2007-08-26

6% Japanese are Skypers?

I read the following statement of Shinichi Iwata, general manager of Skype's Japanese office, on www.skype-news.com:

The number of registered users in Japan totaled 5.7 million at the end of July.

As usual, let me correct this statement: they mean “registered user names”, not "registered users", and this isn't equal to "active users", see my explanation here in Skype Journal!

Let us assume the numbers are however correct, this would mean that:
  • 2.5 % of the active Worldwide Skypers are Japanese
  • 6 % of the Japanese population are Skypers
  • 10 % of the “active” Japanese population are Skypers (discounting people older than 65 years, and younger than 14 years)
Bear in mind that the second and third numbers above are very exaggerated, and i repeat why there are less active users than registered user names:
  • lost password, and therefore inaccessible user name, therefore the need to create a new user name
  • testing Skype, and abandoned use of the user name
  • spare user names, registered for alternative or future use (i have several!)
  • the owner of the user name died (yes, this also happens!)
  • the person switched to another VoIP tool
  • the person registered a temporary name for a temporary past situation
Question to Shinichi Iwata: how many user names did you register?

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