Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Quickly Dominate Japanese Smartphone Sales

[a0me]

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra has a 6.4" screen.

One model out of the hundreds of devices released each year.
It was also released in Japan only recently (February 2014) and it hasn't exactly been flying off the shelves...

 

[a0me]

I bought the 6 plus after anticipating it for months, begging for it to be real and not just a rumor, than after 3 days I returned it for the regular 6. The 6 plus it's just too darn big. What was Apple thinking? For comparison even the 6 is basically the same size as the 5.2inch LG g2. If it wasn't for the ecosystem and superior apps, Apple would have hard time competing.

You wanted an over-sized phone and you returned it because it's over-sized? I don't understand the logic.

 

[adriatomy]

fragile handle with care.

iPhone 6 is a fragile handle with care.

 

[mdelvecchio]

"Why the Japanese Hate the iPhone"

- Brian X. Chen

...so much for the hater in disguise, writing for wired at the time and now at the Times.

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iPhone 6 is a fragile handle with care.

Nope. Mine is fit as a fiddle and I treat it the way I treat any expensive piece of pocketable computing.

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I bought the 6 plus after anticipating it for months, begging for it to be real and not just a rumor, than after 3 days I returned it for the regular 6. The 6 plus it's just too darn big. What was Apple thinking?

Simple: that there are people who want these jumbo phones. Not my pref, but people do..

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Exactly. It's disappointing that Apple is trying to chase the Android market with the Plus. That market seems fickle; they buy based on specs, not user experience. And user experience dictates that the Plus should not exist, both on usability and uh...bendability. But here it is, and here we are.

How on earth is it disappointing? It doesn't affect me in the slightest.

Also, you aren't qualifiec to state who the demographics of large phone buyers are. For instance my female cousins seem to like them -- they aren't spec chasers in the slightest.

 

[Elbon]

I bought the 6 plus...than after 3 days I returned it for the regular 6....If it wasn't for the ecosystem and superior apps, Apple would have hard time competing.

So, you returned an Apple product but bought another Apple product, you admit that Apple's ecosystem is compelling and that they offer superior apps, yet you think they would have a hard time competing? I'm not sure I follow your logic.

 

[rGiskard]

Exactly. It's disappointing that Apple is trying to chase the Android market with the Plus. That market seems fickle; they buy based on specs, not user experience. And user experience dictates that the Plus should not exist, both on usability and uh...bendability. But here it is, and here we are.

It's not based on "specs," it's based on screen size. Many people will sacrifice portability for all the advantages of a larger display.

I personally detest any argument that dismisses "specs," since such arguments are inherently biased. If Apple has great specs in some area, like the camera or 6+ display, then it's innovation, but if a competitor has great specs, well those are just specs...

 

[rGiskard]

You wanted an over-sized phone and you returned it because it's over-sized? I don't understand the logic.

The 6+ is a few years behind LG and Samsung with respect to the device size : screen size ratio. That would be my guess. Apple could have at least removed the top bezel, but then it would have had to be thicker so Ive would have had a panic attack.

With a physical fingerprint sensor, Apple can never match Android for bezel size, but IMO it's a good trade off.

 

[Tumbleweed666]

The 6+ is a few years behind LG and Samsung with respect to the device size : screen size ratio. That would be my guess. Apple could have at least removed the top bezel, but then it would have had to be thicker so Ive would have had a panic attack.

With a physical fingerprint sensor, Apple can never match Android for bezel size, but IMO it's a good trade off.

I wouldn't put it beyond them to do something that fixes this,as you say the additional length is all about the bezels.

 

[borneo76]

Thats a lot of iPhones in Japan

 

[macmacguy]

Looking good.

 

[Solomani]

Thats a lot of iPhones in Japan

I'm sure there are more than a few Shinto shrines dedicated to the worship of Steve Jobsan.

Seriously, after the USA, Japan is the most Apple-loving country in the world.

The MacWorld Expos in Tokyo had the largest attendance numbers ever recorded for any Apple-centric expo, dwarfing the numbers that attended the San Francisco (Moscone Center) expos which I had attended a couple times.

 

[eipangan]

I'm a little surprised SoftBank is on top of the list considering DoCoMo has better coverage. All iPhones being equal, I would have thought people would go for the one with the better coverage.

 

[Keirasplace]

Exactly. It's disappointing that Apple is trying to chase the Android market with the Plus. That market seems fickle; they buy based on specs, not user experience. And user experience dictates that the Plus should not exist, both on usability and uh...bendability. But here it is, and here we are.

Killing Samsung's profits IS part of the reason Apple got that phone out. Starve the beast. Shifting Ipad Mini users to higher profit Apple items, another reason.

Those two things together, will not only its boost profitability, but also starve Samsung's profit. This year, Samsung will suffer A LOT in the profit department in the mobile space.

 

[JCrz]

I think you are confusing Korea with Japan. Samsung's market share in Japan is ridiculously small.

Korea and Japan aren't the same thing?!

 

[Mac'em X]

Apple & big phones

When Apple did not have big phones:
No big phones? What is wrong with Apple?!?!

In the minds of some nuts, Apple has always had big screens.

2007: "What's wrong with a 2" phone screen? A 3.5" screen is way too big, Apple!"

2010: "The iPad is a big iPod touch! It's just a giant screen, Apple!"

2014: "A bigger screen? Where'd you steal that idea, Apple?"