| Sony has sold the PC segment to investment fund Japan Industrial Partners who will now be the new owners of the once famed VAIO brand. This line has been expected for some time now, more so after the PC segment witnessed a sharp 10 percent decline in 2013. Instead, the Japanese electronics giant has stated it would be focusing more on tablets and smartphones, the post-PC devices. The Sony brand name has always been synonymous with quality and durability, which wins the company accolades with its Xperia range of devices. However, the Xperia range, which is dedicated to Android right now and comprises of water and dust proof tablet and smartphones, caters more to the higher end of the market. With the emphasis now almost entirely on mobile devices, what remains to be seen is whether the company will finally change its business strategy and target the mid-range segment as well, if not the entry level budget segment. Sony's plan to exit the PC business might not be the end of the road for its association with Windows as they may still release a series of high end smartphones and tablets running Windows. Meanwhile, the VAIO Flip 11A, which happened to be the sole new product that the company showcased at CES, could well be the last VAIO branded device to have been conceptualized and built by Sony. It's an impressive piece of hardware offering 11 inches of convertible computing for a reasonable $799. The company said job cuts of about 5,000 are also possible. Sony also revised its yearly forecast from a profit of 30 billion yen to a loss of 110 billion yen or $1.1 billion. In another unrelated development, Sony also plans to hive off its TV business into a separate entity by June 2014.
Sony Sells Off PC Business, Will Concentrate More on Tablets, Smartphones is a post from: E-Reader News |
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Sony Sells Off PC Business, Will Concentrate More on Tablets, Smartphones
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