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dying Japenese giant SONY

driedmermaid

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http://m.statesman.com/news/business/sony-expects-losses-to-grow-to-214-billion/nhPf6/


Business
Posted: Sept. 17, 2014
Sony expects losses to grow to $2.14 billion

By Paul Mozur

The New York Times

HONG KONG —

The Japanese electronics giant Sony said Wednesday that it expected to post a loss of more than $2 billion for the fiscal year, almost five times larger than it previously forecast, exposing signs of serious wear in its mobile unit.

The electronics maker said the loss of 230 billion yen, or $2.14 billion, for the fiscal year that ends in March — compared with an earlier projection of 50 billion yen — was deeper than it had expected because of reduced growth in its once-thriving mobile segment. The additional losses come from a quarterly write-down charge on the unit’s value of about 180 billion yen. It also said it would not pay a dividend for the year.

In a news release, Sony said it would focus more on its higher-end phones and cut the number of phones in its midrange lineup. It also said it would change the strategy for the division. Sony’s president and chief executive, Kazuo Hirai, said at a news conference Wednesday that the company would cut the division’s workforce by 15 percent, or about 1,000 workers.

“We had to make changes of our midterm management plan given big changes and severe competition in the market,” he said. “We had to make changes in our strategy. We will concentrate our management resources on countries and regions where we can expect high profit, and will review our strategy if we see low profit and growth in certain regions or countries.”

Last year, Sony’s mobile phone division was its most profitable, but the company has faced falling sales as competition from Asian rivals in midrange smartphones has intensified. For instance, in the world’s largest smartphone market, China, companies like Huawei and Xiaomi have become dominant.

At the higher end, the company faces tough rivals in Apple and Samsung. Analysts said that Sony’s new Xperia Z3 smartphone could struggle because its release coincided with the announcement of the iPhone 6 from Apple.

“Changes are so dramatic in this market, in terms of product and price and services,” Hirai said, referring to the overall mobile market. “We have to watch the situation carefully and try to shape the organization so that we can react to these changes.”

Still, others have been positive about Sony’s handset unit, pointing out that a more modest plan aimed at the company’s strongest markets, like Japan, could prove successful.

“This seems to be the end game for Sony as a major player in consumer electronics; it’s a bit of a bellwether moment,” said Pelham Smithers, managing director of Pelham Smithers Associates in London.

“This was well flagged,” Atul Goyal, an analyst at the investment bank Jefferies, wrote in a research note. “The rationale for taking this impairment charge actually makes us bullish. This has shown that a sensible C.F.O. is able to control the expansionary aspirations of business heads, which, if unchecked, would lead to larger losses for Sony.”

This year, Sony sold its computer division and spun off its television group into a separate unit.

In July, Sony said its midrange smartphones did not sell as well in emerging markets as the company had anticipated, and it cut expected sales volume of smartphones to 43 million from 50 million.

“We believe the mobile business is one of our core businesses, along with the game network and imaging businesses,” Hirai said. “We will continue to do business in this big market.”

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driedmermaid

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http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2014-10/20/c_127117036.htm




