Japan's iPhone Wannabe - Nani?

[Mulboyne]

Tech: Japanese smartphone to challenge iPhone
It's hard to look at a multimedia phone like the upcoming nani from Japan's Sophia without making comparisons with Apple's just-launched attention seeking iPhone. Due to be unveiled at the Wireless Japan 2007 exhibition tomorrow, the nani's most prominent feature is a large touch-sensitive screen that - at 4.3 inches - beats the iPhone by almost an inch. The resolution is also more impressive, at 800 x 400 pixels, compared to 480 x 320 on the Apple device. The rest of the package, however, seems unlikely to pass muster, although it may have sounded cutting edge a year ago. The processor runs at 600MHz and there's Wi-Fi, dual cameras and a digital terrestrial tuner. Memory comes in the form of a microSD card with no internal user storage at all...more...

[madfuku]

I probably shouldn't even comment on this as it is a thorough waste of time. But heck, I need the posting points

I hope companies keep rolling out mislabeled iPod killers, ahem, iPhone killers. It has all the attraction of a door stop and looks more like a cheap knockoff, even if that was never there intention.

In reality, and it pains me to say, the ugly Microsoft Zune got more on the iPhone than this thing. Microsoft, oddly enough has enough of the required elements available to it to pull off a true iPhone/iPod competitor.

This is just the beginning of an onslaught of tech garbage that won't amount to much beyond a curiosity and knockoff DNA. Regardless of how big the screen is, or how fast a processor can multiply, or what OS it is running or cell network it runs on.

I am also skeptical that the most successful iPhone alternative is going to emerge from our shores (Japan). This is just total nonsense as I am reminded every-time a enter a Yamada Denki or ヨドバシカメラ only to see iPod compatible stickers on every music accessory in the store even from SONY products and people hovering over the iPod displays while the 30 iPod killers on display barely get noticed.

The iPhone is a really good product and its going to take a really well rounded product combined with very strong ancillary services and software to give it a run for its money. The fact that so many want to top it with a killer product a mere 2 weeks after its initially released really speaks volumes all by itself.

Remember, the iPhone killer has to be a complete package, or better yet a family of interoperable products. Online Media Store, PC and Mac software, and be truly a product designed to compete with the "iPhone" across the full spectrum of its consumer purpose.

If I was a product manufacturer I would NOT want my product to be compared to the iPhone especially if it is not actually prepared or even intended to compete with it in the first place, as this product IMHO is not in the same overall category. It could be wonderful in its own right, but simply isn't going to appeal to the audience that the iPhone is targeting.

But by all means, if you buy one of these things let us know how it stacks up. But I have a funny feeling we will be seeing more iPhones in Japan than Nani's and definitely more iPhones than Nani's in the rest of the world as well.

[Charles]

..The resolution is also more impressive, at 800 x 400 pixels, compared to 480 x 320 on the Apple device...

There's a limit to how much resolution is useful. I have to put on my close-vision reading glasses to read the tiny type on my iPhone.

[Kuang_Grade]

Originally Posted by madfuku

In reality, and it pains me to say, the ugly Microsoft Zune got more on the iPhone than this thing. Microsoft, oddly enough has enough of the required elements available to it to pull off a true iPhone/iPod competitor.

While they may have the elements, they'll never assemble them into a whole package that works well...They'll always stick somthing in that is designed to push software that limits its usefulness for a large portion of the population (well, it sort of works on XP but to get the full experience you need directX23alpha only available in vista super mega ultimate). And given MS's big push for play for sure and then having their own product, the Zune, not support it doesn't show much of commitment to either their customers or content vendors. Outside of mice/keyboards/joysticks, has MS actually produced a non-software consumer product that was profitable and/or actually lasted on the market for more than 2 years? (the xbox1 lasted 4 years but lost how many billions?)

[madfuku]

Kuang_Grade, man that video was awesome, sooooo Microsoft.

Now, I will preface with the fact I can't stand Microsoft products in general. I have Vista polluting space on a partition on my MacBook Pro just to run some Windows only Japanese program I use.

That out of the way, I really like the XBOX 360, sure its a piece of crap quality wise and boy its really ugly, but my PS3 just keeps gathering dust except to play some AVCHD files from my Panasonic HD Video Camera and honestly, my WII while neat to play the classics hasn't been turned on in over three months.

The XBOX on the other hand, gets a lot more use despite its shortcomings, namely being a MS product. I learned awhile back that Microsoft does keep at it, and after awhile they start to make an impact and eventually demand a pretty significant market-share.

