Apple is launched the annual Japanese version of its back-to-school promotion, intended to encourage Mac sales. Unlike the US and Canada, many schools in Japan start classes on April 1st. This year the company is giving away a 10,000 yen ($129) gift card, which can be used toward content at the iTunes Store, the App Store, and/or the Mac App Store.
A Chinese version of Siri will launch next month, claims DoNews. The website quotes an Apple engineer said to be working on the project, who adds that the technology is already in internal testing, and will moreover be able to process information and navigation requests, something only US Siri users currently enjoy. General language support has so far been restricted to three different English accents, as well as French and German.
The iPad was the overwhelming leader in the Japanese tablet market during 2011, data from tracking firm BCN indicates. Apple held a 63.6 percent share of the Japanese market, easily eclipsing its closest rivals. Acer ranked second with just 9.8 percent, for instance, while Samsung came in third at 5.3 percent. Apple claimed second place in terms of tablet accessories with 13.3 percent; the company was flanked by Elecom at 21.6 percent, and Trinity at 12.8 percent.
Nikon appears to be in the process of discontinuing its D300s and D700 cameras, which have been added to the "old products" listing on the company's Japanese website. The discontinuations are viewed as an indication that Nikon may be ready to finally release the D400 and D800 models that have appeared in several leaks.
Coming alongside the formal announcement, Apple has published a detailed breakdown of its Q1 2012 financial results. The Americas and Japan saw the biggest regional surges in revenue, with the former up 92 percent year-over-year to $17.714 billion, and Japan up 148 percent to $3.55 billion. Europe was up 55 percent to $11.256 billion, while the Asia-Pacific region rose 54 percent to $7.697 billion, helped partly by a 58 percent surge in Mac sales to 814,000. Worldwide retail revenue grew 59 percent to sit at $6.116 billion.
Japanese shoppers lined up in front of Apple Stores on New Year's Day for a chance at a lucky bag, reports note. Lucky bags are New Year's tradition at Japanese retail; store visitors have to pay for them, but in exchange they get a mystery collection of products, typically at a discount. This year Apple is said to have charged 33,000 yen (about $428), and offered some lucrative items.
Nintendo has reportedly sold more than 4 million of its 3DS gaming handhelds in the local Japanese market, according to data collected by Famitsu. The device is also said to have reached sales of more than 510,000 units for the holiday shopping week that ended on Christmas day, setting a new record for weekly sales across the globe.
Hitachi has reportedly begun shipping a 4TB internal hard-drive, which has been spotted in the company's home country of Japan. The offering appears to be the first 3.5-inch internal drive to arrive on the market with a 4TB storage capacity, though competitors managed to release 4TB single-disk external drives earlier in the year.
Olympus is reportedly considering a number of significant restructuring strategies, which may bring the company to find a buyer for its consumer camera division. The Japanese company is currently reviewing its business structure in an attempt to survive an accounting scandal that is believed to involve as much as $4.9 billion in hidden losses.
Japanese game publisher Square Enix has announced plans to launch its own app store for Android-based devices. The portal, referred to as Square Enix Market, is expected to launch with an Android edition of the Final Fantasy iOS remake, along with a number of other titles such as Dragon Quest Monsters, Chaos Ring, and Crystal Defenders.
Japan's largest cellphone carrier, NTT DoCoMo, has not "given up" hope of selling the iPhone, according to CEO Ryuji Yamada. Yamada explains that Apple and DoCoMo are still in talks, but that there are several concerns, such as Apple's insistence on high volume commitments. The CEO also worries about the risk of the iPhone becoming a "mass majority" of DoCoMo products, and the closed nature of iOS blocking the carrier from pre-installing otherwise commonplace DoCoMo apps, such as its e-wallet system or custom i-mode email.
According to Japanese business daily The Nikkei, HP will move production of its consumer-oriented notebook computers for the Japanese market from China to its plant near Tokyo [subscription required]. The company says the goal of the change is to reduce delivery time, simplify logistics, and use the "Made in Japan" tag in its marketing. HP also switched production of its business laptops to the Akishima plant in August.
