What Happened to Sony VAIO? – Webtekno

For long years Sony, one of the most reliable brands, started its revolution with a television and later continued its continuity with computers and technological devices in the market. In fact, it was quite a hit when it created the VAIO brand.

The origins of the company, II. After the end of World War II, Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka started working as a radio repairman. Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo Corporation (TTC) It is based on a small company called. Let’s rewind the story to the beginning.

Morita and Ibuka met while they were engineering students at the University of Tokyo and became close friends through their interests in electronics.

II. After World War II, these two entrepreneurs started doing business in the field of electronics. He founded TTC with the idea. Their first attempt was an electric rice cooker, but this product did not achieve the expected success. The company’s fortunes also began to change in the early 1950s. Sony focused on developing portable transistor radios. These radios were quite a success at the time; It was the only factor that made Sony’s name known both in Japan and internationally.

mid 1960s Sony started producing color televisions with Trinitron technology. This technology greatly improved the quality of televisions and made Sony a world-class television manufacturer.

However, the brand did not limit itself to just radio and television.

The company was once the apple of the eye Walkman audio players, Betamax and later made a significant breakthrough in the electronics industry by introducing video recorders in VHS formats, PlayStation game consoles and many other products.

Since its founding, Sony has grown in the electronics, entertainment and media sectors and has surpassed the limits of its potential, producing many different products. Today Sony; operates in televisions, audio equipment, game consoles, cameras, film studios and many more.. The company’s success is associated with its commitment to technology, importance to quality and innovative products.

Let’s talk about VAIO, the hero of our story.

Sony started the production of VAIO computers, some of the first laptops we all know very well, in 1996. The VAIO brand is a sub-brand that produces computers with a particular focus on design and performance. recognized. Sony’s VAIO laptops attracted attention with their thin and stylish designs for their time; It has become a preferred option for many users.

Sony’s first VAIO PCV-90 modeloffered an immersive desktop experience that allowed users to easily access built-in media features. In 1997, Sony introduced a 12.1 inch TFT screen VAIO PCG-707 launched its laptop; This computer stood out with features such as a FIEE 1394 port (FireWire) and a docking station.

Sony also proposed one of the first notebooks.

In 1998, the company released its first ultraportable laptop, the PCG-C1, with an 8.9-inch 480p display. This computer weighed only 1.1 kilograms and had a built-in webcam, FireWire connection, modem and CD-R drive It had features like. Doesn’t it seem strange to read this article on our light computers, which do not even weigh a kilogram these days?

But by the mid-2010s, VAIO was going through a rough patch.

The laptop market had great competition. Sony’s VAIO had to compete against similar products from rival manufacturers, which meant it had to cut prices. Over time, VAIO began to produce thinner, more compact and more powerful laptops.

However, it could not gain a significant market share with these, and gradually lost more and more market share, especially in the Asian market. More local producers at competitive prices They were offering computers with similar features. VAIO, on the other hand, seemed quite expensive.

In 2014, news spread that Steve Jobs was considering launching VAIO with macOS.

to make an exception for Sony and They were ready to be allowed to use macOS. But the negotiations did not result positively. And from this year onwards, the bright times for VAIO slowly faded away. The brand gradually began to wobble.

In February 2014, Sony sold its personal computer business to Japanese investment fund JIP for between 40-50 billion yen. Sony retained a 5% stake in this business. JIP was planning to produce computers under the VAIO brand in the Japanese market. VAIO’s sale was due to its Mobile Products and Communications division consistently incurring operating losses. As a result of the damage of this section 21.3 billion yen, 3,911,214,630.00 TL with today’s exchange rate It was recorded as .

In recent years, VAIO devices have evolved to have hybrid features, but buyers have not shown much interest in such products.

The only common complaint about VAIO everywhere was the exorbitant prices. It was noted that the prices of VAIO devices have been high since 2008 and “Extremely high price for such performanceCriticisms poured in on this issue with the following sentences:

For example, in 2008, the Sony VAIO VGN-Z598U model, in addition to its impressive features, had a price tag that competed with an old car of its time. VAIO X model in 2009Although it had high features, it was sold at a high price of $ 1,300. Moreover, even the $500 price of the more affordable Vaio W netbook model was considered expensive.

Criticisms did not change in 2010 and 2011, and high prices did not decrease.

in 2010 Sony VAIO VPCY218FX Although the model was light, compact and stylish, it was considered expensive compared to the performance offered. Similarly, in 2011, the VAIO Y model offered a favorable balance, but a lower price was expected based on its feature set and performance.

For these reasons VAIO’s high priced products, made it difficult for the brand to survive competitively and ultimately led to Sony’s withdrawal from this market.

During this period, Apple had captured a significant portion of the entire laptop market. While Windows devices cost an average of $500 at that time, Sony’s high price was a bullet to itself. Like this In 2014, Sony acquired the VAIO laptop business decided to close. He disappeared silently.