Earlier this year, it was believed that the iPhone 5S would go into production in March ahead of an early summer release. But after rumors of manufacturing issues began to circulate, the handset’s expected arrival time was pushed back to the fall.
And a new report out of the east this morning corroborates that theory. A Japanese newspaper is reporting that Sharp, one of Apple’s primary panel partners, is gearing up to begin mass production of LCD displays for the iPhone 5S next month… Read More
Tim Cook caused quite a bit of commotion last week when he told investors that Apple “has some amazing new hardware, software, and services coming this fall.” Most folks took it as we aren’t going to see anything new from the company until then.
But that may not be the case, according to a purported leaked document from Japanese wireless carrier KDDI. The internal note, meant for sales floor staff, offers up plan pricing information and some details about the upcoming iPhone 5S smartphone… Read More
Apple’s iPhone 5 is now almost seven months old so fans are expectedly setting their sights on a next-gen model, the iPhone 5S. And as we’re heading toward summer, new evidence indicates Apple is now lining up its Asian suppliers to source parts ahead of the actual manufacturing phase.
This could explain why we’re increasingly seeing supposedly genuine parts cropping up all over Asia, such as this Home buttons and vibrator motors. Today’s leak by Japanese parts shop Moumantai is thought to represent a SIM tray for the iPhone 5S.
It’s exactly the same in shape and size to the Nano SIM trays used on the current iPhone 5, with one exception: the leaked ones are in gray and gold colors. This matches up nicely with reports of a colorized iPhone 5S, mostly sourced from analyst reports and supply chain people… Read More
Back in February, Apple seeded a beta version of iOS 6.1.1 to developers. The update featured a lengthy change log of some much needed fixes and improvements for its iOS Maps application in Japan.
Of course, Apple forewent that release in order to push out bug fixes for the iPhone 4S, and later Exchange. But it looks like Japan users finally got their new Map data that they’ve been waiting for today… Read More
Talk of Apple’s next-generation iPhone has really begun to pick up over the past few days, with two reports coming within the last 24 hours claiming that the company is set to roll out its new handset this summer.
And that continues to be the consensus, as another report has surfaced this evening corroborating the theory. Japanese blog Macotakara is claiming Foxconn has begun ramping up production of the iPhone 5S… Read More
Following this morning’s release of iBooks 3.1, which brought about expanded Japanese book support, Apple has posted a press release to make its move into the country’s e-book game official.
The announcement includes further details about the Japan iBookstore launch, as well as quotes from Apple’s SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue and various publishing firm executives…
Apple this morning released iBooks 3.1, a minor update containing improvements for reading Asian language books and supporting paid books from the Japanese iBookstore representing many of the large publishers in the country, with content such as fiction, manga, light novels and more.
Previously, the Japan iBookstore only offered public domain content so it couldn’t compete with local content stores from the likes of Kobo, Amazon and Sony.
Bloggers report iBooks 3.1 renders paid Japanese e-books nicely, along with the full character set and iOS Dictionary support, allowing users to highlight a word and pull its definition. Additionally, the books open right-to-left as they should so you can swipe right to advance through the pages.
Apple says the iBookstore in Japan now has “hundreds of thousands of books” available for purchase. This bodes well for Apple as to date, much of the e-book market in Japan has centered on graphical novels, such as manga… Read More
Samsung has lost its patent lawsuit over Apple’s iPhone and iPad in Japan as a Tokyo court ruled Thursday in favor of Apple. Needless to say, Samsung said it was disappointed by the court’s decision and promised to conduct a thorough review of the ruling and “take the measures necessary to protect our intellectual property rights”, Reuters reported this morning.
The Tokyo District Court said Samsung hadn’t negotiated “sincerely” with Apple over patents, also ruling the Galaxy maker now cannot seek damages from Apple… Read More
Apple may have a slight market share problem in BRIC markets (Brazil, Russia, India and China), but over in Japan the company has moved the needle in a big way. According to Hong Kong-based market research firm Counterpoint Research, Apple for the first time ended Sharp’s six-year run at the top to became the first non-Japanese company to rule the Japanese mobile phone market with a fifteen percent share in 2012, a notable increase from its ten percent market share in 2011… Read More
Apple unveiled two new iPads just before the holidays, and is expected, by many analysts, to report strong tablet sales for the quarter next week. But according to a new report out of Japan, that may not be the case.
