About time someone built a real competitor to Apple’s iPad.

There's no denying Apple is the king of the tablets with an enormous and phenomenal 93% market share. With a year or so head-start, Apple is finally starting to get some competition in the Motorola XOOM and Samsung Galaxy Tab. But, with the iPad 2 about to be released in a week to much fanfare, I simply cannot see the iPad going down anytime soon.

The iPad’s success has been attributed to two important factors, exclusivity and the fact that Apple’s competitors are simply playing catch-up.

If there's one thing that Apple has been really great at this past decade, it's been making their products exclusive. People would buy a Mac, not because it's necessarily better than the competition, but because you get the Mac experience, people buy an iPod because they get the iPod experience and they can tell people they have an iPod.

The problem with both of the iPad’s current main competitors (Samsung and Motorola) is that despite their superior hardware offerings, they’re both just another two Android tablets floating in what we call, ‘the sea of sameness’.

Galaxy Tab and Xoom chilling in the sea of sameness.

Phil Molyneux, president of Sony Electronics spoke briefly in a press meeting about avoiding the ‘sea of sameness’. He spoke of entering an electronics store and being confronted by a wall of LCD TV’s of different brand and sizes and wondering how to decide which to purchase, this is what he referred to as the ‘sea of sameness’.

I’m going to take this a step further - walk into any electronics store and you’ll see a line of computers and then a Mac section, you’ll see a line of MP3 players, and then an iPod section, and soon enough I reckon we will be seeing a line of Android tablets, and then an iPad section. This is exactly what I’m talking about when I refer to exclusivity, Apple products aren’t necessarily better, but they are different in a good way.

Both the Galaxy Tab and Xoom are both superior devices on a pure spec front, but how many consumers really care about the amount of RAM inside or the processor used. In the end, the Galaxy Tab and Xoom are just another two Android tablets essentially worth forgetting. Apple products on the other hand target the average consumer market, not the consumer who will go ‘Oh dam a Tegra 2! I’m sold’ or ‘’Goddammit, why do you have to use Android 2.1 and not 3.0 Honeycomb’. Apple targets the consumer that will walk into the store and look at a product and say, ‘Whoa, that’s cool’, and say it after trying the product, not after looking at the spec sheet. It’s the exclusive Apple experience that sells a product.

I’ve always been a firm believer of one of my own sayings,

‘don’t sell what a consumer is buying, sell what a consumer wants’. 

Right now, iPads, clearly are what consumers are buying, it’s time that someone built a tablet that is a real competitor to the iPad, not just an imitation. Unless one is willing to take a risk and take a path entirely perpendicular to Apple’s,  there’s absolutely no reason why your average consumer would purchase anything over an iPad.

Why the Xperia Play is overhyped junk and Qriocity is underhyped gold.

Yes. I said it. I called it junk.

I'm sure that if you've read any of my previous posts, you've noticed I'm definitely not a fan of the Xperia Play. I've received a couple emails from people who keep telling me how awesome the Xperia Play will be and it's the first real gaming phone and what not. But, the real reason for my Xperia Play hatred is that it's a sweet product based on a half baked concept.

As a gaming phone, the Xperia Play is clearly a winner, but it's a middle of the market product that doesn't really appeal to anyone. When thinking of the Xperia Play, one question comes up. Why do you exist?
Sights are deceptive, with all the comments I'm seeing on Sony Ericsson's facebook page and popular tech sites by people who are excited about the Playstation Phone, it is not surprising if Sony Ericsson has been deceived into thinking that the Xperia Play is a good idea (yes, strong words). But really, it is just a product that doesn't need to exist.
With the upcoming Playstation Suite, PS games will be made available to all Android devices which almost immediately renders the Xperia Play useless. Apart from the dedicated gaming controls and I'm going to take a hunch here, superior graphics performance, the Xperia Play offers nothing of value in comparison to other Android handsets available.

