(keitai-l) Re: smartphones in Japan (was: Fukuoka Kyushu 3G Vodafone coverage)

From: nick may <nick_at_kyushu.com>
Date: 05/16/05
Message-Id: <ab4ba61cbead68a3f29c4c797d0bce3e@kyushu.com>
On May 16, 2005, at 2:53 PM, Gerhard Fasol wrote:

> The successful Japanese mobile phone operators
> are NOT in the business of offering "smartphones"
> vaguely defined by some foreigners in Japan.

Yes darling - I KNOW - and that is precisely what I said....

So why the economics 101 lecture?

... I am surprised, BTW you seem to imply I have given a vague 
definition of smartphone as as far as I am aware, I haven't given one 
at all...

But it would seem that we agree that the situation regarding 
smartphones is terrible. I rather think it has something to do with the 
fact the market is so closed and handsets are so subsidised - which 
means they carriers have to grab as much revenue as they can from 
services - which they can't have threatened by allowing people to 
download songs or whatever form other sources.

... next you will be telling us that phones being tied down is an 
enormous benefit to the consumer...

.. go on - do say that... it would be such fun... Trying to persuade us 
all that the plucky Japanese consumer would rather pay 300yen for a 
song they download through a carrier's system rather than upload one 
they already own from their desktop...

Nick
Received on Mon May 16 13:52:36 2005