David G. Smith
Steak Knife Member
From the NYT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/technology/companies/04sony.html?hpw
So it appears that Sony is planning on launching a new, "an all-in-one online network that pipes Sony’s films, music, games and other content to its TVs, Walkmans and PlayStation game machines."
And are smack talking Apple:
"We have a supreme advantage once we get software right, because the quality of our hardware is exceptional,” Mr. Stringer said. “I think our hardware is more durable than Apple. You don’t want something that breaks down every 10 minutes.”
I thought that the evaluation of their business was kind of surprising:
"The company is desperate for a winning formula. The global economic crisis has decimated Sony’s bottom line, as consumers everywhere cut back on electronics.
The company, based in Tokyo, expects to book its second consecutive annual loss in the fiscal year that ends in March, after losing 98.9 billion yen, or $1.12 billion at the current exchange rate, last year.
Sony’s woes started long before the recent downturn, however. In the last decade, Sony has been overtaken by rivals in areas it once dominated: Sony now trails Samsung in flat-panel TVs, and the Wii game console from Nintendo has overtaken the PlayStation 3.
Even in the camcorder market, a traditional Sony stronghold, the company is finding itself besieged by upstarts like Flip Video, which offers pocket-size recorders for less than $150."
Now I know that this is a look at Sony's consumer products, but I just wonder how this positions Sony products in their "Broadcast Solutions" division. We are all kind of prophesizing about amazing innovations that will soon be announced in the lower end of the HD video/digital cinema products arena from the "Big Players" in the game, such as Sony, but I just can't help but wonder that since there is a great need for risky innovation in their consumer products, Sony may take a much more conservative approached to innovation in the products that we all care about.
What do you think?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/technology/companies/04sony.html?hpw
So it appears that Sony is planning on launching a new, "an all-in-one online network that pipes Sony’s films, music, games and other content to its TVs, Walkmans and PlayStation game machines."
And are smack talking Apple:
"We have a supreme advantage once we get software right, because the quality of our hardware is exceptional,” Mr. Stringer said. “I think our hardware is more durable than Apple. You don’t want something that breaks down every 10 minutes.”
I thought that the evaluation of their business was kind of surprising:
"The company is desperate for a winning formula. The global economic crisis has decimated Sony’s bottom line, as consumers everywhere cut back on electronics.
The company, based in Tokyo, expects to book its second consecutive annual loss in the fiscal year that ends in March, after losing 98.9 billion yen, or $1.12 billion at the current exchange rate, last year.
Sony’s woes started long before the recent downturn, however. In the last decade, Sony has been overtaken by rivals in areas it once dominated: Sony now trails Samsung in flat-panel TVs, and the Wii game console from Nintendo has overtaken the PlayStation 3.
Even in the camcorder market, a traditional Sony stronghold, the company is finding itself besieged by upstarts like Flip Video, which offers pocket-size recorders for less than $150."
Now I know that this is a look at Sony's consumer products, but I just wonder how this positions Sony products in their "Broadcast Solutions" division. We are all kind of prophesizing about amazing innovations that will soon be announced in the lower end of the HD video/digital cinema products arena from the "Big Players" in the game, such as Sony, but I just can't help but wonder that since there is a great need for risky innovation in their consumer products, Sony may take a much more conservative approached to innovation in the products that we all care about.
What do you think?