The article i chose this week is from CNNmoney.com and discusses how I-phones are now free with the signing of a 2 year contract in Japan. The article talks about how Softbank Mobile, a cellular provider in Japan, is reducing monthly fees for the I-phone less than a month after it's debut in Japan.
I agree that Softbank should decrease it's price, especially if the product isn't selling, in order to make any kind of profit. If the Japan is not interested in the I-phone because of different reasons, maybe a cut in price will help them to like it more.
Some reasons why people in Japan dislike the I-phone ranged from one thing to the other. One reason was that it's too difficult to put cute emotion faces in on it, which is popular in Japan. Another was that women in Japan often have very long fingernails and using the phone is too difficult. One more is that the I-phone lacks the "FeliCa" option which is a type of electronic debit card used in Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Some feel it's not that technologically advanced compared to alot of the things that Japan has.
Overall, the I-phone doesn't fit some individuals' lifestyles. I think this is a very significant point because the West (i.e. USA) sometimes just assumes that everything we do and feel here applies in all areas of the world. It's a very arrogant thing and although the I-phone is very useful in our busy "on the go" world, it may not work everywhere else. Once this is understood, I believe that maybe Apple could go back to the drawing board in order to make a different version of the I-phone that is more tailored to Japan's needs. If they want it to succeed in Japan, they'll have to do more than cut down the price i think. It has to be an instrument that is valuable and useful to the people of Japan.
1 comment:
You're right that in the U.S. we often think we're so much more technologically advanced than everyone else, but it's not always true. I wonder if we in the United States would like the phones that they have in Japan. Good point that just lowering the price might not be enough to convince the Japanese to buy the phone.
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