Sony Mobile strategy: give priority to the development of wearable equipment

As Sony plans to sell its Vaio laptop business and split its television business into a wholly owned subsidiary, the Japanese electronics giant appears poised to strengthen its mobile product line, including smartphones and tablets, especially wearable devices.

At the International Consumer Electronics Show in January, Sony unveiled a core sensor that will be used in Sony's upcoming Smartwear product line. The first product of the series is SmartBand, which can be used in conjunction with the new application LifeLog in smartphones.

Sony is vague about the device. The company is expected to release more information on SmartBand, core and other wearable devices at the global Mobile World Congress, which will be held in Barcelona on February 24. In addition, Sony plans to set up a "wearable equipment workshop" and a VIP reception desk at the exhibition, with a view to arousing interest and media coverage.

Nirvana, the chance of rebirth.

Sony's foray into the emerging market for wearable equipment may be a cause for concern to consumers. But, as analysts say, the company is still on a climbing stage in the smartphone and tablet market.

Sony Xperia smartphones ranked seventh in the world in the 2013 smartphone market share rankings, at the sixth-ranked cool, with a 3.8% market share and 38 million sales, according to IDC, a market-research firm. In the fourth quarter of 2013, Sony Xperia tablets failed to even squeeze into the top 15 of the sales list, which accounted for less than 1% per cent of the global tablet market. Since the market for wearable equipment is relatively new, IDC has not yet issued a ranking for wearable technology manufacturers.

Over the past 60 years, Sony has been renowned for its electronic equipment industry. As a result, its lower smartphone and tablet rankings are truly surprising. All along, Sony's products have been very successful, including the first 1979 Walkman Walkman, the 1994 launch of the PlayStation game and the 1985 launch of the special long TV. Sony also pioneered the launch of the Betamax cassette video recorder, which was later lost to the VHS home video recorder in the mid 1970s.

Given Sony's illustrious record, the company's foray into wearable equipment could herald a rebirth of Nirvana.

"Sony is renowned for its innovative design and continuous breakthrough in its limits." "Market research company J. Jack Gold, an analyst at Gold Associates, said: "In the past few years, the company has not been like this." Their only innovation in the Mobile world is to try out the wearable devices and other smart devices. Can they reinvent the brand? We need to wait and see if they can meet the challenge. ”

"Sony's management" has put its mobile business at the heart of its strategy, but I think because of their late entry into the market, Kantar Worldpanel, a market research firm, said, Karolina Milanes (Carolina Milanesi). What they need now is to step up the pace of development. ”

Seeking development in a highly competitive market

In the next five years, if Sony smartphones can reach the top five from the seventh place in the world, then this is a great achievement. "The smartphone market is now very saturated, with the exception of Samsung, Apple, Huawei, LG and Lenovo all in the top five." Ramon Llamas, an analyst at IDC, said, "Sony's position is good even if it keeps the top 10." ”

Sony's new product design adds a lot of points, "but they need to rethink how to solve software and distribution issues." Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at market research firm Moor Insight & Strategy, said.

When it comes to issues, the only wireless operator in the United States to sell Sony smartphones is t us. The operator sells Sony waterproof smartphone Xperia Z1s, which has a 5-inch display and an Android 4.3 operating system with a retail price of $528.

Sony also sells other smartphones on its website, such as Xperia Z1. However, according to analysts, the phone is not very good.

"The issue is the bottleneck facing Sony smartphones. "Lamas also shares this view.

To develop in the US, Sony smartphones need to be backed by Verizon and At&t, the country's two largest wireless operator. In recent years, At&t also sold cheap version of Sony-Ericsson mobile phones, the results are not good.

The new Sony phone, which includes several handsets sold on its website, "is more expensive than a regular phone, mainly for design." "In the United States, consumers don't know that Sony also makes smartphones, they only know that Sony is a game and TV," Milanes said. ”

For Sony to develop healthily, its smartphones, tablets and new wearable devices must adapt to the company's mobile marketing strategy. "There is no doubt that Sony will be able to produce hardware products that look great in specs and design." "If they can attack the marketing fortress and impress consumers with vivid stories, I think they have a chance," Milanes said. ”

Sony has released its second-generation smart watch, the $200 smartwatch 2. It is compatible with Android 4.0 operating systems and newer smartphones and tablets, and runs 200 apps in the Google Play app store. Sony and other manufacturers are still heavily reliant on smartphones for smart watches, and smartphones have become wireless hubs for smart watches to connect to the Internet and apps.

Compete with rival Samsung in the same stage

Sony "is more concerned with the user experience than Samsung," according to Milanes. This is vital. It is clear that Samsung is the world's largest smartphone maker with about 31% per cent of its market share, IDC said.

Samsung, based in South Korea's Seoul, is also expected to launch its next-generation Galaxy S smartphone at the global Mobile Show on February 24, which could also be named Galaxy S 5, which emphasizes styling and design more than GS4.

Samsung has also launched its Galaxy Gear smart watch, which is priced at $300 and can be used in conjunction with the Galaxy smartphone. Its upgraded version may be unveiled at the global Mobile show.

Samsung will continue to compete with Apple and its high-end iphone in terms of styling and designs. But the high-end smartphone market is saturated, and it may not be the place where Sony glows and heats up.

To compete with rival Samsung in the market, Sony needs to "innovate and gain market visibility and share." "The wearable equipment market may be the area where they can stand out because it is just emerging and most of the first generation wearable devices are not ideal," says Gould. ”

(Responsible editor: admin)