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Comment by w1ntermute | Hacker News Reader

I'm pretty optimistic about Sony's future:

> Under Hirai’s leadership, the trajectory of improvement has been gradual but unswerving. What was once the struggling Sony Ericsson has been transformed into the popular and profitable Sony Mobile Communications group. Mirrorless cameras have helped position Sony as a leader in imaging gear, with enthusiasts increasingly opting for the Alpha (née NEX) range over the traditional DSLR format that Canon and Nikon still dominate. And most recently, the PlayStation 4 has managed to outsell its nemesis Xbox One while almost doubling subscriptions to Sony’s paid PlayStation Plus service.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/10/5293414/sony-rediscovers-s...

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I love Sony's mobile phones today. I bought one, so my money is where my mouth is. Who other than Apple can really truly differentiate and survive in the PC business today anyway? It's an unfortunate development, but I can't say that it's an overall reflection of the future of Sony. PS4 is rocking. Their phones are great. They still make good movies. Maybe their electronics division can do something special too. If yes, then they're firing on all cylinders. Let's see what happens.

Lenovo? I always thought Lenovo was the PC equivalent of MacBooks. Well, HP tried but they have massive heat outlets at the side of the machine that burn you, and the Samsung Series 7 came close but doesn't have the same build quality, and has a stupid power adapter. So yes, perhaps Sony and Lenovo?

Way I see it, Lenovo makes rugged, durable and dependable machines, but they lack the finish/style in VAIO or MacBooks (then again I haven't seen what Lenovo has been up to lately, so might be completely off.)

So when people say there's nothing like a Mac, I mostly agree and understand where they're coming from even though I much prefer a cheaper machine on which to run Linux. I'm unaware of anything in the PC world to match Apple's high finish + dependability/durability. Also the screen is worth it on it's own, alternatives lacking.

While the most recognizable Lenovo is the ThinkPad line, which is a very capable but very dated looking machine, I recently worked on an IdeaPad U430 (I work in computer repair), and was surprised by how nice that machine was. It's build quality and style really reminded me of my MacBook air.

So it seems like while the rugged and durable machines are where Lenovo is still getting most of their money, that design was inherited from IBM, while Lenovo is trying to focus on new machines with style and finish.

Apple's screens are lacking compared to similar priced Vials/PCs (the TFT screens on the 11" MacBook Air and 13" MacBook Pro are particularly atrocious). Viaos are often lighter than similar priced Macbooks and are more durable.

Apple's differentiation is not a supposedly unique high finish + dependability — although they are unique for only selling high end computers — but the Apple retail stores and easily upsold AppleCare (available up to a year after purchase of a macbook). Most PC users call their 'computer guy' relative when their PC breaks. In contrast most Apple users take their broken device to the Apple Store. That professional service is why most Macs stay in circulation longer

The two vaios I used after the 505g were utter cheap pieces of crap, and they haven't seemed to do much better recently. Whatever your beef with Apple is, saying that Sony is actually better in quality is crazy.

> Lenovo?

They were, before they started doing gimmicky shit like this: http://arstechnica.com/staff/2014/01/stop-trying-to-innovate...

Dells are the PC equivalent to MacBooks. Lenovo makes cheap plastic devices that crap out under load and take forever to be repaired/replaced. IBM had better quality control.

Lenovo have at least 20 laptop product lines. It's a generalization to call them all cheap plasticcrap, as they really do cover the entire spectrum.

I also don't see how Dell compete with the MBPs at all.

Yeah, I've had bad experience with the Ideapads.

Dell's new Latitudes can easily compete with the MBP when it comes to design, price, performance and features.

My X1 has been quite good so far...except for the track pad, what is up with PCs and track pads????

> Who other than Apple can really truly differentiate and survive in the PC business today anyway?

Anybody that cares to.

There is no manufacturer that claims to have extraordinary quality, no one that tries to make the cheapest possible system, no one focused on consumer support, and I'd probably get a dozen other niches if I keep trying for a few minutes. All PC manufacturers are trying hard to sell the same thing everybody else is selling, for a long while now.

Anyway, Sonny is not in the business of caring about what their consumers want, so I doubt they can differentiate in any good way.

You claimed a hypothetical situation that doesn't exist today and claim that it's due to lack of desire on the part of the product companies. It's highly doubtful that the hypothetical situation is not real only because the industry players don't desire to achieve that level of success. The more likely answer is that they can't figure out how to do it, despite many attempts to try.

Maybe but that is what people were saying about Sony couple of years ago too, they have great products for e.g. their headphones are the ones I use Sony XBA-4, their top of the line in ear headphones.

Just something for house keeping, Sony managed to sell more than the Xbox One beucase Sony is selling the PS4 in 54 countries vs Xbox One is only available in 13 and is $100 more expensive. 4 million PS4s vs 3 million Xboxes. I think the victor is Microsoft over here, if MS does open Xbox up to more markets it will clearly outsell, then again maybe not.

> Maybe but that is what people were saying about Sony couple of years ago too

Hirai became CEO less than 2 years ago.

> Sony managed to sell more than the Xbox One beucase Sony is selling the PS4 in 54 countries vs Xbox One is only available in 13 and is $100 more expensive.

And these are the sorts of smart business decisions it needs to be leveraging in order to turn things around. If you remember the PS3, it was $500 on launch.

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