Market research firm BCN surveyed some 2,400 consumer electronics stores in Japan throughout the month of December. And their results showed that the iPad was outsold during the period, for the first time since 2010… Read More
As talk continues of an upcoming T-Mobile iPhone deal, and rumors continue to swirl of a China Mobile partnership, a new report today says that the Cupertino company could potentially add another major carrier to its stable: Japan’s NTT DoCoMo.
Like China Mobile, NTT DoCoMo is its country’s largest wireless provider, and its 60 million subscribers account for nearly half of all Japan mobile users. But last November, it suffered its biggest ever net loss of customers. And it blames the iPhone… Read More
Apple will open an iBookstore in Japan during 2013 with a handful of local publishers supplying their electronic books. Unlike Apple, rival tech giants began selling e-books in the Asian nation last year. However, multiple reports disagree on the timing. One local report suggests as early as January, while another tech news site calls that “far too optimistic”. Although the iBookstore has been in Japan since 2010, it has offered only public-domain titles due to reluctance by Japanese publishers, who feared e-books would cut into sales of traditionally printed books… Read More
Everything is different in Asia than over here in the United States (or Europe, or most other parts of the world for that matter). Whereas we celebrate Christmas and Santa Claus and kick off the holiday shopping season with Black Friday mega discounts, there’s no such thing in Japan. Instead, they have Fukubukuro – aka Lucky Bags or Mystery Bags – a New Year’s Day custom where retailers entice buyers with grab bags containing unknown random contents.
These are usually sold with a significant discount, usually 50 percent or more off the items’ list price. Honoring the local custom, Apple on its Japanese retail page confirmed that a one-day Lucky Bags sale will take place in seven stores across the country on January 2… Read More
As we head into 2013, patents – along with the legal fight to enforce and protect them – is becoming a larger part of tech companies. Just ask Apple and Samsung. Where should we look for the next patent to appear? A good bet is China, which in 2011 filed for more than 500,000 technology related patents in 2011, topping the United States. According to the United Nations, China applied for 526,412 patents last year, more than the US with 500,000 and Japan’s more than 300,000 applications… Read More
In late August, a District Court in Tokyo ruled that Samsung’s mobile devices do not violate Apple’s patents. Not only did Apple lose the lawsuit, but it was also ordered to pay all attorney fees and court-related costs.
Obviously, the decision didn’t sit well with the Cupertino company, and they’re not giving up without a fight. Reports surfaced late last night that it has filed an appeal with Japan’s Intellectual Property High Court… Read More
This just in. According to a new report out this morning, Softbank, Japan’s third-largest wireless operator, is in talks to buy a controlling stake in Overland, Kansas-based Sprint, the nation’s third-largest carrier. The transaction is said to be worth an estimated 1.5 trillion yen, or $19 billion, and would file as the largest purchase of a foreign company by a Japanese firm.
SoftBank used to be the only official iPhone carrier in Japan until the release of iPhone 4S last November. According to people familiar with the situation, Softbank is aiming to buy all of the outstanding shares in Sprint, which had more than 56 million users at the end of June… Read More
Macotakara, the pretty reliable Japanese blog, relayed a MM Research Institute study today which pegged Apple’s iPhone sales in Japan for the fiscal year 2011 at 7.25 million units. According to Apple’s Q1 2012 earnings, the company shipped 35.1 million iPhones worldwide.
Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t divulge iPhone unit sales on a per-country basis and only breaks down sales by region such as Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe and so forth… Read More
As Apple’s influence across industries continues to grow, so does its reputation among consumers the world over. The latest example is Japan, the country infamous for its fickle consumer and, at times, odd expectations with everyday gadgets (at least by Western standards).
A new study puts Apple as the top consumer brand in Japan – and for the first time, too. The achievement echoes a sentiment shared in a survey earlier this week, saying that half of all households in the United States now own at least one Apple product. Read More
Yes, you guessed it even before reading the end of the title. According to Electronista:
Apple now has the top-selling cellphone of any kind in Japan, IDC Japan determined late Thursday. The iPhone 4S launch helped Apple claim 26.6 percent of all cellphone shipments in the country this fall. It may have been the first non-Japanese company to top local ranks, ending a longstanding emphasis on local makers.
While most carriers jump at the chance to offer Apple’s popular smartphone, others aren’t so keen on the device’s accompanying terms. An iPhone partnership usually means large, long-term commitments and other compromises that some operators just won’t make.
Even Apple’s infamous “no bloatware” policy can be enough to keep a company from carrying the device. And according to The Wall Street Journal, that seems to be what’s stifling the negotiations between Apple and NTT DoCoMo, the largest carrier in Japan… Read More
