Apple Mobile Store?

[arn]

some pix

pix: http://kasai.homeunix.com/

 

[stephenli]

yes....Jp phones are far advanced then what we are using....
nearly all are equipped with 320x200 display....1 megapix cam...

recently they start FIX MONTHLY FEE for data usage and now equipped with FULL BROWSER for html....and check hotmail and yahool mail everywhere....

 

[GilGrissom]

You have to keep in mind that Japan is not like the US and even EU when it comes to phone and internet usage. My in-laws are still on a dial up that charges by the minute, but the cell phone has free internet.
Lots of ads have cell phone internet addresses on them that allow you to buy it on the spot and have it delivered.
Credit cards are still not universally accepted or trusted, so many Japanese consumers prefer to buy things on their phone and pay for it on their phonebill.
Another example of why this makes total sense in Japan and leaves most US Mac users scratching their heads: Three years ago Tsutaya (Japan's equivalent of Blockbuster) had a fully operational system in place that could figure out when you were getting out of the subway on your way home and SMS you a coupon for a specific movie that matched your renting habits. You could then order it on the phone and just pick it up at the front counter or show your phone at checkout for the discount. Not a generic spam at a certain time of day, but knowing when YOU were on your to YOUR home and what movie you would most likely want to rent. And unlike us, this wasn't an invasion of privacy or Big Brother, but a real cool convenience.
That Apple is only now launching a mobile phone commerce site is kind of surprising in that I would have thought they would have had this available years ago.

I agree...this kinda thing strikes me as right up the Japan's street!!

Wouldn't think it would work anywhere else though. (Maybe China!!)

 

[Jo-Kun]

Funny ... most of the people over here in the UK that I know who've bought Apple gear have done it via www.apple.com/ukstore/ Of course, now we've got the London AppleStore, things have changed a bit. I bought my iSight and iPod Shuffle from there instead of waiting for it to be delivered from the online store. The bricks 'n mortar store's great for accessories and software, but I'll still be getting my BTO Macs from the online store.

well I did buy my G5 NOT trough the applestore... why?? with my ram expansion & airportcard... it was 500 euro's cheaper getting it elsewhere... thats a mac mini or 60 iPod photo in difference... yes I had to put all the parts into it myself but I don't mind ;-)



Now I've seen the screenshots from the site: sorry it doesn't look attractive to me... or practical... but I've never found internet on a phone attractive... even with the faster connections... but then again, I'm old fashioned so it seems

allso don't see the point from someone here that you would use it to get a new cable or something like that... its faster to go by a store to get it...

but as I mentioned before... Japanese people will love it and use it a lot... I'm pretty sure if this was available in the rest of the world, some people would use it... and it would be more used if people could use it to buy music... that's maybe the only use I think might work worldwide... but even then I would prefer opening the iTMS at home on my mac when I'm stitting there at ease... not in a packed bus or subway... but again that's me

 

[JzzTrump22]

I think thats a total waste. I don't see how anyone can find this usefull. Mabey if it connected to iTunes it woul dbe cool. But not to buy products from the online store.

 

[GilGrissom]

I think thats a total waste. I don't see how anyone can find this usefull. Mabey if it connected to iTunes it woul dbe cool. But not to buy products from the online store.

So you want the pending Motorolla iTunes phone then?

 

[Eastend]

It's called iMode here in Japan and almost every single Japanese has a portable telephone in Japan. Heck, My wife has one I have one, I'm surprised our dog does not have one. iMode has been around over here for years so in that respect Apple Japan is way behind the times here. Almost half of all the electronics stores on the net in Japan already have iMode (that's for all of the stores product, not just iPods), this is not news, they are way, way behind over here.
Then again if you have eyes like mine who can even see those tiny portable screens? However, almost all the younger people over here use their phones for email, telephones and shopping, not to mention games, cameras, it's their walking life. A lot of the younger generation over here just shut out the real world and are constantly playing with their telephones. It's kind of like Japanese portable telephone masturbation syndrome, hey it's a new disease JPTMS for short. I use it only for important business calls while on the move, otherwise it's done on a Mac, hey maybe I've caught MMS {Mac masturbation syndrome}.

Brian

 

[Eastend]

pix: http://kasai.homeunix.com/

The pictures shown, let me give a real rough translation. The first two pictures just say welcome to the Apple Store, of course. The last one says they only carry those items that are listed, so it's iPod time, and of course the Mac Mini.

Brian