Most likely true, but this was a better quarter and you take the good news where you can, right?

Investors and stock holders, the people that matter most, don't give a fuck about this slightly "good news". Either they make money or they will be extremely pissed off. Look at Nintendo. Same situation.

Kasz216 said:

A) I thought that happened that thread?  They asked the microsoft guy... and he said "yes to our consumers" or somethign like that.

B) Looking at it.  Guess I am wrong.  To be completely honest though, i put the blame on Sony's financial guys.  It doesn't make any sense to change definitions mid document, without actually mentioning that.

Since sales up until that point all = shipped hardware and shipped software + DLC.

It's either that or they just assumed they'd sold almost everything except what was in transit and rounded up.

There are a stardart to that...

+ Financial Results is most cases shipped (quarters ends).
+ PR News is most cases estimate sold to consumers (they use NPD, Chart-track,3rd-party trackers, etc)

PR News: Sony sold to consumers 4.2m as Dec 28th
Q3 FY13 Results: 7.8m units shipped combined for PS3 and PS4

Kasz216 said:

Right, and those numbers were in the financials data.

I'm trying to find.

http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/financial/fr/13q3_sony.pdf ? No
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/financial/fr/13q3_sonypre.pdf ? No
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/financial/fr/13q3_supplement.pdf ? No

I checked all financial documents... can you link the right point?

Edit - I saw your edit... Sony always states if it is shipped or estimate sales to consumers in PR News.

Eg.

SOLD TO CONSUMERS http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/140108a_e.html = *1 Number of retail sales to consumers is estimated by SCEI.

SOLD TO RETAIL (SHIPPED) http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/140130_e.html = *1 Includes both Blu-ray Disc™ sell-in quantities and download version sales on PlayStation®Store.

I don't the consusion people here does when you have the right words in the official PR News.

Kasz216 said:

Because the numbers are in their official financial slides, unexplained.

11 pages of sold meaning sold to retailers...

then page 12...http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/financial/fr/13q3_sonypre.pdf

Investors and stock holders, the people that matter most, don't give a fuck about this slightly "good news". Either they make money or they will be extremely pissed off. Look at Nintendo. Same situation.

First of all, selling the Vaio part of the division will result in a loss. Nobody wants to buy a PC factory in Japan so the only value is in the Vaio brand name. You'll have to find somebody willing to take the risk for all the workers that come with the brand name. Not surprisingly, not even the Chinese (Lenovo) bit so there is this JIP entity (probably a state supported entity that tries to keep the employed in their jobs using taxpayer money). Nonethless Sony cannot just dump the Vaio people into this new construct and call it a day, they have to (at least partially) fund it. Hence the loss incured while actually selling something (what you get from the sale is less than what you pay for creating the new structure).

The situation with the TV part is more dramatic as a lot more workforce is invovled. Shutting down factories and firing workers is almost impossible in Japan. Hence the reason why Sony has been floundering around the past years with heavy losses. Granted they can shut down some factory at some point (because they slowly lost workers by retirements and not hirng new people). That can take 10-15 years until you are left with just enough workers and factories with which you can make profit again. Until then, it would have meant probably another ten years of high TV losses for Sony. However, that takes too much time so the second worst solution is to  outsource the whole TV business into its own brand. As with the Vaio part, this costs a lot of money up front. Once that new TV company is going, Sony can either decide to further subsidize it (technically almost the same situation as with just keeping the TV business and paying the losses on and on), or simply let the new company rot in some way ("You're on your own now.."), hoping the public backlash isn't immediately connected with the Sony brand name.

Ohhhhhh I see... Management Topics... thanks... BTW six weeks ends in Dec 28th... not full 2013.