世論 What Japan Thinks

This isn’t the first survey to indicate this, but this recent survey from Media Interactive, reported on by japan.internet.com, into Apple’s iPhone backed up statistics on the iPhone being almost as much a second phone as an only phone.

Demographics

Between the 21st and 23rd of June 2010 exactly 1,000 internet users completed an online survey. 51.5% of the sample were male, 0.8% in their teens, 15.2% in their twenties, 30.2% in their thirties, 29.1% in their forties, 17.1% in their fifties, and 7.6% in their sixties.

You may want to check out yesterday’s look at the iPad.

I must admit to feeling a bit jealous of iPhone and other smartphone users these days, and sadly my summer bonus isn’t enough to cover an upgrade. However, I won’t touch SoftBank, and docomo’s recent annoucement of their removal of SIM Lock from next year will probably delay my upgrade even longer.

Note that the survey was conducted between the 21st and 23rd of June, but the iPhone 4 didn’t go on sale until the day after, 24th June 2010, and that the 2G original iPhone was never released in Japan.
Read the rest of this entry »

Anyone bringing out an iPhone or, heaven forfend, an iPad at a gokon dating party would get nothing but ridicule (or a punch in the iGob, if I was feeling generous) from me, but regardless, this survey from goo Ranking and probably sponsored by Apple looked at the top twenty dating party applications for the iPhone

Demographics

Between the 21st and 24th of May 2010 perhaps around 1,100 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. Unfortunately, the link to the demographics is broken, so I cannot give any more information that that right now. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample.

Quite frankly, all these games sound rather naff to me, but then again I’m not in the target audience! Have any of my readers tried out any of the below at a real party?
Read the rest of this entry »

With Apple’s iPad to go on sale from tomorrow in Japan, this recent survey from Point On Research and reported on by japan.internet.com takes a timely look at what iPhone and iPod Touch users think about iPhone applications and the iPad.

Demographics

On the 25th of May 2010 800 heavy mobile phone users who were members of the Point On monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample was 50:50 male and female, and 25:25:25:25 teens, twenties, thirties and forties.

I’m surprised at the low number of iPod Touch users. Around about 5% might be a fair number for iPhone users alone, but from my observations in the train to work there appears to be more iPod Touch users than 5%. However, Point On Research do seem not to cover the iPhone demographic well, as in other surveys the percentage of SoftBank customers has been low, but I don’t know what would cause a drop (assuming I’m not just overestimating!) in iPod Touch users.

In Q2, the entertainment category probably covers silly trick applications like the multitude of fart apps and the like.
Read the rest of this entry »

A recent survey from Point On Research, reported by japan.internet.com, into mobile phone addiction levels found a high level of self-reported addiction amongst the young heavy users that make up their monitor base.

Demographics

On the 11th of May 2010 800 members of the Point On monitor group who were heavy users of mobile phones completed a private mobile internet-based questionnaire. The sample was exactly 50:50 male and female, 25.0% in their teens, 25.0% in their twenties, 25.0% in their thirties, and 25.0% in their forties.

On weekends I can go the whole day without touching my phone, but at work since I’m not allowed to take my mobile into my office, when I have a toilet break I have a peek, but unless there is mail waiting, it is no more than pressing a button on the case to see if it buzzes.
Read the rest of this entry »

A recent survey from iShare looking at mobile phone types found that clamshells with the standard ten keys were both the most popular current phone and future phone.

Demographics

Between the 7th and 12th of April 2010 520 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 58.3% of the sample were male, 31.0% were in their twenties, 30.2% in their thirties, and 38.8% in their forties.

Interestingly enough, touch panel smartphones were around twice as popular with males as females. I got the impression from other surveys that there was more significant iPhone penetration with women.

If I can afford an unlimited data packet plan, my next phone will be a flat touch panel smartphone; if I decide to stay stingy and stick with email, it will be a ten key clamphone like my current.
Read the rest of this entry »

With the government recommending that mobile companies remove SIM Lock restrictions on future mobile phones, thus allowing the same phone to be used on multiple carriers, this survey from iShare into SIM Lock removal found more people than I expected opposed to the move.

