Sony CEO Howard Stringer was forced to defend the quality of Sony’s products at this year’s CES show in Las Vegas, while CEO in waiting, former PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai, rolled out a brand new super high-definition TV that Sony is calling Crystal LED.Media reports in Japan have said Stringer will soon be replaced by Hirai, who is widely seen as next in line to run the company, though Sony has denied any such decision has been reached.
At last night’s event the gaff prone Stringer was upstaged by Hiari who appeared slick and in control Vs Stringer who at one stage went to the wrong end of the stage to welcome Hirai.
Stringer who at the past two CES Shows has plugged Sony’s dominance in the 3D TV market said Sony would not waver in its support of 3D, which has so far failed to catch on with mainstream consumers.
 |
The new Sony TV which was a highlight of the night is nowhere near production ready and uses miniature light-emitting diodes in place of pixels. The TV has 6 million LEDs mounted on the front of the display which Sony claims is superior to LCD and plasma.
 |
Sir Howard Stringer said that the new TV will deliver “super contrast and super wide colour gamut”. Both LG and Samsung are set to launch OLED TVs that also deliver a superior picture than current TVs.
Despite Sony slashing the price of their struggling tablet Sir Howard told the gathered media that “Our latest products are receiving rave reviews across the board”. What he failed to explain is why Sony is racking up over a billion dollars in losses this financial year while its main product lines have struggled to keep up with offerings from the likes of Samsung and LG as well as Apple.
He also made no mention of the software problems that have plagued the launch of the company’s new flagship game console, the PlayStation Vita, which has been criticised for its high pricing and its ability to maintain high sales, slumping in many countries following its launch.
The Vita sold 500,000 units as of Jan. 5, according to Kazuo Hirai, head of the company’s massive consumer products division.
Desperate to compete with Apple, Samsung, Motorola and HTC, Sony has started to roll out Sony branded smartphones after buying out Ericcson from their former Sony Ericsson partnership.
Added to the Sony mobile line-up are two new smartphones both equipped with 12MP cameras and a new digital watch that can sync with Android devices.
A key part of the Sony presentation was integration of Sony’s content platforms, spanning video and music streaming services, as well as a new service to launch later this year that will enable photo sharing between its various devices.
“New devices are not the end goal. It’s the combinations of devices, services and content,” said Hirai.
Keen to promote their Sony Pictures operation Sony rolled out actor Will Smith on stage to promote the third Men in Black movie, as well as pop star Kelly Clarkson.
