iPhone Hysteria

[Charles]

After discovering this oddity, I've decided to go ahead and get an iPhone. I imagine it's only a matter of time before the chinese handwritting recognition implements Japanese, and this stylus should make writing characters mich easier than it would be with my greasy fingers.

I keep telling new iPhone users, just keep bashing away with your fingertip, don't even try to be accurate, the autocorrect works wonders and even learns your vocabulary. If you do need to be accurate (like typing hidden passwords) then just hold down your fingertip and see what char pops up before you release. And then there are the little tricks like the "Pogue Period."

[Buraku]

Japan :
You can probably find an iPhone there

The iPhone was welcomed here with long lines of gadget fans. But it's also being seen as shockingly alien to this nation's quirky and closed mobile world, somewhat like the 19th century "black ships" of U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry that forced an isolationist Japan to open to the West.

Japan's cloistered mobile system has its own icons for e-mail and other unique tools. That means many people, even iPhone fans like Tohyama, are likely to stick to their old-style phones lest they be left out of familiar communication circles.

see also
http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14031
Xbox 360 And Japanese Nationalism?

[kurohinge1]

. . . Camera: Not bad, but not spectacular. About what you'd expect from a keitai. Interesting note - it makes no sound when taking a photo
. . .

That seems to have changed:

Japanese iPhone 3G Adds Pervert Protection

It's true that Asian cellphones often get the newest features long before their North American counterparts, but the latest Japanese version of the iPhone 3G has something that hopefully won't be deemed necessary any time in the near future.

In order to deter the unfortunate phenomenon of "upskirts" (which I shan't go too deeply into on, except to say that they're pretty much exactly what they sound like), Apple has installed a loud shutter sound on the Japanese version of its popular phone, in order to help deter users from taking pictures unnoticed.

The shutter sound is triggered even when the phone is set to silent mode.

According to Cult of Mac, the feature is fairly common on the country's various cellphone models, as the advent of camera phones has led to a rash of upskirts and their inverted counterpart, the "downblouse." Many phones in the country make a similar shutter sound or say "cheese" when a photo is snapped.

Much to chagrin of many, the last version of the iPhone featured neither.

Sadly, Mr Heater, Japan does not have a monopoly on perverts:

Man Sought For 'Upskirt' Photo Of 13-Year-Old [in Florida, U.S.]

[kurohinge1]

Man Sought For 'Upskirt' Photo Of 13-Year-Old [in Florida, U.S.]

The place in Florida where the incident occurred sounds like a natural pit for kiddy-fiddlers.

It's called "MOUNT DORA".

[GomiGirl]

The stoopid thing about this is, that the real upskirt perverts don't use their keitai cameras - they head to Akiba and get shoe cameras and other such devices for their pervy fetishes.

As usual, the regulations put in place for the appearance of preventing a crime have no hope in actually being effective.

Shall we list a few other bright ideas and the problems they are supposedly preventing (but failing - or doomed to failure):
Women's only carriages (groping)
Tapso (Underage Smoking)
Face ID on beer vending machines (Underage Drinking)
Fingerprinting foreigners at Narita (Terrorists)
Cutting back on entertainers visa (Human trafficking)
No QR codes on Train advertising (upskirt)

Any other ham fisted regulations that people can think of?

[Adhesive]

I keep telling new iPhone users, just keep bashing away with your fingertip, don't even try to be accurate, the autocorrect works wonders and even learns your vocabulary. If you do need to be accurate (like typing hidden passwords) then just hold down your fingertip and see what char pops up before you release. And then there are the little tricks like the "Pogue Period."

That's the truth. My sister has had an iphone since the first one launched, and it's amazing how well she can type on it now compared to when she started. However, my reason for needing a stylus is not for typing but for handwriting (most kanji would be impossible for me to write accurately with my clumsy finger tips) and for the fact that I can't stand getting the screen all greasy...it just grosses me out. When friends offer me their iPhone to check out, I can't even enjoy it due to the large amount of filth that has accumulated on the screen.

[IkemenTommy]

Any other ham fisted regulations that people can think of?

FG no-spam policy (RobPoongi's perverted psudo-advertisement masturbation inducing video filth)

[Kuang_Grade]

Any other ham fisted regulations that people can think of?

The regs on the sale of prepaid phones so tourists can't buy them to prevent tourists from pulling off ore ore scams

I hadn't heard about the no QR codes on advertising on trains, is that something recent?

