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3G iPhone in Japan?

SaSaSushi said:
I wonder if it won't be possible to, as someone above suggested, just buy a US 3G iPhone once they're released, unlock it and slide in my Softbank SIM card. If so, it would definitely be something I'd consider doing and then I wouldn't really care less if they partner with NTT for the Japanese market.

I'd rather have a full US model anyway. :)
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On the topic of 3G sims,
I will hopefully buy an iPhone in the UK when it comes out (as long as I can do so sans-contract & unlock), but I intend to move to Tokyo by the end of the year.

Can anyone tell me if it's possible to purchase a 3G sim card ONLY while there with;

A - Somewhat decent call/data rates - I've rented a softbank one from Narita each time I've been there with ¥105 / min for calls and data rates not worth considering - pretty pricey compared to the UK where we have "included minutes" for a set cost per month

B - A contract in 6 month bursts - I might not be there longer than this and would rather not tie myself in to anything too permanent


Finally (and apologies for going off-topic), to all of the non-Japanese on this thread, may I ask what sort of professions you are in? In order to spend time there, and seemingly without any other options, I've resigned myself to eikaiwa work, but would really appreciate pointers towards anything else.

Thanks a lot,
Paul
 
yoyo5280 said:
The Prada is being heavily advertised in おもてさんどえき and I saw prototype-y ones at bic camera today... piccy from my craptei
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My battery stopped working today so I stopped in DoCoMo, the Prada Phone sells for 90,000 Yen that's well over 800 dollars US, closer to 900. They even sell leather Prada cases for it, think I'll keep my phone, it cost 450 dollars and I had enough DoCoMo points that it cost about 20 dollars. (ten years of points)
 
Eastend said:
My battery stopped working today so I stopped in DoCoMo, the Prada Phone sells for 90,000 Yen that's well over 800 dollars US, closer to 900. They even sell leather Prada cases for it, think I'll keep my phone, it cost 450 dollars and I had enough DoCoMo points that it cost about 20 dollars. (ten years of points)
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F***ing Japan. A quick Google search reveals that the LG Prada, which retails for nearly $900USD here, is going for $300-400 in other countries.

We are so gonna get screwed on iPhone pricing. :mad:
 
Not to change the subject but something else occured to me about the iPhone. Is there currently a cellphone in the Japanese market that does not have a user-replaceable battery?

I wonder how that's going to fly over here, especially on a phone that promises to sell for exorbitant prices.
 
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)

SaSaSushi said:
Not to change the subject but something else occured to me about the iPhone. Is there currently a cellphone in the Japanese market that does not have a user-replaceable battery?

I wonder how that's going to fly over here, especially on a phone that promises to sell for exorbitant prices.
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Doesn't seem to have any effect on iPod sales ... ;)
 
pauld said:
Can anyone tell me if it's possible to purchase a 3G sim card ONLY while there with;

A - Somewhat decent call/data rates
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At the moment, there is no 6 month burst option for a contract, but I have the Softbank prepaid. Unlimited mail for 30 days for ￥300. Pretty damn good if you ask me.

I am more concerned about the 日本語 input. On my old iPhone is was slow and fiddly... a standard ケータイ has large buttons and is very quick to type on...

I wonder what we'll see. Personally, I would love a clamshell type iPhone, but I know it won't happen.
 
mavis said:
Well, adding Felica technology to the new iPhone will raise the cost, right? And since Apple doesn't make region-specific products (besides keyboards, of course) they will be selling the same hardware (the same 3G iPhone) worldwide, right? So, why should people in every country have to pay for something that only Japanese people can use? It just doesn't make sense. ;)
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You mean like the US-specific features that are with .mac, ichat and many other subtleties hidden with all things Apple?

SaSaSushi said:
Yep, it's true: Here is an English source for the story.

I completely agree it highly unlikely that Apple would go with NTT if they are carrying the Prada because as you said its definitely an iPhone ripoff.

It could be a preemptive strike on some backroom deal between Softbank and Apple OR a breakdown/walkout in the NTT-Apple iPhone negotiations.

But you never know. The bit in that story about the Prada's being slated for sale primarily in Prada stores and not NTT retail outlets is concerning. If its that low profile (and high end) Apple might not give a toss.

