Remember when the Smart Cover for iPad was first announced, and it turned out Apple was apparently inspired by Japanese bath mats when coming up with their design? Looks like Jony Ive looked around his hotel room during a recent trip to Tokyo and let another everyday Japanese object influence the design of one of Apple’s latest products.
Apple has increased the prices for the iPad mini, iPad, and iPod touch in the online Apple Store in Japan.
According to Reuters, the Japanese yen continues to weaken after a devaluation across the past several months, which could be the reason for the price increase.
Every time Apple makes a new iPhone, it needs to go into production earlier and earlier to accomodate the bonkers-go-nuts launch demand for the latest Jesus phone.
No wonder, then, that iPhone 5S mass production is starting to kick off, with a new report saying that Sharp, one of Apple’s major panel providers, is revving up its engines to mass produce IPS LCD displays for the iPhone 5S, starting as early as next month.
Steve Jobs spotted at the iPhone 4S launch in Japan. Photo by Damon Coulter – http://www.damoncoulter.com/
Remember when people were wandering around idiotically saying the iPhone was a total failure in Japan?
Yup, pretty stupid, but it’s true that, at first, the iPhone didn’t catch on in Japan, and that was a problem for Apple, because Japan is the country where gadgets rule.
So what changed Apple’s fortunes in Japan? Women!
There’s no doubt that the iPhone is one of the most popular pieces of technology ever invented. The rush of people lining up for hours just to buy one usually causes competing carriers to trip all over themselves for the opportunity to sell the iPhone, except recently the list of carriers clamoring for the iPhone has slowly dwindled to just a few prospects.
Despite its successes, Apple is missing out on the chance to sell the iPhone to as many as 2.8 billion new smartphone customers, and according to some experts, the only thing that’s stopping them is Apple’s own rules.
Namco Bandai’s Idolm@ster series has been exclusive to Japan since it first debuted in 2005, so you’ve probably never heard of it, despite their popularity. But Namco has translated three of the titles into English and ported them over to iOS, giving fans all over the world the chance to experience the Japanese sensation for the first time.
The only problem is, they’re priced at $54.99 each!
Square Enix has been working hard to port its classic Final Fantasy titles over to iOS, and the next in the series, Final Fantasy V, is expected to hit the App Store by the end of the month. Like previous Final Fantasy ports, the game will bring updated visuals, and new controls optimized for touch-based devices.
Apple just released its latest iOS 6.1.3 update, which fixes a lock screen security flaw that allows users to bypass a passcode lock. The update also makes improvements to Maps for users in Japan.
Heads up. Steve Jobs will be the subject of a new Japanese manga series by artist Mari Yamazaki of Thermae Romae manga fame.
When Apple launched its new Maps app with iOS 6 last September, one of its headline features, Flyover, only supported a handful of big cities. But the Cupertino company has been hard at work in the background to extend its reach, adding support for additional locations all over the world.
In the past few months, Apple has brought Flyover to an additional 16 cities, plus extended its coverage in 14 of the cities already supported.
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