The iPhone looks to be ready to expand to Asian markets as reports are coming in stating that company representatives, including CEO Steve Jobs, have recently met with Masao Nakamura, the president of Japanese largest wireless carrier, NTT DoCoMo. Jobs has also reportedly met with representatives from Japan's third-largest wireless carrier, Softbank in situations where representatives from the company have also flown to Cupertino, California on multiple occasions. Notably excluded from reports is Japan's second-rated carrier, KDDI, which does not appear to have been invited to the table for consideration as the iPhone carrier in Japan. Although NTT DoCoMo's Nakamura has stated that a meeting "may well have happened", sources close to the story claim that Apple may be playing the wireless carriers off each other in hopes of arranging the best possible revenue-sharing agreement. Carriers Softbank and DoCoMo are said to be upset over Apple's terms, albeit a concession from at least one of the carriers seems likely, as the iPhone has proven to be a hit in its other international releases. Apple's main obstacle to a Japanese release may be the iPod's extreme popularity in the country. Through a release, the iPhone would face considerable competition if released in its present state. Many high-end Japanese phones already have cameras with three megapixels or greater, and 3G broadband is extremely widespread in the country, which would make the iPhone's EDGE technology seem staid. A 3G version of the iPhone would resolve this and make it a stronger competitor somewhere down the line - improvements the device may need to stand out in this market.
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