Newer, Smaller, Faster, And Not In Stores Now

(Mis)Uses of Technology

from the get-the-latest-from-Japan dept

Years ago, I bought a minidisc player from a US company that imported them from Japan. You could buy a minidisc player in the US, but the latest (smaller, cooler) versions were only available in Japan. Who knew I was ahead of the curve on that one? Gadgets that are “only available in Japan” are a growing market in the US, these days. Last year we had an article about gadget-lovers who buy products from Japan through a couple of US companies that import them here. That market keeps on growing, and now the NY Times has written a similar story. It covers the same two sites that everyone talks about when writing about importing gadgets that are only available in Japan over to the US: Dynamism.com and Japan-Direct.com. I’m a big fan of both sites, though, I try to not look at them too often, or I start to get tempted to buy something I really don’t need. Both of these sites are really targeted at early-adopters who are willing to pay more for the coolest gadgets – mostly just to have them before all their friends.