"fluff... flecks of dead skin, fat, sweat and dust..."

So they found the Vista source code. Meh.

I can't believe this - yet another "the iPhone failed in Japan" article with NO SALES DATA to support the claim. Maybe it is selling slowly here in Japan. Maybe flopping miserably. But why make that claim with no numbers to back it up? Get the numbers first!

There are other reasons why Softbank might cut the price. End-of-season (that'd be now) goals. Inventory clearance for a new model. Or the biggest reason of all: a lousy economy. If the iPhone is sluggish in Japan, it's not the only thing; everyone from Toyota on down is bleeding money and laying off workers as sales slump for just about everything.

Even in a good economy, maybe the iPhone wouldn't succeed here. Maybe it would. Sadly, without any data upon which to base intelligent comments, we're still going to get non-stop uninformed punditry about market potential and breathless unproven claims of "cultural differences".

"It is - quite clearly - implicit in this claim, from your original post."

Er, no. Not a whit. If I am speaking for someone other than myself - implicitly or otherwise - then here's a simple question for you: Whom do I appear to be speaking for?

Honestly, I can't even guess what person/group you have in mind.

As for responding to all the rest: I fear we're both going to sound like pedantic parodies along the lines of The Comic Book Guy, so let's jump on the point of agreement: Be skeptical.

It's good advice in any field, including "cultural differences" - even when we have a person from Country X making claims about Nationality X. Common sense "show me why I should believe that" should still apply. (Smart observers have called the failure to do so "taxi driver syndrome" - as in, "My East Whatsitian taxi driver told me about East Whatsit poltics/economy/belief systems, so it must be true!")

So does Google Streetview present some special "cultural insensitivity" unique to Japan? We've got the claim, and it very well could have merit, but IMHO the claimant hasn't shown any support for it beyond "I say so". Until that changes, skepticism keeps me from believing it. You, others, and/or Google are of course free to make what you wish of the claim!