Sony Corp. (6758), the electronics maker struggling after four straight annual losses, will introduce a tablet computer in Japan this year as it tries to lure customers away from Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co.
The Xperia Tablet Z will be 6.9 millimeters (.27 inches) thick, weigh 495 grams (17 ounces) and have a 10.1-inch (26- centimeter) display, Sony’s mobile unit said in a statement today. The waterproof device may debut in Japan as soon as March before appearing elsewhere, Noriko Shoji, a Tokyo-based spokeswoman for Sony, said by phone today. The price hasn’t been determined, she said.
Sony Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai is focusing on mobile devices to revive the company, whose TV unit has been unprofitable for eight straight fiscal years. The Tokyo-based company introduced its first tablet model in 2011, making it the last among the world’s top 10 laptop makers to tap the surging demand triggered by Apple’s iPad.
Worldwide tablet shipments will total 120 million units this year and may reach 340 million by 2016, according to market researcher IHS Inc.’s iSuppli.
In October, Apple introduced a smaller version of the iPad with a 7.9-inch screen and prices starting at $329. Sony also faces competition with Amazon.com Inc.’s updated set of Kindle Fires and Google Inc.’s Nexus 7.
Sony shares rose 3.3 percent to close at 1,187 yen in Tokyo after the announcement, extending their gain this month to 24 percent. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 1.5 percent today.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mariko Yasu in Tokyo at myasu@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Tighe at mtighe4@bloomberg.net.
The Xperia Tablet Z will be 6.9 millimeters (.27 inches) thick, weigh 495 grams (17 ounces) and have a 10.1-inch (26- centimeter) display, Sony’s mobile unit said in a statement today. The waterproof device may debut in Japan as soon as March before appearing elsewhere, Noriko Shoji, a Tokyo-based spokeswoman for Sony, said by phone today. The price hasn’t been determined, she said.
Sony Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai is focusing on mobile devices to revive the company, whose TV unit has been unprofitable for eight straight fiscal years. The Tokyo-based company introduced its first tablet model in 2011, making it the last among the world’s top 10 laptop makers to tap the surging demand triggered by Apple’s iPad.
Worldwide tablet shipments will total 120 million units this year and may reach 340 million by 2016, according to market researcher IHS Inc.’s iSuppli.
In October, Apple introduced a smaller version of the iPad with a 7.9-inch screen and prices starting at $329. Sony also faces competition with Amazon.com Inc.’s updated set of Kindle Fires and Google Inc.’s Nexus 7.
Sony shares rose 3.3 percent to close at 1,187 yen in Tokyo after the announcement, extending their gain this month to 24 percent. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 1.5 percent today.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mariko Yasu in Tokyo at myasu@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Tighe at mtighe4@bloomberg.net.
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