Smartphones those that allow their users to add applications and services of their choosing have been relegated to the enterprise segment where a few businesses have adopted and developed their own applications. However, pressures to reduce high handset subsidies and extend the life of existing handsets may result in Japan being friendlier to smartphones.
Symbian and Linux enjoy the highest penetration in the Japanese smartphone market and appear to be the beneficiaries in any expansion of smartphone use there.
This research also includes findings from a survey of 1,000 Japanese mobile subscribers about their use and interest in multimedia handsets and services. Three quarters of respondents have multimedia-capable phones, but most do not use those functions. Only 10% would be willing to pay for the multimedia capabilities in their next phones.
This research will be valuable for companies that provide smartphones, multimedia phones, and mobile handset applications or any of the components and semiconductors used in high-end handsets for the Japan market.
