Sony head Howard Singer has announced the company s plans to deliver an all-encompassing digital content service networking its array of hardware products, reports NY Times. Singer said the network, called Sony Online Service, will build on PS3’s existing PS Network to link all manner of Sony entertainment content with Sony hardware. He positioned the service as a big step forward in the company s longtime effort to link hardware and software development. That vision has been recently communicated en masse through Sony s make.believe messaging and marketing campaign.
Covering the announcement for NY Times, Hiroko Tabuchi questions whether Sony can overcome the often publicized and maligned divide between its hardware and software developers, including an age gap that exists among engineers in the two divisions. He cites it as the source of the company’s woes, where competitors such as Apple were able to create multi-faceted gadgets while Sony stuck with a strategy of developing diverse, and sometimes seemingly discordant devices. Howard suggested at the press conference that with Sony Online Service the situation is turning in the right direction. He said Sony has a supreme advantage once it gets software right because of its exceptional hardware. In a direct comparison to Apple hardware, Howard said people don’t want something that breaks down every ten minutes. Read more at NY Times.
