Upcoming Emoji To Spark New iPhone Interest In Japan
by Robin Rhys
October 8, 2008
The iPhone has not been as popular in Japan as it has in the U.S., but now with the inclusion of more than 400 Emoji characters hidden on the not yet released 2.2 firmware, it’s likely that businesses and the public alike will take notice.
Emoji are picture characters that are extremely popular in the Japanese mobile market, used to express emotion in emails and text messages.
According to the Wall Street Journal, one analyst contributed part of the slow iPhone sales in Japan to the lack of Emoji:
"The iPhone is a difficult phone to use for the Japanese market because there are so many features it doesn't have," says Eimei Yokota, an analyst with MM Research. Yokato cited one small but must-have feature that is entrenched in his country's mobile culture but lacking on the iPhone: Emoji.
With the inclusion of Emoji characters combined with the iPhone's push to establish itself as an enterprise solution for Japanese businesses, the handset's presence in the land of the rising sun is sure to... well, rise.
BearingPoint, a management and technology consulting firm, has already committed to putting 1,000 iPhones into the hands of their consultants in an effort to gain productivity. Current employees of the firm carry both a data modem card for a PC and a cellular phone, but now the iPhone will eliminate the need for more than one device.
The deal represents a milestone for Apple, marking the iPhone's first corporate client in Japan.
Emoji are picture characters that are extremely popular in the Japanese mobile market, used to express emotion in emails and text messages.
According to the Wall Street Journal, one analyst contributed part of the slow iPhone sales in Japan to the lack of Emoji:
"The iPhone is a difficult phone to use for the Japanese market because there are so many features it doesn't have," says Eimei Yokota, an analyst with MM Research. Yokato cited one small but must-have feature that is entrenched in his country's mobile culture but lacking on the iPhone: Emoji.
With the inclusion of Emoji characters combined with the iPhone's push to establish itself as an enterprise solution for Japanese businesses, the handset's presence in the land of the rising sun is sure to... well, rise.
BearingPoint, a management and technology consulting firm, has already committed to putting 1,000 iPhones into the hands of their consultants in an effort to gain productivity. Current employees of the firm carry both a data modem card for a PC and a cellular phone, but now the iPhone will eliminate the need for more than one device.
The deal represents a milestone for Apple, marking the iPhone's first corporate client in Japan.
