Odd day for iPhone in Japan
I see strange coincidences on the headline services all the time. Today for example, in the rather iPhone-hostile climate of Japan (see MSN Japan: You can probably find an iPhone there), I spotted the following back-to-back bad news for Japan’s exclusive iPhone provider, Softbank.
Kyodo News Headlines
Aug. 05 18:26 Softbank Mobile to cut minimum monthly fee on iPhone to 2,990 yen
——-and on the same page—
Softbank reports 22.9% fall in group net profit for April-June
Odd-elicious iPhone UPDATE:
Apple’s iPhone—Buy The $1000 App That Does Nothing
….Behold: “I Am Rich,” a $999.99 app from Armin Heinrich, which just displays a red gem on the phone’s screen — nothing else.
“The red icon on your iPhone or iPod touch always reminds you (and others when you show it to them) that you were rich enough to afford this,” the app’s information page…more…
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August 5th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Why is the cut in the minimum monthly fee bad for Softbank? It means that the barrier to entry for iPhone users has been reduced. In reality though the minimum pricing means only 2MB of data download a month which is somewhat impractical (I downloaded more than 370MB in the first month), so most users will end up paying more than the minimum amount. Go up to 10MB and you’ll be paying the same price as at present.
If this helps them get more subscribers from competing carriers it has to be a good thing. Softbank is certainly better of with the iPhone than without it.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Softbank has just one-pattern of business strategy deep discount and “double-down”* when that results in huge loses. This strategy has worked for them because blind luck and the less than 1% loans that are available in Japan. Those lowered iPhone fees could be an indication that the iPhone isn’t selling as well as the SoftBank hoped.
*(Increasing the wager in the face of losses to than twice the original bet)
Anyway, supposedly Softbank stores will start taking orders for the iPhone starting August 6 rather than forcing customers to hunt from store to store for the limited supply (perhaps artificially limited).
The Softbank press release says…
August 6th, 2008 at 4:14 am
On this planet, some people are tools… The japanese are the whole toolcart…
After seeing the penetration (kinda hardcore, no lube) of the IPod in the sony dictatorship, I have no phear for the IPhone…
That don’t mean softbank are not a bunch of broken-arm loser… After all, just buying and changing the name of a failed company is not the real key to success. (also their commercial with the rubber and plastic blond actress who desperately try to look smart with an out of place phone stuck to her hear is starting to get rather old and I just saw it on big stickers in the metro, I really feel sorry for those having to watch it on TV)
Coligny resident @sshole for 3Y now back to the studio…