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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sony Corp. the world's biggest consumer electronics company, on Wednesday said it will expand its popular VAIO product line beyond computers into mobile devices and home entertainment products with an focus on U.S. markets.
Sony said a San Diego-based division established last summer, VAIO of America, will oversee the development of the brand and the new devices.
"We're starting to act more locally in terms of 'what are the requirements from a customer point of view?"' Mark Hanson, vice president of VAIO of America, told Reuters. "We want to make it a 'business brand."'
Sony has struggled over the past two decades to raise the profile of its personal computer products in the United States. Since the mid-1990s, its VAIO line of notebook computers has won kudos for its sleek design and entertainment features.
But its presence in the U.S. computer and mobile phone markets is not as strong as its consumer electronics brand in the world's biggest technology market.
The new division has all the resources it needs to operate as a stand-alone company, Hanson said, and was what he called a "beta" test for similar operations around the world.
Hanson said the U.S. unit has about a half-dozen products on its drawing board. While he did not offer specifics, he said that, in general, the group would consider a broad range of devices, from portable media players to home servers.
"They may not just be mobile products ... they could be stand-alone type products," he said, adding that the intent was to produce "best of Sony" devices taking advantage of the company's strengths in consumer design and engineering.
Separately, Sony also said it was considering the idea of expanding its retail presence in the largest metropolitan marketplaces.
Any new stores would join existing flagship locations in New York and San Francisco, concept stores opened or planned for opening in Costa Mesa, California and Los Angeles, as well as outlet stores in select upscale malls across the country.
In addition to the new stores, Sony Electronics said it would launch a Web site dedicated to small and medium-sized businesses, supplemented by telephone and field sales forces.
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Posted: 2004-04-02 20:26:00
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