Japan Cautious in iPhone's Bid for World Dominance
Date : 18 Jul 2008 Category : Technology
NewsFactor NetworkThat kind of cautious response to the July 11 arrival of Apple Inc.'s phone appears common in Japan.
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.
"I don't want my friends to think I'm this uncool, cold-hearted person," Tohyama said.
For example, young people in Japan take for granted the ability to share phone numbers, e-mail addresses and other contact information by beaming it from one phone to another over infrared connections. Being without those instantaneous exchanges would be the death knell on the Japanese dating circuit.
While the iPhone has Bluetooth wireless links, it has no infrared connection.
The iPhone lacks other technology long available on Japanese cell phones, such as digital TV broadcasts, a built-in camcorder, voice recognition and an "electronic wallet" function.
Japanese cell phone customers also might struggle with the fact that using the iPhone requires both hands. The Japanese style of texting relies mainly on a thumb -- so much so that experienced users are dubbed "oyayubi zoku" or "thumb tribe."
Also missing from Steve Jobs' much-praised design: a hole in the handset for hanging trinkets. Westerners may scoff at them...