Live from D: Howard Stringer
Seeing Howard Stringer out and about -- let alone interviewed live -- is kind of like seeing a unicorn. Live coverage after the break.
9:49AM - Give us a sense of where things stand. "Last time I was trying to get you to laugh through my tears. ... We're coming along -- I gave a speech to our management, I said 'Let's get mad.'" They're going over LCD sales over the years. "LCD's got a good run, it's growing faster than you can imagine."
9:52AM - Talking OLED, showing the 0.3mm thin version of the panel -- of course, that's just the panel. Sony intends to make a 27-inch version: "Basically the only people who can buy one are in this room." Did we mention how many millionaires and billionaires are here?
Mossberg: Do you actually believe this will supplant LCD? Stringer looks at the display: "You will, won't you?" Laughter. Are you buying someone else, or are you making them this time? "We're making and selling them," although it's still pretty expensive to do large OLED displays (of course).
9:58AM - Stringer called the early introduction of the PS3 and the the financial turmoil it caused Sony "fairly catastrophic." He also said that the whole console was "on life support" for a while after introduction, but that it's clearly bounced back (especially after being buoyed by Blu-ray winning the format war).
10:05AM - Discussing the "silicon corridor," and the extremely long lead between early and mass adoption. On to the "transformational experiences" of high definition movies not only on Blu-ray, but 4K as well.
10:11AM - Mossberg: On the PC market, how are you feeling about that business? Sales have flattened... Stringer: "I'm glad you asked, we had our best year ever last year. 7% margin!" Margins are up, but how are sales, why aren't you the leader in the market? Stringer says that's because they sell premium, higher end PCs.
Mossberg is launching into his feelings on crappy trialware on new PCs. Are you willing to say here today that you'll get rid of craplets? "No, I'm not. I need to examine things, make sure we don't deprive users of the joy of craplets." Laughter. "I promise you a craplets review."
Chatting up phones vs. iPods -- Stringer claims that they've shipped more "music-enabled phones" than Apple's sold iPods. Okay, not really the same thing at all, but we'll grant him that, they do sell a lot of phones.
10:21AM - If we're not mistaken, we think Stringer just said that the Alpha is the only DSLR in the world with a live-view display. Ummm, no Howard, no.
10:32AM - More audience Q&A, nothing super fantastic. And they're out -- playing "Turning Japanese" no less.
