The iPhone 3G is going to be big, big, big, and not just in the US.

Take a look at Japan. World's "most advanced" mobile phone market and all that, right? Well, it appears a survey of almost 8000 mobile users there indicates some intense iPhone fever: half of all users at least considering buying one, and one in five either definitely planning to do so, or having already ordered!

A further look at the data points to some big defections from Japan's carriers who aren't selling the iPhone. You can't expect reality to turn out just like a survey, but this race will still be fascinating to watch.

Japanese iPhone survey indicates massive demand - Part I

Japanese iPhone survey indicates massive demand - Part II

For your amusement: The two (rather tongue-in-cheek) polls below ask your aid in choosing corporate mascots for Apple and Microsoft. (Er, "Steve Jobs' ego" seems to be a front-runner for the former. : )

What should Apple's mascot be?

What should Microsoft's mascot be?

As switching from Windows to the Mac approaches national pastime status in the US, lots of new Mac owners are running into small speed bumps in the form of interface differences. The Wall Street Journal's inimitable technology columnist Walter Mossberg offers a helpful list of general tips to quickly acclimatize those jumping from Windows to Mac OS X (more specifically its latest version, 10.5 or "Leopard"). Take a read:

Some General Tips for Switch to Mac From Windows  Read more »

The iPhone 3G goes global from the day of its birth on July 11, with a roll-out planned for about 22 lands. One of its most closely-watched markets will be Japan, where existing mobile carriers offer a wide range of quickly-changing cell phone models, coupled with firmly entrenched online services. Will the iPhone 3G thrive there or not? Stay glued to this site from July 11. 

In the meantime, here's one of the most thorough overviews I've seen yet of what Apple and partner Softbank Mobile have planned for the iPhone 3G in Japan. What do you think of the iPhone's chances in Japan?

Over on financial site Seeking Alpha is an article entitled Apple's Leap from Mediocre to Marvelous.

Can't complain about that title, but I had to do so with the content. In a nutshell, the article argues that the iPod's success and the Mac's recent surge are due to Apple's superior sales force. Hmm. Not to take a thing away from those fine persons, but that simply isn't a remotely common observation, and the article doesn't effectively support the claim either. 

I had to comment as follows:  Read more »