Get three services for $100/moMarch 13, 2005 6:00 AM PST
Samsung is now what Sony once was
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The New York Times
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Stringer needs to shake up things at Sony or else in couple of someone might do a hostile take over of Sony and end its legacy.
The fact is, what customers want clashes most of the time with what the content producers want. Customers want something cheap, easy to use, easy to get, that you can use anyplace, anytime.
The content producers want something expensive, hard to get, that you can use only when they want you to use it.
Take Tivo as an example. It gives people the ability to see any show that airs on TV whenever people want, without messing with tapes. It also lets you skip adverts, which most people already manually skipped with their VCR remote or plain went to the bathroom, got more popcorn, whatever.
MP3 players allowed you to convert your existing media collection (CD, Vynil, Tape, whatever) to MP3 and listen it any time and any place you wanted to.
The big media business wants nothing of that. Mobility of content is anathema for them. In their mind it enables easier copying and removes price discrimination (DVD region control anyone?).
Until Sony becomes more customer focused they will continue to sink. Google is one company which seems to be getting the point so far.
On the other hand Samsung has delivered "sweet spot" products (low cost and quality) for some time. I am not saying that Samsung didn't have their share of lemons but they were inexpensive enough to just throw away and buy a new one. Now samsung is my preferred brand.
Fred Dunn
Samsung better stick to its knitting and avoid compromises.