It was once thought that Japan disliked the iPhone so much that the Apple device couldn’t be given away for free. To paraphrase Dinah Washington, what a difference five years makes!
In October, the iPhone 6 held seven of the top eight smartphone positions (and nine out of the top 14). While sales figures are lacking, the data indicates the strength of the iPhone in Japan, according to a new report from Forbes.
The iPhone has been going from strength to strength in Japan, starting this year by capturing a then-record 26.6 percent of all Japanese smartphone sales for Q1. Check out this Google Doc for more detailed information about the iPhone’s standing in Japan.
Last year, the iPhone represented 25.5 percent of Japanese smartphone sales, driven primarily by Apple’s deal with NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile carrier. Apple has been so impressed by Japanese sales, in fact, that earlier this year it moved its chief of sales for Japan and Korea to North America, where it’s hoped they can sprinkle of their sales fairy dust over the U.S. market.
Today’s report from Forbes also notes that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus could outsell Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and Note 4 by five to one in the December quarter. Previous reports have suggested this number could be an even more impressive 10-to-one sales obliteration.
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
2 responses to “iPhone 6 continues to dominate Japan’s smartphone market”
Not really surprised apple on the whole makes the best mobile experience going and i think the Japanese like pretty much everyone understands this and are showing it with there hard earned cash.
The iP6 is still the best smartphone on the market when comparing every aspect of the experience (camera, ecosystem, security, integration with hardware, apps, design, and benchmarks).
It’s expensive, but Japan can afford it. If you’re going to get one phone, it doesn’t make sense really to get anything else unless you are tinkering or you really just use your phone occasionally for email/messaging/youtube.