Just before the launch, Masayoshi Son, who heads the Softbank group, said "I've been saying this year marks the first year when cell phones will become Internet machines".

Considering how poor the web browsing experience is on my own phone, a Sony Ericsson W51S, the internet browsing capabilities alone may be enough to make the iPhone stand out in the competitive Japanese cell phone market. The first-generation iPhone was never sold in Japan.

At 7:00 A.M. white smoke shot up in front of the store and curtains were pulled to reveal huge iPhone 3G images on the store walls. The person who got the first iPhone posed with Masayoshi Son as pictures were taken.

Softbank Mobile is currently the only cell phone provider to offer the iPhone in Japan, however, the contract is not exclusive and other companies such as AU and NTT Docomo are working to clinch deals with Apple. The 8GB phone is priced at 23,040.00 yen ($215.00 USD) and the 16GB model will cost 34,560.00 yen ($325.31 USD).

Although interest in the iPhone is high as a recent survey showed, the iPhone could face an uphill battle in Japan where cell phones contain features specific to the Japanese market. The iPhone does not have the ability to take advantage of 1seg which allows cell phone users to watch television. During my daily commute, I often see commuters taking advantage of this feature. The iPhone also does not allow users to pay for goods using the Felica feature. This is a feature that even my Sony Ericsson W51S has.

The fact the iPhone lacks these features may be meaningless as Apple products have a way of dominating the market even if they are not the best when compared feature for feature.