DVD Rental Vending Machines turning up in Japan

You must have heard about itunes, Amazon, Netflix, CinemaNow, Movie Link who are battling for the online Movie rental space in the customer`s heart.
At the time when in the US the war is about who will be the biggest online Movie Rental retailer, at the same time in Japan known for its technlogy touching people`s life is gearign up to introduce more and more in DVD Rental Vending Machines in the premises of the main railway stations in across the Tokyo.


THE NAME:
"JiRenKi" as they call it in Japan is the short form of "Jidou Rental Ki" (Automatic Rental Machine), is places just before the exits of the Railway Station. Tokyo is know for its one of the world`s well planned Railway System has already placed such machines in the major stations and growing like anything.This service is introduced from a company called "Astala Vista".

The touch Panel on the machine.




THE OPERATION:

It offers the user with a rental DVD in simple 3 steps.
1. Choose the DVD from a touch panel system.
2. Swap your credit card.
3. Get the DVD just as you get a bottle of Coke from a Vending Machine.

and returing it back is also done in the same order...
1. Touch "Return"..
2. Insert the DVD
3. Press Ok...and you are done.

THE PRICING:
The pricing is also pretty straight foward.

For 24 hours rental
1. New Release : 350 Yens ($ 3.05 approx.)
2. Standard : 250 Yens ($ 2.18 approx.)
3. General : 150 Yens ($ 1.31 approx.)

For 12 hours rental
1. New Release : 150 Yens ($ 1.31 approx.)
2. Standard : 100 Yens ($ 0.87 approx.)
3. General : 100 Yens ($ 0.87 approx.)

As you can make out from pricing its really very aggressive pricing so that its really affordable to people here. This pricing really makes us ponder on Steve Jobs thought process that "people want fix prices". But when I see the above price from customer point of view the pricing really seems to be practical enough, more for new movie and a bit less for a older one.This makes both the customers and Movie banners happy.

The solution may suit well in the Japanese society since the life style moves around the internal railway system network. Will the war like US will start here not is not sure yet, but the introduction of one such service can stir up the competition here too. This also makes us think about what is the best delivery model for a DVD Rental ? is it Manual like this or is it online delivery model or old school DVD rental shops or all together...or something else....well it will be intresting to watch out...

Apple Store in Ginza (Japan) ! The new iPods` response.

Was in Apple Store here in Ginza to check out the latest offerings by Apple.It seemed to me , Japan welcomes the
introduction of new iPods with open hands but are waiting for iPod Touch which whose delivery dates are supposed to be this moth end or early october.

Lot of people gathered around the "fatty video nano" and seem to be delighted and amused to see/touch such a small piece of music player from Apple. I guess there no guided tour available for iPod Touch in Japanese hence the smarty employees of Apple Store with Green Shirts(with adv of iLife`08) on them were explaining the customers what was launched in the "Beat Goes On" Event by Steve Jobs. Lot of Apple Store Employees were advertising by taking nano and Classic in their hands.People didn`t seem to be intrested in the iPod classic, even though the lauch of heavy duty 160GB.I didn`t notice the buzz around new red shuffle too. People were saying "Sugoi" (great) and "Chichchai ne"(small) around the fatty along with "Kirei"(beautiful) while seeing the video playing on the 3rd generation nano.

Was just thinking about that will iPhone can also be successful in Japan, I guess it will be taken with quite a lot reluctancy because of one major reason. People here are so much used to writing mails using the phones specially designed for Japanese language that it might be difficult to replicate that thing in iPhone since Apple. Apple will have to do something of the keyboard before launching the iPhone here. E-Mail/SMS is the life line here. Since people follow "Mobile Manners" here in Japan inside a trains, the use of mailing/SMsing becomes more in the trains. All mobile phones have a setting called "Manner Mode" which put the mobile phone on silent vibration mode. People are not suppose to talk on mobile phone inside a train near a priority seats for elederly and handicapped people . But I am sure the genius of Apple can overcome such problems. But this is something which cannot be ignored here in Japan.

The above ginza Apple Store is the same store whose opening resulted in the greatest queue in Tokyo.
See it to believe it