ID :
12253
Fri, 07/11/2008 - 22:00
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/12253
The shortlink copeid
Apple iPhone debuts in Japan via Softbank Mobile
TOKYO, July 11 Kyodo - Apple Inc.'s iPhone debuted Friday in Japan, with sales starting early in the morning at Softbank Mobile Corp.'s flagship store in Omotesando, downtown Tokyo, with over 1,500 enthusiasts lining up for the new smart phone.
With a large number of TV cameras and media personnel in front of the store, sales of iPhone 3G began at 7 a.m. after a countdown chanted by Softbank Mobile President Masayoshi Son and avid iPhone fans.
Some fans had camped out at the store for days to make sure they would be among the first to own the next-generation phone.
The long line was closed when it reached about 1,500 people due to the limited supply, said Softbank Mobile, Japan's No. 3 mobile phone carrier.
The first person in the line was Hiroyuki Sano, a graduate student from Nagoya who turned 25 while waiting. Sano said he had been waiting since Tuesday morning except for when heavy rain hit Tokyo that day.
Describing himself as a ''big fan of Apple,'' Sano said he is excited to try the touch-screen gadget.
Another early getter, Shiho Hishida, a web designer from Chiba Prefecture, said with a smile, ''I had been waiting for today since the first version was released in the United States.''Softbank's Son made a surprise appearance Thursday night before the store to thank and cheer on those camped out to get the device that combines an e-mail and Internet-access equipped phone handset with the iPod media player.
''This is a memorable, historic day'' marking the transformation of mobile phones to an ''Internet machine,'' said Son at the morning ceremony.
He said the iPhone's debut will lead to a new era where people feel it more convenient and comfortable to browse the Internet outside with the new gadget than they do with personal computers.
It was the iPhone's debut in Japan as the first version was unavailable here due to the difference between its cellphone network system and Japanese systems.
The iPhone 3G went on sale more widely starting at noon at other Softbank stores and electronics retailers nationwide. The new smart phone is also scheduled to make a debut in 21 other countries the same day.
Apple says the iPhone 3G has a networking system that is twice as fast as the first generation iPhone and has an improved built-in global positioning system enabling users to check their location on an onscreen map, together with other information such as nearby restaurants.
Functions not equipped with the iPhone are the receipt of TV broadcasts, e-money and pictographic characters for e-mail messages between cellphones -- popular tools used with the latest Japanese cellphone models, according to Apple.
Softbank Mobile prices the iPhone 3G at 23,040 yen for the 8 gigabyte version and 34,560 yen for the 16 GB version for a new subscription contract.
For those who want to switch their current phones for the iPhone, the handset price will be higher by a minimum of about 7,000 yen depending on their subscriber contract status.
The iPhone's debut is expected to help Softbank Mobile retain its lead in the competition for new subscribers over its bigger rivals NTT DoCoMo Inc. and KDDI Corp.
Thanks to its popular ''White Plan'' with a 980 yen basic monthly charge and comical TV advertising, Softbank Mobile has enjoyed more user additions over rivals for the 14th consecutive month through June.
Aya Ueto, a popular actress who appeared in the adverts, Hiroyuki Miyajima, president of major consumer electronics store chain Bic Camera, and Son held an event later in the day to celebrate the iPhone launch at the retailer's flagship store in Yurakucho, Tokyo.
As of the end of June, Softbank Mobile held about an 18 percent share in Japan's mobile phone market, compared with NTT DoCoMo's 52 percent share, KDDI's 29 percent share, and EMobile Ltd.'s less than 1 percent share.
With a large number of TV cameras and media personnel in front of the store, sales of iPhone 3G began at 7 a.m. after a countdown chanted by Softbank Mobile President Masayoshi Son and avid iPhone fans.
Some fans had camped out at the store for days to make sure they would be among the first to own the next-generation phone.
The long line was closed when it reached about 1,500 people due to the limited supply, said Softbank Mobile, Japan's No. 3 mobile phone carrier.
The first person in the line was Hiroyuki Sano, a graduate student from Nagoya who turned 25 while waiting. Sano said he had been waiting since Tuesday morning except for when heavy rain hit Tokyo that day.
Describing himself as a ''big fan of Apple,'' Sano said he is excited to try the touch-screen gadget.
Another early getter, Shiho Hishida, a web designer from Chiba Prefecture, said with a smile, ''I had been waiting for today since the first version was released in the United States.''Softbank's Son made a surprise appearance Thursday night before the store to thank and cheer on those camped out to get the device that combines an e-mail and Internet-access equipped phone handset with the iPod media player.
''This is a memorable, historic day'' marking the transformation of mobile phones to an ''Internet machine,'' said Son at the morning ceremony.
He said the iPhone's debut will lead to a new era where people feel it more convenient and comfortable to browse the Internet outside with the new gadget than they do with personal computers.
It was the iPhone's debut in Japan as the first version was unavailable here due to the difference between its cellphone network system and Japanese systems.
The iPhone 3G went on sale more widely starting at noon at other Softbank stores and electronics retailers nationwide. The new smart phone is also scheduled to make a debut in 21 other countries the same day.
Apple says the iPhone 3G has a networking system that is twice as fast as the first generation iPhone and has an improved built-in global positioning system enabling users to check their location on an onscreen map, together with other information such as nearby restaurants.
Functions not equipped with the iPhone are the receipt of TV broadcasts, e-money and pictographic characters for e-mail messages between cellphones -- popular tools used with the latest Japanese cellphone models, according to Apple.
Softbank Mobile prices the iPhone 3G at 23,040 yen for the 8 gigabyte version and 34,560 yen for the 16 GB version for a new subscription contract.
For those who want to switch their current phones for the iPhone, the handset price will be higher by a minimum of about 7,000 yen depending on their subscriber contract status.
The iPhone's debut is expected to help Softbank Mobile retain its lead in the competition for new subscribers over its bigger rivals NTT DoCoMo Inc. and KDDI Corp.
Thanks to its popular ''White Plan'' with a 980 yen basic monthly charge and comical TV advertising, Softbank Mobile has enjoyed more user additions over rivals for the 14th consecutive month through June.
Aya Ueto, a popular actress who appeared in the adverts, Hiroyuki Miyajima, president of major consumer electronics store chain Bic Camera, and Son held an event later in the day to celebrate the iPhone launch at the retailer's flagship store in Yurakucho, Tokyo.
As of the end of June, Softbank Mobile held about an 18 percent share in Japan's mobile phone market, compared with NTT DoCoMo's 52 percent share, KDDI's 29 percent share, and EMobile Ltd.'s less than 1 percent share.
