Sony celebrated its 25th anniversary in Australia on Thursday 14 November with a series of functions involving staff and representatives of the media.

 

November 2002: Sony celebrated its 25th anniversary in Australia on Thursday 14 November with a series of functions involving staff and representatives of the media.
The occasion was marked by a visit from Sony”s President and Chief Operating Officer, Mr Kunitake Ando, who outlined some of the new areas in which Sony expects to have a growing presence in the future.

He stressed the importance of broadband communications, saying, “Sony”s entry into the broadband era, and the products and services that will drive this era, is what will define the corporation – including Sony Australia – in the coming years. We are working harder than ever to develop a new environment for creating emotional value under the Ubiquitous Value Network vision. This is an environment where people can realise value from attractive content on any device, anywhere, at any time, all on an open network.”

The company has seen huge changes in the past 25 years. When it was first set up in the 1970s, its business was focused on analogue applications, with the Trinitron colour TV set being the best-selling product. Today, roughly 80% of the business is digital and the best-selling product is DVD players.

Sony”s business has also diversified and now covers not only consumer electronics but also electronic games, music and film and video. The company opened its first retail outlet (the Sony Style store in Fox Studios) in 1999 and in the same year launched Sony Foundation Australia, a charitable organisation devoted to youth-related activities and environmental initiatives.

Mr Ando”s vision for the future sees Sony involved in a range of networked AV/IT devices covering communications, entertainment and computer-related applications. “Sony is committed to introducing a full range of networked AV/IT devices – all of them seamlessly connected – creating a whole new platform,” he concluded.