Part of the problem with i-mode here in the uk as the lack of handsets, but
also that it was an exclusive deal with o2 so they were never going to get
critical mass. There was no effort to convert existing o2 customer to i-mode
so it was all about customer acquisition. Here in the UK, there is little or
no awareness of what imode is or isn't unless you work in the industry and I
don't know anyone in the industry who ever picked up an i-mode phone except
to use it for testing. It never became their primary phone.
So initial take-up was low. They gave up on actively marketing it and then
not that long afterwards, all the other mobile operators started their 3G
push extolling the virtues of the mobile internet. So the customer is even
more confused.
Also, for anyone doing their homework on buying a new phone, it would seem
that i-mode was a retrograde step as it worked on 2.5G rather than 3G so
that assumption would be that it wouldn't be as good or as fast.
I'm a big fan of El Reg as a whole, so I hope that particular piece was just
a blip on the landscape and not a sign of the quality of articles to come.
h
Helen Keegan | BeepMarketing
m: +44 794 053 8802 | skype: technokitten
web: http://www.beepmarketing.com | blog: http://www.technokitten.com
Am I lost? http://www.lost.eu/3e876
Received on Mon Jul 23 13:44:38 2007