I think the iPhone will take off once people see first hand what it's capable of (remember that YouTube video last summer at an izakaya in Tokyo where the dude was showing off the photo browser on his new iPhone and everyone in the place was literally SCREAMING about how cool it was?) ... Yeah. Definitely a 'need to see' thing. Because the specs alone aren't going to sell it (and people here love to see mile-long spec sheets, like that article you linked to pointed out)I just caught this interesting article on Wired that indirectly relates to the pending release of the Japanese iPhone and how it might be received here.
They definitely share Mavis's UI complaints regarding Japanese cellphones.
I'm glad to be so wrong about this!!!!
According to Apple, the iPhone 3G will be launched in Japan on the 11th of July! And since they've already promised a maximum worldwide price of $199, I think this thing is going to be flying off the shelves for quite some time. I only wish it was available in a 32GB configuration.
SaSaSushi said:I'm glad to be so wrong about this!!!!
According to Apple, the iPhone 3G will be launched in Japan on the 11th of July! And since they've already promised a maximum worldwide price of $199, I think this thing is going to be flying off the shelves for quite some time. I only wish it was available in a 32GB configuration.
21000 yen here for the 8GB model?!
It's almost too good to believe considering an 8GB iPod Touch is like 34000 yen. I will most definitely be switching from my piece of crap Toshiba 811T.
How did they get around the long approval process?
I'm glad to be so wrong about this!!!!
According to Apple, the iPhone 3G will be launched in Japan on the 11th of July! And since they've already promised a maximum worldwide price of $199, I think this thing is going to be flying off the shelves for quite some time. I only wish it was available in a 32GB configuration.
Really?? I've had video chat available on every phone I've owned for the past three or four years, and I can count on one hand the number of times I've used it. Impossible to use in public unless you either 1) have a headset or 2) are good at lipreading low-resolution, choppy, pixelated video. Not to mention the fact that it's exorbitantly expensive (and certainly wouldn't be included in the iPhone's flat rate, unlimited data allowance even if the iPhone were capable of it) ... I guess people just think video chat on a mobile is cool because it works fairly well on your desktop. But they're not at all the same.The lack of video chat may be a deal breaker for me.
I called Softbank today and was told to check with the shop staff/manager at my nearest Softbank shop, as the decision to allow/not allow pre-ordering is apparently theirs to make. I'm in the same boat as you, the earliest I can get to a shop that day would be about 11:30am ... I swear, I'm gonna fly into a rage if they're already out of iPhones by then (considering that I've been chomping at the bit for this thing since it was first announced, eighteen months ago) ...
The lack of video chat may be a deal breaker for me.
Third world? What the hell???
You should go to a third world country, and then come back to Japan and count your lucky stars.
Let's try to stay on topic. I don't want to get into a discussion about the dilapidated, run-down, filthy, disgusting, sweltering public buildings (schools, hospitals, etc) that I see every day here in Tokyo. Like I said, I know there are worse places in the world. I've just never seen one first hand in my short 32 years of life.Third world? What the hell???
You should go to a third world country, and then come back to Japan and count your lucky stars.
Yeah, that's VERY cool. So cool, in fact, that I just signed up for a .mac family plan - I wanted to get decent user names for my wife and mother-in-law before all the Windows people start hopping on the bandwagon
... It'll make it a lot easier to be able to remotely administer my mother-in-law's contacts and calendar, since she (like many Japanese people her age) doesn't own a computer. Plus, the ability to add to a gallery using pics taken on the iPhone sounds pretty cool - a nice way for my family to see what we're up to if we take a trip, etc. My grandma will love it!Japan has plenty of run down places, but go to someplace like the Philippines and they you will really see poverty. I will be in Vietnam later this month and while I love Vietnam it reminds me how good we all have it.Let's try to stay on topic. I don't want to get into a discussion about the dilapidated, run-down, filthy, disgusting, sweltering public buildings (schools, hospitals, etc) that I see every day here in Tokyo. Like I said, I know there are worse places in the world. I've just never seen one first hand in my short 32 years of life.
Thanks, but can we please just drop it? We're all entitled to our own opinions. Someone asked mine and I made the mistake of answering when I was in a bad mood and this thread has suffered as a result. Let's just move on!!!
