Sony CEO Hirai: Xperia Z coming to a US carrier shortly

Sony CEO Hirai: Xperia Z coming to a US carrier shortly

Sony CEO Kaz Hirai had some good news to deliver on stage at D11 -- for US fans, at least. According to him, the Xperia Z, which currently serves as the company's flagship smartphone, is expected to arrive on a US carrier shortly. Unfortunately that's the extent of the details Kaz was willing to offer up, as we expect he wants to give the unnamed operator the opportunity to make the announcement itself. With that said, we have our suspicions that T-Mobile may be involved, thanks to its recent appearance in the FCC with T-Mobile radios. He did, however, mention that this success story is in part thanks to the company's increased marketing efforts in this part of the globe. We'll keep you updated with the news as it trickles out.

Update: David Beren from TmoNews grabbed a few shots of the Xperia Z with T-Mo branding, which certainly adds credence to our suspicions that the Z will wind up with the UnCarrier.

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Via: AllThingsD

Sony report details what Kaz Hirai has achieved in his first year as CEO

Sony report details what Kaz Hirai has achieved in his first year as CEO

In recent years, Sony's state of the union report has made for wince-inducing reading, but one year into Kaz Hirai's "One Sony" strategy we seem to be seeing hints of a turnaround. The company is trumpeting its return to profitability after several loss-making quarters, thanks to boosts in its film and financial services units -- not to mention some aggressive asset sales. Unfortunately, Sony still has the weak heart of its consumer electronics business to nurse, but promises that aggressive cost-cutting in its TV department will see it back in the black shortly.

Sony has also announced plans to "significantly expand" its business model around the PlayStation 4 and promises to speed up smartphone development to incorporate the company's hardware and imaging know-how. With one eye on those dwindling PC market figures, Sony will look to make profitable machines rather than chasing market share. The company has also said that, aside from its successful Mirrorless ILC division, will shift focus on its imaging business from consumer electronics to medical and security. With all of this change, let's just hope that no-one forgets to buy someone in the PR department a wider camera lens.

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Source: Sony

Sony restructuring in Japan: camera lens plant to close with loss of 2,000 jobs

Sony to close a camera lens factory, shed 2,000 jobs as One Sony begins to bite

Kaz Hirai's "One Sony" rescue plan was designed to unite the many disparate arms of the conglomerate, shed 10,000 jobs and make cost savings wherever it could. Facilities in Sweden and the UK have already been closed, so now the company is shifting focus to its operations in Japan. Sony will close its Minokamo site, which currently produces camera lenses for DSLRs and smartphones, with production being moved to factories in Kohida and Kisarazu, 840 staff will lose their jobs. The company is also instituting an early retirement program across its various Japanese businesses in order to push the domestic total to 2,000 -- which it must do before a self-imposed deadline of March 2013.

Continue reading Sony restructuring in Japan: camera lens plant to close with loss of 2,000 jobs

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Sony restructuring in Japan: camera lens plant to close with loss of 2,000 jobs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 04:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony makes Olympus rescue pact official with $645 million investment

Olympus hangs $57 million loss on austerity, strong yen and declining compact camera market

After months of speculation about who would step in to save the scandal-ridden Olympus' rocky fortunes, Sony has finally opened up its checkbook. The two companies are entering into a "business and capital alliance," with Sony pumping in $650 million to its former rival. In exchange, it's gaining a seat on the company's board and a 51 percent stake in a new joint venture based on Olympus's coveted medical imaging tech -- something Kaz Hirai outlined in his "One Sony" strategy. The deal also includes a component-sharing agreement in the photography space, with Olympus mirror cells and camera lenses being given to Sony, while image sensors (where Sony is very strong) will go the other way.

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Sony makes Olympus rescue pact official with $645 million investment originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 04:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Mobile moving HQ to Tokyo, cutting 1,000 jobs in Sweden

Sony Mobile moving HQ to Tokyo, cutting 1,000 jobs in Sweden

Sony's slow and painful transformation continues with a restructuring of its newly-minted mobile division. In October, it's moving its headquarters from Lund, Sweden (presumably a holdover from its Ericsson days) to Tokyo -- for deeper integration -- and repurposing the duties of its facilities in Tokyo, Lund and Beijing. As part of the changes, Sony Mobile will slash 15 percent of its workforce, with 1,000 employees being let go by the end of March 2014, in a trend we've seen across the industry. Most of those affected are in Sweden, with 650 on-site staffers and up to 450 consultants being shown the door.

