Why the Japanese Hate the iPhone

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Why do the Japanese hate the iPhone? This article takes a look at the iPhone and why it is selling so poorly in Japan that they can barely give it away.

What's wrong with the iPhone, from a Japanese perspective? Almost everything: the high monthly data plans that go with it, its paucity of features, the low-quality camera, the unfashionable design and the fact that it's not Japanese.
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Seriously, doesn't Apple know you need at least 3 megapixels to get a good up-skirt photo? They're just so out of touch.
 
"Unfashionable design"? Hmm. After months of using the iPhone, I can honestly say the only thing I really like about it is the design. Looks good; feels solid; feels good in my hand; shiny (ooh!). The rest is generally a mess, but it's at least a good looking phone.

So, what passes for fashion in Japan then?
 
I think the main reason is just because it isn't Japanese - you know the Japanese are snooty as hell when it comes to buying "stuff".
 
well, you cant watch tv on it, and the rate plan is terrible, but its still fairly popular there due to design.
 
I would say they don't fall for gimicky thinks like Apple everything.......But the Wii sells like hot cakes.

So this leads me to believe its just that it's not Japaneses which is good for them it will keep their Economy going without electronics japan would sink.
 
gamz247 said:
Seriously, doesn't Apple know you need at least 3 megapixels to get a good up-skirt photo? They're just so out of touch.
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Where Sharking happens everyday, you need a good phone camera over there.
 
Why would they want it? they get actual good phones over there! (that aren't released here). Touch HD, TG01, etc... etc... They are also more tech savy consumers so they aren't wooed by flashy graphics and expensive add campaigns to push a locked down device with a horrible plan.
 
stevedave said:
I would say they don't fall for gimicky thinks like Apple everything.......But the Wii sells like hot cakes.

So this leads me to believe its just that it's not Japaneses which is good for them it will keep their Economy going without electronics japan would sink.
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And here we are buying everything from China. The saddest part? Most of those things are designed in the West.
Talk about lack of common sense.
 
Oh and the fact that the iPhone is old tech in Japan.
In fact all almost all US cell phone tech is old and moldy by Asian standards.
We are at at least 5 years behind.
This has been true for over the last 10 years.
Anyone who has been out of the states and spent any time at all over seas knows this.
 
phide said:
"Unfashionable design"? Hmm. After months of using the iPhone, I can honestly say the only thing I really like about it is the design. Looks good; feels solid; feels good in my hand; shiny (ooh!). The rest is generally a mess, but it's at least a good looking phone.

So, what passes for fashion in Japan then?
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The design of the iphone isn't bad, and it has enough oomph to be a nice little pocket computer. As a phone it is not so hot. I've used lots of phones, and there are phone features that it just sucks at. Most of the PDA phones do, so it isn't alone. In the japanese market, they refined a lot of other features to the point where the market has a common expectation, and the ipohone doesn't do those so well either.

But back to design, the japanese market seems to liek being able to accessorize phones and make a small statement of individuality with their phone. The Apple aesthetic is to be different than the majority, but deviation from the aesthetic is looked on as heresy. Apple would sooner assassinate you than hav eyou dnagle your golden poop cell phone charm from the real world manifestation of their devine aesthetic.
 
Yeah, there are not enough consumers over here that are as demanding. Look how long the Japanese have had HDTV.

We have too many people that say:
"I'll buy anything that's shiny and has an Apple logo on it!"

Here is what I'm curious about. Do Japanese consumers put up with all the issues we have here with new products? I love my Storm, but I am mad as hell about the issues I have had to deal with as I have waited for patches to make the thing work like it should have on day one. It took an unofficial software release to make the thing work like it should, and it is still not 100%.

I wish we had higher expectations, and demanded more here.
 
raz-0 said:
The design of the iphone isn't bad, and it has enough oomph to be a nice little pocket computer. As a phone it is not so hot. I've used lots of phones, and there are phone features that it just sucks at. Most of the PDA phones do, so it isn't alone. In the japanese market, they refined a lot of other features to the point where the market has a common expectation, and the ipohone doesn't do those so well either.

