A month on from the launch of the latest version of the iPhone, we have the first data on sales from one of the only countries where Apple may have privately feared for its 3G handset – Japan.
As if in response to critics who suggested the US mobile would flop in the face of established Japanese models, the iPhone appears to have sold in huge numbers, drawing new customers to its sole carrier, Softbank Mobile.
Softbank victorious
Industry figures for July show that Softbank gained 215,400 new subscribers, easily topping the chart ahead of its two main rivals. The gain represented over half of the 391,500 new contracts taken out with all carriers last month.
Even though many of the features common to Japanese phones, such as RFID e-cash, are missing from the iPhone, it rapidly sold out in Japan, just as it did in the rest of the world.
Others deflated
Softbank's only response to the figures was to say, "We believe our large net growth was an iPhone effect."
Third-place carrier KDDI was clearly chastened, commenting, "We are accepting the fact ... that our handsets weren't attractive enough."
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honne
August 13th 2008
1. I think you may want to look at these other two Japanese business news articles as I believe the data on that page is year-on-year numbers.
techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080808/156265/
This Nikkei Business article says the 391,500 is a year-on-year decline of 21% (meaning July 2007-2008). The 215,400 new subscribers for SoftBank also represents a year-on-year number from July 2007-2008.
Near the bottom of the article, it says that SoftBank Mobile's net growth for July 2008 was 52,000 while rival KDDI remained flat at 17,000. The statement "We believe our large net growth was an iPhone effect" is attributed to the 52,000 versus 17,000 new subscribers, not the 215,400 number which again is a year-on-year number.
This next article helps support this.
www.japancorp.net/Article.Asp?Art_ID=19399
It says "Initially, annual iPhone 3G sales were projected to top one million units, but now many forecast the sales will reach slightly over 100,000 units". This statement would make no sense if there were 215,400 new subscribers in July 2008.
Therefore, while SoftBank did garner more subscribers than KDDI, NTT DoCoMo, and Emobile, the total number of units sold in Japan as of July 2008 (approximately 52,000) is well below the pace required to sell a million units and is why analysts are revising it downwards to 100,000 units. This shows that the iPhone 3G is not really doing well in Japan.
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