Sony today announced its intent to transform its smartphone business with a eye on making it a profitable operation.
The company, in effect, admitted its goal of becoming the world’s number three smartphone maker behind Samsung and Apple was perhaps too ambitious. The company will reduce the number of handsets it makes moving forward, focusing cuts on entry-level and mid-range devices for select markets.
Sony said it expects to layoff some employees as a result. “Our urgent task is to make the business profitable even if we face declines in sales by 20% or 30%,” said Hiroki Totoki, the new head of Sony’s mobile unit.
The company will further reduce its presence in China and some emerging markets, while retaining a toehold in Europe. Sony said it is still evaluating how much it will commit to the U.S. Sony sells only a few handsets in the U.S., many of which are made available directly to consumers via its web site.
Right now, The Xperia Z3v and Z3 are offered by Verizon and T-Mobile, respectively, but the Z3 Compact is not offered by any U.S. carriers.
