iPodの躍進からみるSONYの今後
How the iPod ran circles around the Walkman
元記事の題名は上記のとおりだが、内容としてはSONYの今後に焦点をあてた内容なので、あえてこの題名にしました。
Sir Howard now presides over a company that appears--superficially--to be the polar opposite of an ITT-like conglomeration of unrelated businesses. Sony is accustomed to thinking of itself as consisting of two well-matched halves: electronics and entertainment. At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, Sir Howard observed, "A device without content is nothing but scrap metal," a platitude beneath mention--unless, perhaps, one were a mite defensive about owning both a widget factory and an entertainment factory.
新たにSONYのCEOとなったHoward氏はCESにて「コンテンツのないデバイスはただの鉄くずだ」と言うまでも無い決まり文句を言ったものだが、
The predigital Walkman evolved over the years into more than an astounding 1,120 models. But its essential nature remained unchanged: It was dumb hardware. When Apple Computer introduced the iPod in November 2001, Steve Jobs described his new player as "the 21st-century Walkman." With 98 years remaining in the century, that was an early call. But he was correct. The iPod in 2001 was a Walkman successor, but smarter, its hard drive easily navigated with well-designed software.
かのWalkmanは単なるHardwareで、コンテンツは供給されるたぐいのものではなく。
21世紀のWalkmanと言われるiPodは単なるHawrdwareだけでなく、コンテンツと共に提供され、相互が推し進める形になっている。
However dubious the original rationale, the music and movie acquisitions have turned into Sony's brightest, most profitable spot at the moment. It's the portfolio effect you would expect in a classic conglomerate: parts of the business that are doing well cover for those that are not.
SONYはSoftとHardの融合をめざしてCBS Recordやコロンビア・ピクチャーズを買収してきたが、現在の儲かっているのは本業であった電化製品ではなく、こういった映画などからの収益によって支えられているのは皮肉でもある。
