Apple and NTT DoCoMo Still Discussing iPhone Agreements in Japan

I hope they can figure this out. The iPhone on DoCoMo would be huge. I think there are as many Android users as there are in Japan simply due to the lack of an iPhone on DoCoMo.

They can discuss whatever they want: just allow me to buy unlocked devices in Japan, too.
When I would decide to get a subsidized device a SIM lock is ok; if I pay full price just give me the device and let me use it the way I want.

beebler said:

I hope they can figure this out. The iPhone on DoCoMo would be huge. I think there are as many Android users as there are in Japan simply due to the lack of an iPhone on DoCoMo.

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So true. Just can't see the stubborn old men at DoCoMo's management giving in. They wish they could stay in the stone age forever.

Apple needs to give in at least a little, at least on the volume requirements. Japan's mobile industry is backwards as can be (expensive, slow, no cheap prepaid for travelers) and makes even Canada look reasonable (ish).

At least on the speed issue, DoCoMo is the only network that's really iPhone-worthy in Japan... it would be a HUGE thing for DoCoMo to get it...

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markie said:

Apple needs to give in at least a little, at least on the volume requirements. Japan's mobile industry is backwards as can be (expensive, slow, no cheap prepaid for travelers) and makes even Canada look reasonable (ish).

At least on the speed issue, DoCoMo is the only network that's really iPhone-worthy in Japan... it would be a HUGE thing for DoCoMo to get it...

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Slow? They were on 3.5G before most of the world was on 3G! They had hspa+ in 2007 when Att just got it!
Expensive? My US bill is about the same as my Japan bill? In fact when the iPhone came to Japan I was worried about it only being 3G.
Last time I bought a sim card in Japan it was $35 for the month, unlimited texting, 30 mins or so of talk time.
If you're in the cities, softbank is where it's at they are the ones changing the japan mobile industry not the other two dinosaurs.

Wow, NTT DoCoMo must be the biggest provider without having the iPhone in countries where it is available.
They have close to 60 million subscribers so they should be more than able to negotiate better deals than others.
Apple should be aware of this too, they have millions of potential new customers if they would give in just a little.

markie said:

Apple needs to give in at least a little, at least on the volume requirements. Japan's mobile industry is backwards as can be (expensive, slow, no cheap prepaid for travelers) and makes even Canada look reasonable (ish).

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For about US$15 you can have unlimited phone calls between 1am and 9pm and unlimited emailing/SMS, Softbank to Softbank, and 27 cents at other times and other networks per 30 seconds.

The first phone I had in Japan 11 years ago came with an email address. None of this crappy access the internet to get into my email account. When did phones in the West start coming with email addresses? Backwards? The only thing backwards is SIM locking everything.

DragonJade said:

For about US$15 you can have unlimited phone calls between 1am and 9pm and unlimited emailing/SMS, Softbank to Softbank, and 27 cents at other times and other networks per 30 seconds.

The first phone I had in Japan 11 years ago came with an email address. None of this crappy access the internet to get into my email account. When did phones in the West start coming with email addresses? Backwards? The only thing backwards is SIM locking everything.

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The iPhones on Softbank still do (Dunno about au).
I wonder which is more important to docomo, the volume requirements or the fact that they can't preload it with crap like "super i-mode happy fun web DX" or whatever crapware they come up with. That being said seeing as the iPhone lacks NFC and things like oneseg which are seen as being "important" (The Galaxy S2 on Docomo got altered to include a oneseg TV antenna) it's not that surprising they are holding off.

They can always just do what they did when they released the G1 on Docomo though, make an app for i-mode mail access (even though the app on the G1 sucked BALLS when it was first released)

DragonJade said:

The first phone I had in Japan 11 years ago came with an email address. None of this crappy access the internet to get into my email account. When did phones in the West start coming with email addresses? Backwards? The only thing backwards is SIM locking everything.

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Softbank tends to be very slow and throttled, AU is CDMA. Foreigners have to roam, they can't just pickup a cheap local prepaid SIM legally (US it's pricey but not illegal). Everything is SIM locked like crazy.

BTW, phones have had email addresses for just as long here too, they're just never advertised or used. But every phone with messaging has an email account for it, you can send and receive...

britishchris said:

The iPhones on Softbank still do (Dunno about au).
I wonder which is more important to docomo, the volume requirements or the fact that they can't preload it with crap like "super i-mode happy fun web DX" or whatever crapware they come up with. That being said seeing as the iPhone lacks NFC and things like oneseg which are seen as being "important" (The Galaxy S2 on Docomo got altered to include a oneseg TV antenna) it's not that surprising they are holding off.

They can always just do what they did when they released the G1 on Docomo though, make an app for i-mode mail access (even though the app on the G1 sucked BALLS when it was first released)

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I know they still do, mate. I only left the country a few months ago.
I remember, reminiscing again, that my first phone had proper internet access - built in browser. It wasn't beautiful, and it didn't work with all websites, but it had internet. In the UK a few years later, there was something like WAP (can't remember what it was called) which I guess was similar to i-mode, but was really slow and, rather crap.

I don't watch TV on the phone, but oneseg came in really useful during the big earthquake while I was at work. I had BBC News on the computer streaming live, and the Japanese guys could watch NHK on my phone.

markie said:

Softbank tends to be very slow and throttled, AU is CDMA. Foreigners have to roam, they can't just pickup a cheap local prepaid SIM legally (US it's pricey but not illegal). Everything is SIM locked like crazy.

BTW, phones have had email addresses for just as long here too, they're just never advertised or used. But every phone with messaging has an email account for it, you can send and receive...

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Where is "here"?

I agree with the SIM locking. That pees me off no end. I've spent all that money on the phone, it's mine! I went to a Softbank store once and asked about unlocking. The woman gave me some BS about it being illegal to unlock phones in Japan. I know the police and courts generally don't like it, but as far as I know, there isn't actually anything in the law which says it's illegal.