Sony Mobile not for sale says company Vice President

Last month, we passed along a rumor that Sony was looking to spin off or sell its Sony Mobile decision. CEO Kazuo Hirai said that he could not rule out an exit strategy for the mobile business, especially since the entire company is now focusing on profits. Sony is running into tough competition from low-cost Chinese manufacturers like Huawei, Xiaomi and Lenovo in China and in the U.S., it  lacks a partnership with the top four mobile carriers. Right now, Sony has only 3% of the global smartphone market.

While no one would blame Sony for wanting to sell or spin off Sony Mobile, the truth is that this is not happening. Tim Harrison, Vice President of Global Communications & PR at Sony Mobile said that what Hirai was trying to say was 'look, we're a grown- up company, so we've got to leave all our options open'. Harrison says that the CEO has no intention of getting rid of the division. "He was not saying, at all ‘we are up for sale’. Categorically, we are not up for sale," Harrison stated.

Earlier today, we passed along a report about Sony Mobile president Hiroki Totoki. The executive said that even if Sony decides to exit the handset business, it should continue to have a presence in mobile by creating software.

Sony yesterday introduced a mid-range handset, the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua, at MWC. It also unveiled a new flagship tablet, the Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet. There are rumors that it is working on its next flagship device, the Sony Xperia Z4. The latest leak has the new flagship arriving during the Summer.

Thanks for the tip!

source: USwitch