Does Sony's Wireless TV represent a return to it's innovative past or does the product represent another sign Sony is out of the loop? When I first saw the Sony Wireless TV at the Consumer Electronics Show, I couldn't decide if it was the next walkman or another sign the company is out of touch. Well, I think I have made up my mind... Sony is still out of touch.
Numerous articles have been written about the "Sony Shock" (about a year ago Sony missed it's quarterly numbers in a HUGE way), but we all know that when a firm misses a quarter that badly, it was the decisions made long before that were the cause of the miss. In the case of Sony, a large part of their recent problems is that the company has really stopped innovating and they have missed some MAJOR trends in the Consumer Electronics (CE) market. For example, Sony missed the transition from CRT based TVs to the thin LCD, Plasma, & DLP TVs that are now selling like hot cakes. Sony's slow reaction to the shift in what some would consider it's premium product line (TVs) shows how out of touch they were. In response to the "Sony Shock" the company began to shut down CRT production plants and established a Joint Venture with Samsung to produce LCD TVs. I will write more on this JV at some point in the future, but I think it is obvious Sony wasn't in the typical market power position they are used to during these negotiations.
NOTE: Much of what follows is from articles I have read as well as the video around the product that can be found here: http://news.com.com/2009-7353-5136726.html Just click on the Video entitled: Sony TV promises entertainment on the go"
Ok, so back to the question at hand... why does the "Wireless TV" show that Sony doesn't get it? First, the article doesn't mention this, but the product runs on 802.11 A/B/G (yes, all 3) wireless networks, so Sony hasn't gone off and created a new wireless standard for this product... this is a good thing. The product may also, come with other sized client devices, like a 5 inch small LCD unit. So what is the problem you ask....
First off, the tablet will only run off of a Sony "base station"... and no other devices can connect back to this base station, so even if I have a laptop with wireless capabilities, I can't view the content from the base station. Second, it is unclear if this base station acts like a wireless access point to all my wireless devices or just to my Sony client devices... why would I want ANOTHER access point in my house? Assuming the base station does not have TiVo like functionality, the promise of "watching my shows from back home" is the dumbest thing I have heard of in a while. So you want me to lug a 5lb LCD tablet (which isn't a full fledged Tablet PC) with me so I can plug it into my hotels ethernet jack to watch TV? Why don't I just turn on the TV 2 feet away from the hotel desk? While I am all for the idea of thin client devices in the home that can act as both internet tablets as well as Video players, I don't want to buy something from Sony that will lock me into their platform when I can buy the same technology from other manufacturers for cheaper and not get locked in. Heck, there are so many "digital media adapters" out there today, that you could get a cheap DMA, and a low end tablet PC and get the same functionality... without the lock in, and while getting a full fledged tablet PC.
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