I've got my finger crossed anyway. ;)
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O2 in the UK have both those phones, and even more in terms of iPhone rip-offs. Remember that the US market is very different to the UK market, which is similar but different to the Japanese market. Listed in terms of quality. USA being worst for mobile technology.

This is going to be an interesting one. I bet it'll be massively delayed. 2009 will be too late in my mind. The 912SH I have is a great phone... I only miss flicking though photos, but even then, I prefer doing that on my new MBP...
 
koobcamuk said:
You mean like the US-specific features that are with .mac, ichat and many other subtleties hidden with all things Apple?
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Actually, that's not at all what I mean. There's a big difference between offering different services based on location and manufacturing different hardware based on location. ;)
koobcamuk said:
The 912SH I have is a great phone... I only miss flicking though photos, but even then, I prefer doing that on my new MBP...
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Then again, I doubt that MBP fits in your pocket. Which is the whole point.
 
mavis said:
F***ing Japan. A quick Google search reveals that the LG Prada, which retails for nearly $900USD here, is going for $300-400 in other countries.

We are so gonna get screwed on iPhone pricing. :mad:
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Are you sure that's not more due to the well-documented weakness the Japanese have for luxury branding? I mean, I'm sure if Louis Vuitton put out a phone here (cases, yes, phones, not yet) they could easily charge twice what they did anywhere else.

I'm trying to stay optimistic about the iPhone pricing here. ;)

But I'll use any piece of crap from three years ago before I shell out even one yen for a Prada phone. Please. (The L.V. phone can't be far away. Gag.)

I'm finding it very difficult to imagine how Apple's going to market an iPhone here that doesn't have some specifically Japanese adaptations made. I think the keyboard analogy is a good one, even if the with the keyboard it's a largely superficial adaptation -- it's important. There are enough significant differences (both linguistic and otherwise) in the ways Japanese use their cell phones that it seems like trying to sell the same model as the in U.S. or Europe, 3G or no, will be hard indeed. And no, I don't think comparisons to the iPod stand -- Japanese people have a distinctive set of behaviors tied to their phones which do not correlate to those for MP3 players.
 
koobcamuk said:
I am more concerned about the 日本語 input.
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Yeah, this is a key issue for me, too, as I've noted before.

koobcamuk said:
a standard ケータイ has large buttons and is very quick to type on...
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Huh?? Do you perchance have very small hands? It's damn nigh impossible for me to find a phone whose buttons don't cramp my thumbs with even moderate texting use... This was one of the things I really LIKED about the iPhone when I played with it back home...

koobcamuk said:
Personally, I would love a clamshell type iPhone, but I know it won't happen.
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I agree -- that would be very cool, since one of my other big concerns about the iPhone is how I'm not going to scratch the hell out of the screen (since I find phone cases a ridiculous bother). I also agree that it's pretty much out of the question.
(Actually, now that I think of it, a flip-front case wouldn't be THAT different from having a clamshell... if it were a sort of floppy clamshell...)
 
BiginJapan said:
Are you sure that's not more due to the well-documented weakness the Japanese have for luxury branding?
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Pretty sure that's not it, unless you can count Sharp as a "luxury brand" - the latest Sharp mobile is retailing for $1100USD, and my year-old, no frills plastic POS Sharp is going for $700. So no, I don't think it's just a matter Japanese people liking luxury brands. More a matter of the locals being ignorant as to the actual value of products. $20USD for a dozen Krispy Kremes, anyone? ;)
 
TheFreshPrince said:
Seems to copy a lot of features from the iPhone actually.
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If there's one thing Japanese manufacturers are good at, it's copying foreign innovations and improving on them. Motorola makes a flip phone, and pretty soon all phones makers in Japan transition from candybar to clamshell designs. Nokia makes a slider, and soon every Japanese phone manufacturer has followed suit. Motorola's Razr is immensely popular overseas, and suddenly it's cool to have a thin phone here in Japan too (seriously, they went from 25mm thickness to 11mm, practically overnight) ... Along the way, they tend to cram in more features (for example that phone you linked to has GPS and a 5MP camera) but I still see a plastic, disposable phone when I see those things. Not to mention SIM-locked, non-expandable (apps, I mean) and ridiculously overpriced. ;)

Anyway, I hope more Japanese companies come up with iPhone clones. It may prompt Apple to add more features to future models ('if the Japanese can do it, why can't Apple?') ... :D
 
TheFreshPrince said:
Ooooh, and Softbank has a special live net broadcast about their summer phone lineup and new services coming up on Tuesday:
http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/special/08summer/?cc_1088=

Could this finally be the announcement we've all been waiting for?:rolleyes:
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OMGOMG I can't wait to see what they have instore. I have been waiting for the summer models for a while.


