Rumor: Sony is open to selling its mobile phone division

[Dari]

Maybe the Chinese will buy out the Sony phone dept?

Win/win



Failures can be reversed yes, but at what expense? Burning an amount of money that they may not be able to afford just to capture a bit of cachet doesnt seem like good business sense.

It's good business sense if it ties into their other products.

 

[WelshBloke]

It's good business sense if it ties into their other products.

And if its taking their focus and finances away from their other products?

 

[Dari]

And if its taking their focus and finances away from their other products?

Like what?

 

[WelshBloke]

Like what?

You think that Sony only makes smartphones?

They'd have been dead a long time ago if that was true.

They have dropped the PC side, TV's and Smartphones will be next. (Which is a shame as they are quite good at TVs)

 

[Dari]

You think that Sony only makes smartphones?

They'd have been dead a long time ago if that was true.

They have dropped the PC side, TV's and Smartphones will be next. (Which is a shame as they are quite good at TVs)

Uh, I asked for an example and you did not give any. I never claimed they only made smartphones. I'm claiming that their smartphone fortunes can change if they stop competing against bottom-feeders like Samsung and the Chinese horde. Copy Apple and stay a premium niche. That is what SONY fans want to see (at least I do). Again, the difference with exiting the PC market is that PCs are dying and mobiles are fast replacing them. Me? I'm old school. I have a huge desktop with multiple monitors. But my wife only uses her laptop when she has to. My son only knows tablets and phones. Times are changing and abandoning a market that will be the defining computing and consumption tool for future generations is extremely stupid and short-sighted.

 

[destrekor]

Uh, I asked for an example and you did not give any. I never claimed they only made smartphones. I'm claiming that their smartphone fortunes can change if they stop competing against bottom-feeders like Samsung and the Chinese horde. Copy Apple and stay a premium niche. That is what SONY fans want to see (at least I do). Again, the difference with exiting the PC market is that PCs are dying and mobiles are fast replacing them. Me? I'm old school. I have a huge desktop with multiple monitors. But my wife only uses her laptop when she has to. My son only knows tablets and phones. Times are changing and abandoning a market that will be the defining computing and consumption tool for future generations is extremely stupid and short-sighted.

Sony isn't aiming for the cheap market.

Their Xperia series is a high quality product that is actually aiming for more of the Apple-inspired industrial design than something like the Galaxy series. In the past year or two, they have explicitly stated they are focusing on the premium market.

 

[WelshBloke]

Uh, I asked for an example and you did not give any.

It seemed a strange question. Youre not a stranger to Sony, you know exactly what products they make.

If you were trying to make a point then there's no need to try to cryptic about it.

I never claimed they only made smartphones. I'm claiming that their smartphone fortunes can change if they stop competing against bottom-feeders like Samsung and the Chinese horde. Copy Apple and stay a premium niche. That is what SONY fans want to see (at least I do). Again, the difference with exiting the PC market is that PCs are dying and mobiles are fast replacing them. Me? I'm old school. I have a huge desktop with multiple monitors. But my wife only uses her laptop when she has to. My son only knows tablets and phones. Times are changing and abandoning a market that will be the defining computing and consumption tool for future generations is extremely stupid and short-sighted.

If they start to compete against Apple they will be dead very quickly. Iphones arent just a phone, they have a vast consumer lock in behind them and huge brand confidence supporting them. Sony are just another Android OEM. They cant compete with Apple, they are competing with the Chinese OEMs and, yes, Samsung.

Phones, PCs and TVs are killing Sony and Sony knows this. What fans want is irrelevant, if Sony had enough fans in the first place they wouldn't be in this situation.

 

[Dari]

Sony isn't aiming for the cheap market.

Their Xperia series is a high quality product that is actually aiming for more of the Apple-inspired industrial design than something like the Galaxy series. In the past year or two, they have explicitly stated they are focusing on the premium market.

SONY used to make a lot of Xperias. We in the US are only familiar with the high-end Z series.

 

[destrekor]

SONY used to make a lot of Xperias. We in the US are only familiar with the high-end Z series.

I know, but it does seem like they have scaled back worldwide, from what I've read.

 

[Dari]

It seemed a strange question. Youre not a stranger to Sony, you know exactly what products they make.

If you were trying to make a point then there's no need to try to cryptic about it.



If they start to compete against Apple they will be dead very quickly. Iphones arent just a phone, they have a vast consumer lock in behind them and huge brand confidence supporting them. Sony are just another Android OEM. They cant compete with Apple, they are competing with the Chinese OEMs and, yes, Samsung.

Phones, PCs and TVs are killing Sony and Sony knows this. What fans want is irrelevant, if Sony had enough fans in the first place they wouldn't be in this situation.

Before PCs became a commodity product SONY computers were simply the best designed in the industry. Better than Apple even. In fact, when Apple made their first laptop, they asked SONY to design and manufacture it. My point is SONY knows design. Apple even aped them when it came to designing the iPhone. They also have a bunch of other products and services that they can use to leverage their brand. They don't need to cater to every Android user, only the most demanding. It's no different from a PC manufacturer having a premium/corporate brand and one for the general population. Lenovo has their Thinkpad line for businesses and whatever else for everyone else. The quality in each line is vastly different and so is the customer service, but both run Windows. So, again, just because it runs Android does not mean it has to be a me-too bottom-feeder product. It can be premium. So, yes, they can compete against Apple when it comes to design and hardware. And they can leverage their brand and other products to form a more cohesive SONY smartphone.