索尼频频变卖家底仍难止亏 日企渐失家电品牌优势
2014年10月20日 10:11:41 来源: 证券日报
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  索尼“被退出”中国已经第4次:为什么总是它
  富士索尼等日企热衷改行开药厂 摆脱经营困境
  日企逐渐丧失家电品牌优势 索尼频频变卖家底仍难止亏
  分析人士认为,索尼将曾经与之品牌画等号的电视机业务分拆,意图在于将其在财务上独立核算,寻找一个好的买家
  日前,有消息称由于业务越来越不景气,索尼计划从中国市场撤退。对此,索尼中国发表声明称,公司感到非常震惊和困惑,索尼在各个业务环节上均确保和增强中国作为重要增长和利润贡献市场的战略地位。
  业内人士认为,如果索尼退出中国市场,这将是索尼历史上的一次分水岭事件,意味着索尼或将淡出全球消费电子市场。
  频频变卖家底无力止亏
  过去一段时间,关于索尼计划退出中国市场的消息不绝于耳。10月15日,索尼对“退出中国市场”发表声明。尽管否认退出中国市场,但亏损多年的索尼已不堪重负,今年甚至将亏损额扩大至21亿美元。索尼2013年净亏损1284亿日元(约12.5亿美元),公司预测2014年最大亏损有可能扩大到2300亿日元(约21亿美元)。
  虽然索尼不愿意放弃中国市场,但市场份额逐步下降已是不争的事实。家电行业观察家刘步尘认为:“索尼在中国市场的衰败与产业的大生态背景息息相关,随着中国家电品牌的崛起,索尼品牌优势逐渐丧失。索尼在中国市场有着服务不足、缺乏创新的短板。”
  纵观家电市场,来自日本、欧洲的众多外资品牌逐步退出中国家电市场,松下、索尼、西门子等三家企业在中国的市场份额合计不足10%。
  “索尼、松下等日企业绩下滑,与日元升值、日本人口老龄化、人工成本高都有关系,激烈竞争的消费电子业不适合缺乏创新意识的企业生存。”中国家电营销委员会副理事长洪仕斌表示。
  在索尼现掌门人平井一夫“执政”后,让固定资产变现成业绩,成为其让索尼扭亏的主要手段。“出售大楼,关闭工厂、生产线,将业务大幅度外包,这是索尼这几年的主要工作。走出亏损泥沼需要加强核心竞争力、产品创新能力,目前看来索尼并没有在这里画等号。索尼只能选择退出某些重点市场和重要领域。”产业经济观察家梁振鹏认为。
  手机业务或成“第一刀”
  业内人士认为,若退出中国市场,索尼的“第一刀”必然是手机业务,将手机从消费电子中剥离,彻底退出中国市场。
  索尼认为,移动业务的市场和竞争环境发生了巨大改变,公司的发展计划受挫。索尼已经在今年7月份把全年智能手机销量预期从5000万部下调到4300万部。
  “在庞大的中国市场,索尼手机业务一直没有起色,索尼要将业务板块退出中国市场,将首选手机业务。索尼一直希望像苹果一样将智能手机看作救星,然而索尼智能手机在全球市场表现不佳。”梁振鹏表示。
  或淡出全球消费电子市场
  拖累索尼深陷亏损泥沼的正是昔日引以为傲的核心业务消费电子。2012年,索尼电视机业务亏损696亿日元(约6.5亿美元),连续九年亏损;手机业务亏损972亿日元(约9亿美元)。游戏机和相机业务贡献甚微,难以支撑大局。
  消费电子已然成为索尼的巨大包袱,过去十年,索尼累计亏损近80亿美元,难以翻身。此前,飞利浦决定放弃有着80年历史的消费电子业务,以1.5亿欧元(约合2.018亿美元)现金,将影音、多媒体和配件业务出售给日本船井电机,转向医疗设备和照明产品。
  值得注意的是,随着索尼PC业务的出售,索尼也做出一个重要决定,分拆电视机这一历史悠久的标志性业务。今年年初,索尼决定分拆电视机业务,将其作为全资子公司来运营。索尼此举或将为其电视资产的出售埋下伏笔。
  梁振鹏认为:“索尼将曾经与之品牌画等号的电视机业务分拆,成立子公司,一个重要的意图在于将其在财务上独立核算,待价而沽,寻找一个好的买家。”
  可以说,昔日家电行业的“高富帅”明显已经风光不再。对于外界来说,人们希望看到的是一个充满创新基因的索尼,而不是靠变卖家当才能勉强维持生存的索尼。(贾丽)
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frenchbriefs

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yes its dieing,last i check,Singtel has higher revenue and profit margins than Sony.a unknown company like Singtel making more money than Sony?
 

xebay11

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They are one greedy company, tried to make everything proprietory, even to the extent of buying Columbia Studios, so that they control how movies are distributed, from actual movie production to how it is to be distributed to the home through their AV equipment, they even introduced Cinavia to protect their movies.

Their mobile phones will not succeed because they do not have the key component, AMOLED displays to make their battery life better. So between Samsung and Sony, most people would choose Samsung.

Such consumer unfriendly company should deserve to die.
 

halsey02

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I have always admired Sony products, bought their first cassette WALKMAN, their DiSCMAN, their whatever format, disc player, TV sets & other electronic products. Up to recent years, owned one or two of their MP3 Discman player...their MP3 player, great sound ( much better than Apple or Creative) output, but user unfriendly & their music management software was crappy...sold that & changed back to iPod.

Sony is like a "Dinosaur"...slow to change & stubborn to listen & very proud of their achievement....but consumer electronics, is too fast moving these days...it is a better, faster world...a "Dinosaur" finds it hard to catch up...
 

laksaboy

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It's because of poor business decisions.

[video=youtube;Z7PJ1tBfNIU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7PJ1tBfNIU[/video]
 

winners

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SONY is surely but slowing dying, similar to PIONEER. If these companies would have diverted and move into non Audio-Video products as well, they may probably still could survive.
 

hofmann

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They are one greedy company, tried to make everything proprietory, even to the extent of buying Columbia Studios, so that they control how movies are distributed, from actual movie production to how it is to be distributed to the home through their AV equipment, they even introduced Cinavia to protect their movies.

do you feel the same towards Apple inc?
 

winners

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In my opinion, APPLE's way of doing business is even worse than SONY. The former leaves no other choice for their end-users.
 

laksaboy

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In my opinion, APPLE's way of doing business is even worse than SONY. The former leaves no other choice for their end-users.

