Sony Ericsson publishes first quarter results

Yesterday, it was Nokia that revealed its first quarter results and the situation wasn’t too good. Today, it is Sony Ericsson’s turn to tell us a story. An economic kind of story, of course. However, do not expect a happy end when the curtain falls, as these are times of a weak global demand for feature phones. The manufacturer reports a decrease of 35% for the number of shipped units (14.5 million), compared to the same period in 2008. Well, it could have been worse, but we doubt this would soothe Sony Ericsson. The actual sales are now $2,267 million (Euro 1,736 million) before taxes, pointing a decrease of 36%, compared to Q1 2008. This has lead to a loss of $467 million (Euro 358 million). The manufacturer explains this as a “result of continued weak consumer confidence and de-stocking in the retail and distribution channels”.

It seems that the company will rely on its new Entertainment Unlimited proposition, which starts with the Idou, in order to regain its strong positions in imaging, music and gaming sectors of the mobile industry. In addition, the manufacturer has informed that it will announce the next Entertainment Unlimited phone on May 28. While this sounds totally cool, it might be also helpful for the company to look more seriously at the opportunities the smartphone market is offering right now, with its more business-oriented features and easier access to the Internet.

source: SonyEricsson [PDF]