Let's do a step by step cancellation of the Xperia Play's potential customers: first off, humans are the only organisms who will buy an Xperia Play, for further clarification this excludes cheetahs, praying mantis's and all varieties of trees.
As a general rule, females and gaming don't normally fit in the same sentence unless it's a Facebook group about a girlfriend who is forced to make sandwiches while her boyfriend plays on his XBOX, so that eliminates approximately half of the human population.
Now down to business, of all males, how many will want to be seen carrying around a phone with gaming controls? Well, certainly not businessmen who want to be taken seriously. Certainly not your everyday person. Let's face it, only gaming enthusiasts will be carrying around dedicated gaming phones, but then again, wouldn't real gaming enthusiasts just opt for the NGP instead which has real analog sticks and PS3 graphics?


So, ultimately, the Xperia Play doesn't really appeal entirely to any section of the market, and Sony Ericsson are hyping it like it matters to everyone. 

On the other hand, Qriocity (VOD and Music Unlimited) is a service that has real potential, and shows us where the world is heading in terms of digital media. Qriocity is where Sony's focus should be, not some half-assed gaming phone that will most likely not see a second generation.
It's become quite evident of recent, that the success of hardware is dependent on the availability of complementing software and vice - versa. I've mentioned this several times, but the reason for Apple's success recently has been due to the almost perfect synergy between their hardware and software offerings, and the immediately availability of software on their devices, whenever, wherever you are.

Qriocity can finally get Sony there, to this heavenly abode that Apple has inhabited for 10 years.

What astounds me however, is the lack of marketing, even subtle promotional efforts of this new service by Sony. It is really quite astonishing and perplexing that the Xperia Play gets to take the limelight on Sony Ericsson's site homepage when the launch of Music Unlimited by Qriocity doesn't even get a spot in one of those measly four tab areas below Sony's site.

What the hell are you doing here? Get out of my life.

If Sony really want to turn Qriocity into the next iTunes, which I hope they are because they really shouldn't be aiming any lower, then two things need to happen:
1. It needs to go mobile, and Sony have already announced plans of an android version so that's sorted (unless they mess it up with some laggy failware).
2. People need to know it exists.

Number 2, is obviously what this whole post is referring to. Stating the obvious, there's no point making something if nobody knows that it even exists. I'm genuinely disappointed and mildly shocked when I ask my friends:

'Hey dude, you hear about the new Qriocity music service? It's like iTunes but you pay 13 bucks and you can eat up all the music you want for 30 days."
And they would respond with a half-hearted nod subtly hiding their ignorance on the subject matter.

But then, I don't blame them at all. Sony have done a shocking job at making Qriocity known. Qriocity hasn't been advertised at all, let alone made an appearance on any of Sony's sites.

Basic point of this post is, Sony and Sony Ericsson need to sort out their priorities. The Xperia Play is a doomed device that is being promoted insanely, which could only end up one way - embarrassment. Qriocity on the other hand, is where I personally see Sony's future is at. Sony's software has never been quite a strong point, however  Qriocity is a great concept, executed rather well, now they've got to let it out there, get it known.

Synergy has been talked about since the early Columbia days, this is their first real crack. Make this the next iTunes, not the next Connect. 

Why the Walkman is dead (Or in a coma). Blog response to 'The Walkman Blog'.

With the recent release of the NGP my mate Ascariss at 'The Walkman Blog' wondered whether Sony would roll out the 'ultimate Walkman' having displayed they're capability to create an extraordinary product with the NGP. The simple fact is, Sony can bring out the ultimate Walkman, it is clear but whether they will is the question. And my opinion is, they won't for several reasons.

The Walkman fell for the iPod a decade ago, simply because Sony's transition into the digital world was slow. Apple were ultimately the only ones who saw the vast potential of the digital age, and Sony were slow to transfer and decided that they would stick with closed off proprietary devices, literally leaving the door to the MP3 crown open to Apple for the taking.
Now, here we are today, with the Apple owning approximately a 70 - 80 percent of the portable market share and are apparently now the largest company in the world in mobile devices (includes iPhones, Mac and iPad). The Walkman on the other hand has even lost a spot in second place.

