3G iPhone in Japan?

[mavis]

Being a long term American ex-pat myself I'd really be curious to find out which cities in the US and Canada you're declaring Tokyo to be so decrepit, run-down and having the lowest standard of living in comparison to, lol.

New York, Boston, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. Tokyo, filthy and decrepit? Absolutely no contest, IMHO. I mean, I'm just comparing apples to apples here - middle class neighborhoods are pretty much all I've ever seen in any of those cities, including Tokyo (although the 'Beverly Hills' of Tokyo is a bit of a joke, I must say). There's simply no comparison.

(that's not to say Tokyo doesn't have it's advantages, some of them significant - but that's not the question you're asking)

No, Softbank is going to take you to the cleaners.

Touché. But they have been for years, so I'm used to it. (on my $20/month 'Double White' plan, I usually end up paying over $100)

 

[SaSaSushi]

New York, Boston, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. Tokyo, filthy and decrepit? Absolutely no contest, IMHO. I mean, I'm just comparing apples to apples here - middle class neighborhoods are pretty much all I've ever seen in any of those cities, including Tokyo (although the 'Beverly Hills' of Tokyo is a bit of a joke, I must say). There's simply no comparison.

(that's not to say Tokyo doesn't have it's advantages, some of them significant - but that's not the question you're asking)

I lived in New York for 29 years and I can tell you unequivocally that in the filthy, run-down and decrepit department Tokyo will never equal it. I do miss that smell of piss in the subways though. It does remind me of home.

I am comparing the cities overall and not referring to Park Avenue here.

As for a lower standard of living that's a more subjective argument. I'm still giving the nod to Tokyo even with it's intense crowding.

You should try getting out of Tokyo once in a while if you haven't yet. I like to visit there once in a while but I would hate to live there. It's a different world out here in the sticks of Shikoku and it might just change your negative image of the Japanese.

 

[SaSaSushi]

I saw 300 Baud arrive here. A few years later, a 2400 Baud line was like gravy -- so cool.

Ee gads, I surrender! I was in high school back in New Jersey in the 300 baud era.

Let's see, if my calculations are correct, downloading Mac OS 9.2.1 update (82MB), which took my buddies FTTH connection about 9 seconds, would take about 25 and a half days at 300 baud. Yes, you could say times have changed!

Do you remember the days of NTT's "tele-hodai"? I was on 64K ISDN by that point but the plan allowed unlimited data usage between the hours of 11PM and 8AM. I would get up at 4AM every day and use the computer until 8AM. Man, am I glad those days are over. lol

I am very curious to see what Softbank's plans are going to be. Not sure where my threshold of pain will be. I guess we will know soon enough.

Yep, time will tell.

 

[mavis]

It's a different world out here in the sticks of Shikoku and it might just change your negative image of Japan.

Fixed. My wife is Japanese, therefore my son is too - I have no problem with Japanese people, it's the city of Tokyo I find filthy and disgusting (compared to my hometown and every city I've ever spent time in back home in North America). And you're right - it would be great to get out of here, in fact my wife and I have discussed it a number of times. Unfortunately it wouldn't be that easy for us (jobs, family, etc) ...

 

[SaSaSushi]

Fixed. My wife is Japanese, therefore my son is too - I have no problem with Japanese people, it's the city of Tokyo I find filthy and disgusting (compared to my hometown and every city I've ever spent time in back home in North America).

OK, I think I got it now. It is entirely an environmental thing for you, right?

I just seem to recall you using the term "mindless automatons" in reference to Japanese company employees or something. Nevermind, I probably just imagined it and that was pages ago.

And you're right - it would be great to get out of here, in fact my wife and I have discussed it a number of times. Unfortunately it wouldn't be that easy for us (jobs, family, etc) ...

I meant get out of Tokyo, as in to the more rural areas of Japan. They do exist, you know.

Even a nice weekend away might work wonders for you.

My comments about Tokyo were in regards to the Japanese people. Maybe it's the city mentality because I experienced the same thing with New Yorkers. People out here in the sticks just tend to be much more relaxed, warmer and friendlier overall in my experience.

OK, well I'm going to retire from this incredibly off-topic conversation now. You can have the last word on the matter, I promise.

 

[sushi]

Do you remember the days of NTT's "tele-hodai"? I was on 64K ISDN by that point but the plan allowed unlimited data usage between the hours of 11PM and 8AM. I would get up at 4AM every day and use the computer until 8AM. Man, am I glad those days are over. lol

Yes I do. Only, I was on dial up at the time. Couldn't afford the ISDN line.

Back then, I had a buddy who had dual 64K ISDN lines in his office. That was sweet!

Do you remember during the 1200-2400 Baud days when you had to drop back to 300 Baud to have a good connection because the lines could simply not keep a 1200-2400 Baud connection?

Thinking back just 10 or 20 years, makes one wonder what the future will hold. I would imagine that in 20 years, we will all be lamenting about how tough it was in the good old days on Gbps Internet, which we don't even have yet.

I meant get out of Tokyo, as in to the more rural areas of Japan. They do exist, you know.

