History of Computers - Sony
Contents
Sony
Since its creation in 1946, Sony has been on the forefront of the technology scene. From its launch of its first "power megaphone" in 1950 to its prevalence today in video games and robotics, Sony has revolutionized the media and household products and continues to innovate and develop new merchandise for consumers.
Overview
Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate focusing on electronic products and services. It was originally founded under the name Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation) in 1946 by Masaru Ibuka, who was joined by Akio Morita in May of the same year. In 1958, the company officially changed its name to "Sony." [1] In 1960, Morita founded Sony Corporation of America and was amazed by the mobility of which mid-level employees switched between American companies. He brought this practice to Japan and further established Sony as a major exporter, choosing to increase product quality and similarly keeping prices above market value. In the 1980's, Norio Ogha was appointed president of the company, resulting in the development of the Compact Disk (CD) and the PlayStation, and the purchase of CBS Records and Columbia Pictures. Ohga took over the title of CEO from Morita in 1989 but unsuccessfully attempted to link film, music, and electronics via the Internet. [2] By 2005, a foreigner, Howard Stringer, took over operations at Sony for the first time for any major Japanese electronic firm. It was under his lead that Sony implemented the slogan of "make.believe" in 2009. In more recent times, the company is run by Kazuo Hirai and has decided to focus on three major areas: image technology, gaming, and mobile technology.
Significance
Sony is significant to the history of computers because it introduced the Walkman, the world's first portable music player, and and its 3.5 mm headphone jack (which is still utilized today for the majority of phones, laptops, and computers. Sony also is the world's third largest manufacturer of cameras, behind Canon and Nikon. In addition to producing different types of phones and laptops, Sony is responsible for the popular PlayStation console, and during its release in 1994, it gained 61% of global console sales. According to a report by LexInnova, Sony leads the number of patents on virtual reality to date and has released PlayStation VR to the world, marking another exciting period of change and advancement in the world of video games. [3] Sony is also significant to the world because as a large exporter in the 1960's, it helped improve the US' perception of "made in Japan" products, leading to further globalization of Sony.
