/iOS/Palm) were sold in Japan between April and September this year, and 1.34 million (or 60.1%) of those were iPhones.
Click to expand...
The report notes that smartphone sales more than doubled over the year-ago period, despite the fact that overall mobile phone sales in Japan grew by only 12%. With smartphones now approaching 12% of Japan's overall smartphone sales, Apple's dominant position in that rapidly-growing smartphone market has enabled it to grab 7% of the total mobile phone market there.

Article Link: iPhone Snags 60% of Japanese Smartphone Market
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/10/29/iphone-snags-60-of-japanese-smartphone-market/
おめでとうございます!

Congratulations Apple Japan.

The Japanese market was a really tough market to break into. Most Japanese Smart phones are pretty sophisticated, and (unlike the USA) the Japanese carriers have really well developed applications running on their platforms.
 
I think the Smartphone market in Japan is a bit confusing. The typical phone in Japan has many features a typical smartphone has, but yet is considered a regular phone. And they have for years. So I'm not sure what this article really means, but I think it's good.

Kilamite said:
Say what?
Click to expand...
Not sure. :eek:
 
I think part of the recent success of iPhone 4 in China & Japan is that the Retina display displays the tiny intricate markings of Chinese & Japanese characters with almost no distortion compared to other screens. (I think Steve actually mentioned this at the unveiling of 4). Switching between languages and character sets is also pretty seamless compared to many phones I've used. Just my $0.02.
 
gretafour said:
I think part of the recent success of iPhone 4 in China & Japan is that the Retina display displays the tiny intricate markings of Chinese & Japanese characters with almost no distortion compared to other screens. (I think Steve actually mentioned this at the unveiling of 4). Switching between languages and character sets is also pretty seamless compared to many phones I've used. Just my $0.02.
Click to expand...

Most Japanese flip phones ("dumb" phones) have DPI practically as good if not better than the retina display, so this argument is null and void.

It's successful because it's apple, it's cool and it's an iPod.
 
koobcamuk said:
Most Japanese flip phones ("dumb" phones) have DPI practically as good if not better than the retina display, so this argument is null and void.

It's successful because it's apple, it's cool and it's an iPod.
Click to expand...

I think you're doing a bit too much speculating with that DPI bit, especially with regards to Chinese phones. I've lived in china for more than a year and seen plenty of "smart" phones with terrible displays, and I've done my fair share of guessing what character might be displayed. Also, try to refrain from the "null and void" kind of language.
 
What happened to the whole "Japan doesn't buy American products" thing?

(With consoles, they don't like anything american - like the X-Box, or Atari back in the day - even if Japanese Game Developers develop for the system).
 
gretafour said:
I think you're doing a bit too much speculating with that DPI bit, especially with regards to Chinese phones. I've lived in china for more than a year and seen plenty of "smart" phones with terrible displays, and I've done my fair share of guessing what character might be displayed.
Click to expand...


I'm talking about Japanese phones, such as the Sharp 945SH. My Sharp 930SH has a DPI over 300, and as Jobs says, my eye cannot make out the pixels.

I am not talking about the inferior Chinese phones - the iPhone truly surpasses those.

Chinese phones are typically cheap knock offs from Japan or attempts at making smart phones similar to the ones that the USA has made in China these days.

Japanese phones are in a different league.
 
MacRumors said:



114849-japan_smartphones_apr_sep_2010.jpg


MobileCrunch reports on a new report from Japanese research firm MMRI claiming that Apple held a 60% share of the Japanese smartphone market for the period of April through September, easily outdistancing second-place Sony Ericsson's 20.6% share.The report notes that smartphone sales more than doubled over the year-ago period, despite the fact that overall mobile phone sales in Japan grew by only 12%. With smartphones now approaching 12% of Japan's overall smartphone sales, Apple's dominant position in that rapidly-growing smartphone market has enabled it to grab 7% of the total mobile phone market there.

Article Link: iPhone Snags 60% of Japanese Smartphone Market
Click to expand...


Give me a break. :rolleyes:
I don't trust these stats AT ALL.
Market share is MUCH MORE than justs retail sales figures, and this in also dosen't equate to actual user usage.
Especially in China where there have been report after report of scalpers hoarding iPhones.
 
Most of the Japanese "dumb" phones are smarter than American "smart" phones.

Replacing "phones" with "people" in the previous sentence works too... :D

-Aaron-
 
koobcamuk said:
I'm talking about Japanese phones, such as the Sharp 945SH. My Sharp 930SH has a DPI over 300, and as Jobs says, my eye cannot make out the pixels.

I am not talking about the inferior Chinese phones - the iPhone truly surpasses those.

Chinese phones are typically cheap knock offs from Japan or attempts at making smart phones similar to the ones that the USA has made in China these days.

Japanese phones are in a different league.
Click to expand...

Just watched some youtube videos on the 945SH. I can tell you why it doesn't sell.

1. It's ugly.
2. The market is moving away from clamshell numpad phones.
3. It's twice as thick as the 4.
4. It's slow. Particularly in the after picture shot moment.
 
2 Replies said:
Give me a break. :rolleyes:
I don't trust these stats AT ALL.
Market share is MUCH MORE than justs retail sales figures, and this in also dosen't equate to actual user usage.
Especially in China where there have been report after report of scalpers hoarding iPhones.
Click to expand...

I think the key word is "smartphone."

When I was in Japan this past summer, I noticed nearly everyone seemed to have white-colored flip phones. Perhaps they're not smartphones, but they sure were popular! iPhones not so much.

Even at akihabara, the stores all had those white flip phones prominently displayed. I do think these continue to be VERY popular sellers.

I'm not disputing that iPhones will continue to gain ground in Japan. But the stat definitely needs to be taken with a grain of reality salt. (It's kind of like how some people find it hard to believe that Nokia still sells many many more phones that Apple. But it's true.)
 
Well well, hey Sir Howard, didn't you say your X10 is the top seller in Japan? What do you have to say now?

Considering that Apple products are prominently featured in J-doramas and even kids show (Kamen Rider OOO so far have featured iPhone 4 and the iPad), I guess Apple is doing great in spreading their brand awareness in Japan.
 
MacRumors said:
With smartphones now approaching 12% of Japan's overall smartphone sales,
Click to expand...

What ever does this mean??? This makes no sense. :confused:

May be it's supposed to read "With smartphones now approaching 12% of Japan's overall mobile(?) phone sales"?

If that's the case, then, 60% of 12% = about 7%. This is stated accurately in the article at least.

In other words, out of every 100 mobile phones sold, Apple sold about 7 of them. Not bad, but could be better.
 
This is really embarrassing for Sony... A foreigner kicking their ass in their own home town.
 
Got back from Japan yesterday...

I believe this. Saw only two kinds of phones on the train: iPhone 3GS's and 4's, and the typical Japanese style flip phone (which people have pointed out is pretty smart for a dumbphone).

Though as my wife pointed out, the "dumb" flip phones will remain king in Japan partly because they're "smart" enough, but MAINLY because people can type SMS or E-Mail messages quicker using the numeric keypad and WITHOUT HAVING TO LOOK AT THE SCREEN TO TYPE. ;)

I remember reading a patent for some sort of moving raised bump touchscreen Apple came up with, perhaps that's a solution! :)
 
aarond12 said:
Most of the Japanese "dumb" phones are smarter than American "smart" phones.

Replacing "phones" with "people" in the previous sentence works too... :D

-Aaron-
Click to expand...

Replacing "-Aaron-" with "-prejudicial flame-baiting troll-" in the previous comment works too... :D
 
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