Live from D: Howard Stringer
By Ryan Block 
posted May 28th 2008 12:47PM
posted May 28th 2008 12:47PM
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."
9:58AM - 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.
That looks like Ozzie
"Basically the only people who can buy one are in this room."
I'm afraid to ask "how much"...
Shoulda asked him why it is taking so long to manufacture the Xperia X1.
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.
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Fark, imagine if Ballmer said that at a dev conference? Started bragging about margins? He get skinned alive. This douche gets a pass because people feel sorry for him.
The PS3 was very much helped by BluRay (which ... still.. barely anyone uses over DVD) and very much helped by massive price cuts. What was the cost of all the PR gaffes Sony made?
The crapware is not funny.the crapware is where they get the 7% margins. Man this guy's a dumbass.
Skinned alive? I prefer the term "pea-shooter pot-shots." Seriously nothing anybody says has really had an effect on Ballmer or Microsoft.
Ha, I was just listening to the Unicorns...
... a unicorn that apparently has to go potty.
Who?
so this is another world company in the hands of a old white dude.
where are the people that are really doing the bleeding edge stuff in R&D?
we should get interviews with those people, even though they're bound by NDA's that revoke their existence if breached.
"Stringer claims that they've shipped more 'music-enabled phones' than Apple's sold iPods."
I definitely do not think of Sony when I think of phones. It appears he's counting the partnership Sony has with Ericsson. That doesn't count--that's an Ericsson phone, not a Sony phone, so THEY did not sell it. Is this guy for real?
I keep reading his name as Howard Stern.
Needless to say, getting a little more excited than I should be.