Sony Ericsson just announced a €247 million (about $317 million) pre-tax loss for its fourth quarter — not a profit of €41.7 as forecasted by a Reuters poll. The joint venture between Sony and Ericsson blames tough competition, price erosion, an unfavorable global economic situation, and the floods in Thailand for its big Q4 loss. As previously announced, Sony is expected to take complete ownership of Sony Ericsson — and its flagging product lineup — before the end of February at a cost of €1.05 billion.
Sony Ericsson reports $317 million loss in Q4
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“Flagging product line-up”? All of their phones seem pretty good these days. (Disclaimer: I’m posting this from an Arc and my wife is very happy with her Xperia Mini Pro).
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:02 AM EST via mobile reply Recommend (3) Flag actions
Can’t say for their other phones, but I’m currently using their Xperia Arc S, a really good phone with fantastic screen, finicky buttons notwithstanding.
I’m rather confident that Sony’s gonna be coming up with great phone for this year.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:31 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
It doesn’t really matter how good their products are and I agree, they do look and feel beautiful with top quality hardware but they won’t survive long term with Android. Android is a race to the bottom just like the windows PC world. The ZTEs, Patntechs and Huaweis of the world are eating their cake.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 9:42 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
UGH! Please, WHY did you go Sony, when you could have went with practically any other phone and got a far better product, iPhone 4S, Galaxy Nexus, (or the original Galaxy S II)…..
Sony have had nothing but fail this past decade, I was as large a Sony fan as you could be, a friend even gave me a light up Sony sign, “I saw this and thought of you”, but just LOOK at the products they plop out! They’ve had their ass handed to them time after time, by Apple when it comes to music, being the “cool” premium brand that The Kids™ are into, by Samsung practically everywhere else.
I honestly feel for you.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 5:56 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
The guy can use and like any phone he wants. I feel for you and your ridiculous comment
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 6:14 AM EST reply Recommend (6) Flag actions
If you are actually interested, rather than just trolling I will recap my thoughts that led me to choose the Arc:
I wanted a smartphone with a good size screen, decent camera and decent app support. On my network when I was upgrading, I believe I could have had an iPhone 4, Samsung Galaxy S (4S and SII were not yet released), some HTC devices or some Blackberries.
iPhone 4: Not a fan of the whole Apple locked in ecosystem, sorry, and it was at least £10 p/m more expensive and the screen was too small. And iTunes is the worst piece of software, especially on Windows.
Samsung Galaxy S: For all its alleged technical excellence I found the whole design and TouchWiz skin lacklustre – if I wanted a phone that looked like an iPhone I’d buy an iPhone.
HTC - Sense is a system hog and their design leaves me cold (and their larger phones are pretty bulky) .
Blackberry – just no. Least intuitive OS of any phone I’ve picked up.
SE Arc – good size screen (4.2") without being massive. Excellent camera (low light performance is better than some compacts I’ve used), attractive design, fairly lightweight skinning – TimeScape is a waste of space, but the Facebook Inside Xperia stuff is a useful addition and I like the SE design language. Battery life is acceptable and performance is generally good.
Obviously you may disagree with this rationalization, but that is approximately why I chose an Arc.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 6:34 AM EST reply Recommend (7) Flag actions
Couldn’t agree any more with your reply – exactly the same reasons for me. I use a Xperia Arc and I love it.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 6:38 AM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
Like you, last May I got an Arc, no upgrade or anything, I just wanted one.
Didn’t mind iPhone 4, wasn’t prepared to give up customization, period.
Wasn’t prepared either to get a Windows Phone and be blown out of the water when the Nokias came along
Liking Android, and an avid follower of tech, I was pretty disgusted by the disorder of the HTC product lineup, and thought Sense was outdated (yeah, back then) and hideous (+HTC is obviously disappearing down a hole unless they buy BBM/RIM)
Didn’t like Blackberrys, super outdated
Didn’t like the way Samsung copied iPhones, and the S II wasn’t out yet, although I could see it coming
But woah, ‘attractive design’ is a ****ing huge, massive understatement. I would consider it the USP, combined with the thinness, which is technically the same thing.
Shame TimeScape lags, I only used the TimeScape UI for a few weeks and it was certainly preferrable to any other OEM skin
But otherwise, I am an extremely happy user of the Xperia Arc. Would have liked dual-core, but rarely inhibits function, and indeed Sony made some decent tweaks to optimise battery life
The screen is phenomenal, like a piece of paper slitted in behind the glass panel, so is the camera. And the panel is almost always blacked out, you can’t actually see the edges of the display when it’s off, which is how it should be on all phones
Again, the phone is for certain the most beautiful device I have ever seen.
And in addition, the support from SE has been nothing short of stellar. Regular updates, noticeable improvements, and… ICS in March!
