Google Store Opens in the Heart of Tokyo; Inside Its First Directly Operated Overseas Location
IT DAILY ·
✦ AI Summary
Near Meiji-jingumae Station in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, Google has opened a directly operated store following Apple and Samsung Electronics.
On August 13, Google launched the Google Pixel 11 series and opened Google Store Omotesando, the first directly operated offline Pixel phone store outside the United States.
On site, attention was most strongly focused on the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and Google also displayed the Pixel 11 series and Google Fitbit Air.
Shibuya Ward in Tokyo is emerging as a battleground for offline smartphone retail competition. Near Meiji-jingumae (Harajuku) Station, Google has opened a directly operated store following Apple and Samsung Electronics. With the opening of Google Store Omotesando in Shibuya, the ward is increasingly being mentioned as a place where offline smartphone competition is concentrated.
On August 13, Google launched the Google Pixel 11 series and opened Google Store Omotesando on the same day. The store is the first directly operated offline Pixel phone store outside the United States. Google is pushing to expand the smartphone market in Japan.
In Japan's smartphone market, Google is the No. 2 player after Apple. Accordingly, the opening of this store is being interpreted as a strategy to strengthen market influence by expanding offline touchpoints. The move also reflects a broader push to widen offline channels based on its position as the No. 2 player in Japan.
On site, visitors' attention was focused on the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold. The Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold was also cited as the product that drew visitors to Google Store Omotesando.
At Google Store Omotesando, the Pixel 11 series, the Google Pixel Watch, and Google Fitbit Air were on display. Although several Google devices were exhibited in the store, visitors' attention was most strongly drawn to Google's new foldable phone, the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold (Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold).
The Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold was placed at several points throughout the store, and 2 to 3 visitors were lingering in front of each display. It was also the product that attracted the most visitor attention.
The device has a vertically elongated rectangular shape and includes a cover display. When unfolded, both the left and right sides of the interior are screens.
Google said it focused on improving durability, which has been cited as a weakness of existing foldable phones, in developing this product. To that end, it said it newly applied a glass-fiber composite material to the rear cover to minimize cracking, expanded the hinge curvature radius, and used a thicker glass layer for the internal display. It also said screen creasing has been improved compared with the previous model.
Products on display at the store included the Google Pixel 11 and the Google Pixel Watch. Based on the actual devices, differences in appearance were limited, and even compared with Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z Fold Ultra and other competing models, no major external differences stood out.
Smartphones in general are showing a trend toward more similar designs. As a result, manufacturers are using rear camera layouts as a way to differentiate their products.
Google is also placing its design differentiation point on the camera. The Pixel 11 arranges the rear cameras in a single horizontal line.
The Pixel 11 Pro uses two horizontal rows for its cameras. The entry-level Google Pixel 10a features a flat rear panel and a relatively small camera module.
The Google Pixel 11 series has expanded its base storage from 128GB to 256GB. Prices were raised across the board by USD 100 compared with the previous generation.
In Japan, the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold 256GB is priced at JPY 279,900, and the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold 512GB at JPY 299,900.
Prices for Google’s smartphone lineup were presented by model and storage capacity.
The Google Pixel 11 Pro XL is priced at JPY 207,800 for 256GB, JPY 227,800 for 512GB, and JPY 267,800 for 1TB.
The Google Pixel 11 Pro is priced at JPY 174,800 for 256GB, JPY 194,800 for 512GB, and JPY 234,800 for 1TB.
The Google Pixel 11 is priced at JPY 136,800 for 256GB and JPY 156,800 for 512GB.
The entry-level Google Pixel 10a is priced at JPY 79,900 for 128GB and JPY 94,900 for 256GB.
Beyond smartphones, there was another product that drew visitors' attention.
One example was the screenless health tracker Google Fitbit Air (Google Fitbit Air), and a photo showing someone wearing Google Fitbit Air (Google Fitbit Air) was also published. The photo credit goes to reporter Sung Won-young.
The product is a screenless health tracker launched in May and is not a smartwatch. It supports heart rhythm monitoring, including 24-hour heart rate measurement and alerts for Afib, as well as blood oxygen level (SpO2), resting heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep stages, and sleep duration. Data analysis is provided through the Google Health app. The price is JPY 16,800.
When worn directly, it felt almost weightless. Because it has no screen, its form is closer to a bracelet than a typical smartwatch, and the store had a range of accessories available, including soft rubber bands and fabric bands that are better at absorbing sweat.
Google has expanded its lineup beyond smartphones to wearables as well. Google Japan said it opened its first directly operated Google flagship store outside the United States in Omotesando, describing the opening as a new step in the company's history.
Source: IT DAILY · Seong Won-young
Original: https://www.itdaily.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=241315
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Source: IT DAILY
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