Sony tries to turn a profit by going foreign

[xortam]

"Sony Corp. named the British-born head of its U.S. operations, Howard Stringer, as its new chairman and chief executive Monday, handing the reins of the struggling electronics maker to a foreigner for the first time ..."

Wishing for sunnier times at Sony and hoping for higher quality and more price competitive products.

[KvHagedorn]

Their problem is that they want to make higher quality products while the public has been brainwashed by WalMart et al that price is the only thing that matters. I have very little respect for the intelligence/capacity for individual thought of the average American consumer.

[Sasq]

Actually their product quality has gone down here.
Panasonic and others are taking over the lead in terms of quality and function here, and trust me, we are not a 'wal-mart' culture.

[lecter]

Quite interesting that such an enormous Japanese company decided to go foreign...this is one of the few real signs of globalization. How is this move perceived in the local press, Sasq?

[Sasq]

Haven't checked it yet, but sony has been on the rocks here for a while, after the Daimler deal here a while back, I think it will be perceived as a good choice.

[az]

This just shortly after they've admitted to not having invented the walkman, must be a real shame for the japanese top managers.

Sony has always had the lead in style while their quality was OK (not great, but about what you'd expect from a brand name - and perceived quality was always higher with them, because they used high quality materials for the casing of their stuff etc.), but almost all other brand name manufacturers have caught up in the style department, and sony's electronics quality really isn't up there anymore (SMD fuses blowing on whole series of DVD players just months after the warranty ended, with ridiculously high repair prices for a 0.10 EUR piece for instance...). I know I won't buy sony because they're usually overpriced, especially on accessories.

AZ

[Umfriend]

I've had nothing but problems with Sony products. Over time I bought a TV, CD/Radio/Clock, CD player and video recorder. I must be really stupid cause they did not kid me once, not even twice but.....Never again though.

[GT98]

Their problem is that they want to make higher quality products while the public has been brainwashed by WalMart et al that price is the only thing that matters. I have very little respect for the intelligence/capacity for individual thought of the average American consumer.

Well to alot of people that is the only thing that matters...they rather spend $50 on a cheap ass DVD player then $150 on one that will last longer. Also consider that in the electronics product area, damn thing is outdated or what not in short period of time, making the justifcation for spending big bucks even harder.

Also remember its how many toys you have, not the quatily of them

[Fluff]

I agree, the Sony Betamax VCR I have sitting in a cupboard, weighs at least 10kg. Built like a tank. Now a days the quality isn't there as much. Most of my friends have gone through a few Minidisc players due to them failing mainly the release catches.

Qualia range is mighty impressive though.

[az]

But qualia is only there for sony's image. the absolute high-end is not where the money is, because it just doesn't sell in numbers.

AZ

[xortam]

Qualia

Yes, the Qualia products are proving to be very high quality along with an associated price. I'm hoping the Qualia TV tech (specifically the SXRD tech in the 006) trickles down to products that aren't quite as expensive ... say in the XBR category. I also can't fit a 70" RPTV (the only current SXRD offering) into my HT room.

The Sony quality in the U.S. has indeed deteriorated over the years, as has most CES products. We're in a disposable electronics mentality these days. Most people go for "whiz-bang" and probably wouldn't recognize quality if it stared them in the face. It also seems many folks are concentrated on service based products with monthly charges (e.g. music, TV, phones) because they're more concerned about cash flow than total cost.