Yep it’s time for the details. If you followed the news you know that there has been lots of posts about the details. Some of them are just copies of others. What do we know at this point?
The iphone 3G is coming to Japan. Softbank is the one who will introduce the mobile phone. Softbank is the 3rd largest or the smallest of the three mobile phone companies in Japan. In the past year it was very successful with its ads on TV featuring a dog who can speak, who has a Japanese wife, a daughter and a black american son. The ad series is No1.
Now it is a surprise that Softbank will introduce the iphone, because it was long believed that docomo – the largest mobile phone carrier – will be the one. It must be that Softbank put a lot of money on the table or accepted all conditions from Apple.
On the other hand it is not much of a surprise when you know that Softbank and Apple once worked together as the ipod was launched in Japan. Also Softbank has Micky Mouse mobile phones in his line, and as you might know Steve Jobs has also strong links to the Disney company. Knowing this it might not be any more such a big surprise that Softbank got the iphone to launch in Japan.
Please keep in mind that docomo is still in talks – according to there own claims – and hopes to make a deal with Apple at some point. This might be very important.
Sorry, I kept you waiting. The price for the iphone is 23,040 Yen or $215 a bit higher but if you look at the exchange rate Yen to Dollar it is not that bad. This price is for the 8GB model and it is a perfect well price. People have not much trouble paying this amount up front. Now the monthly fee is the price that will be most important in Japan. Here is the official line that the basic fee will 980 Yen + 315 Yen for mail + 5985 Yen for unlimited data packet = 7280 Yen a month. Missing in this price are the calls that one makes to others. So count on it, it will be something closer to 9000 or 11,000 Yen, depending on whom and when the calls are made.
Is that price good? According to Softbank it is. They say this time it will not be the price that brings customers to Softbank but the features of the iphone 3G.
Well I am sorry to differ here. As it was notices in other blogs and in the news, the iphone 3G is nothing special in Japan. All features and more than the iphone has to offer are already in use. The iphone has a few points going for it, namely the brand Apple, but there are alternatives that are very close to the iphone. And you might not expect it, but they come from Apple itself.
If you think that the monthly fee is a bit high you might want to think about a combination. Get yourself a mobile phone and have the features that the iphone 3G does not have like segTV and get an ipod touch. The prices for the 8GB and 16GB are already lower now. Even so you have to pay more at the beginning, but with what you save monthly on your mobile fee, it is fast paid.
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