How is that bad? Not every one wants to twiddle with Android UI customizations, you know? :rolleyes:
 

Ash007

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The problem with Sony and most Japanese companies is the way they are structured, too siloed. Looking at the case for the ipod, Sony should have been the one that came up with it, however, the walkman/discman division is in constant war with the SOny music that makes the CDs. The way they are structured is that each division has to stand on its own feet without much communication with each other about creating better products. iPod might not have been a great music played in terms of sound quality, but the iTunes store, ipod, all works together out of the box.

I have always admired Sony products, bought their first cassette WALKMAN, their DiSCMAN, their whatever format, disc player, TV sets & other electronic products. Up to recent years, owned one or two of their MP3 Discman player...their MP3 player, great sound ( much better than Apple or Creative) output, but user unfriendly & their music management software was crappy...sold that & changed back to iPod.

Sony is like a "Dinosaur"...slow to change & stubborn to listen & very proud of their achievement....but consumer electronics, is too fast moving these days...it is a better, faster world...a "Dinosaur" finds it hard to catch up...
 

laksaboy

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The problem with Sony and most Japanese companies is the way they are structured, too siloed. Looking at the case for the ipod, Sony should have been the one that came up with it, however, the walkman/discman division is in constant war with the SOny music that makes the CDs. The way they are structured is that each division has to stand on its own feet without much communication with each other about creating better products. iPod might not have been a great music played in terms of sound quality, but the iTunes store, ipod, all works together out of the box.

This is not a uniquely Japanese situation. Microsoft under Steve Ballmer was the same. And I doubt the new Ah Neh CEO will do much to change the culture.
 

winners

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How is that bad? Not every one wants to twiddle with Android UI customizations, you know? :rolleyes:
Take the APPLE phones for example. They don't allow memory expansion via external MicroSDs, but charged a bomb instead for their built-in memory in their iPhones. I was told that even MP3 files must be certified by iTunes to be playable. Anyway, with so many proprietary restrictions imposed on their OS and products, I don't find it practical to use their system.

This also reminded me of my NEC handphone long ago when I subscribed to STARHUB. I was told that the phone can accept MP3 files as ringtones. However, only after subscribing to the postpaid line, I then realized that the MP3 files must be and only be, downloaded from their NTT Docomo website, which is chargeable. I was stunned and told myself, WTF?

An Android user on the other hand just need to be slightly more technically inclined to be able to derive more (even without the need to "root") from the Android OS, both financially and useability.
 
Last edited:

xebay11

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Take the APPLE phones for example. They don't allow memory expansion via external MicroSDs, but charged a bomb instead for their built-in memory in their iPhones. I was told that even MP3 files must be certified by iTunes to be playable. Anyway, with so many proprietary restrictions imposed on their OS and products, I don't find it practical to use their system.

An Android user on the other hand just need to be slightly more technically inclined to be able to derive more from the Android OS, both financially and useability.

Yes that's why I dont own Apple products, I want one cable to charge all my devices on a holiday, and micro USB fulfills that, I want to buy 3rd party batteries, I want to expand my storage memory, I want 3.5mm jack head sets.
 

congo9

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Not just Sony dying. Japan is dying!! It's FINISHED!!

Sony is a Jap company. It a pre-dominated by egoistic Japanese. Steve Job if given a position will be fired by Sony in no time. Sony way of running technology company is way behind time
 

laksaboy

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Take the APPLE phones for example. They don't allow memory expansion via external MicroSDs, but charged a bomb instead for their built-in memory in their iPhones. I was told that even MP3 files must be certified by iTunes to be playable. Anyway, with so many proprietary restrictions imposed on their OS and products, I don't find it practical to use their system.

This also reminded me of my NEC handphone long ago when I subscribed to STARHUB. I was told that the phone can accept MP3 files as ringtones. However, only after subscribing to the postpaid line, I then realized that the MP3 files must be and only be, downloaded from their NTT Docomo website, which is chargeable. I was stunned and told myself, WTF?

An Android user on the other hand just need to be slightly more technically inclined to be able to derive more (even without the need to "root") from the Android OS, both financially and useability.

MicroSD card slot and removable battery are also not available on some Android phones. If you add them, you'll lose the sexy unibody. You win some, you lose some.

iTunes is more of a backup/sync tool and a place for you to download apps and music if you wish to, you don't need iTunes to play music and videos on an iPhone.
 
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