SoftBank iPhone: other carriers’ customers more likely to buy
Perhaps I should temporarily rename the blog to “携帯 What Japan Thinks of the iPhone” since I’m joining in on the hype at every opportunity! This time it is JR Tokai Express Research Inc, as reported by japan.internet.com, carring out a survey into the iPhone.
Demographics
On the 13th of June 2008 330 mobile phone-using members of the JR Tokai Express Research monitor panel employed in private industry completed a members-only internet-based questionnaire. 71.2% of the sample were male, 11.8% in their twenties, 44.5% in their thirties, 32.4% in their forties, 9.1% in their fifties, and 1.8% in their sixties.
In Q2, it is curious that 10 people selected SMS as a feature they wanted to use. The users of SMS are few indeed, I think (I can’t remember the last time mentioned it on this blog), as a full email service (including HTML these days) is standard on phones, and there’s no such thing as free SMS in most plans. Perhaps it’s just that a few people are curious to see what exactly the fuss is about?
How's my iPhone article volume?
Research results
Q1: What carrier do you currently use? If more than one, answer with the one you use the most. (Sample size=330)
NTT DoCoMo 49.6% au by KDDI 32.3% SoftBank 22.6% Willcom 5.2% Other 1.2% Of the sample, 248 knew of the iPhone, though it was not reported if that meant just knowledge of the name or knowing it in detail. Next, those 248 were asked if they wanted to use the iPhone, not implying purchasing, but perhaps just using one in a shop or playing with a friend’s. 18.5% said they definitely wanted to use one, and 39.9% said if possible they would. These 145 people expressing some interest in using it were then asked this question.
Q2: Other than voice, email and internet, which two features of the iPhone would you want to use? (Sample size=145, up to two answers)
Votes Percentage Music 108 74.5% Video 65 44.8% Maps 54 37.2% Photos 24 16.6% SMS 10 6.9% Other 4 2.8% At this point in the survey there seems to be a mistake - instead of the 248 above who knew about the iPhone, the sample size is 258. Of the 258, 56 people were with SoftBank and 202 with other carriers, making iPhone awareness just one percentage point (within the magin of error) lower amongst SoftBank customers. Both groups were asked for their thoughts regarding upgrading.
Q3: SoftBank customers: will you upgrade your current phone to an iPhone? (Sample size=56, SoftBank customers)
Think I’ll upgrade 7.1% Think I’ll maybe upgrade 17.9% Don’t really feel I’ll upgrade 39.3% Don’t at all feel I’ll upgrade 8.9% Don’t know 23.2% Other 3.6% Q4: Non-SoftBank customers: will you sign up to SoftBank to use an iPhone? (Sample size=202, non-SoftBank customers)
Use both current carrier and SoftBank 6.4% Transfer to SoftBank 5.4% Wait for current carrier to sell iPhone 20.8% Want to use iPhone, but not enough to change carrier 31.7% Don’t want to use iPhone 20.8% Don’t know 11.9% Other 3.0%
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SoftBank iPhone: other carriers’ customers more likely to buy said,
June 19, 2008 @ 00:25
[…] Go to the author’s original blog: SoftBank iPhone: other carriers’ customers more likely to buy […]
Musubi said,
June 19, 2008 @ 07:42
Surveys aside, I think many are going to want to see for themselves how the product is adapted to the Japanese market. Apple has been working on the input side for awhile now (for those who haven’t seen it, screenshots from back in May if you click on my user name) and that is probably one of the key areas that will come under scrutiny by consumers once they get a chance to try out an iPhone. Of course there are those who were burned by SoftBank in the past and won’t ever go back but thats a different story….
I know lot of people are exceptionally fast (using just their thumb) on a traditional keypad where I think physical feel of the keypad might be an issue (yes, I know about the ad nauseum arguments that went on about the standard keyboard). There is that rumor about Apple looking at licensing Haptic technology from Immersion but that is going to be in some future hardware revision down the road if the rumor is true.
What is going to be more interesting to watch is if Apple will put a hole somewhere on the phone to provide a way for consumers to add their favorite keitai strap/charms. Missing out on something as simple as that in the Japanese market would probably be bigger news than anything else.
rbalfour said,
June 20, 2008 @ 03:56
This may be to advanced for the Japanese market, but who cares, I sure don’t.
I am getting one for the connectivity. The Japanese market is the worse place to adapt to new technologies. If it wasn’t made here by a team of “light-bulb” changers, it’s no good. There are way too many phones now in the market that are useless. TV is a option that is useless. There will be a whole generation of blind ppl or coke-bottle glasses. The last poster was going on about keyboards and blah blah blah. It’s a SOFTWARE phone…you can change the layout of the system (at least apple can via feedback) and this feeling thing…blah blah blah. People will get use to anything. There was a time when JP input was via kana. Now you will be hard pressed to find someone who types fast in kana vs romaji. The NUMBER ONE feature that apple will have to either a) make in the next version for Japan - b) say screw you…it’s just Japan..we have other markets , is the SUICA / Payment system. There are thousands of ppl who can’t live without it. I am going with option B here. Apple isn’t about to make a “special” version for Japan.
Let’s just look at the DoCoMo Biz Blackberry, it finally came, but it didn’t take over the market, explaining to the market about “email” on the phone, turns into “eh, keitai mail, oh yes i have that”, Let’s put it this way, the iphone is for who love cutting edge. period. The whole Tokai research asked 330 ppl, how many ppl are in Japan?
JR biz is another WHOLE different rant.
So come July 11 - You can find me either at the Shibuya store or Ginza store wearing a T-Shirt “IPHONE HACKER”
Ken Y-N said,
June 20, 2008 @ 09:29
Musubi, I think the ultimate test of the interface is can you type one-thumbed while hanging off a strap in a moving train!
rbalfour, err, almost everyone who uses a mobile inputs in kana! Indeed, I’ve never heard of a non-smartphone keitai that converts romaji input to kanji, and if you look at the people who write short stories/books on keitai they say that they can write faster on a mobile than on a full-sized keyboard. And of course the iPhone has a minature soft keyboard, so I’d be surprised if even the average mobile-using person in the street could use the iPhone quicker in romaji than kana.
The Blackberry failed partially due to a lack of marketing and customisation, and partially due to the fact that there is little market for smartphones or PDAs, but that’s a whole different story.