Early Earthquake Warning System in iOS 5 for Japanese Users

[SaSaSushi]

Err, no it's not. You are.

He said the majority of people in Japan don't use iPhones. This is true. You don't understand his point.

The iPhone may be the biggest selling handset, but this is entirely different from the majority of people owning one. There are literally dozens of handsets from different manufacturers available. The iPhone is just one of them.

If you bothered to read the posts subsequent to that one I conceded that, in fact, the iPhone may not have a majority. However, the peculiar point he seemed to be trying to make was that since it was NOT a majority (only a fourfold increase in users in the last quarter and gaining) that Apple was making some error in adding the earthquake detection to iOS 5.

That makes no sense whatsoever and that was what I was taking issue with. But thanks for your input.

 

[belltree]

What Japan really needs on the iPhone 5 is a Geiger Counter that can take readings and upload to a community site with GPS coordinates. I am not kidding.

 

[Daijin]

It's about time...

Apple is, sad to say, way behind the curve on this one.

I agree with some of the other posters that the Earthquake Alert on AU and DoCoMo can be maddening when it wakes you at 3am for a shindo 2, but I would much rather be snippy at work for a day than buried under an apartment block. This is the first IOS 5 feature that, for me at least, makes it a must have when it finally gets launched.

That said, AU certainly didn't go off here in Kanagawa on March 11, so the system is not without its glaring misses...

 

[Menopause]

Very noble of Apple. I don't know of another company who would implement something like this in their OS. Well done.

 

[MorphingDragon]

What Japan really needs on the iPhone 5 is a Geiger Counter that can take readings and upload to a community site with GPS coordinates. I am not kidding.

Get some education. I am not kidding.

 

[ironsienna]

great idea

That's a really great idea! I am really curious to see the message displayed on screen in case of an upcoming earthquake. It must be calm and at the same time alarming but not offending.. Something like:

"We recommend you to put your headphones on, take cover under a table and chill out with some of our coolest new music offers! Oh, and one more thing: Don't forget to take your Mac computer with you if you want to use it again…"

 

[MacFan23]

Doesn't matter. Too many people die to morons on cell phones. Jam cell phone signals within cars IMO. It would be lame to not be able to use my phone in a car as a passenger, but vehicular homicide is worse. I've seen many people on the phone or listening to music while driving, then these people get into accidents, and they're all shocked and surprised when they slip up due to taking their attention off the road, and get somebody killed. Darwin backfires a bit there...

What about those of use who used our iPhone's as satnavs?

 

[strandedinnz]

Slightly on topic ... but interesting none the less!

http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/

Gives you playback of the various quakes that have hit Christchurch since february .. 4013 last time I looked .. you can pick a date and watch where they hit on the map!

 

[jirapong]

There is also my App for this "Japan Alert"

More we can safe Japanese is the best . I don't afraid to lose my little App.

You can checkout my App called "Japan Alert" which allow to set threshold of earthquake: http://bananacoding.com/JapanAlert.aspx

 

[gorgeousninja]

Get some education. I am not kidding.

Errr actualy he is being quite correct. Contaminated meat, fish, fruit, rice, and milk are being sold and consumed daily. Kids are living with daily radiation the same as nuclear reactor workers in other countries. It is a huge cover up to try and prevent complete panic but with the result that millions face the imcreasing prospect of death both directly and indirectly from the worlds worst nuclear accident. Those are facts. Who needs educating now?

 

[RobertMartens]

Sweet! Now all Japan needs is an App for detecting levels of unstable isotopes in seafood, vegetables, beef, poultry, milk, drinking water, etc. If they play their cards right some day Japan could become the safest, most advanced waste dump in the world.

Not quite sure what your point is.

Are you trying to make us laugh. Are you showing empathy?

Are you saying, "Boy it sucks to be you."

----------

Remember the ¥70,000 that you had to pay to NTT just to get a phone line in your home?

Please don't remind me. Those SOB's. You used to be able to resell your line to someone else for most of the price, but then one day it was worth nothing.

