世論 What Japan Thinks

With the Sharp AQUOS keitai outselling all others, is it the television that is boosting the cell phone or the cell phone boosting the television? This is a question that intrigues me, but unfortunately that question has little to do with today’s translation of a survey by MyVoice into flat screen televisions.

Demographics

Over the first five days of November 2007 19,700 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample was female, 2% in their teens, 16% in their twenties, 37% in their thirties, 28% in their forties, and 17% in their fifties.

Carrying on that thought about brand symbiosis between mobile phones and televisions, Panasonic finally launched its Viera brand mobile phone, the P905i, which according to reports I’ve heard is the top-seller, and in fact is selling faster than they can build them, from the new DoCoMo range of phones, despite being a wallet-busting 52,000 yen, which when converted to dollars is more than an iPhone, and when you then add in that an unlimited packet contract is about 4,000 yen, and the base contract price plus essential extras like the answering phone and iMode access adds up to around 3,000 yen, putting you at around about 60 US dollars per month, which does not include any free minutes, although there are loyalty discounts that should be factored in; up to 50% off for 10 year customers.

But I digress. Back at flat screen televisions, the survey results were as follows.

Research results

Q1: At home, what kinds of flat screen television do you currently have? (Sample size=19,700, multiple answer)

LCD	31.3%
Plasma	6.4%
Rear projector	0.5%
Other flat screen television	0.9%
Don’t have a flat screen television	63.0%

Q2: Do you plan to buy or upgrade to a flat screen television at home? (Sample size=19,700)

Yes, within six months (to SQ)	5.1%
Yes, within one year (to SQ)	7.8%
Yes, within two or three years (to SQ)	12.9%
Plan to buy sometime, but no concrete decision made yet	42.0%
Don’t plan to buy	22.3%
Don’t know	9.9%

Q2SQ: What kind of flat screen television do you plan to buy? (Sample size=those with purchasing plans, multiple answer)

LCD	63.1%
Plasma	29.9%
Rear projector	2.5%
Other flat screen television	4.7%
Don’t know	21.0%
No answer	1.7%

Q3: If you were buying a flat screen television, which makers would you investiage? (Sample size=19,700, multiple answer)

Sharp AQUOS	52.4%
Panasonic VIERA	32.7%
Sony BRAVIA	30.5%
Toshiba REGZA	16.8%
Hitachi Wooo	14.4%
Pioneer KURO	5.5%
Mitsubishi REAL	5.4%
Victor EXE	5.2%
Sanyo VIZON	2.3%
Samsung	1.4%
LG Lucky Goldstar	0.9%
Other	1.2%
Don’t know	28.2%
No answer	1.7%

Q4: If you were buying a flat screen television, which maker do you feel has the most appealing products? (Sample size=19,700)

Sharp AQUOS	36.7%
Panasonic VIERA	11.2%
Sony BRAVIA	9.3%
Toshiba REGZA	3.5%
Hitachi Wooo	2.5%
Pioneer KURO	0.9%
Victor EXE	0.6%
Mitsubishi REAL	0.5%
Sanyo VIZON	0.2%
Samsung	0.2%
LG Lucky Goldstar	0.1%
Other	0.4%
Don’t know	31.9%
No answer	1.8%

Q5: If you were buying a flat screen television, which points would be important? (Sample size=19,700, multiple answer)

Price	61.4%
Display quality	57.4%
Display size	40.8%
Display brightness	25.0%
Power consumption	21.3%
Thinness	21.0%
Body design, colour	18.2%
Sound quality	17.4%
Reliability	17.2%
Maker, brand	16.8%
Display colour reproduction	16.6%
Digital High-Vision compatability	15.7%
Terrestrial, BS, CS Digital compatability	15.5%
Product life length	15.2%
Ease of use	14.5%
Overall size, weight	13.5%
Ease of connectivity	13.0%
Field of vision	12.6%
Richness of functionality	5.7%
Product advertising	0.9%
Other	1.0%
Don’t know	5.3%
No answer	1.2%

Q6: Regarding organic EL panel television, which is planned to launch this December, do you feel they are appealing? (Sample size=19,700)

Feel it’s appealing, and if I see it I could think about buying	16.4%
Feel it’s appealing, but I don’t think I’d want to buy	41.1%
Don’t feel it’s appealing	10.0%
Don’t know	32.4%