Heck, just get outside of the Yamanote Line.

 

[rajivp]

Maybe you should leave?

I definitely wouldn't call it a 'gaffe,' as this is hands-down the filthiest, most run-down and decrepit city with the lowest standards of living I've ever seen; then again all I have to compare Tokyo to are a few dozen cities across the US and Canada. Which is why my exact words were "I know there are worse places to be, although this is as close to third-world as I have ever experienced first hand" ... That's my opinion and I stand by it 100%! Although, taken out of context the meaning changes considerably. But, I guess it's easier for people to point fingers that way. Anyway, moving right along: no - my comment wasn't directed at you at all! Although, now that you mention it ...

I think you should probably leave, it will be a win win situation for you.

 

[mavis]

I think you should probably leave, it will be a win win situation for you.

Yes, I'm aware that leaving Japan would be the best thing I could do. Thanks for sharing your opinion!

Heck, just get outside of the Yamanote Line.

Doesn't seem to be working here!

 

[Snowshiro]

For god's sake, enough. If you're not intelligent enough to figure out that macrumors is not the place to discuss your views about Japanese life and culture, then let me do it for you. There are numerous forums on the 'net for such discussion. This is not one of them.

This thread is about the iPhone in Japan. Most of the people commenting here live in Japan, therefore we are fully aware of what life is like here without needing to be told.

Finish it.

 

[SaSaSushi]

For god's sake, enough. If you're not intelligent enough to figure out that macrumors is not the place to discuss your views about Japanese life and culture, then let me do it for you. There are numerous forums on the 'net for such discussion. This is not one of them.

Well, I think the moderators are fairly liberal in here and often allow threads to veer off course to some extent without brandishing the iron fist.

And actually, Macrumors IS a perfect place to discuss such matters if they are posted to the correct forum. I think Mac Community>Community Discussion would be an appropriate one in this case.

That said, I already retired from this particular off-topic discussion in my last post

 

[mavis]

For god's sake, enough. If you're not intelligent enough to figure out that macrumors is not the place to discuss your views about Japanese life and culture, then let me do it for you. There are numerous forums on the 'net for such discussion. This is not one of them.

This thread is about the iPhone in Japan. Most of the people commenting here live in Japan, therefore we are fully aware of what life is like here without needing to be told.

Finish it.

THANK YOU. I'm dying to get off this stale old topic and would appreciate it if people would stop with the personal attacks just because I happen to dislike this country. I made the mistake of responding truthfully to someone's question, and this thread has paid the price! Then again, there really isn't anything new to discuss on the iPhone front as Softbank has yet to release any information whatsoever.

Although I did notice that the unlimited packet data service for the 'X-Series' phones isn't the standard $60 - it's a whopping 9,800 yen!!!

 

[MacbookSwitcher]

Although I did notice that the unlimited packet data service for the 'X-Series' phones isn't the standard $60 - it's a whopping 9,800 yen!!!

This is what I'm worried about...that the iPhone voice+data plan in Japan could be exorbitant, as in upwards of 10,000Y per month.

You guys will have to let me know..

 

[mavis]

This is what I'm worried about...that the iPhone voice+data plan in Japan could be exorbitant, as in upwards of 10,000Y per month.

You guys will have to let me know..

I'm sure I'll be the first one on here whining about it, once they finally decide to release the pricing information.

I for one could care less about voice calls (I hate talking on the phone, actually) - all I want is unlimited data. I was thinking that it might run about 6,000Y (more than in most other countries, but that is to be expected considering where we are!) but I'm a little worried now, having seen the x-series phones priced at 9,800Y for unlimited data. I mean, $100 a month JUST FOR DATA? And I might be mistaken, but I don't think that even includes tethering - THAT luxury costs on a per-packet basis with no unlimited allowances or maximum charge. Wow.

 

[sushi]

This is what I'm worried about...that the iPhone voice+data plan in Japan could be exorbitant, as in upwards of 10,000Y per month.

If it's over 10,000 yen per month, I doubt I will get one.

I just can't justify it to myself when I consider what I could do with those funds instead of getting an iPhone.

Hopefully, the plans will be closer to the stateside prices.

 

[SaSaSushi]

Back then, I had a buddy who had dual 64K ISDN lines in his office. That was sweet!

Is IS fairly remarkable to think that only 10 years ago that was actually considered lightning fast service.

Do you remember during the 1200-2400 Baud days when you had to drop back to 300 Baud to have a good connection because the lines could simply not keep a 1200-2400 Baud connection?

I do, but not in Japan, in the states.

Thinking back just 10 or 20 years, makes one wonder what the future will hold. I would imagine that in 20 years, we will all be lamenting about how tough it was in the good old days on Gbps Internet, which we don't even have yet.

Yeah, and maybe by then the USA will just be getting nationwide 100MB/s fiber.

Hopefully, the plans will be closer to the stateside prices.

I doubt they will be. I'm also glad I deal with Softbank and not AT&T. I've had no complaints with Softbank's service. If I were in the states I would definitely jailbreak the iPhone and use it with another carrier.

