Sony's Howard Stringer consolidates power as president resigns
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Feb 27th 2009 2:57AM
posted Feb 27th 2009 2:57AM
Update: Additional details have emerged following a Sony press conference. Sony electronics will be organized into two main groups: (1) the Networked Products and Services Group, lead by PlayStation boss (and our buddy) Kaz Harai, will consolidate Sony's PlayStation console, VAIO PCs, Walkman audio products, new mobile products and Media Software and Services to ensure a common platform with access to the PlayStation Network, and (2) the New Consumer Products Group, under Hiroshi Yoshioka, that will unite Sony's Bravia televisions with its digital imaging, home audio, and video business. All of which reports direct to Stringer.
white man at the helm of one of Japan's biggest corporations...go Stringer you sly dog you
Whoop there it is
This is great except for the fact Sony fell apart since he's taken control
He became in 2005 the CEO of Sony Corp. Though the past 4 years may not have been a blast the situation Sony is in isn´t caused in 4 years nor isn´t solved in 4 years. Pointing him out to blame solely is far from reasonble. Further you may wonder if the board appoints him where I expect some high level business people are situated, they probably know who they appoint so I doubt he is that bad. But then cellar-businessmen > Sony Board so yes.. you could be right ...
You do realize Sony is falling apart because of how they ran things prior to Stringer? He has not had the power to change anything because the board wants things to remain the same. With this current re-org, it will give him the ability to restructure the company in how it should have been years ago. He is actually uniting all of Sony's divisions. Before him, none of Sony's businesses talked to each other. That's just bad.
What?? their actually letting a non-asian run of the world's biggest Japanese company's? Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just that Japan doesn't do that, like ever.
How many Asians are running top American companies?
Anyway this is a bad move, Stringer is doing his best to drive Sony in to the ground. Incompetent to the extreme.
My only business with Sony is with their games division, and as it stands now, I wouldn't give a dime for their flagship console. It's amazing how they've missed everything that made their previous consoles good (awesome third party support), while promoting crap like LBP.
As a fan of their previous consoles I feel disappointed with what they're trying to shove into PS3 users.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but the game which you considered crap has just received 8 awards (including overall game of the year) in this year's AIAA. I'm not a big fan of Sony's other products either, but SCE's current strategy of first party game development actually turns out to be much better than the competition.
This is madness!
Sony will burn to the ground!
I wish I ran Sony. =(
I don't care what you guys think about Howard Stringer; He still looks like a guy I want to split a bottle of Johnny Walker with.
I get that feeling, too. Stringer comes across to me as totally approachable (and a damn good listener and speaker, with the required level of diplomacy), yet still be the kind of guy you trust to 'take care of business'. He's a lovable teddy bear.
He has the right qualities to bring the company together and has done some good work so far, despite difficult conditions felt by (almost) every company in recent times.
Go Stringer!
(Actually...Go Tim Schaaff!)
Chubachi is Hibachi?
This is great news! Finally, the divisions will communicate with each other and hopefully put out products that don't overlap with each other (Mylo, PSP). Not to mention to make products that are fully compatible with each other. Can't wait! :-D
MYLO = personal communicator with a keyboard, primarily.
PSP = gaming console first and foremost, no keyboard.
They (rightly) identified two different sets of markets and made products to cater to both well. Not that I am in the market for a Mylo, but I can see that it fills needs the PSP can't. And vice-versa.
While many here are fans of kitchen-sink convergence, I think there are limits, and also limits to profitability, in making a one-device-devours-all type of device. In truth, every device has some overlap with another (PDAs, phones, calculators, etc) but each does what they do really well where another one can't or won't do it as gracefully.
Me, I'm hoping for removable batteries and storage in their non-phone Walkman line, and open-source formats like FLAC and Ogg Vorbis (like their competitors from Sandisk, Cowon, iRiver have done). They already support it in their software. Just to be extra greedy, I want a true Hi-MD successor (small flash recorder with optical, line and mic inputs... no bigger than current Hi-MD unit, with all its features (great playback modes, sound quality, Combine and Divide, titling... editing on-disc, low-noise preamps, removable storage and removable battery of course...).
Sony Japan, how 'bout some FLAC and Ogg Vorbis support?
http://www.walkman.sony.co.jp/
http://flac.sourceforge.net
http://www.vorbis.com
(open source = no additional royalties = nothing but implementation costs)
Stringer is a moron. Proved by his past. Corporations are run by morons today because morons hire other morons. It is easy to stay on the cushy board when a moron is in control vs. someone who actually knows what they are doing. That person might turn things around and force members off the board.
Look at the CEOs running corporations today. Does anyone think that these people are actually smart? They got where they were because of connections, not business sense.
Splitting the divisions makes sense and it will take Stringer out of day to day decision making. He will be a figurehead and deal with the media, the only thing he is good at.
If I was looking for someone to run a consumer electronics company the last person I would pick is a guy who ran CBS and worked in the motion picture industry.
Iridium @ Feb 27th 2009 1:21PM
Stringer is a moron. Proved by his past.
---------
I can't speak about his personal life, but his professional life is filled with success (hence the lofty position at Sony). So not sure what you are referring to.
Regards,
Sir Howard Stringer Fanboi #12.
Stringer is not moron, but he is symptomatic of Sony's problems because he came from the content side of the company. Sony "jumped the shark" as an innovation leader when they started buying content companies. All of Sony's problems can be traced to the inevitable conflict between engineers that want to make the the next great device that consumers want, and content lawyers that want to maintain iron-fisted control of how people get media. Every major Sony misstep can be attributed to content police squashing innovation: Late adoption of MP3, PSPs inability to play media (at least without a lot of customer pain), root-kit debacles, etc. Remember when Sony fought in court against studios to save the Betamax? *That's* the Sony we need. Sony can't have it both ways. They can be a movie/music company or they can be a great hardware company. It looks like they made their choice when Stringer was put in charge. Akio Morita would not be happy.
+1 for you my friend.
since kutaragi ken see ps3 as computer not as console, sony fail
when psp not becoming portable console only, psp fail
is Stinger decision here ?
each product eating too much cake
SONY is a big company, consolidation sounds like a bad idea.
tomo
Isn't he ( Stringer) well know to not even want to live in japan even though it is expected of top level executives from sony and a residence was provided because he dislikes japan and its culture/lifestyles? He doesn't even speak any japanese. Sony must have finally reached the tipping point were his influence over corperate policy is going to allow for a big shake up.
I hope that he makes good changes because Samsung really needs good compitition to stay honest