But back to design, the japanese market seems to liek being able to accessorize phones and make a small statement of individuality with their phone. The Apple aesthetic is to be different than the majority, but deviation from the aesthetic is looked on as heresy. Apple would sooner assassinate you than have you dangle your golden poop cell phone charm from the real world manifestation of their devine aesthetic.
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LOL!
 
Im not Japanese and hate the iPhone. I use it everyday because of the exchange client, but cant wait to get out of this POS. Never had a phone drop one phone call 5 times with full signal and go to searching for signal. Patiently awaiting the N97 this summer.
 
Its easier to market and turn over new technology in a country that is about the size of California with half the population of the USA crammed into it.
Its not that the Japanese "hate" the iPod.
Its just that its as relevant to them as any 5 year old cell phone is too us.
 
stop!theradio said:
I think the main reason is just because it isn't Japanese - you know the Japanese are snooty as hell when it comes to buying "stuff".
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I agree with this. Maybe the iPhone isn't as good as other phones there, but the Japanese are certainly more loyal to Japanese brands when it comes to other things too (thinking ps3 vs xbox)
 
I'm using an NTT F905i. I can tell you...the iPhone fails in comparison. In every way.

The first flaw you'll see is it's design. Great for an old man in Japan. The younger generation wants something way different than what Apple is trying to push. Just look at how they dress, then look at the iPhone. Ya...big difference.
 
The main reason the Japanese dislike the iPhone:

There's no little hook on it to clip on your 41lbs of phone charms.

I swear to god, the Japanese girls around here are more muscular than I am, as they're always talking or texting on their 5-6lb phone.
 
Makenxero said:
I agree with this. Maybe the iPhone isn't as good as other phones there, but the Japanese are certainly more loyal to Japanese brands when it comes to other things too (thinking ps3 vs xbox)
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More like Xbox 360 quality was pure crap. When you fail that hard, it's almost impossible to remove that stigma. Especially in Japan.

Game selection is also trash. Don't even bring up Halo, GoW, Rockband, etc. The Japanese don't play those.

It's not about Japanese being loyal to Japanese brands. It's Japanese companies know what the Japanese want and cater to it. Trying to sell a console that's based around the American public isn't gonna cut it.
 
and the fact that it's not Japanese.
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Nice to see one country takes pride and knows the value of buying their own goods...I remember America used to be like that once.
 
Chiplg said:
We have too many people that say:
"I'll buy anything that's shiny and has an Apple logo on it!"
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Funny, I never hear that :)

I've never really believed that it has all that much to do with Apple, frankly. What Apple seems to have gotten right in the past years is assembling good design teams (typically centered around Ive) and building half-decent products around those designs. Nothing truly remarkable, and rarely affordable, but decent products nonetheless. The Apple logo itself doesn't concern me that much...so long as it's shiny, of course!

D4hPr0 said:
Im not Japanese and hate the iPhone. Never had a phone drop one phone call 5 times with full signal and go to searching for signal.
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I don't hate mine, but it sure can be a pain in the ass. The dropped calls are inexcusable, but, for me, fortunately fairly infrequent. I can't get too pissed at the phone either considering I think AT&T's inadequate network(s) play a big part.

I would guess that my older phones dropped calls just as often, really. Granted, those were all freebie phones I had gotten with contracts, whereas the iPhone was $300 out of my pocket, so I think my expectations of performance are just higher. For what is essentially a $600 phone, dropping even 1% of outgoing calls is totally unreasonable. That kind of shit may have flown in 1992, but this sure as hell ain't 1992.
 
Arcygenical said:
The main reason the Japanese dislike the iPhone:

There's no little hook on it to clip on your 41lbs of phone charms.

I swear to god, the Japanese girls around here are more muscular than I am, as they're always talking or texting on their 5-6lb phone.
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lol.

My NTT F905i has the following.

Ichigo 100% cellphone strap with an Aya, Yui, and Lacus charms attached.
Getsuman to Keiki Mina cellphone strap with Arika, carrot, and Milfeulle charm. Also has a Mina screen cleaner.

I easily had quadruple that on my old NTT P901Is and a Galaxy Angel privacy filter.


It's odd how the Japanese, Koreans, and Europeans have cellphone strap hooks and the American phones have none. Hell when the Razor went to Japan, it ended up with the hook. It died out too. It didn't even compare to the iPhone in features.
 
