| By Brian X. Chen 《连线》杂志2月27日在其网站发表文章，分析了iPhone在日本遭到冷遇的原因。以下为其文章主要内容： 苹果的iPhone可谓是风靡全球，不过日本除外。在日本，iPhone的销售非常糟糕，即使免费（附两年合同）也无人问津。 从日本人的角度看，iPhone究竟怎么了？在他们眼里，iPhone几乎一无是处：每月的费率过高、功能不足、拍照质量低、设计不时尚，此外，还有就是iPhone不是日本产品。 为了促进iPhone销售，日本运营商软银（SoftBank）本周推出“人人拥有iPhone”活动，只要消费者和运营商签订两年的服务合同，就可以免费拿到8G版的iPhone 3G。 “这样的价格和iPhone全球价格相比太不正常了”，Global Crown Research分析师Tero Kuittinen表示说，“我想，苹果和其海外合作运营商可能正在根据本地情况进行调整”。 
毫无疑问，苹果的iPhone可谓风靡全球，苹果CEO乔布斯曾在去年10月宣布，由于iPhone在全球的销售，苹果已经成为全球第三大手机供应商。2008年，iPhone全球销量超过1000万台。然而，在7月iPhone 3G登陆日本的时候，分析师就估计iPhone不会受到欢迎。日本历来就敌视西方品牌包括诺基亚、摩托罗拉，这些西方品牌意图吸引日本民众的努力基本上都是徒劳。 除了文化原因，日本消费者对手机的要求相当高。他们历来都是走在行业的前头，iPhone显然还没有跟上。比如说，日本消费者对视频和图像要求非常高，而iPhone不仅不支持视频摄像而且也不支持多媒体彩信，而且日本消费者流行使用手机电视功能，iPhone也没有。 iPhone对日本消费者来说那么还有什么别的缺陷？Kuittinen表示说，那就是价格。日本的运营商之间竞争相当激烈，手机的月套餐消费几乎都比较低，而iPhone的月套餐从60美元起步，这和其它运营商商相比实在太高了。 此外，还有一个因素，很大一部分日本消费者仅仅使用手机作为他们的“计算机”设备，LUNARR首席运营商Hideshi Hamaguchi表示说。对iPhone来说，问题在于iPhone要依赖电脑来同步媒体或者通过iTunes下载软件。 Hamaguchi表示说，“iPhone对拥有Mac用户有一定吸引力，但对大部分仅仅使用手机来作为唯一计算设备的用户来说，就是很大的麻烦”。 News2u首席运营官Daiji Hirata表示说，在日本，手机常常被用来作为时尚用品。和日本本土的手机相比，iPhone外观设计显得落伍，也就是说，拿着iPhone在手里，在时尚的日本消费者看来是很蹩脚的事情。 记者Nobi Hayashi，也是《斯蒂夫8226;乔布斯：最伟大的创新者》一书作者，曾表示，他带了一台松下P905i并演示功能给美国朋友看，他们都惊呆了，并且表示在日本没人会要iPhone。松下P905i外观炫丽，可以用作3英尺移动电视，还配有3G、GPS以及500万像素摄像头和Wii运动传感器。 分析师Kuittinen表示，他预计苹果的下一代iPhone产品会提高照片质量，这样或许能吸引一些日本消费者的眼光。然而，他表示，月套餐费用必须降下来，不然，苹果只能和日本消费者说“sayonara（再见）”了。 Apple's iPhone has wowed most of the globe — but not Japan, where the handset is selling so poorly it's being offered for free. What's wrong with the iPhone, from a Japanese perspective? Almost everything: the high monthly data plans that go with it, its paucity of features, the low-quality camera, the unfashionable design and the fact that it's not Japanese. In an effort to boost business, Japanese carrier SoftBank this week launched the "iPhone for Everybody" campaign, which gives away the 8-GB model of the iPhone 3G if customers agree to a two-year contract. "The pricing has been completely out of whack with market reality," said Global Crown Research analyst Tero Kuittinen in regard to Apple's iPhone prices internationally. "I think they [Apple and its partners overseas] are in the process of adjusting to local conditions." Apple's iPhone is inarguably popular elsewhere: CEO Steve Jobs announced in October that the handset drove Apple to becoming the third-largest mobile supplier in the world, after selling 10 million units in 2008. However, even before the iPhone 3G's July launch in Japan, analysts were predicting the handset would fail to crack the Japanese market. Japan has been historically hostile toward western brands — including Nokia and Motorola, whose attempts to grab Japanese customers were futile. Besides cultural opposition, Japanese citizens possess high, complex standards when it comes to cellphones. The country is famous for being ahead of its time when it comes to technology, and the iPhone just doesn't cut it. For example, Japanese handset users are extremely into video and photos — and the iPhone has neither a video camera nor multimedia text messaging. And a highlight feature many in Japan enjoy on their handset is a TV tuner, according to Kuittinen. What else bugs the Japanese about the iPhone? The pricing plans, Kuittinen said. Japan's carrier environment is very competitive, which equates to relatively low monthly rates for handsets. The iPhone's monthly plan starts at about $60, which is too high compared to competitors, Kuittinen added. And then there's the matter of compartmentalization. A large portion of Japanese citizens live with only a cellphone as their computing device — not a personal computer, said Hideshi Hamaguchi, a concept creator and chief operating officer of LUNARR. And the problem with the iPhone is it depends on a computer for syncing media and running software updates via iTunes. "iPhone penetration is very high among the Mac users, but it has a huge physical and mental hurdle to the majority who just get used to live with their cellphone, which does not require PC for many services," Hamaguchi said. Cellphones are also more of a fashion accessory in Japan than in the United States, according to Daiji Hirata, chief financial officer of News2u Corporation and creator of Japan's first wireless LAN. So that would suggest that in Japan, carrying around an iPhone — an outdated handset compared to Japanese cellphones — could make you look pretty lame. Take for example Nobi Hayashi, a journalist and author of Steve Jobs: The Greatest Creative Director. His cellular weapon of choice when he spoke to Wired.com June 2008? A Panasonic P905i, a fancy cellphone that doubles as a 3-inch TV. It also features 3-G, GPS, a 5.1-megapixel camera and motion sensors for Wii-style games. "When I show this to visitors from the U.S, they're amazed," Hayashi told Wired.com. "They think there's no way anybody would want an iPhone in Japan. But that's only because I'm setting it up for them so that they can see the cool features." Kuittinen said he's predicting Apple's next iPhone will have better photo capabilities, which could increase its odds of success in Japan. However, he said the monthly rates must be lowered as well. Otherwise, Apple might as well say sayonara to Japan.
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发表于 2009-3-1 10:00
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