Staff Techdrunk 
SOFTBANK MOBILE Corp. Announces the Prices With the Launch of the Apple 3G iPHONE in Japan
In a recent press release, SOFTBANK MOBILE Corp announced that it has made a deal with Apple Corps to launch the iPhone in Japan. Softbank, is the third-biggest mobile phone company in Japan. With neither NTT DoCoMo or KDDI have the agreement which implies that Softbank will be the only Japaneesse carrier company and the sole distributer of the iphone, which will be available in an 8 GB version and a 16 GB version.
Steve Jobs, the founder and CEO of Apple, said “the iPhone 3G would be sold around the world for US$199.” Most people were sceptical in the beginning, but it has proved to work out in the case of Japan.
Reports mentioned that the 8 GB version will be priced 23,040 Yen, while the 16 GB one will amount upto to 34,560 Yen. The prices are remarkably close to the US prices (US$199 and US$299 respectively ), and is a sign that Apple has delivered the claim made by Steve Jobs.
The Apple deal will certainly be most beneficial for Softbank’s accounts, and the company proposes various schemes to boost its sales, including a monthly plan of US$68 per month or about 7,280 Yen. Additionally, the scheme will also include unlimited data and extra free minutes or free calling services when talking to other Softbank subscribers. The only catch in the scheme is that the prices are applicable only to iPhone 3Gs purchased on contract.