Rock&Roll said:
Nice to see one country takes pride and knows the value of buying their own goods...I remember America used to be like that once.
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I try to be, but more often that not, American-made products just aren't competitive. Either the quality is substandard or they offer similar quality to foreign-made products but at a much higher price. The Japanese are no doubt getting the "best of both worlds" here -- top-tier products at competitive prices, so it's no wonder they end up buying Jap.
 
gah...go japanese...i totally agree with them on the iphone sucking.

as for the fashion, for those of you who disagree, just remember, they came out with shampoo so that they could style their hair after anime characters. They probably mean its not edgy enough.
 
oh and the iphone is made in china. they don't like each other too much since that whole WWII, massacre thing...yeah...
 
It's not the Japanese hating China. It's the Chinese hating the Japanese.
 
Can anyone explain to me what makes it impossible for US/Euro phones to have these sorts of capabilities? It seems like there are features that Japanese phones have had for a long time that USA/Euro phones haven't even SEEN yet...o_O

I don't see why Japan doesn't sell this stuff in the USA and completely knock everyone else out of the water.
 
It's because they already have better phones than the iphone years ago!
 
TS28 said:
Can anyone explain to me what makes it impossible for US/Euro phones to have these sorts of capabilities? It seems like there are features that Japanese phones have had for a long time that USA/Euro phones haven't even SEEN yet...o_O

I don't see why Japan doesn't sell this stuff in the USA and completely knock everyone else out of the water.
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The network. The US can easily put the features into the phones, but the networks can't support them. Nor would we use some of the features anyways. Like Suica, Edy, etc.
 
I actually know someone in Japan. BIG Apple nut. Does he own a iPhone? Nope, existing phones that have been out for years 1) do what the iPhone does 2) Do what it does... better 3) Do what it doesn't but should.

He has some local phone and a iTouch.
 
I've lived in Asia for 2 years. Cell phones are pretty big as status items there. One example I can think of is that when I was living in China, one of my Chinese friends asked me why I was living in a decent apartment but had such a shitty cell phone (by contrast, he was living with several roommates in a smaller apartment and had a cell phone which was about 5 times more expensive).

One person made an analogy to me about the situation and I think it's pretty much on the mark. He told me that the way Americans feel about their cars is the same way Asians feel about their cell phones. It's a status item that they will soup up to look nice, and they want all of the nice features on it, even if they don't use them.
 
I'd also like to note that most people in Asia do not get their cars until after university/getting a job. Of course in America most of us get one in high school or college.
 
One person made an analogy to me about the situation and I think it's pretty much on the mark. He told me that the way Americans feel about their cars is the same way Asians feel about their cell phones. It's a status item that they will soup up to look nice, and they want all of the nice features on it, even if they don't use them.
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It's strange that people view either of those items as a status symbol :rolleyes: To me at least.
 
Rock&Roll said:
Nice to see one country takes pride and knows the value of buying their own goods...I remember America used to be like that once.
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I remember reading a while back that Japanese spending habits are far different than American spending in that they view purchases as more of an investment - and as a result buy quality goods that can last a while. Americans just want cheap crap that can be disposed and replaced when it breaks.
 
stop!theradio said:
I think the main reason is just because it isn't Japanese - you know the Japanese are snooty as hell when it comes to buying "stuff".
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Did you read the article. I am not Japaense but after reading that I wouldn't want one in Japan when the other options are so much better and cheaper. Simple supply and demand.:D
 
SockMan! said:
I remember reading a while back that Japanese spending habits are far different than American spending in that they view purchases as more of an investment - and as a result buy quality goods that can last a while. Americans just want cheap crap that can be disposed and replaced when it breaks.
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Funny you mention that, as Japanese homes are built to be disposable. If your home is 10 years old, it's time to tear it down and built a new one.
 
TS28 said:
Can anyone explain to me what makes it impossible for US/Euro phones to have these sorts of capabilities? It seems like there are features that Japanese phones have had for a long time that USA/Euro phones haven't even SEEN yet...o_O

I don't see why Japan doesn't sell this stuff in the USA and completely knock everyone else out of the water.
Click to expand...

Over here the carriers rule the phone industry. Americans don't buy cellphones. They buy service and their choice of locked phone comes with it.
 
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