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Deflation watch: 3D TVs already 20% cheaper

The Nikkei is reporting that both Sony and Panasonic have seen about a 20% decrease in prices since launching their 3D television sets this past Spring. 3D televisions still cost about 30-50% more than their 2D flat screen counterparts. In terms of sales, 3D tellys account for 2.6% of sales of televisions 40 inches or larger, and 5.9% of overall television sales.

Why are prices falling so fast? Truth be told, 3D televisions are pretty much useless. Unless video games can exploit 3D technology in a very popular series, there’s really no reason to buy one.

While there is a niche market for hardcore gamers, it remains a mystery why this technology is being pushed. 2D TV in Japan is awful enough, the last thing I’d want is to have it in 3D.

Apple: iPad to go on sale in Japan on May 28

Apple announced on Friday that it intends to put the iPad on sale in Japan (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the UK) on May 28. Advance orders can be made from Monday.

Apple released the iPad in the US on April 3, and announced it had sold one million units 28 days later.

The device that Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has reportedly dubbed “the enemy of the future” now has a definite arrival date in Japan. Now we just have to see how long it takes Apple to move one million units in Japan. Any predictions?

Long overdue: Sharp, Panasonic, Fujitsu and NEC to standardize mobile software

With development costs per handset in the range of about 25 billion yen, it seems about time Japan’s mobile phone manufacturers got together and decided on a standardized platform. According to a report in Reuters yesterday, Sharp, Panasonic, Fujitsu and NEC and set to launch a unified core software platform when developing their next generation handsets for NTT DoCoMo. Read more

Japanese government to collect used mobile phones in lottery campaign

Earlier today, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that it plans to kickoff a campaign to collect used mobile phones from November 21. During the campaign, which is scheduled to last until February of next year, consumers will be able to turn in their used mobile handsets at about 1,800 locations, including shops run by Kojima, Bic Camera and Ito-Yokado.

When turning in their used handset, customers will receive a ticket allowing them to apply online for a chance to win a gift voucher. The government plans to give out 800 vouchers worth 50,000 yen, 8,000 vouchers valued at 5,000 yen, and 150,000 gift vouchers worth 1,000 yen.

Of course, the government is after the rare metals that lurk inside many unused handsets. Since I have a few unused handsets lying around, I wonder how much they’re actually worth in precious metals. I doubt it’s worth 50,000 yen, but what would be the odds of winning one of those 800 50,000 yen vouchers?

Japan’s video game market shrank 10.5% in April-September period

According to gaming magazine Enterbrain, the domestic market for video game sales shrank by 10.5% in the April-September period, to 213.8 billion yen. According to the report, sales of Nintendo DS consoles increased by 29% to 1.69 million units, while sales of both the Sony PlayStation Portable and Nintendo Wii both fell. During the April-September period, the best selling game was Square Enix’s Dragon Quest IX, which moved 3.9 million copies. Read more

Softbank outpaces DoCoMo, AU for new subscribers in August

Last month, we noted that in July, DoCoMo had ended Softbank’s 26 month run as the carrier enlisting the most new subscribers. That post questioned how long DoCoMo could stay at the top, and it seems the effect of its summer roll-out of new mobile handsets has worn off.

According to today’s Nikkei, Softbank announced it gained 115,100 new net subscribers in August, down from 137,600 in July. NTT DoCoMo slipped to second place in August, with 112,900 new subscribers, down sharply from its 143,600 figure in July. Amongst the big three mobile service providers, KDDI’s AU unit once again brought up the rear, netting 77,800 new subscribers in August. However, AU’s figure was solidly up from July’s 56,600, and it was the only one of the three firms to see a rise in the number of subscribers in August.

Nikkei: 52% of Tokyoites shop with e-money

In an article appearing in Tuesday’s Nikkei, the newspaper cited research by the Nomura Research Institute which found that about 52% of Tokyo residents use e-money for shopping. With Suica, Edy, Nanaco and Pasmo cards being accepted for payment at various locations in Tokyo, these results hardly seem surprising.

Still, Nomura’s report states that the percentage of e-money users in Tokyo was up 10% in June from a year ago. The Nikkei notes that the number of e-money cards issued (130 million) exceeds Japan’s population (about 127 million). Of course, this means that there are many people not using their e-money cards for shopping.

I would be one of those people who owns multiple e-money cards but has never used one for shopping. I’m not sure why, but I think my Pasmo card is used to take trains, and I have some kind of mental block against using it as a debit card at vending machines or convenience stores. Of course, this morning I went to recharge my Pasmo card but accidentally stuck my (Fuji Bank) ATM card into the ticket machine. Chaos ensued, and 15 minutes later the front had been removed from the vending machine and my card was pulled out, seemingly intact (I haven’t used the Fuji ATM card in five or six years, maybe it’s about time to find out if it still works, provided I remember the PIN).

Point is, e-money usage is growing, despite concerns over privacy. This is a good thing for consumers, who might like to carry less cash and still be able to make purchases. I’m not sure why the consumer loan companies have not yet begun to issue e-money cards, though they might not be far behind.

Mobile phone price wars set to commence?

Softbank has announced that starting next Tuesday, it will waive its 980 monthly fee for five months for all customers who switch from another carrier and sign up for the company’s popular White Plan. Until July, Softbank had led all carriers in new subscriptions for 26 consecutive months, though NTT DoCoMo moved in front last month. This move looks designed to put Softbank back on top of that list.

Following the announcement, share prices for all three of Japan’s major mobile carriers fell, with Softbank falling 40 yen per share to 2,075. Also on Thursday, the Nikkei reported that Softbank is set to issue about 60 billion yen worth of three year notes to retail investors, with a coupon around 4.5%, sometime in September. Softbank also issued 60 billion yen worth of two year notes back in June. Read more

More on the iPhone in Japan

Over at Mobile in Japan, Paul Papadimitrou has written a good post on the perception that the iPhone has been a failure in Japan. His post looks into the structure of the Japanese mobile market while debunking many of the claims that the iPhone has been a failure, while my own article on the subject published at Japan Inc four months ago takes a look at the practical problems holding the iPhone back from dominance in the Japanese market.

It’s unfortunate, however, that one has to sign up for an account simply to post comments at the Mobile in Japan website.

Sharp looking at first loss ever in FY2008

Last year, Sharp posted an an operating profit of 183.6 billion yen. According to the Nikkei, the firm is set to post a loss somewhere in the range of 10 billion yen for FY2008, which would be the first loss in the firm’s history. At the beginning of FY2008, Sharp predicted a 6% rise in operating profit to 195 billion yen.

Sharp is apparently also looking at a 40 billion yen hit on its securities holdings, and a net loss of about 100 billion yen for FY2008. About 10.8 billion yen has also been set aside to pay fines relating to Sharp’s involvement in LCD screen price-fixing cartels.

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