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iPod Takes Japan by Storm

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the extremely-well-designed-storm dept.

conq writes "BusinessWeek reports on the soaring popularity of the iPod in Japan. From the article: 'iPod mania is alive and well in Japan -- one of the most competitive consumer-electronics markets on the planet. Despite an array of well-entrenched Japanese rivals, such as Sony and Matsushita, the iPod had cornered 51.3% of the digital-music player market as of the end of 2005, up from about 32% in 2004, according to research firm BCN. Sony was a distant second with 16.2%, while Panasonic grabbed just 8.2% of the market.'"

11 of 284 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting by Anonymous+Crowhead · · Score: 5, Funny

    Popular technology popular. Interesting....

  2. USA!!! USA!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's payback for the whole Walkman thing back in the 80's !

  3. I was in Japan last week ... by Stan+Chesnutt · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ... and I saw a LOT of people wearing iPods in the trains, walking on the streets, and at the Narita airport. I talked with a few people about the iPod, and most were using them for Japanese pop music ripped from CDs: I did not meet anyone who had used the iTunes store.

    Further, most of the models I saw were the video iPod or the Nano. Very few older photo iPods, and none of the earlier generations.

    I'd say that the iPod was the dominant music player that I saw (although there were a few portable CD players)

    1. Re:I was in Japan last week ... by gbrandt · · Score: 4, Interesting

      When I was in Japan I noticed quite a few companies selling white ear-pods in Akahabara. The iPod is such a fad item that people that have other devices will buy the white ear-pods to make it LOOK like they have an iPod.

      Its all about perception in Japan.

      Gregor

  4. Didn't Understand the Hype by dgb2n · · Score: 5, Informative

    Until I owned one.

    I've owned at least 6 or 7 different non-IPOD players including RIO's, RCA's, hard drive, flash based, you name it.

    My wife bought me a Video Ipod this year and I was skeptical. "Why not save the $50 and get a non-Apple one.". After less than 3 months, I like it so well, I'm ready to trade her Rio Carbon in for a Nano just because its so easy to use. I generally consider myself tech savy (using Linux since 1997) but the interface just seems so slick, so smooth, so simple to use with one hand that I can't get over it. Just the fact that you can rate songs as you play them and have that transferred back into Itunes seemed to represent a higher level of integration (seamlessness) than I saw with any other player and client-side software combination.

    Want to fast forward though a song? No problem. Couple of intuitive ways to do it. Love the album art. I used to download podcasts with a non-Itunes client and download to my other players. Completely simple with Itunes and the Ipod.

    I'm not suprised. Apple just got it right.

  5. Re:The iPod is awesome.. cool... easy to use... by mopslik · · Score: 5, Funny

    a 'real' iPod killer

    Here's one for only $7.

  6. iPod taking Japan by storm, huh? by mcsestretch · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just wait until Godzilla gets back from his battle with Mothra.
    It'll beat back this iPod invasion.

  7. iPod not Xbox 360 by hchaput · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Slightly off topic, but I wonder... Will this finally put an end to the theory that the Xbox 360 bombed in Japan because the Japanese are faithful to Sony? As if baseball wasn't proof enough of Japan's willingness (eagerness) to embrace western culture.

    Maybe the trend here is that Japan doesn't like big, brawny electronics. Perhaps they like simple, cute, almost frivolous electronics. Less is more!

  8. Same Thing We Do Every Night, Pinky by signed.bewildered · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now we need a Naruto SE with all episodes loaded. My kids would NEVER speak out loud again.

  9. Re:The iPod is awesome.. cool... easy to use... by masklinn · · Score: 4, Funny

    Looks like captain obvious feels mightly insightful today.

    --
    "The way we can tell it's C# instead of Haskell is because it's nine lines instead of two." -- wadler
  10. In A.D. 2006 by TetryonX · · Score: 5, Funny

    War was beginning.
    Japan: What happen?
    Mechanic: Somebody set up us the iPod.
    Operator: We get signal.
    Japan: What !
    Operator: Main screen turn on.
    Japan: It's You !!
    Apple: How are you gentlemen !!
    Apple: All your mp3 player are belong to us.
    Apple: You are on the way to destruction.
    Japan: What you say !!
    Apple: You have no chance to survive make your time.
    Apple: HA HA HA HA ....
    Japan: Take off every 'wma' !!
    Japan: You know what you doing.
    Japan: Move 'wma'.
    Japan: For great justice.

    --
    [!] No, I can't see my comments. They are not worthy of +3 moderation.