I am getting my n73 soon I think. I hope I don't regret.

I doubt however that they will release iPhone in Japan before apple says its going 3g...right?
 
yoyo5280 said:
I doubt however that they will release iPhone in Japan before apple says its going 3g...right?
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Yeah, but Apple's going 3G in like, a week? Two weeks? Besides, these 'summer collection' announcements are always just hype-building sessions. There's NEVER immediate availability. So the timing works out just fine. In fact, the 3G iPhone will probably be available - at least in the rest of the world - before the stupid 'summer collection' phones are. ;)
 
mavis said:
If there's one thing Japanese manufacturers are good at, it's copying foreign innovations and improving on them. Motorola makes a flip phone, and pretty soon all phones makers in Japan transition from candybar to clamshell designs. Nokia makes a slider, and soon every Japanese phone manufacturer has followed suit. Motorola's Razr is immensely popular overseas, and suddenly it's cool to have a thin phone here in Japan too (seriously, they went from 25mm thickness to 11mm, practically overnight) ... Along the way, they tend to cram in more features (for example that phone you linked to has GPS and a 5MP camera) but I still see a plastic, disposable phone when I see those things. Not to mention SIM-locked, non-expandable (apps, I mean) and ridiculously overpriced. ;)
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I tend to agree... but aren't you sort of contradicting yourself here? First you say that Japanese manufacturers are good at copying foreign innovations and improving on them (which is sometimes the case, but IMO usually what J. manufacturers do is make more affordable versions while maintaining high overall quality standards), but then finally you say that the end result in cell phones is disposable PsOS -- about which I totally agree, but which certainly doesn't sound like "improvement" at all. Take the Motorola example. I used to have a Motorola clamshell I used when in the States (before the advent of global roaming). It was actually made of brushed stainless steel -- virtually indestructible, excellent sound... the screen and text capacities were still years behind the J models of the time, but still arguably a better phone, and still my favorite of all the cell phones I've ever owned. The Japanese versions that aspire to basically look like it, although some of them do from a distance, up close are in fact cheap, plastic, PsOS, for which exorbitant prices are charged. As for all the other features, well... half of them seem only to be "sales points" which no-one actually uses, and the other half tend to work about half as well as they seem like they should.

The case seems more extreme with Apple products, and not limited to Japanese imitations. Why is it that whenever someone decides to rip off an Apple product, be it Microsoft, Sony, or whoever... the end result just seems to be a) uglier and b) harder to use? I mean even this Prada phone. Prada is a fashion design company, for god's sake. I had a look at the phone, and it's just kind of, well, ugly! Ditto for the interface on this new DoCoMo touch screen. It's the designers are functionality-impaired and have had anything like a sense of aesthetics surgically removed somehow.

You know, I'm sure I'd buy more non-Apple products if they weren't so uniformly unappetizing. But Apple puts in the effort, and everybody else just tends to come off looking like lazy hacks who don't deserve my money.
 
mavis said:
Pretty sure that's not it, unless you can count Sharp as a "luxury brand" - the latest Sharp mobile is retailing for $1100USD, and my year-old, no frills plastic POS Sharp is going for $700. So no, I don't think it's just a matter Japanese people liking luxury brands. More a matter of the locals being ignorant as to the actual value of products. $20USD for a dozen Krispy Kremes, anyone? ;)
Click to expand...

Are you serious... a GRAND? That's insane. As I've mentioned before, I've never paid more than a small amount for a new phone -- and I've always kept the old one in case the new one got lost or broken. Once I just didn't like the new one after using it for a while, and went back to the older model.

