Slashdot Mirror
Sony Refutes Low UMD Sales, Slow Production
Sony has responded to recent media attention with corrective statements. Specifically, the widely reported 100K UMD sales figure, and the slowdown in PSP production. GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that the Japanese company actually pegs UMD movie sales as much higher, possibly in the half-million unit range. Similarly, Gamespot reports that the company denies that they've slowed PSP production. From the article: "I'm not sure where the 18 million claim came from...We announced in the Sony earnings call that the fiscal year 2005 PSP shipment targets were 12 million units worldwide. We are still on target and there has been no reduction in forecast."
Don't forget how Sony counts sales. An item is sold to them when it ships for the store.
This is how I see the words and their meaning:
Universal (because it is universally compatible)
Media (because it _is_ a media medium)
Disc (because that is what it is)
Everyone that I have talked to says the same thing. So I have to ask: What was Sony thinking? Or did it just not translate that well from Japanese? Did someone set us up the bomb again?
"Refute" means to demonstrate conclusively that something is false. Sony hasn't done that. They have merely disputed the claim.
"Ya see baby, it's not really that small... it's er, an optical illusion, yeah... caused by ... my raw animal magnetism. Yeah. Animal magnetism as raw as mine can be hard to control, baby, hard to control."
We live, as we dream -- alone....
Sony seems to have a large problem with denial. They simply choose to beleive that the problem doesn't exist, usually in spite of the fact that all evidence points to the fact that there is problem.
Case 1: UMD discs selling poorly.
Denial: We meant to say singular title, and failed to mention we could units sold differently than most people in order to make the numbers deceptive.
Case 2: PSP's have dead pixels in the screen.
Denial: This is common with all LCD devices (true to some extent) and is therefore not our fault. Lalalalalalala, we're not listening.
Case 3: PS2 DRE (This has happened to me).
Denial: As far as we're concerned there's absolutely nothing wrong with your PS2. However, you can pay $70 and shipping costs to have our technitians hit it with a putty knife.
Rather than actually admit that something might be wrong, Sony has time after time tried to sweep the problem under the rug or use smoke and mirror diversionary tactics. The end result is some terrible customer support.
You think that's confusing, just wait until Sony offers a new version of the UMD with 2x capacity, called the "Double UMD."
Orders for large Double UMD shipments will pour in from North Korea, Iran, and various locations all over Africa and the Middle East.
President Bush and Prime Minister Blair will be understandably alarmed and distressed that Japan, who has been a solid ally in the war against terrorism, has suddenly begun distributing Double UMD's all over the world.
The sudden lack of trust will lead the West to finally take a close look at the military espionage and weapons-delivery potential of the Sony Aibo, not to mention the disk-shooting PSP. This evidence, along with the reports of Sony-made Double UMD's, will force the hands of America and England to impose a regime change, arresting Kunitake Ando and putting Steve Jobs in charge of a provisional board of directors until the shareholders can elect a new Executive staff via U.N. monitored elections.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
Awesome posting post.
Feel free to mod me "-1 - Angry Jerk".
Marketers usually have about four levels of reported performance adjectives for any given product introduction:
- Great
- Super
- Super-Duper
- Overwhelming
Any marketer caught expressing anything other than the pre-approved terminology is summarily shot (or so I hear).