“Sachio Semmoto, founder of Japanese broadband Internet and wireless company eAccess Ltd, said on Wednesday that WiMax, a new super high-speed wireless technology, will lose the battle to be the fourth-generation mobile standard of choice,” Sachi Izumi reports for Reuters.
“Semmoto, a telecoms industry veteran of 35 years, [also chairman of eAccess] told the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit in Tokyo that a rival technology, known as Long Term Evolution (LTE), will win the race for 4G wireless networks because many large operators in developed countries are throwing their weight behind it,” Izumi reports.
“Semmoto also said Apple Inc’s iPhone was a ‘total failure’ in the U.S. market, considering how few of the phones have sold compared with those from rivals, such as Nokia,” Izumi reports.
“He praised iPhone’s functions but blamed the choice of network. AT&T is the only carrier for the iPhone in the United States,” Izumi reports. ‘If I have a chance to talk to Steve, I’d like to tell him face to face: You made a wrong choice,’ he said.”
Full article here.
Obviously, iPhone is not a “total” or any other sort of “failure” in the U.S. market. Apple’s iPhone quickly catapulted to 28% share of the U.S. converged device market (second only to RIM’s 41%, well ahead of third placed Palm’s 9%, and ahead of all Windows Mobile device vendors combined, whose share was 21%) in Q4 2007 – even while being tied to a single official network carrier, AT&T – a choice that Steve Jobs must have felt he had to make at the outset, regardless of the opinion of some random Japanese wireless company executive.
By the way, Apple’s iPhone will not be exclusive to AT&T in the U.S. for all eternity.
This bozo must have some motivation for calling the wildly successful iPhone a “total failure” in the U.S., but, to tell you the truth, following the specific money trail(s) or figuring out where he felt some perceived Apple slight is simply not worth the effort.
Besides the imminent arrival of iPhone in Japan (fear is a strong motivator for generating stupid quotes from bit players), we do know that, back in February, Reuters reported that eAccess had announced a sales deal with Taiwan’s High Tech Computer (HTC), which is yet another iPhone lookalike-not-actalike outfit that preys upon the ignorant.
yes yes, and he can go and eat whale meat and pretend theres plenty of them in the ocean to farm from
Perhaps Apple used this strategy to test the iPhone, now the iPhone 2 should be avaiable everywhere where the competition is.
He must be using that stat of all Nokia phones sold… smart-phone or not…even the free ones giving away under contracts.
Entirely misleading…
Mr. Semmoto, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Inscrutible
Once again, the competition is simply in denial. Denial or full copycat… that’s their only “weapons” of choice.
let me guess, eAccess was rebuffed by Apple?
I love the smell of ignorant naysayers in the morning.
NOT.
well, to piss on the parade. apple going with exclusive deals seriously limited the number of handets they could have sold. at least here in germany, being tied to t-mobile prevented a lot of people i know from buying one. the same seems to be true for other markets including the u.s. so yes in my mind, he is right, that was a mistake. (though saying the iphone being a total failure is idiotique at best)
And don´t forget, MDN, the iPhone has 100% of the Apple phone market, plus it is the only – totally exclusive – phone sold via Apple Stores.
hmmmm….
and in Q1 2008, Nokia financial report stated that “Nokia’s North American market share has plunged from 20% to 7% in two years.”
http://tinyurl.com/4af3ze
what does that make Nokia’s effort in US?
Well, ignorants are a very large business everywhere…
You can sell them cheap things at very high prices, you do not need a complex marketing plan. Just take a look at MS windows market….
The guy has so much insight, he’ll join the Enderle Group, before long, making a threesome with Rob and his wife.
“I love the smell of ignorant naysayers in the morning.”
Ammonia and cheap booze?
@MDN:
Please, don’t forget to iCal this fool.
Sachio Semmoto goes in ical
Nokia are a phone company, that’s their focus, they have existing infrastructure, a wide range of devices and an existing market. The iPhone is a first attempt from a company who are totally new to the market. Whatever shortcomings the first version has are ones that can be easily rectified over time but are overshadowed by the things it excels at. The iPhone is by no stretch of the imaginations a failure. At worst, at the very worst it is a solid foundation for success.
Give the guy some slack. He is obviously a recent arrival on our planet and hasn’t gotten his bearings yet. We don’t want him to get a bad initial impression of earthlings.
Normally I wince a bit at MDN’s Take when they are reporting some nay-sayer’s anti-Apple comments. Over the top, vitriolic, puerile … these are just some of the terms that have applied in the past. Not this time. With the exception of one “bozo”, this one nails the answer to the miscreant’s forehead.
OK, Apple’s iPhone is NOT #1 in the US, never mind the world, and is not even trying for that spot. Well … maybe in its modest, profitable niche. But Windows Mobile has been out there for longer, and has multiple models – most costing less – and is sold by experienced phone companies around the world, and … it’s an also-ran? Palm – well-known, long standing, and at 1/3 the market share?
This man must think Apple is in competition with the throw-away phones like I use, rather than business-class phones. Doesn’t understand? Doesn’t care?
MDN: Except for calling him a ‘bozo’ that was a great, great take. Well written, thought out, and backed up with the Reuter’s article. Those are the comments I love to see!
Well done!
iCal this article…I promise it will get pulled from it’s resting place a year from now…maybe earlier.
Welcome to the Laura Goldman fan club, Mr. Semmoto. Just what will you do when the iPhone is released in Japan? Call Nokia and get them to make 200 more versions. It’s all about the User Interface, sir.
AT&T;and t-mobile are the only two GSM operators in the USA. while I would prefer an unlocked phone so i can travel and just swap sim cards the fact is the USA is so far behind everyone else it will take 5 more years after europe gets 4G before the USA will anyways.
We are really just getting 3G now.
Semmoto is on CRACK!!!
Phone call for Mr. Semmoto. It is Mr. Reality calling. He says he needs to have a talk with you.
Semmoto-son, put the sword to your stomach and push as hard as you can. Your place in history will be determined by quotes of an “ignorant” man predicting the failure of the mobile device that eventually captures almost the entire market.