iPhone a Hit in Japan

It seems the iPhone has won over even the toughest skeptics. Japan, long one of the most difficult retail markets for foreign-made cell phones, has welcomed the iPhone, which accounted for 72 percent of all smart phones sold in the country in the fiscal year that ended March 31. Given that Japanese companies produce more sophisticated smart-phone technology, foreign smart-phone makers such as Nokia and RIM both have all but abandoned the quest to infiltrate the Japanese market. "The iPhone is not as advanced in terms of hardware, but the user interface is something to behold," said Takeshi Natsuno, a Keio University professor and a former top executive at NTT DoCoMo.