A Japanese blogger who goes by Nobi shared his views on whether Apple’s iPhone is a success or not in Japan. He was too polite to say so directly but comparing Apple’s marketing to George W. Bush’s policies sounds pretty negative.
Using a baseball metaphor, Apple has had a swing and a miss with the iPhone in Japan.
Japan is perhaps the most advanced wireless country in the world. They have been pushing the envelope in mobile tech for the last decade. Since the urban areas are so crowded, people tend to spend their time outside the home. This has forced wireless tech to evolve faster.
As wonderful as the iPhone is, especially to Americans who are not used to a quality mobile Internet experience, it succeeded in part because of its reduced feature set. Few features made it easier to use. For example, even the cheapest phones can shoot short video clips. Recording video is a feature that was left out of the current iPhone.
If Apple is serious about the Japanese market, it will be interesting to see how they improve the next version of the iPhone.
