Apple offers clues to where Sony needs to go: William Pesek
Kazuo Hirai, charged with halting Sony Corp. (6758)'s downward spiral, could be excused for asking: Do I really want this job?
Last week, the consumer-electronics giant said it expects a $2.9 billion loss in the year ending March 31, putting it on course for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year in the red. It's a stunning reminder of the depths to which the onetime pride of Japan Inc. has plunged in the Apple Inc. age.
Thirty-three years after unleashing the Walkman revolution, Sony is playing catch-up to the upheaval wrought by Steve Jobs's iPod, iPhone and iPad. When Hirai, 51, takes control in April, he must succeed where Chief Executive Officer Howard Stringer, 69, failed. To restore Sony to anything approaching its past glory, Hirai needs a new offering of products that consumers view as game changers.
(Bloomberg, Feb 08)
23 May
Emotional stress caused by last year's tsunami resulted in part of some survivors' brains shrinking, according to scientists in Japan who grasped a unique chance to study the neurological effects of trauma. (The Australian)
22 May
Vending machines may be ubiquitous, but one that is selling quasi-legal hallucinogens has raised the eyebrows of police and health authorities as they clamp down on the sale and use of such drugs. (Japan Times)
22 May
A man in his 50s was stabbed in the back by another man Monday evening at Shibuya subway station in central Tokyo, sustaining severe injuries, police said. (Japan Times)
22 May
A 15-year-old boy under arrest for allegedly killing his grandmother has told police that he stabbed her after she accused him of stealing the family's money, it has been learned.
(Mainichi)
22 May
An inquest into the death of a Japanese cameraman killed during the clash between the military and anti-government protesters on the night of April 10, 2010 began on Monday morning.
(Bangkok Post)