Perhaps it’s a risk DoCoMo may be willing to take. If it cuts this deal with Apple, there’s a fear that other handset makers will request similar ones (though isn’t this a fear for Softbank as well?) Plus, there’s the notion that the iPhone just might not be a mega hit in a market where mobile phones are already packed with some of the most sophisticated features in the world, such as the ability to record TV shows for later use, bar code readers, commuter passes as well as high speed access to the mobile web.
Still, since Softbank’s announcement, DoCoMo has reportedly been “unhappy” that its smaller rival beat it to the deal, according to AP. Reuters reports that DoCoMo spokesman Shuichiro Ichikoshi said the company “has not heard back from Apple after talks to sell iPhones.”
Meanwhile, one analyst believes that if Softbank is the only carrier, the iPhone will 200,000 to 300,000, 500,000 “tops.” Tokyo-based UBS managing director and telecoms analyst Makio Inui said, “It’s not going to move the needle in this market.” Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son apparently has his own doubts about the phone as well, and is said to be “skeptical” about its ability to bring in the Japanese subscribers. Number two carrier KDDI, meanwhile, said it was not interested in offering the iPhone as its customers tend to skew younger, and as such already have music phones.