Comments 2

Re: Learning From The End Of i-mode, The "Life Infrastructure" That Revolutionised Japanese 'Keitai' Gaming

frei

During that era, Japan was at least a decade ahead of the rest of the world in terms of mobile phones. Around 2005, I felt like I was at the forefront of technology just by using a crappy WAP browser to download a ringtone once in a blue moon or by sending an MMS.

It’s impressive, though, how they failed to adapt afterward to stay competitive, despite being so far ahead. Seeing how they still remain masters of cross-marketing and collaboration strategies for their ips, it’s ironic that their industry and major corporations couldn't somehow coordinate to evolve within the new climate. Beyond the 'Galapagos Syndrome,' it’s as if they suffered a perpetual brain freeze the moment something foreign and competitive entered the scene and pushed them out of their comfort zone.

Furthermore, I can’t help but find it endlessly amusing that a culture with such an emphasis on respecting the past and its heritage didn't even think about digital preservation. I guess all of it boils down to their attitude of undervaluing digital and software in general compared to hardware.