Hundreds of gadget lovers lined up Friday outside stores in Tokyo for the iPhone's Japan debut, as analysts closely watch whether the device will catch on among consumers other than Apple fans.
Softbank Corp., Japan's No. 3 mobile phone operator, is currently the only carrier to offer the iPhone here, although industry No. 1 NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it has not given up on the device.
More than 1,000 people were on hand when sales kicked off at 7 a.m. at Softbank's flagship store in Tokyo's Omotesando district, where a puff of white smoke in front of the store signaled the start of sales.
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