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. 

Engadget reports 'S1' tablet. Interesting wrap design.

Probably every Sony fan, or any consumer electronics guru by now has wondered where the hell is the Sony tablet? Almost every consumer electronics brand has one now, and emerging guns like Motorola and Samsung have already unveiled pretty exciting tablets.
Well, if sources are correct then we may be seeing a Sony tablet in around September for a quite reasonable price of $600 for a wi-fi only version, capacity is uncertain currently though.

A very very detailed picture *cough cough* of what's possibly to come.
Source: Engadget 

Device will run Android 3.0 Honeycomb naturally, and feature a decent 9.4 inch 1280 X 800 resolution display, I suspect that an implementation of the 'mobile Bravia Engine' is a possibility. A powerful NVIDIA Tegra 2 chip will be inside also to help with Playstation games most likely (more on that later).

Hardware design is quite interesting, with a curve-like back which is intended to give the tablet a more personal feel, but also to better the ergonomics of the device too. The curve is somewhat intended to resemble the look and feel of a paperback when one page is folded back when reading with one hand, the curve also has some ergonomic benefits related to some weight shifting deal to make it feel lighter in the hand.  Also, the bulging curve will lift the device up at a good angle for comfortable typing when rested on a table. Though working vertically might be a little odd.

The engineering team behind the VAIO PC range will be working on this according to Engadget, so if there's one thing we can expect, that is great build quality and exceptional industrial design. The wrap design is somewhat reminiscent of the Vaio's signature cylindrical hinge design. However, sources say that the device may not ship with Vaio branding (awww).

I spoke a while ago in an earlier post about a Sony tablet needing to be exclusive (http://thesonypony.blogspot.com/2011/01/perhaps-android-not-way-to-go.html), and since it is running Android like almost every other tablet, excluding HP and Apple of course, Sony needs to find ways of differentiating from the competition.

The 'wrap' design is interesting and is definitely different from current tablets on the market. But we're also told that this supposed tablet is BIG on Qriocity, a most important feature, this will definitely help in providing some easy access software backing for the device. And another first for tablets, is 'Playstation certified' which is basically Sony's fancy name of saying 'I can play PS1 games'. Though this isn't quite exclusive, as the service will be available to all capable Android devices it extends the Playstation brand to a vast VAST number of devices. eBooks available on Sony's reader store will also be available on the device, so with the combination of the music and movies available on Qriocity, games on Playstation and books on Reader Store, Sony should be achieving a high level of integration and synergy between their devices and services, something Apple has enjoyed for quite some time.

This is just an indication of what's possibly to come, but as usual until Sony officially announces it, we can't confirm anything.

The Sony and Apple war: Playing dirty

The relationship between Apple and Sony has just recently turned really really sour (or bitter depending on which one is worse for you). I would say the two companies have never really been on good terms with each other but the real battle is starting to begin. A couple of weeks ago Apple rejected a request from Sony to put their reader app into the Apple App store saying that it somehow went against Apple's app guidelines.
Now all of a sudden, this little battle appears to have escalated to such a point that Sony are threatening to pull down their music content from Apple's iTunes media store.

Playing dirty now are we?

Sony obviously has their own content distribution service now with the Qriocity store, so if that catches on and gains wide acceptance, then Sony really don't need to have their content on iTunes, which is a huge (HUGE) loss to Apple considering that Sony is one of the 'big four' recording studios. Michael Ephraim, CEO of SCE (Sony Computer Entertainment) in Australia quoted,


“If we do [get mass acceptance] then does SONY MUSIC need to provide content to iTUNES? ... Currently we do. We have to provide it to iTUNES as that's the format right now ... Publishers are being held to ransom by APPLE and they are looking for other delivery systems, and we are waiting to see what the next three to five years will hold." 

Dare I say, a substantial chunk of Apple's iTunes service may now be ultimately at odds with the success of Music Unlimited, and perhaps depending on the success of Video On Demand powered by Qriocity Sony might even pull out their video content too.

On another point, Sony has made it clear that the Playstation Suite probably won't be available on the iOS platform, which according to my recent poll, most readers believed was a good idea, as I do too. Michael Ephraim, CEO of SCE (Sony Computer Entertainment) in Australia said 'We are not as closed as Apple' which is a slap in the face for Apple, now knowing that Android devices will soon be able to play Playstation titles while themselves being left at the jetty.

It appears that Sony is now following the strategy of shutting down Apple by providing services for everyone else except Apple, a strategy that I had long believed to be the most effective. Evidently, Sony didn't utilise this method in the past and still doesn't in many respects by still supplying iPod docks and iPhone compatible headsets.

However Ephraim's statements and Sony's path with the Playstation Suite look like a healthy and hearty step in the right direction.

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.