According to a recent Wired article, Japanese users have found themselves confounded by the endless list of extra features on their mobile phones, such as TV and motion sensor-based games to name a few.
With the release of the iPhone in Japan later this year, consumers may take to the phone with more enthusiasm than anticipated. Currently, the iPhone ranks as the #1 and #2 Smartphone in the US and UK, respectively, for browsing the internet. This trend may translate over into Japan and cause a paradigm shift in the world of Japanese cell phones, where complicated features are seen as alluring and the iPhone is touted as the answer to streamlining convoluted mobile phone operation.
Research conducted by the Asahi Shimbun shows that the one-way average commuting time for students and workers in Japan is about 72 and 67 minutes in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and 76 and 63 minutes in/around Osaka. Since a majority of the Japanese population has to commute for either work or school, the commuters can use their time more efficiently. Users could browse the internet with ease allowing students to do homework or workers to telecommute from their phones. Consumers who want added features can take advantage of the iPhone’s ability to accommodate third-party SDK’s.
Time can only tell if the iPhone holds the key to simplifying the average consumer’s life in the overworked, island nation.
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