As a part of announcing its fourth-quarter financial results, Apple has released a detailed breakdown (PDF) of where the money came from. Regionally the Americas continued to be Apple's greatest source of revenue, generating $9.648 billion, up 34 percent year-over-year. Europe was up 36 percent to $7.397 billion however, and the Asia-Pacific region -- which includes China -- jumped 139 percent to $6.530 billion.
(Updated with new AT&T complaints) Both US carrier AT&T and Japan's Softbank have been coping with some serious activation and sales system problems related to the iPhone 4S, reports say. AT&T's activations servers are said to be overloaded, sometimes taking 5 to 15 minutes or longer to complete the process for each phone. Activation is required to begin using an iPhone on a cellular network.
Apple will release the iPhone 5 in five countries on Friday, October 14th, claims Japanese site Macotakara. Specifically the device is expected to launch in the US, UK, France, Germany and Japan. The timing is consistent with accounts that Apple is blacking out the 14th and 15th for Apple Store workers looking to go on vacation, and past reports pointing to a launch sometime between the 7th and the 15th.
Sony has finally confirmed a launch date for its Vita handheld, which will not arrive until December 17 for customers in Japan. Despite Sony's recent move to slash the PS3 price down to $249 ahead of 2011 holiday sales, the company has maintained its original promise to offer the Vita Wi-Fi variant for 24,890 yen (~$324 USD) and the 3G model for 29,980 yen (~$390 USD).
Samsung is reportedly building new partnerships with Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo and several other companies to develop chips that will be used in upcoming smartphones. According to a Nikkei report (sub. required), the South Korean company is attempting to decrease its dependence on components produced by competing chip maker Qualcomm.
Sharp has unveiled a new Aquos smartphone, the SH8298U, which will be initially offered to customers at Japanese carrier SoftBank. The device is focused on 3D capabilities, built around a 4.2-inch glasses-free display with qHD resolution. Users can also capture 3D video and stills from a dual-camera configuration with two eight-megapixel sensors.
iOS 5 will include built-in earthquake notifications for Japan, reports note. The option is currently located at the bottom of the Japanese iOS 5 Notification Center. Flipping a slider allows an iOS device to receive warnings from the country's official earthquake warning system, which can give a person up to two minutes to prepare for the full impact of a disaster.
An Android-based "Yahoo Phone" is reportedly heading to the Japanese market, where the company is said to be the dominante search provider, according to a TechCrunch report. The Android 2.3 device will be manufactured by Sharp, essentially serving as a Yahoo-branded adaptation of the Aquos 009SH that was recently introduced. Yahoo Japan's largest shareholder, SoftBank, is expected to be the exclusive carrier.
iTunes Connect is officially scheduled to undergo maintenance today between 9AM and 4PM Pacific time, developers reveal. The service represents the backend of iTunes, the means by which people submit audio, video and applications. Apple is cautioning app developers to avoid making pricing changes during the downtime, since that will cause an app to disappear from sale until the maintenance is over. At that point an app should return with its new pricetag.
Apple has reportedly continued to experience a strong surge in revenue from overseas markets, according to data collected by analyst firm Capital IQ. Although the company's performance in the Americas has been spectacular, sales growth in Europe, Japan and the Asia Pacific has been even stronger. The company is said to have received only 41 percent of its overall revenue from international markets in 2005, however the overseas portion jumped to 56 percent by 2010.
Nintendo has finally sold more than one million 3DS handhelds in its native Japan. Surprisingly, the milestone was not reached until the device had been on the market for 13 weeks. Reasons for the lackluster sales performance remain unclear, though some critics cite high price and a limited number of high-profile game titles as contributing factors.
One of Apple's major Japanese suppliers, Murata, has yet to recover from March's 9.0+ earthquake, reports say. The company is said to have previously provided "protective components" for Apple power supplies, but had that capacity critically disrupted by the quake's damage. As a result Apple has turned to a Taiwanese company, Thinking Electronic.
Apple is continuing to offer free repairs for Mac and other Apple equipment damaged by the earthquake and tsunami that ravaged large parts of eastern Japan. A page on the company's Japanese web site offers "special servicing" for Macs, iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads that were damaged in the quake free of charge until June 30th, though a disclaimer warns that the offer could be withdrawn at any time.
