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Sony battery recall total climbs to 7.7 million

The Sony battery recalls continue as Sharp is joining the fray by recalling 28,000 batteries while Fujitsu has recalled an additional 51,000 batteries. Fujitsu had already announced last week that it would recall 287,000 units.

These latest recalls bring the total tally to 7.7 million units. Sony recently instituted the Global Replacement Program for its batteries. The program is designed to help manufacturers with logistics in receiving faulty batteries from customers and delivering new replacements.

Replacements for lithium-ion battery technology are in development, but it may be quite some time before see it replaced in the notebook market. Fuel cell technology is showing some promise and Toshiba has been showing off fuel cell prototypes in its notebooks. Toshiba has been able to see runtimes of about 10 hours with its current fuel cell stacks, but there are still issues with size, pricing and logistics in delivering fuel cells to customers.

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Bleak future?
By podknocker on 10/15/2006 12:46:54 PM , Rating: 5
This could be the start of something catastrophic for Sony.

The recall of so many batteries must be hurting now.

In addition, the forecast for the success of the PS3 looks bleak and I doubt they will catch up with the '360 when their console finally arrives.

Heard that Sony is wrapping up monitor production also. They will be supplying Medical and Research markets only, with domestic LCD TVs being the largest chunk of their display production.

I have always thought that Sony had it's fingers in too many pies in the past, a bit like Philips. I think the best thing for Sony to do is streamline its product range and focus on quality, style and functionality.

The new Bravia range of TVs looks superb but there is not a great deal from Sony that catches my eye these days.




RE: Bleak future?
By Schadenfroh on 10/15/2006 1:56:41 PM , Rating: 4
Having fingers in so many pies is what keeps you from going under when something terrible happens to a few of your product divisions.

Things like Sony Music and Sony Pictures (Columbia/TriStar/MGM/UA) seems to be supporting their hardware business more and more.


RE: Bleak future?
By Xavian on 10/15/2006 2:05:42 PM , Rating: 4
Actually it is the (still) current massive success of the PS2 which seems to be under-pinning the company as a whole, it is still the 2nd most selling console in the world (next to the DS) and is selling at a profit. Plus the various licence fees from the software.

The problem for Sony is they have gotten their fingers into some rather poorly choosen pies, combined with Sony's percievable drop in quality to become 'yet another electronic manufacturer' is causing quite large losses for the company on the whole. Plus the PS3 which has a massive R&D cost attatched to it, plus being sold at a large loss, means one of Sony's only divisions that is under-pinning the company is about to become non-profitable.

Unless the PS3 is a smash success, things are going to be very tough for Sony. With various divisions dropped in order to streamline the business and struggle to make a profit.


RE: Bleak future?
By ViperROhb34 on 10/15/2006 6:32:15 PM , Rating: 2
Yeah, the PS2 is still helping out Sony.. mainly it was a strong console from the start, but it came out at 299.00 and after about two years went to like 249.00.. then finally about 199.00 yet another year later.. and finally after being out for .. ( five ? ) years .. its 120.00 at Best Buy..

So in 5 yrs it dropped from 299 to 120 ..

I see the PS3 being a mild success at BEST .. but more likely I think it'll sell "Ok" .. developers won't want to spend revenue making exclusive games for PS3 if they don't profit.. Already two games which were to be Sony exclusives including 'Assasins Creed' are being done for Xbox 360 now.. in fact I read a magazine article by the company doing Assasins Creed.. I was surprised to see not only would the graphics be the same.. but a few more features would be on the 360 version due to.. ( quoting the developer ) the ease of programming the 360 ..

On the flip side Oblivion will be released for PS3.. the developer says due to the time they've had to improve their graphics engine ( not because of the console ) that Oblivion's graphics on PS3 will see a slight improvement when it comes to 'far off' objects ( seen from a distance ) .. but they said the slight loading that takes place on 360 will still be on PS3.. in fact they said the PS3's BLuray player reads DVD's alittle slower so they can't improve load times..

Seems so counter productive of Sony to add all these nice features and have issues such as that..

