By Yoree Koh
The sun will rise in the east, then set in the west, and Japanese tech geeks will line up for the latest toy from Apple Inc.
Apple’s iPad 2 finally debuted in Japan on Thursday, a little more than a month after its original launch date was rescheduled in lieu of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. In what could be viewed as a welcome lift in consumer sentiment in the somber post-3/11 era, by the time the store opened at 9 a.m., early-risers had lined up three city blocks deep at the Apple flagship store in Ginza, the luxury shopper’s paradise in Tokyo. The iPad 2 went on sale the same day as the mythical white iPhone 4, but it’s the former that consumers were after.
The first person arrived at 8 p.m. Wednesday, withstanding a night of heavy rain in what has become a rite of passage for those who captain the long line of eager fans. The line in Tokyo wasn’t thousands strong like ones formed during the launch of the iPad 2′s predecessor, a tamer response that could be attributed to the fact that the No. 2 — a slimmer, lighter version equipped with front and rear cameras – doesn’t pack the same kind of revolutionary promise as the original. Still, it was a respectable-sized crowd considering news of the tablet launch was announced just late Tuesday, a testament to Apple’s strong appeal here despite the many competing electronic giants in Asia.
“It’s all in the design,” said Tomonori Hamajima, who woke up at 5 a.m. to make the two-hour commute into central Tokyo to buy the new iPad. Mr. Hamajima said the original iPad sold out before he was able to buy one, so he decided to wait to get the newer version. The flood of tablets released in the interim by electronics rivals didn’t register on his radar. Sony Corp. unveiled its pair of tablets to be released later this year just two days earlier. But Mr. Hamajima said he has no interest.
“The design is clunky,” he said referring to how the single-screen S1 model is wider along one edge and tapers down to resemble a folded book, a construction intended to ease pressure on the hands when holding the device. Mr. Hamajima said he’ll take the pressure: “I still prefer Apple’s sleek design.”
The 31-year-old who works at Narita Airport on the outskirts of the capital said the device will make a nice complement to his iPhone 4, which has a screen too small to read newspapers, and his MacBook Air laptop, too heavy to carry around town.
The iPad 2 is available at select Apple stores and outlets of Softbank Mobile Corp., the company’s exclusive carrier in Japan, as well as through some electronics retailers.
The iPad 2 cost starts at 44,800 yen, a price point similar to the first-generation model that went on sale in Japan last May.
No comments:
Post a Comment