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Sony To Slash Smartphone Workforce 50% By 2020 (nikkei.com)
Sony is cutting up to half its smartphone workforce as sales shrink in the face of stiff global competition. From a report: The job cuts come as the global smartphone industry suffers one of the severest downturns of recent years. Worldwide shipments are expected to decline for the third straight year in 2019 to about 1.3 billion units, according to U.S. research company IDC. Sony's share of the smartphone market has fallen sharply in recent years -- from more than 3% in 2010, according to the research portal Statistica -- to less than 1% currently. It has struggled to compete against leaders Apple, Samsung Electronics and Huawei Technologies, all of which are racing to develop new 5G devices. The decision to scale back its smartphone workforce, which could see up to 2,000 of the total 4,000 jobs cut by March 2020, is part of a move to reduce fixed costs in the business, and also includes procurement reform.
Who knew? I've never seen one.
All the people buying Samsung phones and not wanting any innovation thinking Samsung have made the best phone they can make already. They have become what Blackberry users were and since Samsung sell the most phones, the entire smartphone market has taken a nose dive.
Samsung has a huge marketting campaign for their products so ... there IS that. shakeshead
When you axe the devices that are popular and actually fairly unique (the Compact models), don't be suprised at falling sales when people go to other, more popular, brands that have carrier promotions/perks for the same-ol phablet.
"Too Little Too Late".
These other companies are getting real work done. A company that rests on its laurels or thinks a big name will make up for poor strategy and execution just isn't going to make it. I imagine they've already sucked their vendors dry to try and make up for incompetence.
... everyone looks the same. So all customers will be able to decide on, ... is the price.
So the cheapest quality manufac... lol, just kidding! They aren't individuals! They will buy the most *expensive* ones that hence had the most money to invest in hype-telling them what to want!
1. Acquire courage! (Cocaine and LSD.)
2. Copy Apple.
3. *Remove* features, and usefulness.
4. Hype, hype, hype! 95% of your budget should be hype.
5. Recoup costs with insane prices. (One just barely affordable model, and one unaffordable one to make the other one look like a good deal.)
6. PROFIT.
There, now you know the "..." step of previous business models in an iWorld.
I recently upgraded my phone. It's a far different experience than upgrading a computer.
Like computers, I don't upgrade regularly and instead upgrade every 3-5 years. With computers, each upgrade brought with it a "wow, this is an exponential increase in power". This was especially true when I got my first SSD drives.
I went form an LG G5 to a Pixel 3 XL. The only "wow, this is an exponential increase in power" is the digital zoom. I've ever need digital zoom this good before. Beyond that, yes the camera is better but not exponentially so, and PIxel 3 feels just as responsive as the LG G5. And even then, it's a step backwards in some respects. No more removable battery or user upgradeable storage, no wide angle camera, no headphone jack (though the USB-C to 3.5mm adaptor that came with the phone is not really inconvenient at all).
In other words, beyond the digital zoom, there was no wow factor whatsoever. All the other improvements are marginal at best . If it weren't for the broken screen on my LG, I would not have had any reason to upgrade whatsoever. I trust i will be using this Pixel for years to come.
I did not know. And I went to the best schools. Got the best grades. I'm very smart. I'm a genius. Excuse me. I am a genius.
In 2002 we already joked, that Sony was going bankrupt since the 90s. :)
And by "we" I also mean actual Sony representatives who regularly came to our company for marketing deals.
It seems they managed to learn the ancient Japanese art of riding dead horses successfully. And are haunting... err, traveling the world since then. :)
I quite liked the Xperia SP I had a few years back, for the price it was well built and lasted me well. I liked the design too. But Sony's version of Android was just so odd...
... They'll slash lengthwise.
Chinese manufacturers are currently rolling over Samsung like japanese "compatibles" manifacturers rolled over the IBM PC.
Haven't you gotten the memo?
Bad is good now!
Malformed freaks are pretty. Sick people too. Retards are smart.
Ugly clothes amd haircuts are pretty!
Minimalist limitedness is freedom! / Simpleness is power!
Beliefs are reality! / Opinions are news!
Expensive is cheap!
SUVs are the best cars! With their exclusively inferior properties, including safety.
Copying is stealing. Profit is not.
Privacy is intrusive.
Individuality is retarded.
Reality is offensive.
And thinking is evil!
I loved the idea of a controller built into the Xperia phone from years ago. But nowadays, what does Sony do with android smartphones that Samsung, Xaiomi, and Google already do the same or better?
IDC, nor the parent IDG, is not a US company anymore. IDC is owned by a chinese China Oceanwide conglomerate.
Douglas Adams only got one thing wrong. The collapse of civilization occurs because of peak mobile phone, not the shoe event horizon.
Facts are history now plebs have politics for religion on social media.
I didnâ(TM)t even know they made smartphones. If they want to know why they couldnâ(TM)t compete they should start there.
I considered one but opted not to buy it because it had Facebook preinstalled and it was not removable.
Xperia phones have had good reviews for the software and support for custom ROM/OS. Even FirefoxOS was available but FirefoxOS committed suicide before I ever tried 2.x on any phone.
So, is this what they are going to slash? Software development, security updates etc.
The one interesting thing about Sony Xperia phone is that Sony has an OpenDevice program:
- which keeps providing modern Linux kernel and drivers, so you could easily get a 4.9 kernel and AOSP 9.0 Pie on a several-years-old Xperia.
(As opposed to most manufacturer, where you're left with whatever blob is in the phone)
- their Xperia are trivial to unlock and flash with custom aftermarked OS.
(Unlike some competitors which aren't letting you use anything but the manufacturer's official ROM)
That could be either something Android based, like LineageOS.
Or even something completely different. e.g.: Jolla (the former guys who used to do Meego / Maemo at Nokia before the whole Microsoft/Elop fiacso happened upon them) make Sailfish X for a few select models.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]