iPhone from the Asian side, or 2009 as the japanese attack on Appstore

The iPhone is not only a revolution in Europe and North America, where its success finally created the conditions for a takeoff of the Internet and mobile multimedia. But it represents a new challenge for the traditional leaders in this area: South Korea and Japan. In very different contexts, the success of the iPhone has changed the look from the actors of the market in these two countries in Europe and could lead to a return in force for developers of applications, including Japanese, on the Old continent.

On the side of Japan, iPhone has a limited success on the archipelago, but its impact on the strategy of the players is likely to be major. Launched by the third operator Softbank Mobile in July, iPhone does not have two main popular functions of the Japanese Mobiles - FeliCa Sim contactless (and its functions as payment and transport mobile) and mobile TV. Unlike the case of South Korea, iPhone has a small impact on the Japanese market. However, it radically changes the look of content providers on the Japanese mobile market from Europe and America.

A new opportunity: 2009 could be the year of the Japanese attack on iPhone
For those publishers Japanese, iPhone is a new opportunity to develop on the mobile in Europe. It makes it possible to create a global market of mobile applications, as software developed for iPhone in Japan, is used around the world (only the cost of translation and localization of content to ensure). Moreover, the repayment of Apple publisher application is much higher than that proposed by European operators, including traditional subscribers downloading anyway few applications.

The publishers of video games from Japan decided to seize this new chance to take a position in Europe. In July 2008, at the Wireless Japan exhibition in Tokyo (the largest mobile event in Japan), I was struck by the number of publishers who annunced their desire to launch applications on the Appstore, and locate in Europe in 2009. It is true that the Japanese mobile market - over 90% penetration of 3G, and the equivalent of 3.5 billion euros in annual revenues for mobile content - is now saturated. Japanese mobile publishers are now investing again in Europe, and sees iPhone as a beautiful and inexpensive door.

A weak signal of this movement is the arrival of Sunsoft. The Japanese publisher, specializing in "casual games" type MahJong, but also well-known in Japan for his "horror games (See the video game" Alice in distorted land: http://jp.youtube .com / watch? v = faDwOSmTl0E, which was a major success on the Japanese mobile, particularly among teenagers) has launched in recent months its Mahjong Solitaire on Appstore for the global market, which represents a test for his Developing iPhone in Europe.

All the information I collected from Japan suggest that Sunsoft, but also other developers prestigious Japanese video game should go on the offensive on iPhone Appstore and during 2009, on this new the media entertainment titles in Japan. 2009 could be the year of the Japanese attack on iPhone.