TOKYO —
Apple Inc on Thursday released in Japan the iPhone 4, the latest version of its popular smartphone, with the phone’s exclusive sales agent, Softbank Mobile Corp, saying demand has been beyond expectation.
More than 300 people queued to buy the phone Thursday at Softbank’s flagship Omotesando store in Tokyo, with more than 100 having lined up in front of the store on the eve of the phone’s release.
The launch of the thinner version of the Internet-enabled iPhone handset here coincided with its release in four other countries—France, Britain, Germany, and the United States.
The phone, which features a sharper resolution display and mobile video chat capability, comes almost a month after the debut in Japan of Apple’s other hot-selling product, the iPad tablet computer which looks like a larger version of the iPhone.
Softbank President Masayoshi Son said at the outset of a ceremony at the Omotesando shop marking the launch of iPhone 4 in Japan that he was ‘‘electrified’’ by the latest iPhone, which felt like he was holding a ‘‘jewel,’’ since the front and back sides are glass.
He later told reporters that he was convinced that iPhone 4 will ‘‘greatly contribute’’ to Softbank’s net subscription gains.
Apple, which said it had received a record 600,000 orders in a single day for the new smartphone in the United States, is currently pressed with the production of more iPhone 4 handsets, as overwhelming demand caused glitches in the order system. On Wednesday, the U.S. firm announced that the release of white iPhones will be delayed until the second half of July due to difficulties in manufacturing, while the black version remains unaffected.
Softbank Mobile had started taking preorders for iPhone 4 on June 15 but suspended them on June 18, saying orders ‘‘far exceeded its projection and reached a record number of orders for a single handset of Softbank’’ without giving specific data.
Besides those who placed advance orders, a limited number of the smartphone models were placed on sale at Apple stores nationwide, a dozen electronics retailers and Softbank shops in Tokyo and elsewhere.
Noboru Takahashi, a musician in his 30s, was the first person in line, waiting since Monday afternoon. ‘‘I am mesmerized by the (design) style of iPhone 4,’’ he said.
An owner of the first-generation iPhone, Takahashi told reporters that he felt the resolution had been upgraded and there was faster execution of application such as when taking and storing pictures.
Tsubasa Shuki, a 21-year-old university student in Tokyo, lined up later than Takahashi but was nonetheless among those who stayed overnight. Without an advance order, Shuki said, ‘‘I lost my iPhone, so I had to buy a new one because it is simply part of my everyday life,’’ and added he regularly used the map and other built-in applications.
The iPhone 4 has a new camera system combining a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and flash along with a front-facing camera, compared with the simpler 3-megapixel camera for its predecessor iPhone 3GS.
The Japan launch attracted loyal iPhone fans, with more than 500 people also queuing at Apple’s flagship store in Ginza, another shopping district in the capital.
Ryoichi Hoshino, who was the first to purchase the iPhone 4 at Apple’s Ginza store, was jubilant at obtaining the phone and eager to use it. ‘‘This is my third iPhone, but the screen is beautiful and the design is becoming more and more awesome.’‘
Son said he believes iPhone 4’s launch will not be a ‘‘fad’’ but continue to be a ‘‘revolution’’ in the technology industry.
Competition in the smart phone market is expected to heat up as rivals such as Google Inc, with its smartphone using the Android operating system, try to catch up with Apple’s growing presence.
In Japan, the iPhone 4 is selling for 46,080 yen for a 16-gigabyte memory model and 57,600 yen for a 32-gigabyte model, Softbank said.
Despite the upgraded features of the new iPhone, like its predecessors, iPhone 4 does not support Flash technology, making it impossible to view Internet sites built on the widely used platform.
Softbank does not disclose the number of iPhone handsets it has sold since the first-generation model made its debut in Japan in 2008.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/technology/view/apples-all-new-iphone-goes-on-sale-in-japan
No comments:
Post a Comment