Sony's secret kill switch: myth, rumor or hearsay?
By Donald Melanson 
posted January 22nd 2010 3:53PM
posted January 22nd 2010 3:53PM
Could there be something lurking deep inside your Sony laptop or TV programmed to break the device as soon as the warranty expires? That may sound like a crazy conspiracy theory not far off those involving the mysterious deaths of engineers, but it's a theory that continues to persist to some degree in Japan, and even seems to have grown in recent years. As Telegraph.co.uk reports, the belief in a secret timer or "kill switch" has been around for the past twenty years or so, but it apparently took on some newfound momentum amid the rash of Sony laptop battery failures, which even prompted some Sony execs to publicly deny that such a switch exists. The kill switch apparently isn't completely pervasive though, as the PlayStation 3 is supposedly "exempt," thereby explaining its considerable success in Japan -- although there's some talk that's because it's a Trojan horse for Sony's next big scheme: mind control disguised as 3D glasses.
Congratulation Engadget, your Sony hate reached a new high, and your journalistic integrity a new low... maybe stick to discussing the latest iPhone apps only, it's becoming a bit pathetic lately. I'm typing this btw on a 3 year old Vaio SZ that never had a single issue, while my daughter is using my previous 8 year old Vaio to play games. Never had an issue with that one either. Or with any of the other Sony stuff I have in the house (PS3 / Bravia TV / Home Theater set etc...). Some people will have bad luck, maybe I'm just lucky, but the brand always offered me quality... My iPod failed on me after 15 months, switched again to Walkman. I'm not a fanboy but the tendency against Sony on this site makes me wonder what your hidden agenda is.
@Swagger , oops sorry... I'm not on engadget then ? Yeah, must be a dumbass indeed
@Swagger hmm, so this article is not posted on engadget, written by Donald Melanson as is stated above the article, and he is not part of engadged as the link would suggest ? (http://www.engadget.com/editor/donald-melanson ) In that case you are right... if not please prove me wrong...
Reading the reviews a lot of people take this crap seriously, as engadget, by means of this editor, gives at least the impression it should be taken seriously and therefore feeds the myth.
I know by the way that he is refering to other articles also, but the title , the tone, and the suggestive style of the article are to me originated by the person who placed it's name above the article, and are (my humble opinion) reflecting the direction engadget takes lately. Call me dumbass or stupid as much as you want, but I still remember the time I respected engadget for being neutral towards brands and providing integer yet critical reviews and opinions.
Going through the responses on this (and other articles) I know I'm not alone with this impression, and you can be rude and shortsighted in your responses as much as you want, to some extend it just proves my point the overall level of engadget is rapidly decreasing...
@Swagger Great, from dumb to daft ... I suggest you start with actually reading the article, then you might notice that they did not repost from the telegraph, they refer to the article as a kind of proof for a so called conspiracy... that's a huge difference...
This is 'if there's smoke there must be fire' journalism, and unfortunatly that appears to be a trend lately on engadget, and excuse me if that botters me. Not everyone on this site is intrested in the latest Apple tablet rumour or Sony bash,some like to read real tech stuff news without having to go through too much crap first.
But don't worry, I give up on this as you obviously don't get past the 'you are dumb' statements to prove your point ... I had my share of fun with this thread, you shouldn't take yourself so serious
I don't really think that's likely. Is it even legal for them to do something like that?
I've had a sony bravia for almost 4 years, vaio for almost 3, DSLR For 3, sound system for 4, of course a ps3 a launch ps3, yadda yadda yadda. Long story short, they all work.
Aren't conspiracies fun?
What is this, some kind of religion? Why does superstitious voodoo appear on Engadget?
Disappointing journalism from the Telegraph and disappointing that Engagdget reposted it. Poor work all round.
lol; things break.
you are hearing the yells from the users that feel cheated as the failure seemed to coincide with the end of the warranty; lots of devices broke before the warranty and they were replaced- and lots of other devices are still working.
Li-Ion batteries have a finite chemical reaction and they last an average number of charge cycles- and every time you plug in your laptop that will use a cycle- be the battery dead or just 'topping off'.
As a past owner of various Sony products, if there isn't a kill switch, then Sony just makes crappy products. I had one TV die after 2 years, one Walkman die in one year, one clock radio that had the hour changing button break within a year, one AV receiver that died in a few months, and one laptop that had its LCD screen colors distorted after a year. Yeah I should have stopped buying Sony products after the Walkman, but they were all decent deals. Now I know why. Sony is as good as Bose or Monster products. They all pull the wool over your eyes.