The biggest thing that will hurt PS3 from the "Main Stream" sales public is its high price.. its kept Xbox sales slow.. I know at least 3 friends who had to save for 360.. with games it simply cost .. and PS3's higher game price will make it worse..

I wish them well.. but look at PS2's price drop.. PS3 will not be cheap anytime soon ( like nowhere in the next year or two ! ) because of two things.. BLuray price and the price of the low yield IBM processor they are using..

Id say price will also be less likely to drop if they sell slowly because the only money maker will be games.. There will be exclusives, but they weill be much fewer this time around for the Sony team..


RE: Bleak future?
By podknocker on 10/15/2006 2:18:26 PM , Rating: 3
Let's hope Sony have enough pies then.

Another DRM debacle or still-born format like Minidisc may be the thin end of the wedge.

I'm not a Sony basher, at all, but Sony needs to reclaim and maintain its high prestige image it had a few years ago which few other companies could rival.

I just don't think they have the respect they used to.

They are still fairly innovative, but are making lots of mistakes.

I had high hopes for the PS3, for example and was holding out to buy one here in the UK.

I'll probably buy an XBOX before Christmas as I'm sick of waiting.

They look like they are struggling in the sectors they used to dominate.

It's not the company you first turn to when you think of consumer product: PCs, CD and DVD players, music players etc.

They once had stunning products in nearly all markets but simply do not have the dominance these days. I doubt they will go under as they can fall back on the divisions you outlined, but they could become the laughing stock of the consumer electronics market, if they are not careful.


RE: Bleak future?
By doctor sam adams on 10/15/2006 4:27:35 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
Let's hope Sony have enough pies then.

...

Sony needs to reclaim and maintain its high prestige image it had a few years ago


So does Sony have, or do Sony needs?


RE: Bleak future?
By podknocker on 10/15/2006 4:44:47 PM , Rating: 3
Your question lacks content, is pedantic and ill-conceived.

I do not need to rescript this thread at all.




RE: Bleak future?
By doctor sam adams on 10/18/2006 11:17:57 AM , Rating: 2
I thinks it was quite clever, thoughtful, and well-informed.


RE: Bleak future?
By Lonyo on 10/15/2006 3:20:29 PM , Rating: 1
Sony recently closed their plasma and LCD divisions.
They are giving a lot of their pies away because they are not making money.
quote:
Quitting LCD monitor business seems to be inline with the company’s strategy to withdraw from highly-competitive businesses the company does not have obvious success in. For example, Sony has exited plasma panel television and is scrapping its Qualia lineup of luxury consumer electronics, as neither of the businesses brought the company profits and market shares it wanted.


RE: Bleak future?
By Exodus220 on 10/15/2006 5:49:10 PM , Rating: 2
I don't know how you are connecting this to the PS3. I am confident the PS3 will do well just as the past two generations of Sony machines have done. Sure it may be expensive but so were the other two machines when they came out. However, this by no means indicates that Sony will have any problems with their PS3. Sony will have no problem catching up with Microsoft and their 360 because they are not even that far ahead. Heck, the PS2 still outsells the X360, so I do not know why you would think Sony is going to stress too much about defeating Microsoft again.


RE: Bleak future?
By Xavian on 10/15/2006 6:57:14 PM , Rating: 2
The PS3 is in trouble, its launching at a higher price than the Xbox 360 at launch, has a non-needed Blu-ray drive and is launching into full competition (With the PS2, the gamecube and xbox came much later, thus there was virtually no competition for a long time).

The PS3 has far more signifcant challenges to overcome this time round and i honestly doubt its going to be anywhere close to the same success as the PS2.


RE: Bleak future?
By ViperROhb34 on 10/15/2006 10:46:46 PM , Rating: 2
PS2 does well for one reason.. its 120 dollars.. people like cheap consoles with lots of games.. The PS2 went from being 299 5yrs ago to the 120 now..

The avg consumer will NEVER go for the PS3's price point.
I make more then the avg consumer and I doubt I will buy one.


