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Bloomberg Reporter Asks ‘Why is Sharp Still With Us?’

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Photo of Sharp solar panelWe’ve been reporting for a while now on the epic survival struggles of some of this industry’s biggest brand names in Japan…most recently Sharp Corp. Some of the changes we’re seeing now were unforeseeable even 24-36 months ago – Sony spinning off divisions, JVC Kenwood pulling out of the consumer business, Pioneer first shutting down A/V, then selling that division to Onkyo, Toshiba pulling out of TV biz, Panasonic dropping consumer business, and on and on…

Now a reporter for the respected Bloomberg View asks, “…why Sharp should still be in business?”

See more on this surprising declaration and criticism of the practices of Japan, Inc… [Read more…] about Bloomberg Reporter Asks ‘Why is Sharp Still With Us?’

After Fighting Idea for Years, Sony is Ready to Dump TV, A/V, & Smartphone Businesses

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Kazuo Hirai/Reuters
Kazuo Hirai/Reuters

In a revealing presentation with the press yesterday in Japan, embattled Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai told the media that the company is finally ready to consider alternatives for its TV, A/V, and smartphone businesses, including exiting them. This is a stunning turnaround in strategy, not just for the inventor of the Trinitron picture tube, but for Hirai himself who had previously identified their TV and smartphone businesses as a core categories when he first took over as CEO in 2012.

See more on Sony’s strategy to turn around their business…which has many skeptics… [Read more…] about After Fighting Idea for Years, Sony is Ready to Dump TV, A/V, & Smartphone Businesses

Irony: Apple Reports Historic Fiscal Quarter Results – Sony Announces More Layoffs

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Apple's Tim Cook
Apple CEO Tim Cook

Two rather significant news stories emerged today – one about Apple’s amazing Q1 fiscal results and the other about Sony’s troubled mobile division – and we couldn’t help but notice an incredible irony. In a way, it’s almost a tale of two CE industries.

See more on the incredibly irony of today’s top news stories… [Read more…] about Irony: Apple Reports Historic Fiscal Quarter Results – Sony Announces More Layoffs

CES 2015 Opens with Great Fanfare, But No Real Surprises

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CES logoLike a carefully scripted political debate, Day 0 of CES (Day 1 for most of the press) opened with great fanfare…but offered no real surprises. Day 0 – officially known as Press Day – is an endless series of press conferences in which major manufacturers make their significant announcements and present their plans for 2015. And this year these press conferences, for the most part, followed their expected path – not even a Michael Bay meltdown emerged to spice it up a bit like last year!

See the major themes emerging from the Press Day presentations… [Read more…] about CES 2015 Opens with Great Fanfare, But No Real Surprises

Another OLED Breakthrough? Japanese Consortium Forms to Test New OLED Production Method

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Photo of early Sony OLED
An early Sony OLED TV.

A Who’s Who collection of significant panel and display manufacturers in Japan says they will collectively invest ¥20 billion ($193 million) into a test production line for OLED panels using a new manufacturing process that promises to move the industry closer to mass production of what many feel is the next-generation video technology. If all goes well, the consortium will be mass-producing large quantities of relatively inexpensive OLED panels by 2018.

Learn more about this significant effort to push OLED technology forward… [Read more…] about Another OLED Breakthrough? Japanese Consortium Forms to Test New OLED Production Method

Sony, Desperate to Cut Overhead, Launches Early Retirement Incentive

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Photo showing Sony logoSony Corp., the troubled Japanese giant consumer electronics company, has launched an internal early retirement program in a bid to cut overhead in its headquarters. The company has already announced major worldwide staff cutbacks, but it hopes this new incentive for headquarters staff will cut administrative costs by about 30%.

See more about this newly announced initiative… [Read more…] about Sony, Desperate to Cut Overhead, Launches Early Retirement Incentive

HDBaseT Alliance Announces Sony Will Join Group

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HDBaseT logoThe HDBaseT Alliance, an organization formed to promote the HDBaseT technology and grow its market, announced today that Sony Corporation will join the group as a Contributor member. One of their biggest “gets” yet, Sony is said to be introducing new energy-efficient HD projectors with the HDBaseT functionality.

See more on this significant announcement from the ever-growing alliance… [Read more…] about HDBaseT Alliance Announces Sony Will Join Group

Sony Puts OLED on the Back Burner; Ramps Up Deeper 4K Commitment

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Photo of early Sony OLED
An early Sony OLED TV.

Just days after a similar announcement from South Korean rival Samsung Electronics, Sony Corp. has said it will put OLED technology on the back burner – scaling back development efforts for the forseeable future. Instead, the company says it sees a greater immediate opportunity with 4K Ultra HD LCD TVs and will work to expand its assortment in this product segment.

While Sony puts OLED on the back burner, it is ramping up its 4K commitment now… [Read more…] about Sony Puts OLED on the Back Burner; Ramps Up Deeper 4K Commitment

Samsung Cuts Investment in OLED

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Photo of model with Samsung OLED TVIn a move that is likely to signify a tipping point in the industry’s adoption of OLED technology, Samsung Electronics is dropping plans to build a new factory that was supposed to help it scale manufacturing of the nascent technology, driving production volumes and lowering cost. But as we’ve reported before, manufacturing OLED…well, it’s just not easy.

See more on this surprising decision by one of OLED’s most vocal supporters… [Read more…] about Samsung Cuts Investment in OLED

Sony’s Struggling Electronics Division is Hoping for a Spider-Man Rescue

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Photo of Spider-Man 2Like a damsel in distress, Sony’s money-losing electronics businesses are hoping that Spider-Man can save them…and it just might take a superhero to do it. With Sony Pictures’ The Amazing Spider-Man 2 about to launch in Japan this month – and in the U.S. next month – the company’s hardware businesses have teamed up with their entertainment businesses to launch an aggressive cross-promotion.

Can Spider-Man save Sony electronics?… [Read more…] about Sony’s Struggling Electronics Division is Hoping for a Spider-Man Rescue