Tim Cook cites iPhone success, trusts iPad will perform just as well in the country

May 28, 2014 07:08 GMT  ·  By

The newest iPad models from Apple, iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display, are set to become available at Japan’s NTT DOCOMO, which reportedly offers the nation’s most reliable LTE network. Both iPad models are compatible with the country’s ultra-fast Xi LTE communications service.

A joint announcement from the carrier and Apple Inc. reads, “NTT DOCOMO and Apple today announced that iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display will be available on the DOCOMO network beginning on Tuesday, June 10.”

NTT DOCOMO says Apple’s gizmos are the most craved for in Japan. According to President and CEO Kaoru Kato, “With the addition of iPad alongside iPhone, we now offer the complete lineup of Japan’s most popular mobile devices on the nation’s most reliable LTE network.”

“We know our customers will enjoy using iPad Air and iPad mini, and anticipate that new customers will look to experience these amazing devices on our high-quality network with our new billing plan.” added Kato.

Tim Cook himself offers a statement, citing the iPhone’s massive success in the country with high hopes that iPad will follow in its footsteps.

“We are extremely happy for iPad to join iPhone on NTT DOCOMO’s network,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The results on iPhone have been tremendous, and we look forward to delivering iPad to NTT DOCOMO customers.”

Indeed iPhone has done great in Japan, and that includes the colorful 5c. Apple has had very little success with its plastic iPhone everywhere else in the world.

For soon-to-be iPad owners in Japan, the company touts features like the A7 chip, the Retina display, advanced graphics, LTE wireless, and all-day battery life. Pretty much everything about both iPad Air and iPad mini is noteworthy, so the company does its best to compress the feature set as follows:

“iPad Air features a stunning 9.7-inch Retina display in a thin and light design. Precision-engineered to weigh just one pound with a narrow bezel, the borders of iPad Air make content even more immersive.”

“iPad mini with Retina display brings all the pixels from the 9.7-inch iPad to its 7.9-inch screen, delivering razor sharp text and detail in a design that offers 35 percent more screen real estate than 7-inch tablets.”

Like the iPhone 5s, both devices sport the ARM-based A7 SoC (system on a chip), which was actually the first 64-bit chip to make it into smartphones. Also, both iPads boast an advertised 10 hours of battery life, which is actually conservatory, real life tests have shown.

Finally, both tablets ship with iOS 7 and there are over half a million apps in the App Store designed specifically for tablet use.

Future buyers will get on the ultra-fast Xi LTE network with new billing plans that enable data quota sharing (for corporate environments and families). Although the devices will only become available on June 10, customers will be able to pre-register their interest in either model beginning on June 2 (the day WWDC kicks off).

Interested parties looking to learn more about the new NTT DOCOMO billing plan can visit www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/charge.