It is unclear whether Sony have any desire to win back the MP3 market, though from recent efforts it is quite doubtful. But in my personal opinion and based on Sony's own personal vantage, I don't think the Walkman brand  for high-end gagdgets is worth retrieving.
Bringing the Walkman MP3 back from the dead would require an enormous (ENORMOUS) marketing budget, and also a solid improvement  in product design, feature set and of course a higher end Walkman to compete with the iPod Touch, and even this probably won't do it.

It's sad to see such an iconic brand like the Walkman disappear into the dust just like that, but for the sake of logical business sense, it's simply not worth picking up. With the iPod taking over like a stampede of bulls and the world turning to smartphones and the Playstation brand available for instant adoption, using the Walkman brand to produce high-end portable devices is no longer a reasonable option. 
Sadly, it's no longer cool to say 'I have a Walkman' anymore,
unfortunately appealing to social status is important when buying products. The Playstation Brand has considerably more value than the Walkman now and is also a provider of portable devices. Why would Sony choose to use the Walkman brand instead of the Playstation brand?

Many people (Walkman fans) will argue though that they still want an MP3 player with extended media capabilities, without dropping at the last stop with a smartphone. This type of product obviously won't be eligible for the Playstation branding. Walkman fans are always yelling out that they want the Android Walkman etc etc...however they must look at it from Sony's point of view. What is the point of rolling out a product that has limited potential in the market? The only ones who will really purchase a product likethis are Walkman fans, which let's face it, are a very small group of people. 
Everyone else will go for an iPod, and why not right? Everyone else has one, it's not like the Sony can be any better, it's not like an Android MP3 is any better.
And for the remaining who want the full deal, will again simply buy a smartphone.

This is why, I believe Sony is going to throw all their eggs into the Android smartphone, tablet and Playstation basket instead of re-entering (because they already tried with the Walkman X) a market where they ultimately cannot succeed in.

I know to all Walkman aficionados, this post sounds heartless and cruel, but it is the truth, I don't think we will ever see the Walkman brand as a high-end gadget any time soon, just as stand-alone MP3 players, to supply a slowly decreasing niche market. Perhaps one day, Sony can seize back the market, if there still is one for a device like the iPod Touch (given they all haven't switched to smartphones), marketing alone won't do it this time round, only something revolutionary will, the FLEX OLED era perhaps will be Sony's next shot.

Thoughts on PSP2, and Nintendo 3DS

It is becoming abundantly clear that 2011 is the year of mobile gadgets. Tablets and smartphones are taking the world by storm, the iPhone and Android smartphones are selling like flowing water and consumers are starting to lose interest in less mobile products like televisions and things like home theater systems.

Just a mock-up design, not the real thing

To the larger issue at hand, Sony is set to release both the PSP2 and Playstation Phone, both will serve pretty much the same target consumer, people who are looking for solid gaming performance in a portable form factor. Many years ago when the iPhone started to become considered as a capable gaming device people were craving Sony to build a Playstation Phone, and for years that was ignored and now they've finally answered when the iPhone and Android have become runaway successes and catching up would require a phenomenal effort. Why they didn't develop one when the market was open and free and the iPhone was still in its early stages of infancy is beyond me. It seems just like another bad case of underestimating the competition in my opinion, a little bit like the Google/Yahoo story, Yahoo was offered to purchase the Google search engine technology for only a million or so dollars but denied, well, look at Google now.

Many people are saying that the PSP2 is dead on arrival, that before it will even have a chance it will be completely destroyed by the upcoming Nintendo 3DS.

First off, lets get system specs out of the way, we know that Nintendo's next generation handheld is going to have dual CPUs, a 133MHz GPU and 64MB RAM and of course 3D.

