New iPhone arrives

Hats off to Japan for yet again taking enthusiasm for a rather typical event just a little too far...

If you have a genuine reason to buy one, then do so.

Otherwise, a fool and his/her money is soon parted. I'd worry about anybody (friends especially) being impressed if I was stupid enough to buy one.

It's not just otakus in Japan who buy them either, geeks everywhere want to buy this crap.

I wonder how much the guy at right gets paid to stand there like that. I wonder if it was in the job description when he was interviewed for the job at Apple.

anyway..its not crap..a device that can be used to do a million things is not crap..just because you cant afford it...or you have different opinions on where to spend your money, doesnt mean others dont have the right to think differently

I wonder how much the guy at right gets paid to stand there like that. I wonder if it was in the job description when he was interviewed for the job at Apple.

He's not working. He's just excited about the new iphone release.

It's not just otakus in Japan who buy them either, geeks everywhere want to buy this crap.

"Crap"...right. Because I'm sure that there's NOTHING that you own that someone else doesn't see any value in...

Question of the day : is that person standing in front with the i-Phone suit a guy or a girl? I seriously can't tell.

Man using iphone- Marichan I am still in line at Apple and some photag took my picture -I am so cool am I? Bicultural-its a dude and if you pushed him over what would happen (his arms?)

he definitely needs a life... GIVE HIM HIS IPHONE!!!

The stores are so under stocked for this launch. I pre-ordered on the first day they accepted pre-orders and was number #57 at the store I reserved it at and I received a call yesterday saying I wouldn't get one today. I don't mind waiting but how does a store not stock at least 57 units for a wildly popular device such as this? poor planning as usual.

Jesus Christ, the sheep are out in force with a few idiots in tow.

Whether he's working or not, I think its safe to say that the iphone guy's life has not quite pannned out as his parents might have hoped.

warallthetime- gaijin names automatically go to the end of the line or they freaked out.... sorry mate but I guarantee one those are true.

iPhone? Looks like the guy should say "I am a Phone" Creepy...I wouldn't want to stand near that guy.

I pre-ordered one the day after pre-orders began, yet Softbank told me today they don't know when I can get it. It's pretty unfair that I (and many other people) who pre-ordered miss out, yet they give them away to people who haven't. Surely all available stock should go to those that ordered, otherwise what's the point in pre-ordering at all??

The guy with the phone suit on won't be dying of cold any time soon, I guess.

Im pretty keen on one, though I can wait for the first software update.

Windows Mobile rocks compared to the iphone os.

I got mine this morning. what a lovely machine it is too.

Bobbafett, when did you pre-order yours?

But...Blackberries have been out for ages. Why all the fuss about a smartphone now?

@ motogaijin

I don't care what other people think of my possessions. My point is I don't rush out to buy the latest and best, unless there is a good reason.

An example of would be buying gear for an expedition. I buy the best I possibly can, within reason, because my life, and others, may literally depend on it. Note that the best may not be the most expensive, newest or have the most "functionality". Neither do I care if it looks pretty.

The only reason you rush out and buy this is because everyone knows iphone 4gs is coming out next year

One born every minute...

Why all the fuss about a smartphone now?

It is a statement, a symbol ... and as we know (and observe) symbols are for the simple minded.

Apple products have become the new symbols for elitism and snobbishness much like the famed LV products and the more a nation requires these symbols the lower its self esteem.

In the old days one had to put his car keys on the table to show off, now the iPhone fulfills this purpose. The whole is best mixed with sipping a Latte macchiato and a pair of expensive looking Gucci sunglasses in ones hair.

The iPhone 4 is only import to those who indulge in the 'seen to be seen scene'...

I have an iPhone 4 - I am cool and you are not. (Get a life not a new phone)

shoot, i still do the car key thing, guess i am out of date. i also don't have an i-phone. all my friends do, but somehow i don't feel i need it. i think if i owned Apple shares, i might think about it.

For all new iPhone buyers ... get a bumper case, here is why:

http://gizmodo.com/5571171/iphone-4-loses-reception-when-you-hold-it-by-the-antenna-band

Get. A. Life. People.

On a slightly related note, the iOS4 update bricked my 3g... the phone restarted everytime I tried to make/answer a phone call!

Had to restore the older software to be able to use the damn thing again >_<

There are probs with in stalling OS4 on 3G Phones, 3GS seems to be fine.

Read an article recently about the install probs and how to avoid them and how to recover if things go south.

Antenna issues? on softbank's extremely weak network? spells double trouble!

Lots of Japanese queuing up for American technology manufactured in China. How times change.

"But...Blackberries have been out for ages. Why all the fuss about a smartphone now?"

but smartphones have been around before blackberry and email was pretty standard in Japan as versus SMS text a lot longer than that.