Shan’t be buying another Sony
Ericssonagain however. It appears, deducing from the new ‘S’ and ‘Ion’, that all the design was from Ericsson. They’re not so bad, but they have become things of utility, made to look inoffensive to boost sales, like everything else.Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 3:46 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Might have guessed that I am a happy user of an Xperia Arc. Verge guys, we really need an edit button…
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 3:47 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
I don’t think he means they’re bad, they are just not successful. in the US, S.E. didn’t really have the carrier support needed to push their phones. No one here has seen an Arc.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 5:04 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Time will tell if the Sony buy out of the joint venture will turn the company around. Hopefully it will as the Sony brand, later 2011/ 2012 line-up of new handsets, better integration with other products (tablets, Google TV, etc…) and major carrier deals (Xperia Ion on AT&T) will drive up volume, market share and profits. Sony have some good things in the works for 2012, but they need to become an Android market leader (at least in terms of design and/or multi-screen integration) rather than a follower to the likes of Samsung and HTC. If one company can really champion Android across multiple screens and take on Apple for domination of our gadgets, its Sony.
The losses reported by Sony Ericsson are indicative of the thin margins handset makers are working on – profits only being realised with volumes, something that the old Sony Ericsson did not have.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:06 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
“As previously announced, Sony is expected to take complete ownership of the company”
Dude…. Sony Ericcson =/= Ericsson, it’s a division of ST Ericsson, which will not be taken over by Sony at all. It will still be the partner of STMicroelectronics and will keep making chipsets for Nokia.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:17 AM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
Dude, Ericcson sold their part of the company to Sony.. now Sony has complete ownership of the company..
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:20 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
No they don’t, Ericsson has a 50% share in Sony Ericsson, ST-Ericsson, which is now referred to as “ERICSSON” if you like, will still exist after the deal, , it is not being bought by Sony, and it will continue to work with STMicroelectronics, there isn’t even a change in management.
Do any of you have any clue what you are talking about, at all?
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:24 AM EST reply Recommend (2) Flag actions
Man.. you are nuts.. who said anything about ST Ericsson?.. Got to the official website of Sony Ericsson and read the official statement..
Man.. you are nuts.. who said anything about ST Ericsson?.. Got to the official website of Sony Ericsson and read the official statement..http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/corporate/press/pressreleases/pressreleasedetails/ericssonsshare-20111027
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:31 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Can’t believe you are that annoying or backwards , my last reply.
“Ericsson’s share” it says so on the top of the page, learn to read. Ericsson is NOT being bought by Sony at all. Ericsson, ST Ericsson, (their chipset division), or Ericsson (wireless division), commently referred to as Ericsson, will NOT (learn to read: NOT) be bought by Sony, only the Sony Ericsson shares will be sold to Sony. Give it a rest will, you are 110% wrong.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:34 AM EST reply Recommend (2) Flag actions
I don’t know if you are dumb or trying hard to be one.. read from the article..
He started off with "Sony Ericsson ".. which is a 50/50 joint venture between Sony and Ericsson and based on that premise he went on to say Sony is going to acquired the rest of Ericsson’s share in the company.. that is not the same as Sony acquiring Ericsson. which is a completely different entity.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:45 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
You seem to be reading another article as us, maybe I need to put my glasses on, but from where I’m sitting it says “take complete ownership of the company”. Are you not man enough to admit that’s not the same as selling 50% of your shares?
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:47 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/corporate/press/pressreleases/pressreleasedetails/ericssonsshare-20111027
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:51 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
That’s not taking ownership of the company, that’s selling shares of a division.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:52 AM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
By the company, they are referring to Sony Ericsson. I don’t get what you’re missing. Sony Ericsson becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony.
Again:
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:57 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
“By the company, they are referring to Sony Ericsson”
The issue is probably that no one does that.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:59 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Sony Erricsson is a company brought as a joint venture between Sony and Ericsson. The writer mentions the joint venture and Sony taking ownership of said company. I thought it was pretty clear but I guess I can see where some may find it difficult to grasp what he fully meant.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 5:02 AM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
Everyone here is literally making a flame war out of an ambiguous word.
No one here thinks Sony just went and bought the whole of Ericsson, so can we stop calling each other annoying or wrong?
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 5:03 AM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
if you owe something together with someone and he decides to sell his part of what you two owe together, it means he is taking complete ownership of what the two of you owe together.. that is not the same as saying he is taking dominium over you !
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:57 AM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
why dont you quote the whole thing?
complete ownership of the joint venture !!.. am done with you peabrain nuts !!
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:52 AM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
I work at Ericsson. The main, parent company, THAT CREATED A JOINT-VENTURE WITH SONY. That separate, joint-venture company was called Sony-Ericsson.
I have yet to see Sony on my paycheck.
TL;DR: GTFO troll. I WORK in the company.
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 11:29 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
You’re the annoying one here man. No one is saying Sony is buying them if you actually read what they’re saying.
They’re saying that Sony is taking ownership over SE, not Ericsson.
