Alas, the end ‘tis nigh, and after a fine run of over a decade the Sony-Ericsson name will no longer be appearing on any of our fun toys. Weep and mourn…. Wait, why are we being so melancholy? Ericsson isn’t dead after all, just absorbed, “one with the force” if you will. Sony today announced that the acquisition—the plans for which were announced last October—has been finalized, taking Ericsson out of the title and formalizing Sony Mobile Communications.
The Sony-Ericsson joint partnership began in 2001 and provided us with all forms of technological goodness. But, with market demands as they are, Sony decided to buy out the remaining shares of Ericsson, founded in Sweden in1876, for a cash amount of over one billion Euros.
As was clarified in a customer relations email sent out yesterday, there will be no real immediate effect on customers. All warranties and products currently offered will continue on as if nothing changed. The first Ericsson-less Sony phone will be the Xperia S, along with the Xperia Ion for AT&T, both of which are Android handsets.
Moving forward, Sony is promising to make good on its current advertising, providing a more and more interconnected ‘four screen’ strategy, linking Sony phones, tablets, TVs, and PCs for enhanced customer experiences and Sony’s bottom line.
Interestingly, the Sony PlayStation 3 was not mentioned in the integration strategy, while the Sony Entertainment Network—which recently absorbed the PS3’s PlayStation Network—was mentioned, as was increased premium music and film services. Obviously, the best way to do something like this is entirely in-house when possible, at least from a company finances point of view.
Speculation started about a possible combined smartphone/tablet/TV/game console OS from Sony even before this announcement. A single OS base structure across multiple products appears to be the thing of the future, and with the advent of the PS Vita and the completed acquisition of Ericsson, it is not a large gap to bridge. So a moment of silence for the still-proud Ericsson, may you ever rest in peace, and long live Sony Mobile Communications!
[Sony via Xperia Blog]