The PSP2 on the other hand we know little about but it does indeed exist and is in the hands of developers right now. Interestingly, the PSP2 probably won't have 3D, which is interesting given Sony's extensive focus on 3D, and 3D on the PSP would have been an easy glasses-free implementation. Secondly, yes PSP fans your prayers have been answered and there are dual analog sticks and there is a touch sensitive panel on the back. The display is HD and the device has twice the RAM of the Xbox 360. Sony claims the overall power of the device is supposedly as powerful as the PS3 which is phenomenal for a portable device. Based on what we know I believe it is fair to say that despite the Nintendo's 3D capabilities, the PSP2 is still the more powerful device. It's great that Sony is really pushing the boundaries for portable gaming, because in the eyes of most consumers the Playstation brand will always be about bringing high-end gaming and Sony have to build that reputation further as opposed to selling out like what Microsoft did with the Kinect.

From my perspective, one big issue that Sony have to deal with on release of both devices, is product confusion, not between products, but rather what the product really is. This is something that Apple has done very well with the marketing for the iPod Touch, people know the iPod Touch isn't just a music player, but a portable entertainment monster. What does Sony want the product to be? Well, if I were Sony I would go for the same approach as Apple has gone, a do-it-all one stop entertainment device, and not simply a primarily gaming focused device though that certainly has to be a selling point given the target consumer. The devices entertainment capabilities beyond gaming like music, videos and network services have to be strongly marketed. Also seeing as Sony have probably given up on producing high-end Walkman MP3 players, I would be disappointed if there was not a Walkman presence, or at least a fully capable music and video player on-board.

The crap browser on the Walkman X

Scepticism aside, the PSP2 like many people say, is definitely not doomed though I do believe that the market for one purpose gaming handhelds is small and continually shrinking due to Apple and Google's presence in the mobile gaming field. The main reason I believe why the PSP hasn't sold strongly is because high-end gaming isn't required on the move as such and at the price the PSP is sold at people prefer to leave the Playstation at home.

A definite change is needed for the PSP2 to be able to succeed in a fast growing portable device market. Apple has proven, one purpose devices are no longer good enough which is why Sony can't market the PSP2 as just a gaming device, but a media device more than anything. The PSP brand has always been known for gaming, but Sony must change how people view the device but also maintain the PSP's strong gaming focus. In a sentence, Sony needs to let people know that the PSP is a media device that does music, video, gaming and network services, whilst offering a vast array of these services, they aren't compromising on anything. Sony have a huge advantage when it comes to this, they have superior Walkman technology that they could bring over to make the device a very capable music and video player, the expertise from Playstation and network services to make the device highly capable of gaming and expanding media too. In making the PSP2 a soully gaming device, given the superior hardware, there is a lot of wasted potential.

I always knew that the Playstation Portable and Walkman were supposed to be united into one device, the simple fact is the PSP is a Walkman with more capabilities including gaming, constant software updates, combining the two makes sense, it would be easier to support one device as opposed to two, and it would create a more focused product line-up which is one thing Sony needs. I believe the reason they didn't go with this approach earlier is because they didn't know which brand to give up, the Playstation brand and the Walkman brand both have extreme value to Sony, however it is becoming increasingly clear that the Walkman is too far behind to warrant salvaging (mainly in the high-end segment) and the Playstation brand has significant brand equity so is the logical approach.

More than anything, this device needs to be connected. In the ever growing world of network and connectivity Sony need to show that they're adapting given that Sony has been rather slow in adapting to the digital age. Not only would it do good things for the brand but it would be able to compete heavily with Apple devices. A good web browser is essential, the browsers on the Walkman X and previous PSP's are unacceptable, and kind of makes you wonder how little Sony cared about networking in the past, hopefully the mindset has changed. People want to buy games and media content straight off the device so this service is required and should already be implemented with the Qriocity store and Playstation Network.
There are a lot of lessons from the Walkman X that Sony have learnt that they should have improved on with the PSP2, support for more video formats so as not to waste the HD display, limited video support on the Walkman X wasted the potential of the OLED display. Lag issues on the Walkman X (album scroll etc...) should already be solved given that the PSP2 is extremely powerful and of course the browser problem which should obviously be a lesson learnt from previous PSP's as well.