I think the luxury-brand-fixation and the ignorance-of-actual-value issues are basically the same thing. Krispy Kreme essentially functions as a "luxury brand" in Japan, just like delivery pizza. The people have been sold on the idea that these things are worth a certain amount of money, and thus the market will bear those prices. There's no reason why a "large" (U.S. residents, read "small" or "medium") pizza needs to cost 2500 + yen, yet people happily pay it -- but also feel like they're having a zeitaku eating experience. The same goes for fried chicken... I've tried to explain to Japanese friends how incredibly cheap-assed and deeply sad it would be to have take-out chicken for Christmas dinner in America... but they don't seem to get it. Take-out fried chicken is luxurious, somehow, maybe just due to its foreign cachet. (Just in case you've ever had this same conversation, I've found the following analogy effective: "Imagine buying convenience-store sandwiches for your New Year's Day meal together with the family.")

Now, I don't actually think that Apple receives a lot of this automatic foreign cachet. In fact, I've met any number of Japanese who seem to think that Apple is a Japanese company, and ask questions like, "Do you have iPods in America?" :eek::confused:

Anyway, I digress. I shall in any case be heeding your warning and setting aside a full 10万 for my iPhone, should I decide to buy it.
 
BiginJapan said:
I tend to agree... but aren't you sort of contradicting yourself here? First you say that Japanese manufacturers are good at copying foreign innovations and improving on them (which is sometimes the case, but IMO usually what J. manufacturers do is make more affordable versions while maintaining high overall quality standards), but then finally you say that the end result in cell phones is disposable PsOS -- about which I totally agree, but which certainly doesn't sound like "improvement" at all.
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I said 'improvements' because technically that's what they are - evolutionary improvements (from 3MP to 5MP cameras, etc) ... In the end though, they're still overpriced, disposable plastic phones.
BiginJapan said:
Take the Motorola example. I used to have a Motorola clamshell I used when in the States (before the advent of global roaming). It was actually made of brushed stainless steel -- virtually indestructible, excellent sound... the screen and text capacities were still years behind the J models of the time, but still arguably a better phone, and still my favorite of all the cell phones I've ever owned.
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Funny you should mention the v60 - I helped test that phone for Motorola prior to its American launch, and was actually given two or three of them at the end of the trial (which I promptly sold at about $300 each, IIRC) ... heh ... That was a good lookign phone, to be sure.
BiginJapan said:
You know, I'm sure I'd buy more non-Apple products if they weren't so uniformly unappetizing. But Apple puts in the effort, and everybody else just tends to come off looking like lazy hacks who don't deserve my money.
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You're right about the aesthetics, but don't forget the functionality - I don't know what some of these engineers at Panasonic and Toshiba are smoking, but some of the choices they've made when it comes to UI are just pathetic - downright TERRIBLE.
 
I'll second this post.

BiginJapan said:
Are you serious... a GRAND? That's insane. As I've mentioned before, I've never paid more than a small amount for a new phone -- and I've always kept the old one in case the new one got lost or broken. Once I just didn't like the new one after using it for a while, and went back to the older model.

I think the luxury-brand-fixation and the ignorance-of-actual-value issues are basically the same thing. Krispy Kreme essentially functions as a "luxury brand" in Japan, just like delivery pizza. The people have been sold on the idea that these things are worth a certain amount of money, and thus the market will bear those prices. There's no reason why a "large" (U.S. residents, read "small" or "medium") pizza needs to cost 2500 + yen, yet people happily pay it -- but also feel like they're having a zeitaku eating experience. The same goes for fried chicken... I've tried to explain to Japanese friends how incredibly cheap-assed and deeply sad it would be to have take-out chicken for Christmas dinner in America... but they don't seem to get it. Take-out fried chicken is luxurious, somehow, maybe just due to its foreign cachet. (Just in case you've ever had this same conversation, I've found the following analogy effective: "Imagine buying convenience-store sandwiches for your New Year's Day meal together with the family.")

Now, I don't actually think that Apple receives a lot of this automatic foreign cachet. In fact, I've met any number of Japanese who seem to think that Apple is a Japanese company, and ask questions like, "Do you have iPods in America?" :eek::confused:

Anyway, I digress. I shall in any case be heeding your warning and setting aside a full 10万 for my iPhone, should I decide to buy it.
Click to expand...

It is truly incredible how hung up the culture is on 'brands' and how willingly they are to pay exorbitant prices. Bread, fruit, services... whatever. It's all over priced and over accepted (?)
 
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