The Zune is far from dead (to Microsoft) they intend to make a cell phone version. Sure it will suck, but they will keep at it.

Which reminds me, when I was in college, Netscape was all the rage and my University refused to allow IE on there network (not that I wanted it). Then in the Palm heyday, everyone said, that PocketPCs would never go anywhere, Palm rules. MS can't get anything done right (and its still junk btw) but then look at the market today. Palm who?

Now I am not saying the Zune as it is will be any great threat to the iPod/iTunes of today or even the iPhone no-less. I am just saying that I would not be surprised to see Microsoft as the main competitor to Apple's iTunes + Devices phenomena. Even if by sheer determination and money alone, aka XBOX to PS.

And I definitely see nothing coming from Japan from anyone, the Japanese market is on the verge of being completely iPodified with Apple now holding over 60% of the markets mp3 player sales and iTunes is on its way to eclipse Japanese equivalents to the dismay of SONY [CONNECTS]. iTunes has already blown through that and is the market leader in online music sales in Japan.

But hey, we are in the technology capital of the world... We don't need no stinking products that anyone other than the Japanese would buy, do we? after all, we have 3G.

Boo Hoo For Who?

[maninjapan]

Xbox360 ugly? compared to what?!


Have had Japanese frie4nds come over and comment on how much better looking it is than the ps3 or Wii.

The iPhone will only really take off over here due to loyalty. Look at the blackberry when it was "released" over here. That had a huge following in the states and in Europe, yet due to lack of functionality *(see Japanese language support) and also thanks to the standard of the current set up of the phones, everything it offered was already being offered.

Now while the iPhone is impressive - the way Apple think people will actively use iTunes on the go is a bit presumptious. Japan, as a whole, has taken to iTunes, something crazy about 1mil downloads in 4day wasn't it; however, the download speed for mobile phones really has to be increased - otherwise people are going to be hit with HUGE phone bills - unless the companies do a limit on packet downloads, like SoftBank at the moment offer.

Didn't AU offer 4Gb music player/mobile phone at one point? How do that take off?

[madfuku]

I feel you. And, you are right compared to the PS3 which is pretty damn big and heavy, not to mention an odd shape too. My Japanese friends are so into the XBOX 360, they don't even notice my PS3 (sad actually).

I must have weird Japanese friends though, none of them actively buy music or ring-tones off their keitai's and all have iTunes accounts and iPods. Which means they are synching their iPods with their computers anyway and won't actually be using the 3G network to acquire music or media of this type.

Look at it this way. This really is no different with the iPhone, an iPod with a phone feature. Back to the whole central repository of media idea. I got over 700GB of music and videos both legal and not so legal, there's no way a hand held device is going to serve as my central purchase point or media management point, and it won't in Japan either.

That task would have to be left to a real computer or media center. If you are going to buy a few songs and vids then sure, the keitai is great but have no hope that it will display on anything other than your little keitais screen nicely. BTW, I have purchased videos via my keitai's and they don't look so hot.

In reality, the bigger money comes from consumers building electronic media library's (eventually online rentals like XBOX Live). Japanese style keitai purchases are not the way to go for either. Both from the consumer perspective, its only an advantage to the media distributor. If you purchase via keitai you are getting a lower quality product (resolution) for a higher price (media fee, packets) and fewer methods to view said media not to mention fewer eyeballs that can see it.

On the other hand when I buy anything from Apple , I can view it on my iMac, MacBook Pro, Windows PC my GF iMac using 4 out of 5 of my rights licenses AND it also is viewable on my 3 iPods, my iPhone and my TV (via Apple TV) WITHOUT using any of my rights licenses. So that's 1 purchase, viewable on "9" different devices. Bang... So much for that keitai media center idea.

The Japanese way is not the path to a long term success in the digital media market which is steadily being remodeled in Japan by the likes of Apple and in the Keitai world by Softbank with their crazy cell phone rate shakeup and who is the inevitable distributor of the iPhone itself in Japan.

DoCoMo incidentally is jumping through hoops to try to become the iPhones distributor because it really is a game changer here in Japan. You may believe it is another yawner like the Blackberry but I view it as a breath of fresh air in the overpriced over-hyped domestic keitai market.

And not to beat this thing to much, BUT, people in Japan who own iPods also own pretty powerful keitais that already can buy and play music right from their handset. I would venture to say, 100% of iPod owners in Japan also have music and video capable keitais... Why on earth did they buy that darn iPod then or any mp3 player for that matter? I mean after all, they have to D/L and synch the media from a computer don't they? and the success of the iTunes store, against all odds (uncooperative labels) in Japan tells a very interesting story.

