UMD Getting The Axe
I’ve mentioned it before, but it bears repeating. UMD is a cool format from Sony that didn’t need to exist and frankly is a waste of shelf space. Target and other major retailers seem to be catching on to that fact and are axing UMD. I think this is a great move for everybody including Sony.
Even for Sony? YES! Sony is amazingly arrogant these days about blu-ray, PS3, PSP, and everything else it seems(other than the Walkman). I think that Sony needs to wake up and realize that they have to consider the market forces humbly. Instead of pooping out some half-baked product(Walkman Bean even looked like poop)
Sony needs to spend some serious time considering what markets they can hope to compete in and how best to compete in each market. Moreover, Sony needs to stop relying on “synergy” between various business units to drive competitive advantage. In fact, Sony’s love of synergy is making their products worse instead of better. Apple can get away with integrated products because they integrate in spaces that nobody else is integrating and they do integration in such a seamless manner that it works about as good as it could. iPod+iTunes is slicker than dirt. The same can’t be said for Walkman+Sony’s bastard media player/service.
Sony, take the hint. Stop creating isolationist formats. Nobody wants them and as a company you don’t need them. They won’t bring in a good return on investment. The best ROI is going to be from actual products that people really want. No, stuffing blu-ray into the PS3 just to say that people wanting the PS3 means that they are clammoring for blu-ray doesn’t cut it. Sorry boys, try again if you must, but consumers are going to sit out this round. The Winner in all of this? Cable companies for being able to charge $10 a month for less than a dozen HD channels. They are the ones who will make the real money from HD.
[tags]UMD Sucks, Target Stores, Target Drops UMD, Sony is stupid, Sony Style, Walkman Bean is poop[/tags]
