Buying a flip phone today is a rarity here in America. Most providers don’t even offer a smart phone as a free incentive to sign a contract anymore, and those who still use classic flip phones are seen as on the fringe or old hat. Smart phones rule the day and almost everybody, whether they need it or not, has one.
It’s not the same across the Pacific in Japan. There the flip phone is making a comeback, showing a surge in sales compared to rival smart phones. From Reuters:
Dubbed “Galapagos” phones because they have evolved to meet unique Japanese standards and tastes, flip-phone shipments rose 5.7 percent to 10.58 million in 2014, data from market researcher MM Research Institute Ltd shows. Smartphone shipments fell 5.3 percent to 27.70 million, down for a second year.
Users in Japan pay some of the highest smartphone fees among developed nations, the telecommunications ministry says, while flip-phone rates are among the lowest. Many Japanese accustomed to years of deflation are content with old-style flip-phones offering voice calling, email and in most cases basic Internet services.
Clearly they don’t have the cut throat businesses there that are ready to slash and rip their opponent’s bills in half in order to get your business. That or things are just really expensive in Japan. I’ll lean towards the latter since it also seems to apply to anything else you can buy.
Reuters does note that next year shouldn’t see the same surge. Mobile usage has nearly plateaued and phones last longer, meaning renewals are not as frequent. The old tech junkies out there can still enjoy this while it lasts, though.
Will flip phones make a return here in the USA? Highly doubtful when you see how far iPhone lines stretch down the blocks and avenues. It’s nice to see that there’s still a market for them somewhere. If I wasn’t so connected via work and social lives (mostly by choice), I think I could easily slide back into using a simple phone day-to-day.
(Via Reuters)