http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 1:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
Apple was smarter though with ipod they made it hip and accept kinda all kind of files for music (mostly mp3)
Sony was using stupid programs and stuff at the time and wouldnt let you copy your mp3 to your walkman]]>May 11th 2009 2:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 3:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 3:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
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Sony's always been a great gadget company. Stuff they've miniturized has always had a great o-wow factor. It'll be interesting to see if they've learned anything and can apply this going forward.

Things that could have benefited from being more open:

El-casette
Betamax
ATRAC
MD
Memorystick

They need to be more willing to license out technologies in order to establish a "standard" and market to people based on their brand recognition much like what they've done in the TV market.

]]>May 11th 2009 4:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
he meant more open, not open source.

If you take a step back, its surprising that Sony isn't leading the portable music market. Walkmen were ubiquitous, and it would have been as easy as "This is a iWalkman, it plays mp3s from your computer"]]>May 11th 2009 5:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
iPod uses open technologies like

1) MP3
2) WAV
3) AIFF
4) AAC (MPEG4 audio)
5) MPEG4 Part 2 for video
6) MPEG4 -Part10 (aka H.264) for video

The only proprietary technologies they use in addition to this are

1) DRM'd AAC
2) DRM'd MPEG-4 Part 10
3) Apple Lossless

The music sold through the iTunes store now is plain AAC.

So, before you start saying everything is proprietary, get your facts.]]>May 11th 2009 8:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
as for apple, it's fun watching them repeat so many of sony's mistakes. such arrogance... ]]>May 11th 2009 7:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
Wrong. The world is much better when Microsoft fails. Their tactics are SO wrong, making people think that it has to be hard to run a computer and keep it running smoothly for years...Apple happens to be changing everyone's views on that however. ;-)]]>May 11th 2009 7:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/It is useless to say if I would have bla bla bla.
How about ask yourself why I wouldn't have?]]>May 11th 2009 11:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/Don't forget the extortion chips: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/16/apple-confirms-presence-of-proprietary-chip-in-shuffle-headphone/

Wanna bet the next gen iPods and iPhones will require this as well?]]>May 12th 2009 12:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
That's right, now. They already own the market and can do whatever they want, The didn't allow any other player to work with itunes so even now that everything is open, you still can't use itunes with other brands... I own an ipod since day one, but you gotta accept what has happened, at least I have seen the limitations of only being able to use quicktime for everything video.]]>May 12th 2009 2:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
Not ATRAC and Memory Stick Duo Platinum eXtreme or whatever.]]>May 11th 2009 1:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 2:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
Huzzah!





]]>May 11th 2009 2:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 3:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 8:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 8:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 10:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 1:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
bluray is dead]]>May 11th 2009 1:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
Keep trying though.]]>May 11th 2009 2:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 2:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 2:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 2:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
....as are your hopes of losing your virginity, sir.]]>May 11th 2009 5:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 2:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 2:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
Sony used to get it, but when they bought into Hollywood, they became like my GF's sexy sister, so sweet but so out of reach. The minidisc... oh jeez. Great, great piece of kit in its day but running some confused proprietary format that made it useless. Every Sony "mp3" player I every bought insisted on doing its SonicStage dance of death... (microwave the little buggers, they explode real nice).

They could have been the IBM of consumer equipment but instead they are the GE.
]]>May 11th 2009 2:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 2:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
(still not that great requiring a proprietary software to sync with their devices, but everyone already knows that).]]>May 11th 2009 2:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 2:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 2:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
Apple's format was open, which is specifically what Stringer was referring to, not DRM.]]>May 11th 2009 2:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 3:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/Because Apple made a deal with them several years before Amazon/etc. When Amazon was making the deal, labels already got the point that P2P is unstoppable and DRM's easily removable.

If you want to compare iTMS, compare it with PlaysForSure. Apple at least negotiated that DRM doesn't need license refresh, while the PlaysForSure required you time after time (and more often then expected) to plug your player into Internet-connected computer.]]>May 11th 2009 4:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 5:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 8:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 2:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
They do make some great looking stuff, but they seem to show a lack of caring when it comes to the consumers and the usability of their products. I think thats a reason why people are so in love with Apple.

It's not just in the music format as far as 'open' vs 'closed', but it's Sony's view on everything they do. Memory Sticks? UMD's? even minidisc (which i happened to love) are horrible proprietary formats.

don't even get started on sonic stage. that thing is so terribly awful. its probably the main reason why i refuse to buy any media player that won't work as a flash drive to upload music...

i feel like Sony has been snobbishly looking down on us consumers for a long time. Maybe if they took the time to see what it is they are stepping on, they could come out with some great stuff. They are the only ones holding them back.]]>May 11th 2009 2:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 12th 2009 2:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
Except with the ipod:

You can't change your own battery (without voiding the warranty)
You can't replace one of their easily broken screens (without voiding the warranty)
You can't use OGG or FLAC without converting it to the ipod standard
If you're stupid enough to buy your music through itunes, you can't take it with you when it comes time to buy a real MP3 player.
You only can use Itunes to organize your music. So that would make Apple, oh what's the word all you people are using... PROPRIETARY.

And as for those POS Apple computers:

You can't upgrade your memory.
You can't upgrade your hard drive.
You can't upgrade your graphics card.

In fact, you can't frigging upgrade anything, not without complete voiding the warranty and in many cases having to actually snap off bits of your computer to gain access to parts those wonderful, caring Apple technicians worked so hard to lock up from their consumers. To paraphrase Steve Jobs, that cheap huckster, if you want better performance, your only choice is to 'buy another.'

Yeah, Apple is a company that really cares. Unlike Sony, which has consistently released outstanding electronics for decades and - but oh no, they have a memory stick. They must be evil.]]>Jun 9th 2009 9:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 2:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
]]>May 11th 2009 2:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 2:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
1. Buy Napster for $250 million.
2. Use MP3 format, multiple bitrate options, no DRM.
3. Use Napster as distribution tool. Add in function to link up to media players (non-proprietary function, open to all players).

If they followed those three steps, Apple would likely be out of business at this point (no iPod = no cash reserve = no way to fix their failing Mac line)

Just another knot in the string of Sony's failures. Next up: Blu-ray.]]>May 11th 2009 2:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/May 11th 2009 2:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/11/sony-ceo-howard-stringer-if-we-had-gone-with-open-technology-f/
Sure, without the success of the iPod they would not be as profitable today, and would not have as much market share as they do (small as it might be).

But the iPod did not save Apple.]]>May 11th 2009 2:08PM