Apple has posted a new version of Boot Camp, its software allowing Windows partitions to run on a Mac. The v3.2 update -- measuring just 638KB -- is a minor one, only resolving problems with Japanese and South Korean keyboards when operating on a 2011 iMac. The update is nevertheless available in over a dozen languages, and requires Windows 7.
Intense demand for iPhones and iPads could affect the results of several major digital camera suppliers, say sources described by DigiTimes as with "upstream players." In particular the report suggests that companies like Altek, Foxconn, Ability Enterprise and Asia Optical may see shipments fall lower than forecast for the current quarter because of a shortage of small-sized panels, triggered by Apple. Foxconn is notably Apple's primary manufacturing partner.
Asian launches of the iPad 2 were met with long lines on Thursday, reports say. The most significant of these may be in Japan, which was first slated to get the tablet on March 25th, but had the introduction delayed because of the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit the north on March 11th. By the time Apple Japan's flagship Ginza store opened at 9AM on Thursday, the iPad 2 lineup was reportedly three blocks long.
Apple will observe but not celebrate Golden Week in Japan, a report notes. The week includes several national holidays, and is therefore often a vacation time for workers and students. From May 1st through the 5th Japanese Apple Stores will be holding training sessions, creative exhibitions, and workshops for adults and children.
Apple should take a revenue hit of about $200 million as a result of last month's Japanese earthquake, says COO Tim Cook. Speaking during the company's Q2 results call, Cook said the company has a long history with Japan, and has been taking some actions to help in relief efforts. Suppliers have been affected as well, but the executive explains that Apple been "working around the clock" to institute contingency plans, and that there was no impact on Q2 and there should only be a small impact on Q3.
A detailed breakdown of Apple's Q2 results shows a variety of significant facts. Even though desktop Mac sales slid 12 percent year-over-year to sit at 1.009 million units, MacBook numbers were up a substantial 53 percent to sit at 2.751 million. The surge may be related to the popularity of the overhauled MacBook Air, as well as updated MacBook Pros.
A Taiwanese firm, Cvilux, is filling in for a Japanese company in supplying connectors for the iPad 2, market watchers claim. Cvilux is refusing to discuss its clients, but does say that it expects Q1 2011 profits to be higher than that those in Q4 2010. The company additionally suggests that it may be able to beat records in the second quarter this year.
Apple has allegedly agreed to absorb any inflation in component costs due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, suppliers have told DigiTimes. The company is pushing a strategy that may give it supply priority over other companies that cannot accommodate the potential cost increases, as suppliers will not have to shrink margins for components used in Apple products.
Apple could be "more conservative than usual" when guiding investors on its fiscal third quarter, which ends in June, says Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves. "We believe supply disruptions in Japan have left the channel with as little as two months of inventory of key components for iPad and iPhone," he writes in an investment memo. "If supply is not brought back online quickly and Apple is unable to find alternatives, then iPad and iPhone production could be meaningfully impaired in the second half of fiscal Q3."
Apple has been coping with "tight" supplies of lithium ion batteries, according to the Wall Street Journal. A representative from the company is said to have recently contacted the US offices of Kureha, a Japanese company which controls 70 percent of the marketshare for a polymer called polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), used as a binder in lithium ion batteries. The only Kureha factory which produces PVDF is based in Iwaki, and was forced to shut down on March 11th after being hit by that day's 9.0 earthquake.
Ivanovich Games will hold a special one-day sale this Wednesday, March 23rd on all their iOS App Store games, including the "New and Noteworthy" game Operation Wow as well as Time Geeks, Type Type Train and their full games catalog. The prices for all games will be set at 99 cents for the sale, and profits from that day's sales will be donated to families of the victims of the Japan earthquake.
[Updated with new information] While of less concern overall than the terrible loss of human life and ongoing disaster, the earthquake and tsunami which hit northern Japan on March 11th could create significant component delays for the iPad 2 and iPhone 4, claims Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. Asian contacts reportedly say that the production status of Apple's Japanese suppliers is changing by the hour, and that none of them can definitively detail the damage they've suffered or when production will start up again. Two companies in particular are thought to be especially important: Toshiba and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs has sent an e-mail memo out to workers in the company's Japanese division, according to reports. "To Our Team in Japan," the message begins. "We have all been following the unfolding disaster in Japan. Our hearts go out to you and your families, as well as all of your countrymen who have been touched by this tragedy."