I think its a long shot to compare a Blackberry to an iPhone in Japan. I have a Blackberry for my business here and well, it sucks royally. The iPhone is much more inline with the Japanese consumer psyche than a Blackberry could ever be (it wasn't ever designed to be either). One is a hardcore no frills business only device with little attention to mass consumer appeal and is in a universe all by itself, with a killer feature being a tactile keyboard and push email. Its a business device through and through.

Most people in Japan use there keitais as an escape from reality, playing games, listening to music, viewing porn or making it , texting each other and good stuff like that. The Blackberry brings nothing to the table in dreamland Japan and even Japanese salarymen pull out there ketais so they can view the hentai not catch up with the stocks they don't own or get to those final emails they missed at the office, no way.

The iPhone is at the other end of that equation, albeit in its own world as well, it is the result of two already successful in Japan stories, the iPod and iTunes, and even further, the view of the Apple brand as a very desirable piece of electronic jewlery. Blackberry, ain't any of that and neither are most of the keitai's in our market.

There are people in Japan today buying iPhones even though they don't work, just look at yahoo auctions Japan. I really don't worry about Apple here in Japan. In fact, they are one of very FEW foreign companies to get things done right here... but wait, they really didn't change a thing for the Japanese market did they... they just transplanted the way they do business in the US to Japan and holy crap, it actually worked.

I don't know, it must be me, but I like the way things are changing. It's starting to feel like consumers are making progress now and Apple is breaking up a lot of the old school media and keitai monopolies here in Japan. They will help push cell rates down and eliminate the packet fee nonsense and bring flat rates to Japan. Or did we think DoCoMo had an epiphany...

But hey, at least both the XBOX 360 and PS3 serve as pretty good speaker stands in my setup I wonder how long it will take for my speaker to erase my XBOX 360 HDD



But once again, I've said too much

[GomiGirl]

Originally Posted by madfuku

I think its a long shot to compare a Blackberry to an iPhone in Japan. I have a Blackberry for my business here and well, it sucks royally. The iPhone is much more inline with the Japanese consumer psyche than a Blackberry could ever be (it wasn't ever designed to be either). One is a hardcore no frills business only device with little attention to mass consumer appeal and is in a universe all by itself, with a killer feature being a tactile keyboard and push email. Its a business device through and through.

Never been a blackberry fan myself... never was a palm fan either. They were well marketed but in terms of actual smarts, both are sorely lacking.

Originally Posted by madfuku

Most people in Japan use there keitais as an escape from reality, playing games, listening to music, viewing porn or making it , texting each other and good stuff like that. The Blackberry brings nothing to the table in dreamland Japan and even Japanese salarymen pull out there ketais so they can view the hentai not catch up with the stocks they don't own or get to those final emails they missed at the office, no way.

Amen.. but for humble content developers such as myself, Japan is a good market to be in.

I am keen to see the iPhone - mainly just interested to see what stuff I can put on it. We have lots of legacy Newton Apps that can be ported and will be fab on the iPhone.

Originally Posted by madfuku

But once again, I've said too much

Not at all - keep them posts coming my friend.

[madfuku]

Damn, I thought I was the only one who liked the Newton. I actually have one I bought way back in 1994... Yeah, I admit it, I am a technology whore.

FYI: I am in the software industry myself here in Japan, non-consumer related. In my formative years I fancied myself a mainframe programmer.

[Taro Toporific]

Apple’s iPhone: Japan will love it, Japan will buy it
whatjapanthinks.com
By Ken Y-N ( July 18, 2007 at 12:41)
...There are, however, a small number of additions and modifications that I propose Apple must make to the hardware, software, and design before they can consider selling it in Japan.
iPhone: Japan’s carriers
Looking at the market image of the three big mobile phone carriers, namely NTT DoCoMo, au by KDDI, and SoftBank, the most natural fit would be au, as according to many surveys they have the strongest image for being on the leading edge and for supporting music playback on their phones. However, if a bidding war starts, SoftBank may be prepared to lay the most cash on the table as they are most desparate for customers, and with Cameron Diaz and Bradd Pitt pushing an American image of talking on the phone for SoftBank, SoftBank’s president Masayoshi Son may see the iPhone as a natural extension of his brand. Therefore, I predict there will be a SoftBank iPhone on the shelves early next year.
Read the rest ....