Waterproof smartphones are becoming more common in
Western markets, but they are hardly the norm. In Japan however, almost all
phones are waterproof, and have been for nearly a decade now. According to
statistics, 90% to 95% of phones in Japan are waterproof, because people need
to be able to use them while they are showering.
Japanese users are apparently so attached to their
phones that they even bring them into the shower. Manufacturers were aware of
this unusual habit early on and realized that in order to succeed in japan,
they had to make their devices water resistant. The world’s first waterproof
mobile phone, the Casio Canu 502S, was release in 2005, and was soon followed
by a series of Fujitsu waterproof handhelds. Before long, every company looking
to enter Japanese market had to make their devices waterproof.
Even companies like LG or Samsung, which don’t
generally make waterproof phones for the global market, had to adapt in order
to become competitive in Japan. “In Japan, being waterproof is far more
important than being able to remove your phone’s battery,” said Ken Hong, LG’s
global communications director. “For a smaller Korean brand like LG, we need to
be able to check all the key boxes to be as attractive as possible to Japanese
consumers.” This is also why LG hasn’t even bothered launching its newest
flagship, the modular G5 phone in the Asian country – it couldn’t make a waterproof
phone with removable parts, so why bother.
“In Japan, you can’t sell a phone if it’s not
waterproof. About 90 to 95 percent of all phones sold now are already
waterproof,” Panasonic executive Taro Itakura said in 2012. “Why?
This is very unique — young Japanese women prefer to use their cellphones even
when taking their showers, cellphones have become ‘must products’.
“The mobile phone is with us 24 hours a day. It
accompanies us to the bathroom, to the shower, or under the rain. So it is a
necessity for the phone to be robust,” Nobuo Ohtani, Fujitsu corporate senior
vice president, told AFP.
So rest easy, as long as you don’t take your mobile
phone in the shower with you, you’re not as addicted to technology as you
thought. READ MORE
Comments