executive impact

Sony on track for comeback

13 Comments
By Yuri Kageyama

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13 Comments
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He is targeting people who are willing to pay more? Why would someone pay more? They can get the same or better quality for a cheaper price than with Sony. Excuse me, but rich people are pretty smart concerning money. Sorry Sony, you are getting left behind and like many businesses, don7t make the correct adjustments to stay competitive.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Sony has been criticized for failing to take advantage of having both entertainment and electronics businesses. Still, Hirai was sticking to the old “synergy” strategy

After all those years he still hasn't realized that having entertainment and electronics under one umbrella not only doesn't provide any synergies but that those businesses are almost completely antagonistic. The entertainment industry wants to "protect" and limit every use so that they can gouge consumers to the maximum while among electronics makers only those are successful which keep at least a certain degree of openness in their products. Sony's products often have a good design, but their strategy of selling locked products at high prices with comparatively low quality (both hardware and service) simply scares customers away.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Reading statements like this should explain to everybody, why Japan is on the downturn, and why there is no stopping that downturn in the internediate future. Change is simply a word, that has no meaning in japanese society. If something ends in a desaster, be a a corporation or a world war: This is japanese tradition and japanese culture, this is the japanese way of doing things, so it is the right way. And the people of Japan keep on buying phrases like that. So, there is absolutely no probelm in my view. Just look at the article about Aso's statement. Why should there be a problem here?

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Just don't have the factories in China where workers can 'shanghai' the visiting Japanese managers to demand for more pay or the factories/restaurants/Japanese cars get smashed up by 'angry/paid members of the public' while the police look on 'helplessly' and intervene only at late stages of the demo.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Chinese, Taiwan and South Korean rivals that offer products at much cheaper prices.

A typical statement by a typical Japanese person. The real reason is that Asian makers make stuff global consumers want. My Korean mp3 player has lots of features my previous Sony lacked, like regional language and FM radio settings, audio recording, non-propriatory file support, firmware that sychs flawlessly with windows, etc. etc. THAT is why I bought it.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

JeffLee, you know that just ain't true. Just go over to Chosun Ilbo (English site) and check out how the Koreans are panicking over the Yen depreciation and Won appreciation. Price. THAT is the reason why people buy these things.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Sony products aren't what they used to be, innovative and well designed/built, and haven't been for some time now. I decided to give Sony another try and got their Xperia cell phone a few months ago and hated it so much that I switched to the new Samsung Galaxy IIIa the other day. Whoever designed the Xperia was a moron.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@USNinJapan2: try a high-end Xperia. Don't blame on the cheap

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Loved Sony back in the '90s but they have been passed up.. It's the same thing they did to American companies that's happening to them now.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Loved SONY back then and love SONY now. Hoping for a miracle to pull them out of that deep hole they've sunk into.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

LOL. Typical Japanese, have hard time admitting Samsung and LG have completely kicked Sony's butts. Chinese and Taiwanese are brought into this because they cushion Japan's pride and humiliation for getting beat by S.Korea. Even with favorable exchange rates, Samsung is still more expensive than Sony. Just go into any electronic store in America. All the latest high end stuff are Samsung, all the cheap and outdated stuff are the Sony, competing with the Chinese brands. Dream on. Lol.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

"Even with favorable exchange rates, Samsung is still more expensive than Sony. Just go into any electronic store in America. All the latest high end stuff are Samsung, all the cheap and outdated stuff are the Sony, competing with the Chinese brands. Dream on. Lol."

"favorable exchange rate"? you must be kidding or pure ignorant about the fact that Korean Kwon have dropped from 800-1170 vs the dollar while the yen at its worst rise from 128-75 during 2008-2012. Are you even in any business? do you know how anything about business buying processes vs regular consumers?

"Even with favorable exchange rates, Samsung is still more expensive than Sony. "

Last time i went to shop in the US, prices are basically:

TV section: Sony is always at least $100 more than Samsung or $150 more than LG in this section, considering roughly similar specs. Toshiba is about the same price as these 2 k makers, and Panasonic is a little higher. Anyway, this market is a dying business for all. Profit margin is way too low, but overhead costs are high. Only a fool would focus too much on this sector nowaday (Sony is a fool for not knowing this) Camera: Samsung is thumb down on this, they simply suck. Game console: no Korean makers. Home appliance: Various makers here, and prices are pretty much similar. Well, S and L aren't popular with this category anyway. Computers: Toshiba is pretty good in this sector.

The only big difference is the cell phone market, which is also a money maker for Samsung. However, sooner or later they will also follow other companies leads. Just take a look at Nokia, BB, Motorola, etc....No one stay at the top forever.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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