“What has become of the Sony known for its technology,” Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister and former Sony employee Akira Amari asked in October of 2006. “I hope it will solve its problems soon to quickly recover its brand image reputed for technological prowess.”
If Amari can recall when that was Sony’s image, he has a good memory. Because Sony (SNE) lost its dominant position in consumer electronics to rivals in Japan, South Korea and the U.S. long ago and has yet to regain it.
But it will soon, according to company CEO Howard Stringer, who announced today a new growth strategy designed to re-establish its global supremacy. Stringer’s plan: to peddle software and video-downloading services, not just hardware. And to bind them together over the Internet. “Our mission is simply to be the leading global provider of networked consumer electronics and entertainment,” Stringer said at a news conference.
To that end, Sony will soon announce a movie download service for its PlayStation 3 game console. And this fall it will begin broadcasting films and television shows directly to its Bravia TVs via the Internet. And if all goes according to plan, 90% of Sony’s devices will wirelessly connect to the Net by March 2011. Perhaps even Rolly, Sony’s dancing iPod killer …
Said Stringer, “This is not your father’s Sony.”
Hope not. Because my father’s Sony is Apple (AAPL).
Posted at 8:55 AM PT
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Tagged: Apple, Bravia, Digital Daily, Howard Stringer, Internet, John Paczkowski, PlayStation, Rolly, Sony, TV, brand, download, electronics, hardware, iPod, movie, network, software, technology, television, video | permalink
This year’s D conference had its share of great lines–tired ones, too (we’re all clear on the subject of Facebook and information sharing, right?). Here’s a selection of the former…
Guys like us avoid monopolies. We like to compete.”
–Microsoft (MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates
AOL is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Web. We don’t get no respect.”
–Jeff Bewkes, president and CEO, Time Warner (TWX)
I will probably never be a CEO again.”
–Yahoo (YHOO) CEO Jerry Yang states the obvious
It’s a company that creates technology.”
–Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg answers the question, “What is a technology company?”
Read more »
Posted at 5:01 AM PT
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Tagged: Activision, Amazon, Barry Diller, Bill Gates, D6, Dell, Digital Daily, Google, Howard Stringer, IAC/InterActiveCorp, Jeff Bezos, Jerry Yang, John Paczkowski, Kara Swisher, Marck Zuckerberg, Microsoft, News Corp., Rupert Murdoch, Sony, Steve Ballmer, Sue Decker, Time Warner, Walt Mossberg, Yahoo | permalink
In June 2005, Sony chairman Howard Stringer told the company’s annual meeting that he was a “Sony warrior,” vowing to fix the faltering Japanese electronics-and-entertain- ment giant. “I am a foreigner,” he said. “I was born in Wales and I live in the U.S., though these days I live on a plane. But first and foremost I am a Sony warrior.”
Apparently, Stringer (who was interviewed at the fourth edition of D: All Things Digital conference on May 31, 2006) seems to have forgotten that the price of failure in the samurai warrior code is seppuku–ritual suicide by disembowelment. Because here we are two years after his vow and Stringer, onstage at the company’s annual meeting this year, again proclaimed himself a warrior–despite the conga line of blunders and financial misses that have plagued Sony for the past few years. “In the digital age, we have new competitors–not just consumer-electronics companies, but IT companies like Apple and Microsoft and Intel and Chinese companies,” he said. “The integrated approach to this competition using electronics, games and entertainment, seamlessly integrated with software, will be the best way to be the dominant company. We will shift Sony from recovery to profitable growth.”