 

[WelshBloke]

Youre describing an incredibly niche demographic.

One that doesnt want an Apple product but want to pay more for a phone that does the same thing as a bunch of other Android devices.

I very much doubt that thats a workable business plan.

 

[Dari]

Youre describing an incredibly niche demographic.

One that doesnt want an Apple product but want to pay more for a phone that does the same thing as a bunch of other Android devices.

I very much doubt that thats a workable business plan.

You're wrong. Last time I checked an Apple premium phone cost the same as one from SONY or Samsung or HTC. They're all the same price, whether or not they're subsidized. So no one is paying more for anything. SONY simply hasn't tried hard enough to sell their phones here. I don't know why but, for some odd reason, they've never pushed as hard as others.

And people that want premium stuff is not "incredibly niche". They exist and as the smartphone market matures there will be clear differences.

 

[WelshBloke]

And people that want premium stuff is not "incredibly niche". They exist and as the smartphone market matures there will be clear differences.

As the smartphone market matures smartphones will be increasingly a cheap, replaceable device.

Iphones are slightly insulated from this because if you want iOS and to be part of the Apple ecosystem they are the only game in town.

 

[Dari]

As the smartphone market matures smartphones will be increasingly a cheap, replaceable device.

Iphones are slightly insulated from this because if you want iOS and to be part of the Apple ecosystem they are the only game in town.

Please. There are cheap cars but many people still buy the premium brands. This goes for everything else that has ever been sold. Ever. And there is nothing special about iOS that keeps them in that walled garden. People move between Android and iOS all the time. Apps are similar enough, if not the exact same. There are no Apple apps that people clamor for. Apple has an illusion of high status. I had an iPhone once and I was able to ditch it without a 2nd thought. There was nothing captive about it.

 

[WelshBloke]

Please. There are cheap cars but many people still buy the premium brands. This goes for everything else that has ever been sold. Ever.

Car analogies never work.

Particularly in this case.

And there is nothing special about iOS that keeps them in that walled garden. People move between Android and iOS all the time. Apps are similar enough, if not the exact same. There are no Apple apps that people clamor for. Apple has an illusion of high status. I had an iPhone once and I was able to ditch it without a 2nd thought. There was nothing captive about it.

Whether you like iPhones or not they ARE something special (and by special I dont mean better, they are different to all the other devices).
They are the only option if you want an iOS device. People are willing to pay a premium for Apple devices, your opinion on their worth is irrelevant.

Just look at the facts of the market. People aren't clamouring to buy Sony phones. If Sony only make premium devices their target demographic will just get smaller. They don't have the market loyalty to push this.

 

[lopri]

I think people are getting too carried away. Even though the news was a self-inflicted one by Sony. The company just had gone through perhaps the biggest official hacking scandal as a victim. It should surprise no one that there comes an outward sign of unrest as the company tries to recover.

 

[Dari]

Car analogies never work.

Particularly in this case.




Whether you like iPhones or not they ARE something special (and by special I dont mean better, they are different to all the other devices).
They are the only option if you want an iOS device. People are willing to pay a premium for Apple devices, your opinion on their worth is irrelevant.

Just look at the facts of the market. People aren't clamouring to buy Sony phones. If Sony only make premium devices their target demographic will just get smaller. They don't have the market loyalty to push this.

We'll only know if they try.

 

[WelshBloke]

We'll only know if they try.

And it doesnt look like they are going to spend the vast amount of money that they would need to to break into the NA market.

TBH it looks like they have already made their minds up on this.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Copy Apple and stay a premium niche.

Impossible. Android is about to go commodity like PCs did. Even Samsung with all their brand power can't resist, so there is no way a Sony with very little mindshare can. I predict within two years iPhones at the high-end will cost a solid $100+ extra out of contract over the high-end Android competitor. Or more.

So, again, just because it runs Android does not mean it has to be a me-too bottom-feeder product. It can be premium.

You are correct that there will continue to be high-end Androids. Sony's challenge is that NONE of these high end devices are successful unless they are sold with a subsidy on AT&T or Verizon in the US. China is driving the volume on the low-end, we do it to the high end.

Sony's problem is they are late to the party. If they had some flagship model on Verizon back in 2012 then MAYBE they have enough mindshare today to compete. They didn't, so it is smart to get out while they are ahead.

And there is nothing special about iOS that keeps them in that walled garden.......Apple has an illusion of high status.

You make a statement and then contradict it later on. The special part about iOS and iPhones is the fact that they are seen as the premium product.

What you personally like doesn't matter. You and me are a SLIVER of the total market, less than 1%. What matters for high-end phones is what normal everyday people think. Those normal people are only buying phones that they have heard of- aka in their consideration set. In 2015 that means Apple or Samsung. Sony is a gaming brand, maybe a TV brand, but it is not a smartphone brand. It takes resources to get into that consideration set, they don't get to roll any of that 1990's consumer electronic momentum (which is almost all gone anyway) into a new segment.

They have been making good devices but now is the time to get out. The OnePlus One was a glimpse of the future last year- Android is about to go the way of the PC with low margin devices. I personally hope that the subsidy model keeps around a premium product at the high-end, but if you aren't in that part of the North American market you are toast. The future of most of the Android market belong to Xiaomi, ZTE, Huawei, Alcatel, etc.

 

[Strk]

Well, who knows what will happen, but there's this: http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z4_gets_certified_by_japanese_wireless_authority-news-10798.php