[GomiGirl]

For a year or so the rule is that no QR codes on train advertising. This is so that cameras are not encouraged to be used on trains as they are worried that people will take upskirt shots.

[cenic]

I've spoken to a variety of people within the cellphone industry in a variety of corporate positions at different companies. Each one gives me nihonjinron style responses to explain why the iPhone won't be successful in Japan.

The most basic excuse is that Japanese don't like touch screens for input because it is not as good as a standard 10 key interface. I've reasked the question now that the iPhone has been released and was told that many Japanese blogs are complaining that the input is buggy and doesn't work for the Japanese language.

I was told that the iPhone is too large in physical size because Westerners have larger hands. The Japanese hands are smaller and the iPhone isn't as comfortable as phones designed for the Japanese market. When I responded that Japanese cellphones have become larger over that last few years to add additional features such as TV turners, I was told that they are still smaller and designed better for Japanese hand.


I've been told that Japanese people have become too accustom to the standard email interface and that the iPhone will not be able to accommodate that.

That Japanese people see smart phones as business only phones and that the Japanese will reject the iPhone as a standard keitai.

The Japanese are accustom to the mobile web that has been established for the keitai and that people don't want to use PC websites on their keitai.

The most logical excuse i've gotten from a research at docomo who told me that the softbank network doesn't have a bandwidth to support an overly popular iPhone. I also asked him if he thought that the App Store was the killer app that would make the iPhone popular he responded that developers can develop Java-based applications for docomo phones. He added that he didn't think that Japanese would want to use iTunes to download applications that they can download from other websites.

[GomiGirl]

OMG DoCoMo iApplis??? Are you joking me? They are shocking to make and even worse to use.

Way to walk the company line. Image how his tune would change if DoCoMo actually ship the iPhone too!!

[FG Lurker]

When friends offer me their iPhone to check out, I can't even enjoy it due to the large amount of filth that has accumulated on the screen.

Most of that filth probably comes from their sweaty/greasy/makeup covered cheeks when they talk on the phone and wouldn't be helped much by a stylus.

[Buraku]

I don't think its Nihonjinron

or either I'm confused as to the meaning of "Nihon-jin-ron"

Basically I understand Nihonjinron as some pseudo philosophical BS like $cientology, numerology etc which back in the 60s was a way for philosophers and pseudo scientists to help Japan feel better about itself and make some money for itself soon after it felt a good ass kicking in WW2. It helped label Japan as a unique national culture and give them a special identity which only Japanese people born and breed on the inside could understand. A resident of little Tokyo for example would be an outcast, too exposed to hamburgers, American cars, and not enough understanding of Japan's special racial identity and unique way of life.

I'm not sure why the Japanese aren't accepting a product which sells like hotcakes around the globe but maybe there are a number of reasons not just ultra-nationalism. Japanese do love their funny little gimmicks and gadgets, if Apple didn't include all the Japanese applications or the Japan interface features then some people will reject it. Competition is more intense and there are new rules to play on new turf, companies like Sony dominate here so its not surprising Apple Inc is having trouble entering the market.

Here's a genuine reason the phone might not be selling but the Japanese are too embarrassed to say





:P












Japanese iphone

NO 'upskirts'

land of the rising pervert?

http://www.dollymix.tv/2008/07/japanese_iphone_camera_include.html
Yes, Japan is the only country in which the iPhone 3G camera has a special feature... it makes a loud "shutter" sound when a picture's taken - even when the phone is set to "silent" mode.

The sole purpose of this noise is to stop voyeurs from getting 'upskirt' shots, or pictures down their tops. Apparently this is a huge problem in Japan. But you have to wonder who's really being humiliated here. Would I be annoyed if I caught someone trying to take a picture up my skirt? Sure. Would I feel humiliated or threatened? Not really. I'd think it was weird, pervy, and a bit pathetic. Something to be discouraged, definitely. Something worth embarrassing the perps about.

On almost all new cell phones, the camera shutter sound can not be muted. Tech reporter Nobuyuki Hayashi, says. "Some manufacturers have even put louder shutter sound," he reports.

There's not a lot of personal space to go round in urban Japan. The space between one's legs is pretty much all a girl's got - and privacy is always worth defending. If it means embarrassing weirdos who invade that privacy, so be it. I'm just not sure I'm ready to see this as sexually threatening behaviour just yet (Japanese tech-pop culture has plenty of other candidates for that.)

