Fans line up to get latest iPhone in Japan
Kyodo News
Posted at 09/20/2013 1:07 PM | Updated as of 09/20/2013 1:07 PM
TOKYO - Apple Inc.'s latest iPhone models went on sale in Japan on Friday as fans waited in line to get them, with Japan's largest mobile phone carrier NTT Docomo Inc. launching the popular smartphone series for the first time.
A three-way battle to attract subscribers between NTT Docomo and rivals Softbank Mobile Corp. and KDDI Corp., whose product lineups already include the iPhone, is likely to further intensify in Japan, where the iPhone is proving extremely popular.
"We were the last to introduce the iPhone, but we aim to offer the best network and services for it," NTT Docomo President Kaoru Kato said at a press conference in Tokyo.
The two new models are the premier iPhone 5s, which features a fingerprint security sensor that can unlock the handset, and the lower-priced iPhone 5c. They are also making their debut Friday in China, the United States and eight other markets.
At a NTT Docomo store in Tokyo's Marunouchi business district, over 300 people queued up to purchase the new iPhones around 8 a.m. Friday.
Hidenori Sato, a 39-year-old Tokyo resident who had been in line since Wednesday, was the first to get the 64-gigabyte iPhone 5s at the store.
"This day finally came. I can't put my feelings into words," said Sato. "I am so happy."
Takahiro Katabuchi, a 25-year-old programmer who also bought the iPhone 5s, said he switched to NTT Docomo from Softbank, attracted by what he considers to be the better signal reception that NTT Docomo offers.
"I've been using the iPhone but (the new model is) easier to use. I'd always wanted Docomo to sell the iPhone," he said.
NTT Docomo has seen an exodus of subscribers wanting to own iPhones. The company had long been reluctant to introduce the iPhone as Apple is said to have strong influence in pricing and supplies, but it came to terms with the U.S. tech giant, which also faces tough competition overseas from South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co.
NTT Docomo offers the 16-gigabyte iPhone 5s effectively for free with a two-year contract by discounting monthly fees, and the same discount will be applied for both the 16- and 32-gigabyte models of the iPhone 5c.
KDDI and Softbank Mobile also offer the 16-gigabyte versions of the iPhone 5s and 5c effectively for free with two-year contracts, but only to new subscribers.
A three-way battle to attract subscribers between NTT Docomo and rivals Softbank Mobile Corp. and KDDI Corp., whose product lineups already include the iPhone, is likely to further intensify in Japan, where the iPhone is proving extremely popular.
"We were the last to introduce the iPhone, but we aim to offer the best network and services for it," NTT Docomo President Kaoru Kato said at a press conference in Tokyo.
The two new models are the premier iPhone 5s, which features a fingerprint security sensor that can unlock the handset, and the lower-priced iPhone 5c. They are also making their debut Friday in China, the United States and eight other markets.
At a NTT Docomo store in Tokyo's Marunouchi business district, over 300 people queued up to purchase the new iPhones around 8 a.m. Friday.
Hidenori Sato, a 39-year-old Tokyo resident who had been in line since Wednesday, was the first to get the 64-gigabyte iPhone 5s at the store.
"This day finally came. I can't put my feelings into words," said Sato. "I am so happy."
Takahiro Katabuchi, a 25-year-old programmer who also bought the iPhone 5s, said he switched to NTT Docomo from Softbank, attracted by what he considers to be the better signal reception that NTT Docomo offers.
"I've been using the iPhone but (the new model is) easier to use. I'd always wanted Docomo to sell the iPhone," he said.
NTT Docomo has seen an exodus of subscribers wanting to own iPhones. The company had long been reluctant to introduce the iPhone as Apple is said to have strong influence in pricing and supplies, but it came to terms with the U.S. tech giant, which also faces tough competition overseas from South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co.
NTT Docomo offers the 16-gigabyte iPhone 5s effectively for free with a two-year contract by discounting monthly fees, and the same discount will be applied for both the 16- and 32-gigabyte models of the iPhone 5c.
KDDI and Softbank Mobile also offer the 16-gigabyte versions of the iPhone 5s and 5c effectively for free with two-year contracts, but only to new subscribers.
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