Kazuo Hirai worked in the computer game industry and made doing business with the game console Playstation profitable again.
Hirai was president of the subsidiary of networked devices and services, and later he led the consumer electronics area (cameras, televisions, Playstation).For four years Hirai's CEO.During this time he has sold the computer business (Vaio)
For Sony , the days of smartphones are counted. "I am convinced that we are at a crossroad, as we have seen ten years ago during the transition from normal phones to smartphones," said Sony boss Kazuo Hirai in an interview with "Welt am Sonntag". "Today we see in smartphones no significant leaps in innovation."The industry wonders why, what will be the next dominant communication device, but still we have no answer.
Many manufacturers currently experimenting around with portable electronics, with varying degrees of success. "But we have not seen anything yet, what really brings a revolutionary change," Hirai said. Yet teaching experience that a product category, which dominate the market today, will not stay forever. "We are constantly thinking at Sony, what comes after the smartphone." Currently, however, no one has the answer.
Sony's smartphones have a small market share
Sony is in the midst of a restructuring that also concerns the smart phone area. Here is Sony a year in arrears, Hirai said. "We started two years ago with a massive reconstruction program and strongly turned to the cost spiral. End of March, we want to be ready." But even after adjustments were necessary even, "but not to this extent." Sony's share of the smartphone market is in the low single digit percentage range and is guided by the market researchers under "other".
A new target in the smartphone market declined to name Hirai. "For us it is more important that we have a lasting profitable business," said Sony boss. "The constant view of market shares has brought us in the past financial difficulties." Growth must happen organically and with the right products.
Especially in this competitive market, it would be the wrong way, just the number of smartphone models to increase or mingle with cheap equipment. Sony had recently withdrawn from the market of cheap smartphones.