[Charles]

That's the truth. My sister has had an iphone since the first one launched, and it's amazing how well she can type on it now compared to when she started. However, my reason for needing a stylus is not for typing but for handwriting (most kanji would be impossible for me to write accurately with my clumsy finger tips) and for the fact that I can't stand getting the screen all greasy...it just grosses me out. When friends offer me their iPhone to check out, I can't even enjoy it due to the large amount of filth that has accumulated on the screen.

Oh just wipe it off. One wipe across your shirtsleeve and it's clean again. Yes it gets mucky against your cheek but the glass wipes clean easily. The screen software is very clever, it can tell when you're wiping the surface and won't register stray keystrokes.

[xenomorph42]

I've spoken to a variety of people within the cellphone industry in a variety of corporate positions at different companies. Each one gives me nihonjinron style responses to explain why the iPhone won't be successful in Japan.

The most basic excuse is that Japanese don't like touch screens for input because it is not as good as a standard 10 key interface. I've reasked the question now that the iPhone has been released and was told that many Japanese blogs are complaining that the input is buggy and doesn't work for the Japanese language.

I was told that the iPhone is too large in physical size because Westerners have larger hands. The Japanese hands are smaller and the iPhone isn't as comfortable as phones designed for the Japanese market. When I responded that Japanese cellphones have become larger over that last few years to add additional features such as TV turners, I was told that they are still smaller and designed better for Japanese hand.


I've been told that Japanese people have become too accustom to the standard email interface and that the iPhone will not be able to accommodate that.

That Japanese people see smart phones as business only phones and that the Japanese will reject the iPhone as a standard keitai.

The Japanese are accustom to the mobile web that has been established for the keitai and that people don't want to use PC websites on their keitai.

The most logical excuse i've gotten from a research at docomo who told me that the softbank network doesn't have a bandwidth to support an overly popular iPhone. I also asked him if he thought that the App Store was the killer app that would make the iPhone popular he responded that developers can develop Java-based applications for docomo phones. He added that he didn't think that Japanese would want to use iTunes to download applications that they can download from other websites.

The overall goal is that probably to a point, Apple is aware of this, one could consider it an experimental stage for Apple to learn and to refine any future generation iPhone models to put it on par with the Japanese Keitai on most levels. Before Vodafone changed to Softbank, there were similar questions and complaints about the phones not being user friendly for Japanese and how most of the features don't seamlessly integrate well with the Japanese lifestyle.
So far, Apple is running to the bank. Their third quarter results are going through the roof. Again, I think the Japanese market is for Apple something of a learning experience.
Remember the first generation of the iPod? Compare it to the iPod Touch, who wouldn't want one? But it took about 6 years for it to evolve into something sleek and mean(Just hope it'll get up to 80 gigs in the future)Apple always want to stay on top of the game, so I am sure, they realize how picky the Japanese can be about electronic products, especially if it wasn't designed in Japan, they will most definitely scrutinize the products more thoroughly.

Read this.

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/07/21results.html

[GomiGirl]

I'm not sure why the Japanese aren't accepting a product which sells like hotcakes around the globe but maybe there are a number of reasons not just ultra-nationalism.

??? What do you mean it is not selling? Where on earth did you hear that?

Sold more iPhones here in the first week than Nokia has sold in a year here. Not that Nokia sales are much to go on as they really are squeezed out by the Japanese carriers and do suffer from a "Not invented here" syndrome.

I was in a Softbank store just a day ago and everybody was playing with and buying iPhones over anything else. The Disney Mobile handsets have been pushed into a corner to make way for the huge display area for the iPhone. Nobody was playing with the traditional handsets or the Disney Mobile ones.

[yokoyokogirl]

When will the 16gb iphone hit stores...and every store I have contacted is sold out..is there a way to buy it someplace else?:confused:

[jim katta]

I heard that they still have it at selected Bic Cameras. Try the one in Yurakacho.

[RyoHazuki]

I got my white iPhone 1GB last Saturday and guess what? i didnt even have to line up for more than 30min (basically waiting for the shop to open up).

On July 19th I went to SB Harajuku in order to ask few questions about my current plan. The nice girl I was talking with also told me that if I want the iPhone I should come early morning Sat (20th), she actually said I should be there at 9:30am.

Which I did. Together with around 100 more people I went to SB guy and he told me they already sold out. Since it was early morning and I already was out of the house, I decided to give SB Shibuya a check. They had around 10-14 people lining up. I joined the line at around 9:40am. By 10:00am they opened up and told us that there are only 6 iphones in stock but they should get more after 12. I was lucky enough to get the note with my desired model.