In the wake of Friday's 9.0 earthquake in northern Japan and the subsequent tsunami, Apple has set up a donation portal on iTunes. Visitors can donate in $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 or $200 increments. The company claims that "100 percent" of each donation will go to the American Red Cross, which is offering assistance to its Japanese equivalent.
The next-generation iPhone will indeed have NFC (near-field communications) support, but with a "twist," according to Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White. Citing sources, White claims that the phone will use a "unique" approach differentiating itself from competitors. NFC is typically associated with e-wallet payments at retail shops and vending machines, already commonplace in Japan.
Apple may be about to release updated MacBook Pros, reports suggest. 9to5Mac sources claim that that stock for all Pro models is currently limited, with the exception of the higher-end 13-inch system. Circulating rumors are said to point to a refresh happening as soon as Wednesday, February 9th, but that information is considered unconfirmed.
The iPhone has had an "extraordinary" reception in Asia, "on par with the US some cases," according to analysts Toni Sacconaghi and Sanford Bernstein of Bernstein Research. The pair point to recent IDC data in particular, which indicates that the iPhone now forms 12 percent of all Japanese cellphone sales, not just smartphones. Given momentum and plans to open 20 more Chinese Apple Stores in 2011, it's inevitable that the iPhone will come to more Asian carriers, Sacconaghi argues.
Apple has finally solved the manufacturing problem preventing the release of white iPhone 4s, a report says. Originally promised shortly after the availability of black models, Apple has had to delay the white phones several times. The trouble, a Macotakara source says, is that earlier painting techniques produced large numbers of defective units, making them impractical for mass production.
The Japanese government is moving forward on an anticipated demand for iPhone censorship software, says the Wall Street Journal. On Monday, a panel announced that the government is asking both Apple Japan and the country's exclusive iPhone carrier, Softbank, to install filtering controls to block less than "wholesome" websites for people under 18. Included in this category are social networking sites which lack their own internal monitoring systems.
The Japanese government is criticizing Apple Japan and cellular carrier Softbank for a lack of content filtering on the iPhone, reports say. Specifically, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is expected to ask for region-tailored filtering software to be installed as soon as possible. Local stores are obligated to install censorship tools on phones sold to minors.
Japanese carrier Softbank is planning to introduce a NFC (near-field communication) payment option for local iPhone 4 owners, reports say. Because the iPhone 4 lacks its own NFC receiver, the company will be offering special FeliCa-compatible seals that stick to the back, leaving enough space for the camera and flash. Softbank also suggests that the seals should be thin enough to allow use of Apple's Bumper cases.
A consortium of Japanese book publishers are demanding that Apple stop selling pirated novels through the App Store, says Agence France-Presse. "We have no choice but to deem it illegal that Apple Inc. distributes materials which clearly violate copyright," reads a statement by the consortium. Parties to the group include the Japan Book Publishers Association, the Japan Magazine Publishers Association, the Electronic Book Publishers Association of Japan and the Digital Comic Association.
Apple has signed a pact with a Japanese marketer, The Dentsu Group, to bring the iAd platform to Japan in early 2011. Under the new arrangement, Dentsu will be responsible for the selling and "creative execution" of iAd spots in Japan. Apple's role will be limited to hosting and delivering ads, as well as targeting them in the first place. Dentsu claims to be the "world's top brand agency," with over 6,000 clients and just under 20,000 workers.
Sharp has introduced two Android phones, the Galapagos 003SH and 005SH, featuring glasses-free 3D displays. Both devices, which will be headed to Softbank in Japan, offer Android 2.2 and 3.8-inch displays with 800x480 resolution. Other common hardware specs include a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Wi-Fi and GPS receiver.
A Japanese developer, DeNA, is buying American outfit ngmoco in a deal which could be worth up to $403 million, according to Reuters. At least $303 million is being offered in cash, shares and stock options, while the remaining amount is contingent on ngmoco's 2011 sales. ngmoco was one of the first high-profile developers of iOS games, and is responsible for titles like We Rule, GodFinger and Rolando.