Continue reading Sony Mobile moving HQ to Tokyo, cutting 1,000 jobs in Sweden

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Sony Mobile moving HQ to Tokyo, cutting 1,000 jobs in Sweden originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 03:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s final 2011 report shows a record net loss, optimism for 2012

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After a slew of bad news and drastically restated projections, Sony has reported the numbers for its full 2011 financial year and as expected, they're not good. The company experienced a record net loss of 456.7 billion yen ($5.73 billion) and an operating loss of 67.3 billion yen. The good news to look forward to however, is that it currently expects an operating profit of 180 billion yen for next year. For the year, it also noted sales of 13.9 million units for the PlayStation 3, 6.8 million PSPs/PS Vitas, 19.6 million LCD TVs and 21 million cameras. Next year, Sony is looking to move 16 million PS3s and 33 million smartphones. New CEO Kaz Hirai has detailed the "One Sony" strategy he hopes will bring the company back to financial health but with its current worth standing at just a fraction of competitors like Samsung and Apple (Reuters pegs it at 10 percent and 3 percent, respectively), the electronics giant has a long, long way to go. Hit the source link below for more dirty financial details, slideshows and spreadsheets.

Sony's final 2011 report shows a record net loss, optimism for 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kaz Hirai reveals ‘One Sony’ turnaround strategy, will cut 10,000 jobs

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Freshly minted Sony CEO Kaz Hirai has revealed his plan to turn around Sony's fortunes and as rumored, it includes significant cuts. Two days ago, the company revised its projections for the 2011 fiscal year to reflect a $6.4 billion loss. The One Sony plan includes reducing headcount by 10,000 in the 2012 financial year, a number that also reflects jobs leaving Sony as businesses are sold or otherwise reorganized, and will cost it 75 billion yen ($926 million) during 2012. Currently, the plan is to focus on digital imaging, gaming and mobile for growth, until those three make up 70 percent of its total sales in 2014. As far as its beleaguered HDTV business, it's going forward with the plans announced during CES to streamline the product line, reduce its costs, and return to profitability by 2014. Looking forward, there's slightly fuzzier promises to "develop and commercialize" OLED and Crystal LED technology. Beyond those the idea is to expand in emerging markets, as well as medical and 4K related technologies. There's more details in the press release after the break and presentation slides linked below, we'll let you know if there's any more information revealed on a conference call later on today.

Continue reading Kaz Hirai reveals 'One Sony' turnaround strategy, will cut 10,000 jobs

Kaz Hirai reveals 'One Sony' turnaround strategy, will cut 10,000 jobs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 02:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony revises projections, sees $6.4 billion net loss for 2011

While we wait to hear Kaz Hirai's new plan for Sony, the news is getting worse before it gets better. The company just announced new projections that are more than double the net loss it predicted in February for the fiscal year 2011, to the tune of $6.4 billion. The reason? According to Reuters, it's additional tax expenses that are causing the pain, as Sony says it's "due to the establishment of valuation allowances against certain deferred tax assets, predominantly in the U.S." There is a silver lining to this cloud however, as the company is projecting an operational profit of 180 billion yen ($2.2 billion US) in 2012, compared to a loss of 95 billion yen ($1.16 billion US) last year. There are already predictions that Kaz will announce significant cuts in jobs and bonuses on the 12th, and from the numbers in the PDF linked below you can see why.

Sony revises projections, sees $6.4 billion net loss for 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 03:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony to cut 10,000 jobs and slash bonuses, says Japanese newspaper

Sony to cut 10,000 jobs and reduce bonuses, says Japanese newspaperThere have been some major adjustments at Sony HQ already, but Japanese business sheet Nikkei reckons they're nothing compared to what's on the horizon. It reports that, come an announcement on April 12th, Kaz Hirai will reveal plans to clear out 10,000 jobs by the end of this year -- that's six percent of his workforce. The paper also says that seven execs, including chairman Howard Stringer, could be asked to forgo their bonuses, as the company concedes a $3.2 billion loss for 2011. It's a just a single report and it's entirely possible that none of this will happen, but merely the hint of such austerity could perhaps serve Hirai's interests, even if he ends up being less drastic when Thursday comes around.

Sony to cut 10,000 jobs and slash bonuses, says Japanese newspaper originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 04:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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