Sony admits losing money on every TV it makes; plans "different kind of TV"

Howard Stringer, Sony CEO — Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony, has said the company is working towards "a different kind of TV set" after admitting it loses money on every TV it makes.

Stringer, speaking to The Wall Street Journal, said Sony has been planning a four screen approach to television that includes mobile devices and tablets.

The new platform for Sony was, Stringer said, driven by a determination to compete with Apple.

“I spent the last five years building a platform so I can compete against Steve Jobs. It’s finished, and it’s launching now,” Stringer said.

And while Sony recently projected a $1.2 billion loss for the year ending in March, Howard Stringer suggested it's not just Sony's TV division that's struggling.

"We can't continue selling TV sets [the way we have been]. Every TV set we all make loses money," he told the WSJ.

It remains to be seen the exact details of the "different kind of TV" that Sony has in mind but you can our review of the new Sony Tablet S in our December issue, out November 16th.

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Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff and The Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).