au is a Mobile phone carrier which shares about 30% users in Japan (the second place in Japan). au got involved in tough competition with another carriers to win users by low price with high performance and many functions, after the introduction of MNP (Mobile Number Portability) service that let users choose a carrier as they like. au decided not to pursue prices but designs to make their identity thoroughly clear. au started the'au design project' well known for its originality worldwide, and established new brand [ iida ].

First of all, we noticed that the total balance of almost all shell-type and slide-type mobile phones, the main stream design in Japan, is spoilt by there being too many push buttons and an ignorance of its slit’s design. We started by clearing the buttons and slit to get a total balance, and we reached the concept of laminated layers which can solve these problems.

Due to the amount of different media, like TV programmes, newspapers, magazines, and websites that introduced PLY as being a well designed mobile phone, [ iida ]also au won the name of a good design brand. After [ iida ] put PLY on the market, au got more than 69,200 new users (at Nov. 2009). With its newly tub keys, beautiful colours and well designed slits or layers, PLY contributed as flagship model to extend the share of au, and played an important role in getting good places in stores for[ iida ].