DigiHunter

Will Android phone and iPhone succeed in Korea?

Nov 15, 2009 16:07

KT confirmed to launch Apple iPhone within this year. But I'm still unsure of this since KT has been delaying the release. I am also still curious whether this will be the iPhone 3G or 3GS. And during the delay with the iPhone release in Korea, we are about to have the Android handset at the same time through local mobile manufacturers like Samsung, LG and Pantech which need to defend their market share from Apple's iPhone.

Many people are saying that Japan's mobile market is a closed market, like the Galapagos Islands, but I think Korea is just like Japan for the mobile market. Apple has made a deep impact on Japan's mobile market and that's confirmed by recent news from Softbank which is servicing the Apple iPhone in the country.

Our mobile market is led and guided by three top carriers and their followers of three top mobile manufacturers. Motorola was the only company selling its own mobile phones in the Korean market. Now, there are more like Nokia, Sony Ericson, HTC and RIM for BlackBerry. Actually, these didn't make any impact on Korea for a few months compared with their presence overseas. But the Apple iPhone has already changed many things in our mobile environment, from Government to carriers, even before the mobile phone is released. Quite impressive, isn't it?

Most of you have had a chance to play with the iPhone before the Android phone comes out, so you probably have a better idea of the pros and cons between the two phones when the Android handset is released.

Unfortunately, the smartphone market was introduced in Korea only about two years back, and the iPhone and Android are about to be released in Korea at the same time. I'm not sure how many of us can will make the right choice when we have various selections of mobile OS and phones to pick from all of a sudden.

I already wrote about the ActiveX issue in Korea's Internet environment. We are unable to surf Korea sites without support of MS Windows. Also, we don't have many followers on Facebook, Twitter or MySpace, most of which are adopted by these smartphones on their UI. Well, there are similar services available in Korea, but most of the sites won't work smoothly on those mobile platforms.

How about the app markets? Apple's App Store isn't available in Korea, so how about the Android Marketplace? Local carrier SKT started with the app store business, but it isn't able to match those global app stores in quality and quantity since developers and purchasers are very limited. KT is planning to launch the Android app store in Korea, but I'm not too sure if that can work in Korea, either.

The Android and iPhone smartphones are the most recent mobile platforms and both have various applications to sync or connect to SNS, but they are mostly international-centric, even in the languages. What do you think? Will both mobile phones succeed in Korea after their release here?

Recommend me one for my selection here. I have been waiting for Apple's iPhone for years and now I' facing another hot mobile OS based on the Android OS. What would you do in my position? Please note that I'm unable to purchase two mobile phones and share a single USIM like some of you do. We are not able to switch USIM as simply as you do at home, outside of Korea.

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