IPAD, Apple Inc., in Japan has generated a level of enthusiasm and excitement rarely seen recently by a technology loving country in this technology. After selling over a million units in the U.S. since it went on sale on April 2, the IPAD debuted on Friday in Japan and other nations. Softbank Corp., the exclusive carrier in Japan for the IPAD, stopped taking reservations after only three days. Several business and technology magazine published Japanese notes on the debut cover of the IPAD, and one even said in English: “Here comes the game-changer” (something like “here comes the innovative”).
Since Thursday, lines began forming in front of Apple stores and Softbank in Tokyo. Many customers had already reserved a IPAD few weeks ago, but were willing to stay up late to get their own ipad in hand as soon as it opened.
“Japanese products are very sophisticated and powerful, but they do not have the same charm that Apple has,” said Kazuto Ishimura, a student of 21 who was third in the queue outside the Apple store to buy a 3g ipad tablet in the upmarket Ginza district.
The success of the iPhone has proved the skeptics wrong. One explanation is that Apple products have become branded accessories, the technological equivalent of another Japanese favorite: a portfolio of Louis Vuitton fashion accesories. However, it remains to be seen whether the IPAD can sustain its initial enthusiasm in Japan.