I agree that Apple products have snob value, and I think that many Apple fans are semi-religious fanatics, but the iPhone is way ahead of 'standard', staid keitais (the ones into which people are gazing cross-eyed as they bump into you in the street.) Then again, so are Android phones and Nokias (not that you can buy Nokias in Japan any more.) J-phones were ahead of their time 10 years ago, now they're a backwater.

email was pretty standard in Japan as versus SMS text a lot longer than that.

Japan still hasn't got SMS working properly between its major carriers. As a said, a backwater.

SMS? Who uses that anymore? People here stopped using that 10 years ago once mobiles started supporting email...

New iphone ? Still the camera is shoddy, it's still a 4 megapixel camera. Cheapy docomo and softbank phones have 8 megapixels and above. What's wrong with Apple ? I heard next year they will add a sony camera in the iphone. I guess I will wait next year.

Apple has always been about geekdom. The company was founded by a couple of hackers (back when "hacker" didn't mean doing illegal activity). Their initial goal was to develop a home computer that didn't require a PhD in computer science to operate. They've drifted away from that lofty goal somewhat.

Its actually 5 megapixel... anyway with small sensors and lenses more megapixels = more noise.

Oh look! An otaku parade. Not often you get to see some of these strange souls.

What happens when somebody simply wants a phone for making and receiving phone calls?

Maybe there is an opening in the market here, a phone that only makes and receives phone calls. Given its lack of mad and pointless extras it could be wafer thin, though not much smaller than they are now, we would still have to “dial” numbers and put the thing to the ear. Can you imagine how cheap they would be? Ah well, that thought just killed that idea, cheap doesn’t sell does it?

I wonder if the guy in costume is a customer or just for the promotion. If it is the former, then he really really really needs to get a life and his head examined.

lol,a jaw dropping pic! These people never cease to amaze me.

Wait a minute... you can't see his arms! WHAT'S HE DOING WITH HIS HANDS UNDER THERE?!? Eeew! :-P

It's the package deal with the iPhone. Phones in Japan have been way ahead of US phones, even blackberries. America continues with the crappy text messaging (sms) which is beyond me given the iPhone and Androids - but that's America...so why the hype in Japan?

The obvious - the Novelty. Having the latest and greatest. 2a. The GUI - Japanese phones, although having all the capabilities that the iphone has (sometimes better) they never had such a nice UI. 2b. iTunes - Again, even with all the tech, No Japan phone could interface so easily to a PC and having a nice, user friendly, supporting PC App. There's an App for That - No, apps for phones is not new in Japan, but apple has done such a great job at supporting, making them available, easy to install, and all must follow the Apple standards. It no longer takes effort (the novice to the geek) to install apps and find apps that are you care about; games, utils, etc...

I could go on but...really, the Hype is hte Hype for Japan...always the case - look at Forever 21 when it opened, or H&M.

But, once that settles, the Japanese Market has something that it didn't quite have....Still, the lack of Flash will put a hamper on going to those Dating websites... Oh well, that's what the "OTHER" keitai is for. ;-)

What happens when somebody simply wants a phone for making and receiving phone calls?

They make them too! Just a couple of years ago, I saw ads for them on J-TV. They've recently done the same here in the states. It's a low tech, big button cell phone. No apps, no camera. Just a phone.

Taka

http://gizmodo.com/5571171/iphone-4-loses-reception-when-you-hold-it-by-the-antenna-band

Major problems with signals dropping if you touch the phone with your hands hahahahaha

Some good points made there Candle.

I would love to know why Japanese UI for both software and mobiles is so uniformly dire? The iOS, Palm, Blackberry, Symbian, and Android GUI's crap all over anything designed in Japan from a usability perspective. Having to wade through the thousand menus of my Sharp phone is akin to torture.

Answers on a postcard.

email was pretty standard in Japan

Then we live in a different Japan. I've never been able to set up my email account in my Japanese handset. My friends overseas with Blackberries have been doing that for several years now, basically using their handsets like mini-PCs.

SMS? Who uses that anymore? People here stopped using that 10 years ago once mobiles started supporting email...

People around the world use SMS as opposed to e-mail because it's cheaper and faster. And you can be sure that sending an SMS to a mobile phone number will work. Except in Japan of course.

... and anyway, the Japanese didn't stop using SMS; they never had it in the first place, since it's a GSM / 2G / 3G feature. The rest of the world uses SMS heavily, even for commercial services. Japan doesn't, because it's an isolated mobile backwater.

NTT Dokomo's iMode was a trend setter back in the late 90's/early 2000. The iPhone is just a fashionistic re-packaging by Apple marketing. That it has caught on even in Japan is a surprise for me! Japan should have been way above the technology curve by now. What happened?

If I was going to wear an iPod costume, I would at least jailbreak it first. Jeez.

or an iPhone costume, for that matter.