Sony to exit PC-use optical drive market [report]

According to reports, Sony is considering a hasty departure of the optical disc drive business due to market trends and the firm's attempts at keeping up.

Two Japanese-language publications, the Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun have said that the technology giant will get out of the optical disc drive market as the company restructures. The Asahi Shimbun states that Sony will withdraw from the business next year, whereas the Japan Times says that the Japan-based firm will stop manufacturing optical drives for PCs in November.

Sony's Atsugi-based Opitarc optical drive division is due to close by March of next year. The unit will eventually be liquidated.

Roughly 400 people -- domestic and internationally -- will face early retirement, the publications added. Sony is apparently planning to cut its global workforce by 10,000 before March next year, and the closure has been announced on the heels of a $312 million net loss posted earlier this month.

As the PC market dwindles and producers of tablets including Apple and Samsung reap the rewards, the optical disc drive appears to be fast approaching redundancy.

The market has also been hit by the increasing development of ultrabooks, which are too small to host the devices. Not only this, but ultrabook laptops generally opt for solid-state drives for better performance and less weight.

Last week, Sony announced its intentions to move its headquarters from Sweden to Tokyo, which will result in a loss of approximately 1,000 jobs in the process.