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/corporate/press/pressreleases/pressreleasedetails/ericssonsshare-20111027
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:50 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
The whole issue is that the sentence is a bit ambiguous and people who are not paying attention might think Sony bought Ericsson, when what was intended to be said is that Sony bought the “company” (aka joint venture) Sony Ericsson.
Maybe it was the writer’s fault in calling a joint venture a company (I don’t know if it applies…?), maybe it was your fault in thinking they had the idea Sony bought the whole Ericsson, and calling anyone daring to challenge you “clueless”, “110% wrong”, “annoying” etc.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:58 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Selling their Sony Ericsson shares isn’t the same as selling the company last I checked..
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:41 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
last time I checked someone was not so good at discourse analysis .
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:54 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Hey! How about you three quit taking over the comments section and go argue it out somewhere else? I’ve even found a place private place for you to
killtalk to each otherhttp://www.chatzy.com/
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 8:55 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Although I think it’s clear, I’ve updated the text to specifically say Sony Ericsson.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 5:27 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Duude… Ericsson will still be Ericsson. Their join ventures with ST Micro , Sony and LG are separate companies. Thus Sony will take over SE fully. Implying that ST Micro and Ericsson ahve merged only shows that you know nothing about the state of the tel.co industry.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 6:23 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
As long as tech sites like The Verge continues to praise HTC/LG phones in favour of Sony Ericsson their struggle will continue. I have an HTC Sensation, Xperia Arc S, HTC Legend, Xperia X10 and my wife has an iPhone 4. Among those I believe the Arc S is absolutely the best both in performance and in looks. But hey, we all know that SE has been the black sheep among american tech sites for ages. Strangely enough!
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:25 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
To their defence American tech sites didn’t have too much to write about. The 2011 Xperias weren’t launched on any carriers. I assume they would’ve had a very different stance if the Arc and Minis had been on a carrier or two.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 5:28 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Dude, what year are you living in? HTC and LG as being “the good” Android phones? Both companies are floundering, Samsung is where its at, just look at who Google choose to partner with, HTC had their shot with the Nexus One, then it was Samsungs Galaxy S platform (clever to create a whole new brand, for recognition among consumers), which became the Nexus S, now the Galaxy S II becoming the mighty Galaxy Nexus.
Samsung and Apple are both kicking the crap out of Sony, honestly, how much is left in that empty shell of a former powerful company?
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 6:00 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Ehhh? I didn’t mention Samsung for a reason! I didn’t mention SGS2 for a reason! I mentioned the 2 other larger companies that competes with Sony/Sony Ericsson on the americna market.
Jee relax and read again!
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 6:29 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
To all those saying Nokia should have gone android.. this is a good indication of what could have turned out. Android doesn’t have a magic wand.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:33 AM EST reply Recommend (3) Flag actions
Damn.. And their latest phones have been getting better all the time.
Damn.. And their latest phones have been getting better all the time.The high end phones like the Arc S might not have been superphones, but mid range phones like the Xperia Ray are excellent, both from a hardware and software point of view.
Damn.. And their latest phones have been getting better all the time.The high end phones like the Arc S might not have been superphones, but mid range phones like the Xperia Ray are excellent, both from a hardware and software point of view.It seems weird that SE can release a phone like the Xperia Ray, and the online media treat it like a non-event. Maybe they need to start releasing more phones in the US to get noticed
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:43 AM EST via mobile reply Recommend Flag actions
January 19th, the day The Verge’s comments section went crazy.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 5:05 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
You can say that again.
You can say that again.
You can… never mind
Posted on Jan 26, 2012 | 10:05 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
What the hell just happened? :-o
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 4:44 AM EST via mobile reply Recommend Flag actions
Hopefully Sony can turn it around. They have my favorite Android handsets by a pretty large margin. They combine beautiful hardware with nice looking software. One of the few OEM skins I actually like.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 5:05 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Sony are no longer part of the conversation. They need to be much better than their competitors to get back into the mix. That’s the problem when you have such a rich powerful brand but churn out bad devices. We, in the nerdosphere, understand the politics and reasoning behind their lacklustre devices for the past few years but consumers just think, “oh, Sony, they’re not very good anymore” and don’t give them another chance.
The bigger they come, the harder the fall.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 6:04 AM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
Eric……….son?
*Checks Wikipedia…
DAMN YOU SOPA
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 7:20 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
First time I heard about the SE Xperia line, I thought, did they just say diarrhea? Yeah, the name sucks SE. ;)
Anyways, good luck Sony in 2012. You’re going to need it. Even Samsung may face headwinds as the ZTE’s and Huawei’s of the world start to expand out of China with just good enough hardware for really cheap prices.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 11:46 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
You seriously thought that Xperia sounded like diarrhoea?
Then what does The Verge sound like? The Pineapple?
Posted on Jan 26, 2012 | 10:04 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
I remember having an SE phone back in late 2008, it was utter crap then. But the G1 came out in 2009, and it’s been mostly smooth/slightly choppy sailing on Android ever since.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 12:15 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
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