Sony closing down?

[Don Haines]

I watched the interview at no cost, and wanted my money back. Horrible.

I still wonder if the "hack attack" was a publicity stunt to get more people to see the movie. It is a second rate movie with second rate actors and never had a chance to be well viewed.... after the hacking stunt, I am sure it was seen by ten times as many people as otherwise....

 

[preppyak]

I still wonder if the "hack attack" was a publicity stunt to get more people to see the movie. It is a second rate movie with second rate actors and never had a chance to be well viewed.... after the hacking stunt, I am sure it was seen by ten times as many people as otherwise....

Absolutely not. You're forgetting how many people go see comedies nowadays just because of who is in them. Nate Silver ran a prediction (based on similar movies, including Pineapple Express with the same cast) and it would have made $100mil. Heck, even if it made half of that, last estimate I saw was that the Interview might gross about $40-50mil now. So, at best Sony broke even on expectations, probably lost money in reality, and crumbled their entire studio in the process. Sounds unlikely to be a publicity stunt...

The fallout might cripple Sony Studios, but, truth is running a studio might not be a profit-generator much into the future anyway

 

[preppyak]

Sony won't close down though. Their sensors are in the vast majority of cameras people are using today, so they can spin that off as a profitable business on its own. Especially since their major competitors rely on them. I'd actually argue their failure to produce a consistent lens line is a function of them not trying to overextend their camera division. Instead they let 3rd parties handle that and focus on making cameras people want. And ones that adapt to legacy lenses that are used in the industry (PL, etc)

 

[moreorless]

Sony won't close down though. Their sensors are in the vast majority of cameras people are using today, so they can spin that off as a profitable business on its own. Especially since their major competitors rely on them. I'd actually argue their failure to produce a consistent lens line is a function of them not trying to overextend their camera division. Instead they let 3rd parties handle that and focus on making cameras people want. And ones that adapt to legacy lenses that are used in the industry (PL, etc)

I would argue the opposite, I think a lot of the reason for Sony moving into mirrorless was exactly to cut out competition from 3rd party lens makers allowing them to have a sales tactic of drawing in customers with cheap cameras and then ultimately charging them more with expensive lenses. That's the kind of business tactic that's always held them back in photography if you ask me, you'll get some gadget freaks buying into it and some very casual users but there simply not trusted(rightly so IMHO) by much of the market.

The sensor division is a separate part of Sony to the camera division as well so its perfectly possible that the former stays and the latter is shut down or downsized greatly.

 

[Hjalmarg1]

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Oh, and Target also closing all Canadian stores...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/15/target-canada-property-idUSL1N0UU1SO20150115

I hope it's only in Canada...

 

[jeffa4444]

Sony did annouce it was closing its PC unit but it also annouced preliminary 2014 results which show revenues increasing and EBITDA improving. It showcased a lot of new products at CES and the sensor business is a shining star they hold around 60% of the global market. The CMOS market is growing fastest in things like Auto, Surveillance & Industrial whilst Photography is falling. Sony cameras are used in the Iphone 6 as well as many other cellular phones but its not these areas that have badly affected Sony.
TVs, Cellular, the delay in the PS4 launch & many of Sony "traditional products" that have matured and are commodities are made cheaper by other companies in Korea & China. Sony needs value added products like the PS4
because Japan is a high cost country even with there automation.

Interestingly Sony have a 20% stake in Olympus after Olympus accounting fiasco they mainly did this because of Olympus strong presence in medical equipment not photography.