Sony warns of first operating loss in 14 years

Sony has warned it will report its first operating loss in 14 years, as sliding demand for its products, plunging LCD television prices, and a stronger ¥ force the consumer giant to make drastic cost-cutting measures. Thursday, the company announced a major reversal of fortune from an earlier forecast for its fiscal year, …

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sorry, but..

..as much as I feel terrible for Sony employees who will bear the brunt of this on a personal level, it couldn't happen to a nicer company. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, you rootkit-installing bastards!

[Anonymous Coward]

Be humanware

Now their new slogan makes sense: "Be humanware". (http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/) Although I'm not sure whether it's supposed to be "employee or customer, you're just humanware to us" or whether it's a thinly veiled "human, beware!"

[David Hicks]

Whilst the rootkit stunt was repellant

It was neither unique nor really very visible. Joe public doesn't know about it and probably wouldn't understand if he did.

Me, I love Sony kit, though I think their software sucks and I try not to get involved with their music biz. They're one of the few PC makers that actually make pretty laptops, though they are pricy.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yikes!

<quote> operating loss of ¥260bn ($2.92bn, £2.11bn)

October forecast of a ¥200bn ($2.24bn, £1.62bn)

Net income is expected to be a loss of ¥150bn ($1.69bn, £1.22) for the year </quote>

So does that mean that the £ (sterling) recovered while this article was being written?

Mines the one with the sixpences in the pocket

[Andy Worth]

Fanboy attack.....

.....in 3.......2........1......

[Anonymous Coward]

Products and formats...

I think Sony's problem is illustrated by their latest portable. Take the cheap netbook format and then produce something costing three times as much.

I used to buy Sony products but stopped when their obcession with propriety formats started. They know where they can stuff their memory sticks.

[Alex]

Light blue touch paper. He he!

Sony: They've not done anything wrong towards me, and make great pieces of kit. Yes expensive, but still great. I wonder what other organsiations have the same R&D going on for all their depts. I think I can count them on one finger..

Mine's the one with the "SCE" logo on the back, with the PSP in the breast pocket, a 1980s walkman in the inside pocket, and a Sonycam in the the left outter pocket. Oh, there might be a copy of the Sony Magazine in the right outter pocket..

[Rob]

Hardly a surprise

Sony haven't been fairing to well, I'd say, for at least a couple of years. They do produce good kit in some areas but fail in others and when it is good it's usually a tad too expensive.

It probably doesn't help that all the other departments are keeping the PS3 business alive, I presume they are still selling each unit at a loss.