(keitai-l) Re: Wap vs i-mode once again

Hi,

> to give you a general picture, here is a table from a report I wrote
on
> imode/wap/java ... it will publish next week ... if you would like a
> copy, just email me ...

> i-mode: "proprietary Japanese technology"
> WAP: "open global standard"

I really wonder what is so "open and standard" about the industry driven
WAP and what is so "proprietary and Japanese" about i-mode, which is
build on open Internet standards like HTML, TCP/IP and HTTP.

> i-mode: 12+ million subscribers
> wap: 5-6 million activated WAP phones

> i-mode: 600+ information/content provider partners
> wap: 500+ information/content providers

I guess you are only counting the non-Japanese WAP users in your table.
In Japan alone exist about 4 million WAP users and KDDI/AU & Tu-ka have
about 300 official WAP content partners/sites.

Otherwise your numbers would mean that there are only about 1-2 million
"activated WAP phones" and 200+ WAP information/content providers
outside of Japan.

Besides that I think that the discussion subject alone is a bit absurd:
"Wap vs i-mode". WAP is a protocol ("wireless application protocol") and
i-mode is a service/brand name like "AOL" is one. If AOL would start a
subsidary with a wireless AOL service, it would still be called AOL
(which just means "America Online"). Same thing with i-mode, which is
"just" a name, not a special technology or protocol or markup language.

Some of the reasons why i-mode has been so successful (it's *not* always
about technology folks) are described in this eCompany article:

http://www.ecompany.com/articles/mag/0,1640,8612,00.html

Quote: "In a world increasingly dominated by sophisticated technologies,
the biggest business winners will be those who best understand the
desires of ordinary people on the receiving end of the technology. [...]
Customers couldn't care less about technology, they want usefulness."

Cheers,
Andrea Hoffmann
--
Andrea Hoffmann   ---   Editor-in-Chief   ---    MMJ Online
hoffmann_at_mobilemediajapan.com - http://mobilemediajapan.com


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