 

[JapanScott]

OK, I've had enough!

NEVER MIND I'll just skip this forum.....

 

[mavis]

Wirelessly posted (iTouch 1.1.4 (pWN'd + JB'd): Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

Could someone tell me which poster is the one claiming Tokyo, Japan et al, to be a third world country. I'm ready to dive in head first into the rebuttal pool.

AFAIK, no one has said that.

But if you're asking whose comments about Japan have been taken out of context over and over again, that would be me. As thrilling as the prospect of having my words twisted again may be, this isn't the place for that discussion. I would be more than happy to delete a PM, though!

 

[sushi]

I've had no complaints with Softbank's service.

That's good to hear.

Recently, Softbank has been increasing the prices of their smart phones around here. I hope this isn't an indication of what is to come.

Currently with DoCoMo and have been since the beginning so I am receiving the max discount which is nice. About a month ago, I picked up a 32GB iPod Touch for around $400 (on sale). So if nothing else, I can always just stay with DoCoMo and get a new phone when I need it.

 

[mavis]

Wirelessly posted (iTouch 1.1.4 (pWN'd + JB'd): Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

Hmm ... A friend of mine just told me that president of Softbank said in an interview on Friday that 1) the iPhone would cost the same or less than it will in America and 2) the White Plan will be available for it.

I'm sure they'll make up for it with data pricing, but so far it's looking good. He said they're still ironing out the details so we might not know for sure for a week or two, yet.

 

[SaSaSushi]

Hmm ... A friend of mine just told me that president of Softbank said in an interview on Friday that 1) the iPhone would cost the same or less than it will in America and 2) the White Plan will be available for it.

I'm sure they'll make up for it with data pricing, but so far it's looking good. He said they're still ironing out the details so we might not know for sure for a week or two, yet.

I think this is the interview your friend was referring to.

Indeed, after confirming the $199 price, Mr. Son clearly states when asked about iPhone calling plans that he is going to discuss details soon but that he definitely intends to White Plan it.

This is excellent news!

 

[SaSaSushi]

Oh, I forgot to mention that Masayoshi Son also commented on the data plan in that interview to say only "We are planning to apply a smartphone data charge plan".

It won't particularly matter to me since my work is almost always at home and I intend to use mainly wifi.

 

[mavis]

Oh, I forgot to mention that Masayoshi Son also commented on the data plan in that interview to say only "We are planning to apply a smartphone data charge plan"

Fantastic, considering their current pricing (read: gouging) structure.

http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/en/price_plan/upd/index.html

From a $10/month to a ceiling of $42 - doesn't sound too bad until you read the fine print. For example, if you check "PC Mail" just once during the month, your ceiling becomes $60. And if you have a smartphone (X-Series) your ceiling is $100. If you tether your phone to a computer, there is no ceiling - although Softbank will send you a warning SMS the day after your monthly data charges exceed $500. How generous.

 

[CrankinJland]

Latest rumour

http://whatjapanthinks.com/2008/06/17/softbank-iphone-pricing-plan-leaked/

...New Super Bonus
The “New Super Bonus” is a special iPhone-only tariff. For the handset, the price is a stunning 61,920 yen, payable in 24 monthly installments of 2,580 yen. However, with a special discount of 1,780 yen per month, that takes the price down to the Steve Jobs-promised under $200 level of 19,200 yen, 800 yen per month. Next we have the basic packages of White Plan and S! Basic Pack, 980 yen and 315 yen, for free calls outwith 9pm to 1am to any other SoftBank phone and basic mail and web access fees respectively.

iPhone-only Platinum Pack
With the above covering the basic facilities, next there is the data plans. First is Platinum Pack 1, offering unlimited Yahoo! Mail and MobileMe mail for 1,800 yen per month. Next is Platinum Pack 2, offering unlimited Safari-based browsing for 6,800 yen per month.

Release dates
The 8GB SoftBank iPhone will be released on the 11th of July, the 16GB towards the end of July. Pricing for the 16GB version is yet to be decided.

Adding it all up
The above sums up to a total charge of 10,695 yen per month, but, and it’s a big but, no free minutes to other service providers and no free calls from 9 pm to 1 am. A 300 free minutes plan, for instance, costs 8,190 yen per month.

 

[mavis]

Release dates
The 8GB SoftBank iPhone will be released on the 11th of July, the 16GB towards the end of July. Pricing for the 16GB version is yet to be decided.

I fully expected to get screwed on pricing (so the rest of the info you posted is, if anything, a relief - it's not as bad a gouging as I thought it would be!) but this part - what the heck?!?! No 16GB on July 11th????? So now I get to wait even LONGER???!?

Color me annoyed.

 

[evilboy]

this one is fake! OLD and FAKE discussed to death on 2cn...

1) The New Super Bonus is NOT only iPhone special plan:
http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/en/price_plan/superbonus/index.html
2) Yahoo Mail ? What Yahoo Mail? it is Free service, and @softbank.ne.jp is part of the S! Basic Pack - 315Yen / month
3) Data Plans do not have fixed prices but are based on usage with certain ceiling



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iPhone in Japan