“One of Japan’s top cell phone innovators says that for all his country’s technological prowess, it could never have produced the iPhone,” Yuri Kageyama reports for The Associated Press.
“Japan’s telecommunications industry stifles the kind of creativity that is so apparent in Apple’s Web-surfing phone, says Takeshi Natsuno, who developed Japan’s first Internet-linking cell phone service “i-mode” in 1999, when such systems were still groundbreaking,” Kageyama reports.
“‘This is a great device,’ he said, affectionately touching a black iPhone 3G during an interview Thursday with The Associated Press. ‘This kind of device cannot be produced by Japanese manufacturers. Never,'” Kageyama reports.
“Natsuno, 43, who quit top Japanese mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo three months ago, expressed disenchantment with this nation’s phone industry, which he said was dominated by stodgy conservatives, who lacked the charisma and creative sensibilities of a Steve Jobs, chief executive at Cupertino, California-based Apple,” Kageyama reports.
“The iPhone, introduced in Japan last month, has drawn long lines although it still makes up a tiny portion of Japan’s 115 million cell-phone market,” Kageyama reports.
MacDailyNews Take: No, really? You mean Apple hasn’t sold tens of millions of units in the first four weeks and therefore still makes up just a tiny portion of Japan’s cellphone market, despite being introduced a whole month ago? Who’da thunk it? Cripes, Mr. Obvious. What’s next, Yuri, “water is wet?”
Kageyama continues, “Natsuno, now professor of policy management at Keio University, warned that Japan’s telecommunications business is doomed unless it can change quickly.”
Full article here.
[UPDATE: 3:04pm EDT: Revised “Take” after further reflection. In our own defense, we read a lot of, um, stuff, each day and some of what’s written just wears us out.]
I thought everyone had been saying that Japan was light years ahead and Apple iPhone would never fit into this completely different culture.
Kageyama is right, a device like iPhone cannot be produced in japan, even other Apple-like products. The big japanese company must to start to “think different”.
(Personally it would find interesting a joint Venture between Panasonic & Apple. They could make the “iMovie-Camcorder” or an “iMacTV”)
Japan has been great at hardware, and weak on the software.
<<No, really? You mean Apple hasn’t sold tens of millions of units in the first four weeks and therefore still makes up just a tiny portion of Japan’s cellphone market, despite being introduced a whole month ago? Who’da thunk it? Cripes. How stupid do you have to be to get a job writing for AP, exactly? Is there even a lower limit? What’s next, Yuri, “water is wet?”>>
MDN’s cryptic sarcasm has become boring. It is what one would expect of a high school newsletter. Its childish.
It does nothing to enhance the reader’s knowledge of the industries Apple competes in, or how Apple itself is doing.
Wow…
“How stupid do you have to be to get a job writing for AP, exactly?” That comment is a little over-the-top, son’t you think? I don’t have anything to do with AP at all, but seriously. Why would you downgrade to an iPhone when you have video conferencing on most cell phones in Japan??? That Mr. is a pertinent comment!
“Tiny portion,” LOL.
Japs had to get a dig in. American company wiping the floor with their industry and they’re pissed.
This MDN-take is a low…
and ; “Japs had to get a dig in. American company wiping the floor with their industry and they’re pissed.”
Ouch , you mean like japanese cars in US o´A ? *giggles*
And this revelation would shock who, exactly?
Japan has never been known for its innovation; they are known for efficiency and miniaturization.
In short, historically they would be able to make an iPhone-esque device that cost less to produce, have a removeable battery, and be 20% smaller.
However, with advanced computer aided design and state of the art Chinese production facilities, this former competitive advantage has been severely eroded with respect to consumer electronics.
So, yeah, they are screwed, however still make great Hybrids.
Still..it took GM to invent a viable electric car (Volt)…well…I guess to invent it again. Google “who killed the electric car” for a hoot.
Oh..but back to MDN’s take.
The AP brand is perceived as crap by any thinking adult. Just read their election coverage.
To paraphrase Dean Wormer, “Biased and factually inaccurate is no way to go through life, son.”
S. Jobs should perhaps offer Mr Natsuno a job.
And that is now your updated “take”?
Wow, you guys are assholes in the extreme, aren’t you? Someone pisses in your cheerios every day, it seems.
MDN, good work, keep it up!
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Agreed with NDM. I did a double-take and couldn’t believe that was the “revised” take.
Sometimes there is insightful commentary, then sometimes it’s like an angry high-schooler has taken over. Do you guys have split personalities or something?
Yeah Step…
if these guys had to go get real jobs dealing with real people, I think they’d be asking “Do you want fries with that?” a lot. They don’t seem very social at all.
Apple does it better because of “Think Different”… Steve has a more global vision of what “thinking” means… While Bill Gates and M$ have the american way of thinking.
Japanese are very goog in many things. One of them is to be able to admit when something is done in a better way.
Don’t ever change, MDN.
We love you just the way you are!
@ rwr:
GM hasn’t started producing the electric-hybrid Volt, and on its website says it’s “targeting” the end of 2010 to have the vehicle completed. They’ve been working on this for years, so their timeframe is sounding a bit like a Microsoft Windows release date.
I’ll believe the Volt when it is actually available for people to buy and can get me to work and back with out worrying about the batteries dying.
Yes, I’ve heard that the Japanese have been video conferencing and syncing electronic business cards to each other for years now. I’m kind of surprised to read how far behind they are. Yuri Kageyama should take a trip to America and see how we normally use our cell phones here. He might take back his comment. In the meantime, I’ll accept the compliment of a great new technology when it’s offered.
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MDN’s take is spot on. The quote from the report is an example of how the media can create a bias.
In defense of GM, the problem with producing a great electric car is the battery technology. GM is in the car business, not the battery business.
MDN,
I always look forward to reading your “take.” Pay no attention to
wet blanket comments.
The main problem with the Volt is that it is being advertised as if it DOES exist. In many ways GM is copying Microsoft “look what we plan to have someday”. The Prius (as example) is at least on the road now. I have real doubts that a Volt will ever make it out of the magazine’s ads and onto the road.
The iPhone aspiring to be a PSP and the PSP aspiring to be an iPhone. What’s your take? More childish comments?
P.S. It’s Ms Yuri Kageyama, obvious, I know.
“[FILL IN THE BLANK], which he said was dominated by stodgy conservatives, who lacked the charisma and creative sensibilities…”
How typical. But the amazing thing – how business’ continually deny it.
Conservative thinking is the antithesis of creativity.