BTW If you wanted cable tv you used to have to pay for them to install the cable on the power lines from wherever it was to your house, Everyone waited around until the guy next door got cable and then asked for it. Stooopid! Finally the cable company realized that this was a dumb marketing plan.

 

[satcomer]

I'm just amazed that people think this will predict earthquakes. Most likely this will be issued AFTER and earthquake has happened and are warning for a possible tsunami, if the cell phone service is still functioning.

 

[RobertMartens]

I'm just amazed that people think this will predict earthquakes. Most likely this will be issued AFTER and earthquake has happened and are warning for a possible tsunami, if the cell phone service is still functioning.

You are half right

The earthquake hits somewhere else, maybe off shore
The shock waves are coming and will hit your city in about 20 - 60 seconds

Having even 5 seconds notice is very useful as you can put down your hot coffee or shut off the gas burner or run over to your big new tv and brace it so that it won't fall over before you even finished paying for it.
You guys think this is all life and death but most of the time its about not ruining your day.

 

[TheMacBookPro]

This is simply wrong. The iPhone is the top-selling handset in Japan.

Not as of right now, it isn't.

...and not in July either.

Also- just because it was on the top of the handset sale ranking doesn't mean the majority of Japanese people own one, which is the point the guy you responded to was stating.

Everywhere I go here I see iPhones.

I do see some here in Tokyo, but not everyone (far from it, in fact) has one.

IOS 5 always a step ahead. Nice one Apple

A step ahead of what?

The system is reported to be a common feature on Japanese mobile phones.

Very noble of Apple. I don't know of another company who would implement something like this in their OS. Well done.

Take a look at any 'normal' featurephone for the Japanese market. They all have this feature.

Also, read the original post.

The system is reported to be a common feature on Japanese mobile phones.

Errr actualy he is being quite correct. Contaminated meat, fish, fruit, rice, and milk are being sold and consumed daily. Kids are living with daily radiation the same as nuclear reactor workers in other countries. It is a huge cover up to try and prevent complete panic

And you know this/we should believe you because...

but with the result that millions face the imcreasing prospect of death both directly and indirectly from the worlds worst nuclear accident.

Pretty sure Chernobyl is still considered worse.

Those are facts.

Japan=Ukraine=fact?

Who needs educating now?

You?

I'm just amazed that people think this will predict earthquakes. Most likely this will be issued AFTER and earthquake has happened and are warning for a possible tsunami, if the cell phone service is still functioning.

If this system works like the alert system already built into every 'normal' Japanese phone, then yes, it does tell you that an earthquake is about to happen (usually 5~30 seconds beforehand). It doesn't 'predict earthquakes', but gets information from the nationwide system mentioned in the OP that detects tremors and sends out warnings about an impending earthquake. I know it's amazing.

 

[ChristianVirtual]

I'm just amazed that people think this will predict earthquakes. Most likely this will be issued AFTER and earthquake has happened and are warning for a possible tsunami, if the cell phone service is still functioning.

You would be amazed: works actually in many cases. Of course if you are closer to the center of the quake you are in bad luck. But with increasing distance it gives you some seconds to prepare yourself, stopping gas, bring elevator in safe position, whatever ...

You are right: it doesn't predict any quake; the system is able to measure the primary wave which is the lighter one while the secondary wave is the destructive one. The time between both waves increase with the distance as the primary wave is faster.

I installed the warning app after the event on March 11 so cant really tell what the time gap was for that event. You need to set it up to send you only strong shakes above 3 or better 4. If less you get never sleep as there always a quake at least here in eastern Japan. I hope that the Apple solution will have a setting for that to be meaningful.

 

[GulGnu]

I'm just amazed that people think this will predict earthquakes. Most likely this will be issued AFTER and earthquake has happened and are warning for a possible tsunami, if the cell phone service is still functioning.

