In Japan, there are plenty of choices for those looking to get a portable media player, and this makes it all even more interesting - could you believe that Apple gets a lot of Japanese love, despite the tough competition? I don't know exactly about technology fetishes, but it seems a lot of Japanese chicks appreciate Apple's design. If they go to sleep with their MacBooks or iPods, that's a completely different story...
According to a survey of no less than 1,100 young women in Japan, Apple was ranked first in a top of products with superior design. In fact, Apple got 4 of the first 5 spots, with the iPod being first, followed by the iPhone, Mac desktop computers, and MacBooks. In-between, on the third place, we can find the Plus-Minus Zero humidifiers. Simply amazing, don't you think?
In a smart move, Apple added emoji support for Japanese users in the 2.2 software update. Why? Well, you can't have Japanese love if you don't comply with Japanese requests and, according to SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, "Email without emoticons can’t be email in Japan. We persuaded Apple Computer (to localize iPhones for the Japanese market)." Sweet!
If you're one of those who really hate Apple, here's your slice of good news - when asked about the overall brand image, instead of the company's products, Sony grabbed first place, with Apple coming in on second. Well, that's not such a big loss, after all. If Apple managed to climb up the ladder in Japan, that's a great achievement, and nobody can deny it. Now, it only remains to be seen how its Japanese future will look, because the battle for market share is getting tougher with each day...
