News - Sony recovery plan is so so

[HEXUS]

Analysts say plan is predictable, not innovative

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[bradyjames]

It's interesting to see the struggles Sony are going through at the moment. I do think they have turned into a me-too type company rather than an innovator.

They certainly don't have the Kudos they had 10-15 years ago. It's ironic really because I never really bought into their brand at that time (due to their premium pricing) but I have more Sony kit in my house now than anything else. I think this is partly due to the issues they are having because I've been able to get some great deals on their TV's, Blu-Ray players, Phones and PS3. It works great for me but it's also a symptom of the state they are in that I find they are better value than anyone else!

I do feel they don't really have the premium feel or level of innovation over other manufacturers they previously had. It's hard to say how they can fix this. I think part of what they need to do is to improve their build quality and quality control. The innovation side of things is more challenging but they need to find something. In the past they managed it with products like the Walkman and Playstation but they desperately need something new to improve their fortunes.

I think many of the traditional demographic that previously bought Sony products is probably now buying Apple and this is going to be a pretty hard stranglehold to break.

[davesom555]

The problem with Sony, is that they always charge a premium of about 20% on their products. you can quite easily get something with just as good build quality for less. Like Brady says, people that were buying "premium" sony stuff, now like to pay over the odds for apple stuff - ie laptops. They currently just arent in with the mini-driving, iphone owning fashionistas

[anselhelm]

I tend to agree with the above comments that Sony has lost a lot of its previous edge as a fashionable leader in productive innovation. However, above and beyond this I think that Sony has lost the trust of many of its former customers.

I think that Sony can make good products, but quite often it combines these with clunky UIs, proprietary hardware and practices that screw over the consumer (i.e., removing functionality from the PS3; introducing rootkits on CDs; trying to stop consumers ripping CDs on a computer by creating special types of dual session discs).

Ironically, the one I'm looking at upgrading to is the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro! (I have limited options in the UK for qwerty slider GSM phones.)

[rocket7]

I certainly agree with the above comments! Sony have lost what they had in the early 90's? Playstation was ahead of its time but Sony made the mistake of thinking that customers would be there forever...........Sony has to offer real value 4 money if they want to win back market share..........Wow 4 Billion pounds loss is a big loss.......I wonder how the 10,000 employees feel about losing their jobs because of managerial decisions and who is going to re-employ these people?Very sad to say at the very least!

[Am*]

Stop the presses – Sony to release the red PS3 in the UK! I hope there are some more innovative new products coming up from Sony (and I don’t mean more different shades of PS3).

Genius. Pure genius...

And maybe they should try and actually listen to what their customers want for once. Like how about giving PS2 compatibility to the Vita or PS3/4? Nobody is going to jump on a new platform without a solid lineup of games behind it.