RE: Bleak future?
By crystal clear on 10/16/2006 5:25:52 AM , Rating: 2
Sony should take the new Philips slogan seriously-

"SENSE & SIMPLICITY

or a previous one

LETS DO THINGS BETTER

or mine (original)

QUALITY & HONESTY


RE: Bleak future?
By crystal clear on 10/16/2006 6:05:56 AM , Rating: 2
Hope this change in CEO could bring in some good things.

"Sir Howard Stringer, Sony’s Welsh-born chief executive, has made revitalising the consumer electronics business the group’s priority this year."

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/bbc07450-5a32-11db-8f16-00...





rootkit karma
By Lazarus Dark on 10/15/2006 5:37:00 PM , Rating: 2
Ok, I don't believe in karma per se, but I do believe what goes around comes around. And Im feeling more and more like sony is getting what it deserves with this battery debacle after the callous way they treated their costomers in the rootkit scandal and the idiotic statements they've been making lately (ps3 will kill the pc!...right)

Still kinda sad though, just six or seven years ago sony was all i would buy.




RE: rootkit karma
By Exodus220 on 10/15/2006 5:52:33 PM , Rating: 2
The only Sony product I care for is their Playstation line, but it will be a year or two before I invest in a PS3. I do not care for Sony home/car audio components as they look and feel cheap. I like their TV's but I can find a better product for cheaper from another company. Sony won me over with the Playstation, but I am really curious to see if they will keep me with this next generation (it was 3-4 years before I broke down and bought a PS2 - my brother had one).


Think ahead
By crystal clear on 10/16/2006 4:18:58 AM , Rating: 2
The consequenes of this global recall has a far reaching effect not only on Sony,laptop users,but the whole industry
itself.
Dont look at the recall as an isolated incident but the after effects of this recall-THINK AHEAD

Read this link to give an insight of whats happening & to come in the near future 06/07.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&si...

This could insipre a new/seperate article by DT on the subject.




RE: Think ahead
By crystal clear on 10/16/2006 5:57:04 AM , Rating: 2
also this-
"Toshiba, Fujitsu May Ask Sony for Recall Compensation (Update1)"

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&si...

















Bleak Future?!
By daftrok on 10/16/2006 1:02:26 AM , Rating: 1
Sigh...people can never see the good in things sometimes. Like going to sonystyle.com and finding a 5.1 surround sound system (900W) with an HDMI A/V receiver for just 300 dollars. Or the fact that of all the 1080p projectors out there, Sony has the cheapest one of them all (4999.99). Or the fact that they are taking one of the biggest gambles in history with the consumer in mind by going with blu-ray and taking HD-DVD head on, even with all the bad press, despite the fact that blu-ray disc has much more support, has more storage, and is going to be used on the next console and guess what people? They are going to sell every single playstation 3 they bring out until they sell well over 2 million. See the problem with people is that they don't think about the future as much as they should. Sony got a bad rap for playstation by going with the CD, it got a bad rap for going DVD on the playstation 2, and now its getting a bad rap for going Blu-ray. Now I am not condoning the fact that they made faulty batteries; but I hardly doubt that Sony is going to be destroyed just because they stopped making monitors available to the public and a few million batteries got recalled; Sony is a multi-billion dollar corporation, and it is gonna be that way for a long time.




RE: Bleak Future?!
By Loc13 on 10/16/2006 9:57:34 AM , Rating: 2
And Sony still make the most stlyish and feature-rich cellphones on the planet. Too bad they rarely get picked up by US carriers.


:(
By GhandiInstinct on 10/15/2006 4:02:20 PM , Rating: 2
I miss you 90s Sony :(




By pakigang on 10/16/2006 3:08:23 AM , Rating: 2
Seeing so many batteries recalled, I can't help but think that this is done on purpose to sony or some hidden agenda. I am not in favour of sony but it just comes to mind.




“And I don't know why [Apple is] acting like it’s superior. I don't even get it. What are they trying to say?” -- Bill Gates on the Mac ads

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