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Sony has denied claims that it is poised to make a move into the netbook arena, claiming that while it has an eye on the low-cost machines, market demand is still unclear.
“The NetPC market is still at an early stage,” Nicolas Barendson, head of the VAIO Business Unit at Sony UK, told PC Retail. “Even if significant quantities are currently sold, many people are still confused about the real added value of such products, since a netbook isn’t really a PC, and does a lot of things a phone can do. We are careful looking at this market, but at this stage we have nothing to announce.”
The firm is currently giving a renewed push to its VAIO brand following a high profile collaboration with the James Bond franchise.
“From Casino Royale, the association of Bond and VAIO was very strong with our customers. With Quantum Of Solace, our objective was to build on the success of associating two powerful brands and provide a limited edition ‘Bond VAIO’ for the fans,” continued Barendson.
“The Bond PC is an example of our intention to adapt our products to the individual taste and expectations of the consumer. It is becoming clear that individuals have different requirements for their PCs. Because of this, one of VAIO’s key directions for the last two years has been personalisation, which has been achieved with our ‘Colour’ strategy. In the future, people will use PCs in an increasingly varied way, using different devices in different places. VAIO will remain one of the leading brands in the UK market. We will continue to lead in terms of design, technology and reliability – for personal and business use, for in-home or out of home usage.
“Sony VAIO will also play an important role in the digital home area, where the market is still emerging.”
