Clarity is important....
I am sure that cellphone experiences in Japan vary but as an ex-pat who has been here nearly a decade I can attest to the fact that in almost ALL respects the mobile phone tech and the "savvy" of average users is far ahead of most other countries in the world...
To clarify a few things already mentioned...
- ALL portable phones in Japan that have TV capabilities ( perhaps only 50 % of existing market but closer to 95% of new model releases ) have what is called "Digital Terrestrial Broadcast" or " 1 seg " receivers which means that the signals are "HD" capable and are "digital" signals as opposed to "analog" UHF - VHF signals that most people in North America can get via antenna... FWIW, ALL standard TV broadcasting will be in this "DTB" format by 2011 countrywide in Japan meaning no more analog antenna broadcasting and everything full digital...
- The current iPhone 3G 8gb model does NET out at NO COST to the user as the monthly purchase cost is cancelled out by purchase rebate... the 16 gb phone nets out at a cost or roughly $ 5 usd / month...
- Current plans for the iPhone in Japan require that you sign up for a internet usage / packet plan that starts at a low price and goes up to about $ 50 usd / month maximum for "unlimited" use...
To put the current plans in perspective for about $ 70 usd per month you get - - -
- a 16gb iPhone 3G on a 24 month plan
- basic (ish) phone plan ( white plan & family pack ) which allows unlimited calls between family members and unlimited calls between phones on the same Softbank network during daytime hours
- unlimited internet use - for sake of simplification I am counting on maxing out the packet communications
- voice mail & some limits on SMS and email when done "off-network"
As posted above by others the "sophistication" of mobile phones here in Japan have been far ahead of the curve for a number of years.
Add to this the fact that at "initial" introduction of the iPhone 3G to Japan the cost was almost DOUBLE the current packages and with similar ( and in some cases lesser ) features to phones that have been ion the market for a couple years - the general Japan market did a collective YAWN...
The iPhone may get ooohs and ahhhs in the rest of the world but to this market it was just "another phone"... Factor in it being bigger with no TV and a smaller MP camera at a cost which is almost double and the writing was on the wall...
Since the changes to the plan / cost structure introduced at the beginning of March it appears that the iPhone are starting to move quite well - - heck I even broke down and finally got one... ;D
Now at least people will look past the price and "lack" of features they are already accustomed to and will start to notice the other features that DO make sense to them - me - such as syncing with my MBP, Apps, Nav, etc., etc.,
Cheers,