But, as an old girlfriend used to say "What I need and what I want are two different things"
So let's rephrase the question "Does Asia want the iPhone?"
Actually the same argument would go for Korea and a few other Asian countries with more sophisticated mobile networks and gadgets that US consumers will not see for a while. And at its current pricing and lack of WI-FI ubiquity the iPhone would have a hard time reaching the mass market in China or India.
"Japan's 10 handset makers, which dominate the domestic market,
already offer dozens of models .. that send e-mail, browse the Internet, shoot photos and videos,
and even pick up live TV broadcasts. Most come with a built-in global
positioning system, and some even double as credit cards and commuter
passes or safeguard personal data using fingerprint or face-recognition
technology...In its current form, the iPhone doesn't work on Japan's advanced third-generation, or 3G, network"