You can see the system in action here (on live TV). As you can see, the warning arrives well before the shaking, giving people about 30 secs or so to shelter, or get out of buildings, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU1bYspMyQw

 

[MorphingDragon]

Errr actualy he is being quite correct. Contaminated meat, fish, fruit, rice, and milk are being sold and consumed daily. Kids are living with daily radiation the same as nuclear reactor workers in other countries. It is a huge cover up to try and prevent complete panic but with the result that millions face the imcreasing prospect of death both directly and indirectly from the worlds worst nuclear accident. Those are facts. Who needs educating now?

no point arguing with a conspiracy theorist.

 

[SaSaSushi]

Errr actualy he is being quite correct. Contaminated meat, fish, fruit, rice, and milk are being sold and consumed daily. Kids are living with daily radiation the same as nuclear reactor workers in other countries. It is a huge cover up to try and prevent complete panic but with the result that millions face the imcreasing prospect of death both directly and indirectly from the worlds worst nuclear accident. Those are facts. Who needs educating now?

no point arguing with a conspiracy theorist.

Right on, not to mention attempted thread hijacker.

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Not as of right now, it isn't.

...and not in July either.

Also- just because it was on the top of the handset sale ranking doesn't mean the majority of Japanese people own one, which is the point the guy you responded to was stating.

Sort of tiring of repeating myself for those who don't bother to read beyond a single post that they reply to but I acknowledged it may not actually be in the majority in my next post. As for the point "the guy" was stating, it was apparently that since the iPhone is NOT the majority-owned device in Japan that somehow this equates to a huge failure on Apple's part for including earthquake warning alarms in iOS 5.

 

[daxomni]

Not quite sure what your point is.

Are you trying to make us laugh. Are you showing empathy?

Are you saying, "Boy it sucks to be you."

In the case of those Japanese who educated themselves and actively voiced concern over one of the most harmful and delicate power sources known to man being used on one of the most geologically active countries on earth, my feelings of of empathy are very strong indeed. For the other 99% who said and did nothing as their government moved to embrace a catastrophic future with taxpayer funding I have no sympathy whatsoever. Japan brought this upon themselves and all the warning sirens in the world won't rid them of the waste they've spent the last several decades creating. How kind it was of them release it into the atmosphere and dump it into the ocean so the rest of us can partake in their self-inflicted misery.

 

[nylonsteel]

re original article

californian's need this thing enabled - maybe

"turning japanese..." the vapors - one hit wonders

hated the song btw

 

[GulGnu]

In the case of those Japanese who educated themselves and actively voiced concern over one of the most harmful and delicate power sources known to man being used on one of the most geologically active countries on earth, my feelings of of empathy are very strong indeed. For the other 99% who said and did nothing as their government moved to embrace a catastrophic future with taxpayer funding I have no sympathy whatsoever. Japan brought this upon themselves and all the warning sirens in the world won't rid them of the waste they've spent the last several decades creating. How kind it was of them release it into the atmosphere and dump it into the ocean so the rest of us can partake in their self-inflicted misery.

Ah, so you are one of those people.

 

[SaSaSushi]

Japan brought this upon themselves and all the warning sirens in the world won't rid them of the waste they've spent the last several decades creating. How kind it was of them release it into the atmosphere and dump it into the ocean so the rest of us can partake in their self-inflicted misery.

Yeah, right it's the evil Japanese, because the USA and other countries that use nuclear power are so responsible and infallible.

Meanwhile, 48 US nuke sites have tritium leaks.

 

[TheMacBookPro]

Sort of tiring of repeating myself for those who don't bother to read beyond a single post that they reply to but I acknowledged it may not actually be in the majority in my next post. As for the point "the guy" was stating, it was apparently that since the iPhone is NOT the majority-owned device in Japan that somehow this equates to a huge failure on Apple's part for including earthquake warning alarms in iOS 5.

I'm not saying that it's a bad idea to put the earthquake warning alarms into iOS5. I'm just saying that your point of the iPhone being the best selling phone is wrong.

 

[bradl]

What about California?

Let us slide into the Pacific?

California is in the Ring of Fire, hence why I said that this will help everywhere.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ring_of_Fire

BL.

 

[flottenheimer]

Sympathy for Apple: +1.