Sony sees 90 percent of its world online
The world is going online in a big way and Sony believes it can see just how much. According to the company's chief executive, Sir Howard Stringer, 90 percent of the products made by Sony, including cameras, video players, televisions, will be accessible online by 2011.
That sort of broad coverage was not exactly clear from a demonstration by Stringer at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Thursday. Stringer showed off the example of a new line of Cybershot cameras which have Wi-Fi built in which means that photographers can take pictures and then publish them on the web immediately and without the need to go through a PC.
To start with the Cybershot cameras will have free access to AT&T's 10,000-plus hotspots in the United States and presumably access for hotspots across Europe will follow.
The key question is what does that 90 percent mean? Stringer did not make it clear whether he meant that 90 percent of the devices in Sony's catalogue will be on the internet or 90 percent of all the Sony devices by volume.
Still an impressive enough sounding figure and it would be interesting to see how the other suppliers compare.