(keitai-l) Re: Product cycles in Japan

My question to the list:
Why can't Western manufacturers manufature the same high-tech phones as the
Japanese and Korean manufacturers do?

My assumption:
Almost all the technology needed to produce more advanced phones (high
resolution color screens, Lithium Polymer batteries, etc.) is in the hands
of the Japanese and the Koreans. Because of the tight business
relationships among Japanese companies they will only supply these
technologies to non-Western manufacturers. In that way the Western
manufacturers stay non-competitive. This non-competitiveness will come in
handy when we in Europe (and perhaps the US) will have the same 3G system
as in Japan, at least a W-CDMA radio interface. Japanese companies will
flood the European market, in which they lost the GSM battle, with 3G
phones that are very advanced and debugged since the Japanese companies
will have had a home market for several years then. The European Commission
won't be able to stop the Japanese phones with trade barriers since the
Nokia's and Ericsson's have been 'allowed' a small percentage of the market
in Japan.

So, even if Nokia, Ericsson, Philips, Siemens, etc, want to create such
phones: they can't. Want an example? Look at the Nokia phone recently
introduced in Japan. The only people buying them seem to be the expats who
like the English menu's. It is certainly not a high-end phone and is not
contributing to the portfolio of phones that DoCoMo carries: DoCoMo is
'allowing' Nokia a market share.

Paul Eijkemans




Gustaf Rosell <gustaf@xpedio.com> (Mailed by:
keitai-l-bounce@appelsiini.net)
11/08/2000 01:11 PM CET
Please respond to keitai-l@appelsiini.net

To:   keitai-l@appelsiini.net
cc:
Subject:  (keitai-l) Re: Product cycles in Japan

Why are all western handset manufacturers lobotomized? And why is it so
complicated to get the Japanese manufacturers to make a serious effort in
the western world?

	[excessive quoting removed]


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