Embattled Sony CEO Howard Stringer has revealed that the company is working on a different kind of television, which will combat years of crippling losses in the Bravia division.
Welsh-born Stringer told the Wall Street Journal that Sony "can't continue to make TV sets in the way we have been" and admitted that "every TV set we make loses money".
Without elaborating too much, the under-fire chief executive told the newspaper, "There's a tremendous amount of R&D going into a different kind of TV set."
The connected TV device is likely to slot into Sony's new "four screen" strategy which involves integrating smartphones, tablets, PCs and television sets.
Competing with Steve Jobs
Stringer, who says he will continue to fight it out at Sony despite projected losses of over a $1 billion in 2011, says the aim has always been to create a platform that can rival Apple.
"You have bad years. The trick is to weather them, learn from them, act graciously through them, and learn why and when you have to change."
He added: "I spent the last five years building a platform so I can compete against Steve Jobs. It's finished, and it's launching now."
He later said that there was "no doubt" Apple was working on a TV set, so it may be that Sony is looking to out-innovate and beat Cupertino to the punch.
Bravia losses
Sony's Bravia television division recently posted losses for the eighth straight year, prompting the company to split it into three separate entities.
Both Stringer and Sony face a massively challenging 2012, but this talk of a "different kind of TV set" has certainly piqued our interest.
Via: Wall Street Journal
