Apple is successful all over the world and is a phenomenon on its own. To the bolded part: They are not making the same products the Japanese make. If they would build android-smartphones... but they don't. They sell their own way of smart devices which is, at least for me, not comparable to others. I see with disagree here so I think we can stop this right here. Japanese market is getting more unimportant for many in the west, no matter who is successful in Japan or not.

Yes, but that's what i'm saying. Samsung is just as foreign to Japan as Apple is.

Good old fashioned racism

Don't get this started. You know the same arguments can be said for the other side.

Keep this stuff out of this thread please.

How does that make it bogus? Apple is an example of a foreign company doing well in a country that is accused of prefering domestic products.

So? Microsoft has been successful with the Xbox in America and Europe, it doesn't explain why its failing in Japan. Apple and Japanese brands do make the same kind of electronics products: tablets, pcs, phones. 

Obviously not. As I said, the guy who said this *is* japanese. Feel free to argue with him. But I doubt you will be a worthy discussion-partner if it is true what IGN states about him. 

You're going to discount Sony for some reason, which is weird. If they prefer domestic products, they would've gone for that one, even if inferior. But there are other smartphone makers like Sharp and Fujitsu out of my head.

And yes, they count, even though they are small time players in the west. Just remember that smartphones, like with most electronics and technologies, have been available for a while longer in Japan compared to the rest of the world.

Which exactly? I remember that Japan had I-mode, that was sth. almost exclusevily to Japan (it failed in other countries) but can't remember anything else.

When iPhone was launched it have no competition... today the Japoneses bought it because it was the only devide to buy at the start... Apple today is strong.

Microsoft always had Sony and Nintendo with at least the same product.

And Samsung is not Japonese... Sony just entered in mobile market some years ago.