Sony Ericsson regrets not taking the iPhone too seriously, to focus on smartphones only
Sony Ericsson might not be the most successful player in the industry, but its latest Android phones seem like a step in the right direction, but while some (cough, Nokia) are trying to play on both ends of the front - smartphones for the tech savvy industrial nations and feature phones en masse, SE begs to differ. Bert Nordberg, chief executive of the company, said the goal for the future includes smartphones and smartphones only as the company might shed its feature phone business altogether.
The CEO spoke also about the iPhone, Android, Windows Phone and Motorola in an extensive interview for the Wall Street Journal. In a quote-worthy segment, Nordberg pointed out that Sony Ericsson “should have taken the iPhone more seriously when it arrived in 2007.”
At the same time, though, he defended his choice of Android and said he’s curiously looking at what’s happening with Windows Phone. Not to the point where he’d commit to a relatively new and unestablished platform though:
“At this point I wouldn’t feel comfortable investing in a platform that isn’t as good as the one that we currently use. Therefore we have remained with Android, but I am quite curious about Windows Phone.”
So while that’s not a direct blow at WP, it’s a revealing statement about the phone maker’s sentiment toward the platform. Nordberg clearly states that in Sony Ericsson’s view, Microsoft platform just “isn’t as good” as Android.
The CEO also admitted that the company isn’t doing as good as it could have in the States and remains a “very tiny player” stateside.
Finally, when asked whether he would want his company to have stepped in Google’s shoes and acquired Motorola Mobility, Nordberg was realistic to point out that SE couldn’t afford it:
“Well sure, but before you go shopping you have to become rich.
And a deal between us would have been extremely complicated, with us being a private company with two large owners and them being a listed U.S. company.”
What do you make of SE’s future strategy? Is quitting feature phones the right way to go?
source: WSJ via TechCrunch
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