I left Shibuya at 10:10am and came back around 4:30pm. After a hour or so, I got my iphone.

Insurance Card and Credit Card - that all it took. No passport, No alien registration.

So far I like the phone, its a phone that really fun to use. The firmware is far from being perfect but I believe apple will improve it.

One thing I didnt like at all is that during listening to a song, its nearly impossible to write an email (the lag is terrible).

Good luck all!

[Mulboyne]

The actor Stephen Fry, a fan of Apple and friend of Apple designer Jonathan Ive, had a piece on the iphone in the Guardian on Saturday. He is writing about the device in the UK so not all his observations will be relevant to Japan.

[FG Lurker]

I got a 16GB iPhone White tonight at "Labi" (Yamada Denki) in Namba. They didn't seem to have any shortage of stock but holy fuck are they SLOW in there! The service was horrific but I have my phone. Now playing with it and figuring out all the little toys.

Now I need to decide how to handle my email, probably through mobileme I guess. Either that or I have to put an Exchange Server into my new office, not something I relish dealing with right now.

[FG Lurker]

This looks interesting as far as having proper pushmail set up:

http://www.digwin.com/view/intermedia-first-to-support-iphone-business-email-0

[Kuang_Grade]

Now I need to decide how to handle my email, probably through mobileme I guess. Either that or I have to put an Exchange Server into my new office, not something I relish dealing with right now.

You might want to hold off on mobileme for a little while...They had a really rough launch and apparently they are still having signficiant problems for some users...while it may be working for some, it looks like it is totally not working for others...I was looking at the reviews on amazon US and I don't think I've ever seen as many 1 star reviews on any single item on Amazon before...with 85 reviews, it still averages only one star....ouch.

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MB611Z-A-MobileMe/dp/B001BY45QO

[Charles]

A friend of mine just got his iPhone 3G, despite my warning that his house is a dead zone with no AT&T service (I tested it with my iPhone before he bought it). He says he'll just use it when he's outside his house and leave his regular cell at home, people can call him on the iPhone when he's out, and on his other cell when he's in. I told him that wasn't very practical, since nobody knows whether he's in or out when they call.

He does get 1 bar outside his house, but it's an old brick structure so he gets no service indoors. I talked to a friend of mine who works at AT&T, he says you can get an antenna and repeater, you put the antenna up on the roof, and then the repeater goes indoors, it brings the signal inside and amplifies it. But now my friend is on vacation and no way to ask him what to buy or where to buy it.

I played with his phone a bit, wow I love the GPS feature. If I had the money, I'd buy the new model just for that feature. But my favorite new feature: the louder speaker.

[FG Lurker]

You might want to hold off on mobileme for a little while...They had a really rough launch and apparently they are still having signficiant problems for some users...while it may be working for some, it looks like it is totally not working for others...I was looking at the reviews on amazon US and I don't think I've ever seen as many 1 star reviews on any single item on Amazon before...with 85 reviews, it still averages only one star....ouch.

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MB611Z-A-MobileMe/dp/B001BY45QO

I'm actually leaning towards using Intermedia for hosted Exchange and switching over to using Outlook 2007 for my email. It costs a bit more but it is what I will have to do eventually anyway. You also get a lot more storage plus "real" business email. I'm going to give their trial a try and see how it goes.

[FG Lurker]

I played with his phone a bit, wow I love the GPS feature. If I had the money, I'd buy the new model just for that feature. But my favorite new feature: the louder speaker.

The GPS is way cool and very accurate. The integration with Google Maps and Google Earth is perfect and the performance is more than enough to make it usable.

I was playing with various audio features and the quality is very good from the small speakers. It actually looks like it might be stereo (two speaker "ports" on the bottom of the phone) but I haven't bothered to check for channel separation yet.

[Mulboyne]

[FG Lurker]

I've noticed the weak radio as well actually and was wondering if I had a faulty phone... Even in the house (where every phone I have ever owned get's full bars) the iPhone sits at 2 bars at most, sometimes 1...

I'm a bit worried how it will work in places where my previous phone struggled to keep signal.

[Mulboyne]

Mixi has just released applications for the iphone and itouch which allow members to access the site more easily. The software is available free through itunes.

[Taro Toporific]

Kyodo News Headlines
Aug.05 18:26 Softbank Mobile to cut minimum monthly fee on iPhone to 2,990 yen

-------and on the same page---

Softbank reports 22.9% fall in group net profit for April-June
TOKYO, Aug. 5 KYODO