“Apple’s deal with Japan’s leading carrier Docomo… is hugely significant,” Jon Russell reports for TNW.
“Research from Kantar Japan — which polls 100,000 consumers per month — suggests that as many as two-thirds of customers who unsubscribe from Docomo go elsewhere to buy an iPhone,” Russell reports. “That makes the Apple deal a massive one for Docomo, which has seen its rivals close its lead, while Apple has full carrier distribution in the country.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: In Japan, this is at least as significant as Verizon Wireless finally getting iPhone in the U.S., and probably even more significant than that.
Related articles:
NTT DoCoMo and Apple team up to offer iPhone in Japan on Friday, September 20 – September 10, 2013
Japan’s DoCoMo paying heavily for not carrying Apple iPhone – July 5, 2013
Japan’s iPhone have-not Docomo loses record 40,800 subscribers in November as customers switch carriers for iPhone 5 – December 7, 2012
No No No.. iPhone is bad for the carriers… Bad iPhone, Bad iPhone….
Right, just like the ex-CEO of Palm said back in 2007.
What did that guy from Wired say about the Japanese not wanting an iPhone at all? 😉
It’s really quite shocking how few tech analysts ‘get’ Apple. It’s to the point where I can count on profound Apple ignorance in the majority of tech article I read.
Keep it up Apple! You’ve got their heads spinning faster than usual! And that’s a good thing.
Exactly, it is incredible how those so called “analyst” still have a job after again and agin they are constantly predicting bad things for apple and apple keep constantly shutting their mouth.
every carrier after adopting the iPhone start posting bigger sales and eventually bigger profits and customers change from “android carriers” to iPhone carriers.
Best of all, carriers that originally supported android phones are now realizing that with out the iPhone, they sell phones, but not services because android people are poor people.
I could get all intense about business theory. Apple severely breaks the current ‘biznizz’ mold, or mould depending on your POV. These poorly educated, stuck in the bad-old-days tech analysts apparently can’t fathom doing things the right way. I could get all intensely cynical about now. But instead I’ll point out that this is one big reason I enjoy supporting Apple.
Oh, yeah – he had a full analysis on the Japanese buying psyche and why they wouldn’t buy iPhone – the whole bit. But apparently he didn’t know any actual Japanese people.
The fact that DoCoMo got it is significant for one more (and very important) reason.
Most carriers customise their phone offerings by putting their logo on the face and adding a few custom apps to the device, however, for the most part, their services are more-or-less a “dumb-pipe” kind; they provide voice minutes, data, text, voice mail and that’s it. Consumers choose their own e-mail provider (G-mail by default with Android devices), their own way to get apps, music, organise photos, etc).
NNT DoCoMo has a very custom-built walled garden, where ALL the services offered are theirs. They provide custom e-mail service (sort of like blackberry, or AOL), with their own custom servers and communication protocols, custom online store for installing ringtones, music and else, and the whole offering is massively customised. It is very difficult to even recognise the original brand of the phone and flavour of the OS, it is that heavily customised.
For DoCoMo to capitulate so completely and unconditionally to Apple and not even be allowed a single app or logo to be pre-installed (or engraved) on the iPhone just shows you how severe their customer churn was and how little all their custom services are worth when compared to the iPhone.
It is just remarkable, to see DoCoMo be transformed into a dumb pipe. Steve just be smiling (again)…
It goes further than that.
NTT DoCoMo is a subsidiary of NTT (Nippon Telephone & Telegraph) which is a Japanese government subsidized company.
This means moves have been made at government levels for this deal to happen with a gaikokugaisha.
Look to see DoCoMo branded apps in the Japanese iPhone store soon!