Monday, July 7,2008 @ 10:30am
28% of Japanese users consider iPhone switch
In the face of reports suggesting ambivalence to the iPhone 3G in the Japanese market, Kakaku.com has released survey results indicating that these accounts may be significantly off the mark. The Japanese iPhone is currently set to be carried exclusively by Softbank on July 11th; in the Kakaku survey, early 8,000 people (90 percent male) were questioned in June through a price comparison portal for electronics. Extrapolating from the respondents' answers, Kakaku says that over 50 percent "will definitely purchase one," or at least intend to. Of this group, over 45 percent are not current Softbank subscribers.
When looking at the survey in the context of the overall Japanese cellular industry, the results indicate that just over 28 percent of all Japanese mobile users are tempted to switch carriers to Softbank, purely to use Apple's new device. Reasons cited include "because its design is superior," "because its interface seems easy to use," and "because its functions seem interesting."