Demographics

Between the 14th and 19th of April 2010 469 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 57.6% of the sample were male, 29.6% in their twenties, 35.4% in their thirties, and 35.0% in their forties.

I’m all for SIM Lock removal, if just to encourage service providers to compete on price rather than the current locking into high-priced handsets and long-term contracts. Despite Japan having just about the cheapest fixed-line internet, mobile prices are all basically between 4,000 and 5,000 yen or so for all-you-can-use data plans, plus an additional 1,000 to 2,000 yen per month for basic service access with very few free minutes, then 40,000 to 60,000 for the handset on top. In the UK, as far as I can determine data plans are about half that price yet handsets are still subsidised. Due to these high prices, I cannot afford to upgrade to an Xperia, despite the many good reviews (barring battery life) that I am reading.
Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to events such as the demos in Iran last year, the awareness of Twitter has gone through the roof, from around 12% to 95%, according to this survey conducted by goo Research and reported on by japan.internet.com.

Demographics

Between the 22nd and 24th of April 2010 1,077 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.8% of the sample were male, 16.0% in their teens, 17.8% in their twenties, 21.4% in their thirties, 16.8% in their forties, 15.6% in their fifties, and 12.3% aged sixty or older.

I’ve used Twitter once or twice on my non-smartphone using the special Japanese iMode gateway, but due to stupidly high data costs in Japan (about 1 yen per kilobyte – yes, not megabyte) it costs me about 150 yen to just log in and view my home page!
Read the rest of this entry »

A recent survey from iShare into cellphone straps, focusing in particular on disposal, revealed many interesting habits regarding Japanese people’s phone decorations.

Demographics

Between the 24th and 29th of March 2010 507 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 55.6% of the sample were male, 31.8% in their twenties, 32.9% in their thirties, and 35.3% in their forties.

A cellphone strap survey always gives me a chance to try to sell you cute cellphone straps! The pie chart above looks at function versus design – here’s a acupressure massage function and here’s the cute Mameshiba design for instance. Q1SQ4 indicates no-one’s interested on jumping in early onto the latest bandwagon, but just in case you are, can I recommend solar-powered Game and Watch keychain?

I usually change my strap when I find a new design, but I’ve not really been in the searching mood much, so I’ve got mostly rather tatty two-year-old straps right now.
Read the rest of this entry »

Although the survey is biased towards heavy users of mobiles, this recent survey from Point On Research into mobile wallpaper found a quite high percentage of people willing to pay for dynamic wallpaper.

Demographics

On the 23rd of April 2010 800 heavy users of mobile phones complted a private mobile phone-based survey. The sample was 50:50 male and female, 25.0% in their teens, 25.0% in their twenties, 25.0% in their thirties, and 25.0% in their forties. The exact definition of “heavy user” is not given, but I would imagine as a start it is people who max out their all-you-can-use data plans.

Note that Q1 indicates a bias away from SoftBank and toward au mostly – the usual split is around 45:30:20:5.

Funnily enough, today I saw an ad on my mobile phone and wanted to download a free Sento-kun 3D animated wallpaper, but my ancient phone cannot support it!

Note that wallpaper can function as both a backdrop and an animated screensaver, which explains to some extent the significant amount of Flash.
Read the rest of this entry »

Not discounts for mobile phones, but discount coupons accessed through mobile phones was the topic of this recent survey from Point On Research and reported on by japan.internet.com.

Demographics

On the 13th of April 2010 800 heavy users of mobile phones completed a mobile phone-based questionnaire. The sample was 50:50 male and female, 25.0% in their teens, 25.0% in their twenties, 25.0% in their thirties, and 25.0% in their forties.

I’m not a heavy user of my mobile phone, so my excuse for not using them, that the packet charges are more than the savings, does not apply to the heavy users who are probably all on unlimited use. Most of my coupons come from the computer-based internet or free papers.
Read the rest of this entry »