Sony's Head of e-Books Doesn't Think Apple's iPad is Innovative
In an interview with Japan's Nikkei BP, Fujio Noguchi, who supervises Sony's e-book business, stated that Sony is "aiming to acquire a share of 40% in the global electronic book market in fiscal 2012." More interestingly however, is what he had to say about Apple's iPad.
Sony's Take on the iPad as an e-Book
The Nikkei's Reporter's Yasushi Uchida and Takuya Otani who conducted the interview, wanted to know Mr. Noguchi's take on Apple's iPad. The question began by framing it with Apple having a great reputation for user interfaces.
Mr. Noguchi's reply: "The iPad is not a product developed only for e-books. What they are practically saying is that various applications are available to the iPad and e-book is just one of them. It is different from what we aim for.
The name of our e-book reader is "Reader," meaning that it is used exclusively for reading. It is not a multi-media player.
The Reader Daily Edition is our first e-book reader that is capable of 3G communication, and we employed the wonderful business model established by Amazon.com. In other words, users do not have to pay a monthly communication fee.
On the other hand, the users of the iPad have to pay a monthly fee for 3G communication. In that respect, I don't think the business model of the iPad is innovative."
Sony's Myopic View
It'll be interesting to see if Apple decides to challenge Sony's single advantageous sales point in 2011. Then again, we're only in the early days of the e-book revolution and many things are bound to shift back and forth between these competitors over the years.
At the end of the day, I find Mr. Noguchi's viewpoint of the iPad's business model a little myopic and self-serving to say the least. The days of a single purpose device are, for the most part, over. The Blackberry was king of a one purpose device for texting but the iPhone has now pressured RIM into performing summersaults to just stay in the game. Today, even general consumer cameras are being challenged by the likes of the iPhone and iPad. Of course Sony isn't even in the running in these arenas and so Sony's Noguchi's grasp at a single straw to stay relevant is seen for what it is: sad.
Perhaps Sony's Noguchi is living in a bubble within in his own country. Maybe he's never been in a mega mall where there's both an Apple and Sony Store. So let me fill you in Mr. Noguchi. In Calgary, Chinook Centre is a mega mall where these two fine stores reside in close proximity to each other and this is the reality: there are three times the customers just around the Apple Store's iPad table than there is in the entire Sony Store at any given time of day. And that's not taking into account the numbers walking out of the Apple Store with iPads in hand sporting gigantic smiles on their face.
On that note, may I say good luck with your 40 percent marketshare forecast Mr. Noguchi: You'll need it!
The Japanese have an inability to see things globally. They still think it's the 80's. (Look how long they have been in a recession.) And no matter how wily, just saying something does not make it true.
Apple should buy Sony.
Posted by: Mark Houston | January 07, 2011 at 07:52 PM
What are you all talking about? The iPad doesn't require a monthly 3G payment, even if you buy the 3G model.
"...the users of the iPad have to pay a monthly fee for 3G communication." NOT!
This Sony exec is completely misinformed.
Posted by: Synth | January 06, 2011 at 01:24 PM
When someone takes one aspect of a business model and boils it down conveniently to one like "I don't think that the business model of the iPad is innovative," the individual knows exactly what they were trying to convey. Whether it's Sony or Steve Balmer, they find a way to pick on one aspect of a bigger picture to make themselves look better.
If you heard Ballmer's keynote yesterday touting the Windows 7 Phone, you had to laugh. But it's his job to tout his wares and take a swipe at the competition.
Sony wants you to focus on nothing but e-books and downplays the other attributes of Apple's great iPad business model. Picking on one aspect of it is what's misleading and that's what I'm pointing out.
Posted by: Jack Purcher | January 06, 2011 at 12:45 PM
Your title very misleading. As mentioned by Joe, he said nothing about whether the iPad itself is innovative, only that the free 3G model is innovative.
Posted by: Kirk | January 06, 2011 at 12:31 PM
Its the same view as Amazon's Kindle, and why it won't go to color (unlike B&N). And with the great sales of the Kindle, I think that a single purpose device, if done right, can work out, at least in the short term (5 years or so)
Posted by: ken | January 06, 2011 at 09:39 AM
Well, to be particular, he didn't exactly say the iPad isn't innovative, he said the lack of free connectivity is not innovative. In that regard he is correct. Paying yet another monthly data plan on top of my iPhone plan is what is keeping me from an iPad, among a few other things (no single point is doing so, but they accumulate, you know).
Since the Kindle and Sony reader ONLY do ebooks, thus keeping bandwidth needs lower than an iPad, is probably how they can get away with it, plus I am sure whoever the carrier is probably gets a cut of the sale. They'd be silly not to. I doubt if either company deployed a multi-media tablet they would be able to offer free connectivity for those devices.
A wireless data plan to cover all my portable devices would REALLY be innovative, in my book. This nickel and dime-ing of customers is honestly annoying to the point of avoidance on my part.
Joe
(Joe, that's why I stated sony had a single advantage.
Thanks for the thoughtful Feedback, Joe. - Jack P.)
Posted by: Joseph Futral | January 06, 2011 at 09:34 AM