After a rather disappointing financial report from Sony, CEO and President in-waiting Kazuo Hirai had the unenviable task of taking the stage and talking about the future of the company. He laid out his four-point plan of where he wants to see Sony improve upon and move in the future.
Step one will involve refocusing on gaming, which has been one of Sony's strongest divisions over the past 15 years. He's looking to leverage the company's digital imaging advances into possible ventures for the medical industry and use their gaming assets to build uniquely branded mobile products after they assume full control of Sony Ericsson.
The next step involves reducing costs to make S-LCD televisions, including working with other companies. At the same time, Hirai sees televisions as a key part of home entertainment for years to come, and will look to focus on proprietary Crystal LED and OLED technologies for new products.
Step three involves general business overhaul that is not uncommon with a company as diverse and broad as Sony's. Hirai says that they will look for areas to collaborate and reduce costs and they will also evaluate what products are becoming low-value and commoditized, so they can divest themselves of those business.
Finally, he said that Sony would look towards medical advances for its future business, by innovating with sensors, signal processing, lenses, and displays, that can be applied to endoscopy, X-Ray diagnostic equipment and ultrasound. Hirai added that he is looking to strengthen the ties between the company's R&D and business groups.
Hirai emphasized the importance of making compelling user experiences for the Sony brand, noting that great hardware won't cut it alone. On a management level, Hirai said he wanted users that challenged his ideas, rather than simply agreeing with him.
