I asked how big a splash the iPhone would make, and the LA Times gives the Japanese reaction, which is barely a ripple. The article points out that the Japanese already use mobile phones for everything the iPhone does, and more. They also use 3G networks rather than 2G, and are adverse to paying more than a couple of hundred dollars for a mobile handset — less than half the price of the cheaper iPhone. The same largely applies to Korea, as well. The iPhone would have a tough time in the Japanese/Korean market now, but it’s not due to be released there until 2008. If Apple keeps its iPod tactic of innovating rapidly it might be able to keep pace, but the handset unveiled at Macworld probably won’t cut it in Asia.
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