The iPhone has been killing it in Japan lately. Apple’s smartphone marketshare in the tech-obsessed country is continuing to dominate year-over-year, even though the company had a hard time giving out iPhones just five years ago.
With the iPhone 6’s bigger screen, the company is making more of an inroads than ever, but according to a report from Reuters, smartphones in Japan are facing stiff from competition from an unlikely suspect: flip-phones.
Shipments of traditional flip-phones in Japan rose for the first time in seven year in 2014 while smartphone shipments fell. Total shipments of flip-phones hit 10.58 million in 2014, according to data from market researcher MM Research Institute. Smartphone shipments still far exceed flip-phones with 27.70 million units, but that figure is 5.3% lower than 2013, and is the second consecutive year-over-year drop.
Japanese companies Panasonic and NEC have pulled out of the smartphone wars, but they’re still making flip-phones that are back in high demand. The retro flip-phones still lack apps and advanced features, but do offer voice calling, email, and basic Internet services.
Flip-phones are supposedly coming back into fashion in the U.S. this year too. Fashion icon Anna Wintour was spotted using one at the U.S. Open. Rihanna, Kate Beckinsale, and Scarlett Johansson have also been photographed using flip-phones, and even New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio is getting in on the dumb phone action too.
Handset makers will still have a tough time squeezing out iPhone sized profits from the flip-phone market though. Mobile penetration is saturated at 98.5 percent in Japan with 125 million subscriptions.
Source: Reuters
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
8 responses to “Old flip-phones are the iPhone’s newest rival in Japan”
Classic click-bait headline. The article says nothing about iPhone shipments having actually declined, but only “smartphones.” Likely all the “damage” was to Android. And Apple having “a hard time giving out iPhone five years ago?” Complete and utter fiction. Document that one, please. It’s demonstrably false.
Sound like your more pissed about the article mentioning Iphone than what they are even talking about. Android is still superior to Iphone. Giving a turd a bigger screen is still a turd. Just because they saw how much people loved the bigger screens, then they want to jump on the band wagon. Like it was their idea. Or their screen does it better. Besides the point that android has way more freedom. The strict rule still applies. If you just want a phone with internet and capable of texting and taking pic/vids & that’s it. Get an Iphone. If you want a phone that you can customize and make it really look and feel like your own. Like running a different rom with out all the carrier bloatware, changing the font, color scheme, battery icon/all icons, changing the battery, adding more memory, adding music without having to use itunes….you name it. Get an Android. People now a days use their smartphone’s for social media/camera/music/videos/internet, then as a phone. Now Apple, and no iphone user can say other wise. Apple is very strict about how you can use YOUR phone. Take for example why on iphone doing any type of customizing (which even when doen, is also very limited and minimal, compared to Android) it’s called JAILBRAKING and on Android it’s called ROOTING. I have owned now, about 5 androids and I love rooting my phone. it opens up android to so much more. I have had some of the best roms out there. That even iphone users say wow! that looks crazy good. I have also overclocked my cpu’s thanks to rooting. If you don’t know what any of this even is….get an iphone. By overclocking my phones they have been super fast at reacting when surfing pages or multi tasking windows. Super snappy. Even though it was already faster than my friends newer iphone. It completely blew it out of the water after the overclock. Things like this are what android are all about. Freedom. Not manipulating your consumer into only using their features, apps, service. It’s all about their way, not your way. By the way, I love my Ipod touch for working out. lol
Well actually, I wasn’t commenting on iPhone versus Android at all, per se, but on the misleading nature of the headline. But I am really happy that you are so happy with your Android phone! Clearly if you enjoy tweaking and customizing your phone that much, then Android is the platform for you. For me, sadly, I have to actually do work on my phone and I don’t have time to waste amusing myself with customization, and the risks of instability that it can bring about.
As for Android versus iPhone, one piece of advice: when you are talking about the most profitable company in the history of companies, and a device that hundreds of millions of people are using and loving worldwide, calling it a “turd” is going to reflect far more on your objectivity than on the device.
Your traditional “flip” phones have always continued to proliferate the market here in Japan – part of the reason is the aging population ( the highest in the world )… The almost 50% of the population that is over 65 have not embraced the complexity of smart phones – as with computers – and so opt for a less complicated and feature barren flip phone… Japan is not like a lot the western world where seniors have embraced technology to Skype / email the grandkids and share photos on Facebook…
In a handful of overseas markets, they are experimenting with Android flip phones. They have the traditional flip style in that they can close, but are slightly larger than the older versions, and have a smaller touch Android screen. Supposedly these “hybrid” of old and new are popular among certain groups. I wouldn’t mind trying one out.
Flips had their advantages. More comfortable to hold to your ear to talk. Longer battery life. When closed, were very pocketable and the screens were protected better, etc. What made them a pain in the ass was texting and a lack of apps. By adding Android to it, you eliminate those issues as you would have access to it’s app store and have voice dictation for texting. I believe if they were sold here in the States and properly marketed and advertised, they would sell a fair number of them.
Will we ever see an “Apple-flip”? No. But it’s still interesting.
No, thanks. Who cares what celebrities use. They get paid for the ad.
“Rihanna, Kate Beckinsale, and Scarlett Johansson have also been photographed using flip-phones, and even New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio is getting in on the dumb phone action too.”
Is this a Jezebel article I’m reading? ;)
thank you for the information