According to , the Apple iPhone 3G commands 24.6% of the Japanese smart device market with the newer 3GS at 21.6% of the market and climbing.
The accomplishment is made all the more impressive considering the position of Japanese carrier Softbank (the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in Japan) compared to its entrenched competitors in KDDI AU and the largest Japanese carrier in NTT DoCoMo which is partially owned by the Japanese government.
The third place device after the iPhone 3G and 3GS in terms of marketshare is a little known smart device from Sharp known as the W-ZERO 3 Advanced which is a Windows Mobile powered slider with 14.6% of the current market and falling as more and more people in Japan use the iPhone and praise its ease of use compared to home market phones and devices.
This also follows the recent explosion in mobile manga this year in Japan due in part to the growing success of the iPhone in a market that typically shuns foreign devices, although companies such as Research In Motion and HTC have made strides to jumpstart the smart device market in Japan that is common in Europe and the US by offering their latest devices with full Japanese input support as well as other features exclusive to the Japanese market such as mobile television and electronic wallets.
Time will tell if the iPhone will trigger the shift needed in a saturated mobile marketplace that currently relies on overly complicated devices with a heavy dependence on the carrier for the most basic functionality to a device that favors ease of use and convenience above total functionality.
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