[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crimsonadam What other consumer product made by sony has the same impact.

Don't a lot of people still buy Sony TVs?

 

[elrod-tom]

Hmm...business to focus on profitable lines, drops non-core products and projects. Film at 11:00...

Folks, this is the way of the world. If they can't make money doing it, they won't do it. VERY few businesses are able to survive as a collective of artists who aren't concerned about profit and make what they want out of a sense of purity.

Successful companies do what they are good at, and what will enable them to thrive. Think General Electric for a moment - back in the day, practically every small appliance in my house was G.E. They determined at some point that they couldn't make money at it and still be the #1 or #2 producer, so they spun it off (to Black & Decker...that one always cracks me up. The Black & Decker toaster oven!!

).

If you want an interesting model for the modern audio company, look no further than Harmon International. Among many other names under their umbrella, consider Harman Kardon, JBL, Infinity, Revel, Audioaccess, Lexicon, Mark Levinson, Madrigal Imaging, Proceed...and AKG!! They have staked out a niche in audio, and proceeded to make smart acquisitions that fit within their business plan.

Now consider Sony...they have their fingers in WAY too many pies IMHO. The best thing that they could do for our community is spin-off their audio business and let it stand on its own. That would be good for everyone.

 

[immtbiker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crimsonadam Maybe they'll turn into Apple, a one trick pony, but a good selling pony.

I wouldn't say Apple is a one trick pony. Their laptop and home computer lines are every bit as good as the Ipod.

 

[Tobias Hobson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJGeorgeT Sony high end products rule. They can't compete in the "Made in China" electronic market.

That is half the problem, that consumers are so price sensitive and the Sony brand name denotes quality not value. Compound that by the Japanese management by consensus which leads to slow reactions to the market and you have problems... like a drop in stock price from $140 to $36 in five years. That's one reason they moved Wales native Howard Stringer from the American division to lead the company, the idea being that he'll shake things up in Tokyo.
The other problem is that they're behind the curve. iPod, anyone? Sales are flattening out for the first time since it launched in 2001 - and it's not like Apple had some secret technology to build them, Sony could have been raking in those bucks instead of Steve Jobs. Every hipster at my school with a Sony instead of an iPod, imagine!

 

[PTheD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by immtbiker I wouldn't say Apple is a one trick pony. Their laptop and home computer lines are every bit as good as the Ipod.

The thing is though, the iPod and PC part of Apple are quite similar in design and implementation, it is all part of a tight Apple system, the iLife, just like their program and each personal electronic fits tightly into that system. In that way it is a very coherint buisness model that re-enforces itself and builds on it self, mostly because all the products are related and have features that mesh well, sony has features and design out the wassue, but its all diffirent and sprawling out in all diffirent dirrections completely uncontroled, just consumer desire drivin. Apple seemes to have a much stronger hold on where they want their company to go, wheather you like this or not is not the issue, but the fact is that Sony wants to be more like Apple than Apple like Sony, well, sort of, being huge probably would suit Steve Jobs quite a bit, but getting their through becoming like Sony clearly is not an option to him.

 

[crimsonadam]

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[PTheD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crimsonadam Probably true, and probably just as overpriced. But does anyone actually buy Apple computers. Relatively, no. Should they, yes they're probably good computers, but in today's world, they're rather a nusence. However if you look at the Apple stock price Pre and Post Ipod you can see that without the Ipod, Apple is asking Atari for financial advice and begging Billy Gates to buy them out.

Hehe, there is a lot of truth to this. The iPod is clearly the plurality of Apples sales. At the other end of the stick, the Mac had and certainly now has, a large enough following that it wasn't/isn't going anywhere.

 

[crimsonadam]

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[crimsonadam]

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[immtbiker]

Quote:

However if you look at the Apple stock price Pre and Post Ipod you can see that without the Ipod, Apple is asking Atari for financial advice and begging Billy Gates to buy them out.

The boost in stock performance for Apple spiked when Jobs introduced the all-in-one Mac (in purty colors). That's what put them back on the map, and saved Apple. Then he came out with the lampshade model. I remember almost every office I went to (while repairing office equipment), was converting their entire inventory to Mac.
When they came out with their Mac-only Ipod, it revolutionized the mp3 hard drive market...then when they came out with their PC version, it caramelized their future.

 

[crimsonadam]

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[immtbiker]

I can't argue with a person who provides facts. I humbly resign. Good one.

 

[JiiEf]

never mind...
/JF

 

[TwoFiveOne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JiiEf never mind... /JF

The iPod was originally introduced in Fall, 2001.

[size=xx-small]edit:[/size] oops, you edited the quote right out from under me!

 

[crimsonadam]

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