Like I mentioned in an old post about the Playstation Phone, Sony can't screw this one up. The PSP Go screwed up, if they screw up twice in a row that would represent a huge problem in the confidence and value of the Playstation brand. I have extreme confidence that the PSP2 will win over the 3DS, in actual fact I am almost certain that the PSP2 will defeat the 3DS since the 3DS's extra features are evidently lacking, particular internet related features. Also, to be honest, though 3D is a welcome addition it shouldn't be a selling point simply because the 3D effect on a mini display and given the 3DS's limited graphic capabilities (compared to the PSP2) would not be 'wow' worthy.

The most difficult thing though is to break and defeat the Apple ecosystem, that I believe will stand to be one of Sony's biggest challenges in its history in my opinion.

Perhaps Android not the way to go?

A lot of people have been eagerly anticipating more Android devices from Sony, particularly a tablet and the eagerly awaited rumoured Playstation Phone. With torrents of Android tablets and devices flooding the market though, I'm left wondering whether Android is still the way to go for Sony.

I'm a long time Sony fan and have always respected Sony as an innovator, never letting themselves fall into the spiral of imitation and generic products, it is the innovating spirit that birthed the Trinitron television and brought Sony out of post-war Japan into the international market.

If Sony enters the now crowded tablet market with an Android powered device, there would be almost nothing to differentiate it with its competition especially with more Android tablets expected to come in droves at CES 2011. Of course a Sony Android tablet would carry brand name prowess and superior design and build quality, but in the digital age, like I mentioned in my previous post, it is the software that matters, and all in all, the software would be fundamentally the same with only a custom skin of some description to differentiate.

If I were Sony right now, I would focus more on the OS used on the Playstation Portable or PS3, though I'm sure that they've already developed an Android tablet.

Utilising an optimised version of the Playstation OS (I don’t know the specific name of the operating system used on Playstation systems so that’s what I’m going to call it from now on) on an upcoming PSPhone, Tablet and other portable devices would serve several useful purposes.

What the XMB Interface will look like on a tablet display

Most importantly it would be exclusive, just like Apple devices and means that only Sony products will utilise the OS. This would of course maintain Sony's gradually disintegrating reputation of innovation and uniqueness and increase Sony's brand value. Also given that Sony is the builder of the Playstation OS, it would be easier for them to update and provide services relevant to consumers demands, rather than relying on Google updating their Android Platform in ways that might not match up to what Sony is wanting.

Also, very importantly it would help create a unified experience (XMB Interface) across all of Sony’s products, which like Apple, will keep consumers coming back for more and also establish a certain experience synonymous with the Sony name.

The Playstation platform is extremely popular, with millions of users worldwide, so gaining a loyal consumer base shouldn’t be a problem, particularly if the device is able to connect to Playstation Network and other Playstation devices.

A crucial thing that needs to be done though, is possibly to make the device compatible with Playstation Portable titles, if that isn’t possible then open up the Playstation Platform more widely to developers which I had suggested long ago in one of my earlier posts: http://thesonypony.blogspot.com/2010/11/thinking-what-im-thinking-apps-on.html. Given the popularity of the Playstation, third party developers will be coming in droves and in no time we will see a wealth of Apps and mini-games available on the platform.

Of course it will be quite costly, in optimising a button based OS into an intuitive touch screen interface and obviously opening up an app store and hopefully integrating PSP title compatibility (download only obviously). However this is a solution for the long term and I see incredible potential in it, rather than taking the easy short term solution of adopting Android and just being another ‘me too’ device. If Sony can do this, and nail it, then not only are they taking the right step into unifying and networking all their devices but they’ve found themselves a legitimate and capable iOS and Android competitor. And most importantly, it will be Sony exclusive.