5/28/2010

iPed vs iPad battle hits Japan

The iPad makes it debut in Japan today, but more interesting is the Android-based “iPed” that is also showing up in Japan. The extraordinary Chinese “iPed” is priced 9,600 yen (about $106 USD).

The Japanese TV report below says that the Chinese “iPed” uses an unspecified Intel chip, has a color touchscreen that is slightly larger, and weighs a 1,000 grams rather than 900 grams of of the iPad. Users report since the iPed runs the Android OS of Google, the speed and functionality of the device reasonably good (and unlike the close OS of the iPad, the Android is very open).

Of course the True Faithful, the Japanese fanboys were out in force, waiting in line for days to get their very own real iPad. (APdaylife.com)

However, the most telling quote in the press frenzy today came from the Wall Street Journal who quoted SoftBank’s CEO Masayoshi Son (Apple’s partner cellphone carrier in Japan)…

WSJ.com
….Mitsuru Yoshii, who works at a music school in Tokyo, sent a message to Softbank Chief Executive Masayoshi Son saying that the iPad was the “21st century’s black ships.”
In response to the historical reference to the U.S. Naval fleet that opened up Japan to the West in 1853, Mr. Son, who aggressively sought out Apple to bring the iPhone and now the iPad to the carrier’s network, wrote back: “Indeed!”
—via Japan’s iPad Frenzy Signals a Sea Change
WSJ.com May 27, 2010

Moar “good stuff” in the Comments…

Posted by Taro in Business News, Electronics, General | 10 Comments »

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10 Responses to “iPed vs iPad battle hits Japan”

1. MARKed TRAIL Says:
   May 28th, 2010 at 3:22 pm

   Hey Taro!
   Quote more good stuff from that Wall Street Journal article, damn it!!

   Japan’s iPad Frenzy Signals a Sea Change
   - WSJ.com
   …a half-dozen Japanese business and technology magazines ran cover stories about the iPad’s debut, with one declaring in English: “Here comes the game-changer.”

   Lines were forming Thursday at Apple stores and Softbank outlets in Tokyo. Most of the waiting customers had already reserved an iPad a few weeks earlier, but they were willing to wait overnight to get the device as soon as the doors open.

   “Japanese products are very capable and powerful, but they don't have the same charm as ones made by Apple,” said 21-year-old college student Kazuto Ishimura, who was the third customer on line outside the Apple store in the upscale Ginza neighborhood.

   While Japanese companies remain major global players in flat-panel televisions, digital cameras and videogame systems, they have almost no presence outside of Japan in personal computers, mobile phones or home appliances. Conversely, most foreign electronics brands have had little success in Japan.

   Part of the problem, according to industry executives and analysts, is a divide between the needs of Japanese consumers and the rest of the world’s.

   In Japan, detail-oriented consumers prefer to buy Japanese products packed with features and read thick instruction manuals from cover to cover. Most buyers outside of Japan expect new products to be simple and intuitive, and they are less concerned about a product’s point of origin.

   “The consumer in Japan thinks very differently than the global consumer,” said Atul Goyal, an analyst at brokerage firm CLSA. “Once Japanese companies try to sell things to a global market, they need to understand how a global consumer reacts.”

   Apple’s iPhone has proved wrong skeptics who said the handset wouldn’t resonate with consumers in Japan because it lacked many uniquely Japanese features. One explanation is that Apple products have become a brand-name accessory, the technological equivalent of another Japanese favorite: a Louis Vuitton bag.
   …more...

2. TeresiaBoardwine Says:
   June 1st, 2010 at 4:16 am

   I have a “bone to pick” with AT& T and the new Applecare Protection Plan for the Apple iPhone—It’s such a total waste of money. They’re simply trying to squeeze the consumer for every penny that they can get away with. They’re looking to get you to spend an extra $168/yr. in addition to paying for a deductible, that’s approximately the same price as getting a brand new phone.
   IMO, don’t pick up the insurance. If you are worried about your iphone getting broken, instead of spending $367 ($168 per year for the applecare protection plan and $199 for a brand new iPhone), just pick up a strong, durable outer case (it shouldn’t cost you more than $50 or so).

3. someothergaijin Says:
   June 1st, 2010 at 1:28 pm

   These so-called fake Tablets have USB & video out, can run Flash, perform multi-processing, are based on a truly open platform and all for a reasonable price.

   Which one is the rip-off again?

4. MiloSjolander Says:
   June 1st, 2010 at 9:24 pm

   Is it me, or did this report make you want to buy an iPad?

5. J-John Says:
   June 6th, 2010 at 4:47 pm

   I just ordered my iPed from iped-tablet.com; I am sure it’s the smart choice for any android developer.

6. HCGGirl Says:
   June 10th, 2010 at 5:47 am

   Sounds neato! Quite opportune to find something with quality.

7. TweetsTweets Says:
   June 20th, 2010 at 11:04 am

   Right now I’d have to stick with the iPad. It has a much richer App Store source for applications, such as “Tweets” for iPad. Tweets has an iPad-optimized exceptional user interface, is fast, intuitive, and easy-to-use, and has some really cool exclusive features like GeoAnywhere, StreamingTweets, and Emoji support. I’m not sure you could get all that with the same degree of application security and reliability in an Android-based product at this time. “Openness” has its drawbacks when it comes to managing quality control, consistency, and security.

   Check-out Tweets for yourselves.

   ---

   ☠ NOTE: The 3Yen is letting this advertising pass because it is on-topic. However, please be warned that any comments that look like spam will be treated as toxic waste—especially drivel from all your shitty SEO fucktards.

8. CareyMinehan Says:
   June 23rd, 2010 at 8:42 pm

   Apple Computers never just create widgets; they engineer solutions that individuals can see fitting into their experiences eventually. As a university scholar with a ma-ma life, I reckon this being a very utilizable thing to get.

9. Jeromy Corrington Says:
   July 5th, 2010 at 2:06 am

   I am sticking with my iPad. I think other will do the same once they try it and realize it is so perfect and sleek:-)

10. Doctor Dada Says:
    January 20th, 2011 at 9:48 am

    there was a time when apple and blackberry were just fruits…

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