I was at the Genius Bar (a place to get technical support for Apple products) in an Apple Store located in Tokyo and overheard a conversation between a customer and an Apple technician. A young lady in her mid twenties was very distraught about her broken iPhone. The conversation between the technician and her went something like this.

Customer:      My new iPhone has been giving me trouble for the last few days, and as of this morning, it stopped working all together. I can’t live without my phone.

Technician:    Do you mind if I open the cover to check inside?

Customer:    Sure.

Technician:    Did your iPhone get wet?  There are a few sensors built into your phone to determine if it has gotten wet, and it seems to have been dropped in water.

Customer:    Well, I do bring it into the bathtub with me.  Is that a problem?

Technician:    Only if you drop it in the water, or spill too much water on it. This iPhone does not have any waterproof capabilities. You should be more careful when using your iPhone in the tub.

SILENCE … The young lady realizes the broken phone is her fault.

Customer:    Can it be fixed and the data restored?

Technician:    Yes, but it will take a couple of days.

Customer:    Fine, just get my phone back to me as soon as possible.  I cannot live without my phone.

Two things surprised me with this run of the mill conversation. One, I now realize there is truth behind the saying that it I nearly impossible to separate a young lady from her phone, and two, do many people use their phones in the bathtub?

I shared the conversation I overheard at the Apple store with a few of my associates, and most agreed that more and more young people are using their phones and electronic devices in the bathtub. Young women in Japan spend up to two hours relaxing in a bathtub after a long hard day at work. They enjoy sitting in a warm bath tub and talking, texting, Facebooking, gaming, or just perusing the internet with either a smart phone or tablet. The use of electronic devices for pleasure instead of business related activities is very addicting. An electronic device or smartphone is a must – have accessory, even in the bathtub. For this reason, several Japanese electronics companies have commercialized waterproof smartphones and tablet PCs.

I am an old school engineer. I do believe in progress and I personally own two smart phones and a tablet. However, I have to draw the line at technically enhancing product so they can be used in the bathtub. Hopefully, this will open the door for expansion into other avenues where waterproofing is essential for electronic devices.   

Dominique K. Numakura
DKN Research, www.dknresearch.com

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Headlines of the week

1. Showa Denko (Major chemical company in Japan) 10/1
Has developed new silver nano-wire hybrid ink with photo curing system as the alternative solution of ITO type transparent conductive material.

2. Toray (Major organic material supplier in Japan) 10/4
Has opened PS laboratory for technical support of semiconductor packaging processes. The laboratory is capable to manage 300 mm wafers.

3. Panasonic (Major electronics company in Japan) 10/5
Has rolled out a new nickel/hydrogen battery with high energy density (2450mAh) and long life. The new battery holds 85% of the energy one year after charge.

4. NEC (Major electronics company in Japan) 10/9
Has developed a new manganese base lithium ion battery with high voltage (4.5V) and long life introducing new electrode materials.

5. Sharp (Major electronics company in Japan) 10/11
Has commercialized a new humidifier “KI-BX70/BX50” with “Plasma Cluster” that reduces virus in the air.     

6. Sharp (Major electronics company in Japan) 10/15
Has received an order of 100,000 LCD panels from Samsung Electronics for 40” LCD TV. Sharp will produce the panels in Sakai Plant.

7. Showa Denko (Major chemical company in Japan) 10/16
Has developed a new high efficiency photosensitive catalyst with fine powder of titanium oxide synthesized for ceramic capacitors.

8. Koito (Major car part supplier in Japan) 10/16
Has co-developed a new photo fluorescence material “CI MS) with a high internal quantum efficiency (94%) for white LED devices.

9. Furukawa Electric (Major cable manufacturer in Japan) 10/16
Has commercialized a new secondary battery system with a capacity 288kWh as the back up power source. Size: 606 x 244 x 266 cm

10. Hitachi (Major electric & electronics company in Japan) 10/17
Has commercialized a new vein identification module “H1EAX” for the equipments of the office security systems.

Recent Articles of DKN Research

Please find the full articles here.

DKN Research Newsletter
#1232, October 21st, 2012 (English Edition)
Electronic Packaging Industry News from Japan & Asia
(www.dknresearchllc.com)