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An Overview Of Sony History; Japanese Empire In The World Of Audio And Video

Sony is one of the largest electronics companies in the world. The Japanese company has been manufacturing home appliances, computers, electronics, game consoles, etc. for more than 70 years, and its products are popular all over the world.

Different aspects of people’s lives in the world are tied to the name of Sony, even many Iranians have used and remembered at least one of Sony products during their lives. The range of customers of this company is so large that it can not be counted, also many old Sony customers have passed away from us, and certainly, many of Sony’s future fans have not been born yet.

It is amazing how much a company can penetrate the lives of people around the world and be part of their bittersweet daily experiences.

Sony was born on May 7, 1946, on May 17, 1964, in the solar calendar, right after one of the most critical times in the history of the planet.

Sony History

After the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the end of World War II, perhaps no one thought Japan could rise again. At the same time of despair, 38-year-old Masaru Ibuka opened a $ 530 electronics store in Tokyo, Japan. A few months later, Akio Morita joined Ibuka to establish the Tokyo Tsushin Kogyu Telecommunication Engineering Company on May 7, 1946, the company that produced Japan’s first Type-G tape recorder. Mr. Ibuka and Mr. Morita changed their company name to Sony in 1955.

Sony name anecdote

When the founders of Sony dreamed of entering the global market, they were looking for a name that they could use in the domestic and foreign markets. The name Tokyo Tsushin Kogyu was very long and difficult, so it was initially decided to choose the acronym TTK for Mr. Morita & Ibuka’s new company name, but it was also the acronym for Tokyo Railway, and for these two people They went for another name.

Sony’s first tape recorder

Sony co-founders then agreed on the names Totsuko and Tokyo Teletech, but the pronunciation of Totsuko was not appropriate for global markets, and an American brand used the name Teletech. So these two names also went away. Sony was the name that was eventually given to the company. Sony is made up of two Latin words, Sonus, meaning sound and image, and sonny, a term used to refer to young boys in the United States in the 1950s.

Sony History – First Climb

After the Type-G series recordings, Sony switched to portable transistor radios, and the company’s TR-63 radios sold so well in the US market that new customers for the microelectronics industry.

In 1960, Akio Morita founded Sony in the United States to gain a stronger foothold in the market. Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita both paid special attention to the American market and wanted to be known in the country as soon as possible. In particular, Mr. Morita saw his presence in the United States as supporting Sony’s future success.

Sony’s first radio

After returning to Japan, he encouraged experienced and middle-aged employees from other companies to re-evaluate their work and rejoin Sony to get started. This method was so effective and successful that other Japanese companies at the time hired experienced employees. This method revolutionized the Japanese economy as a powerful exporter during the 60s and 80s.

As a result, the presence of Japanese companies in the markets of other countries expanded and Japanese-made goods gained a lot of prestige. Among these products, Sony has always been known as a very high-quality brand and with the power, it gained over time, it was able to put a higher price on its products above the market level and people, because of the quality of Sony products, the company’s goods. They bought it even more expensive than other brands in the market.

Ibuka at retirement age

History Sony – Morita becomes president

Akio Morita played a key role in Sony’s growing trend and with its ideas made the company a stronger brand day by day. As a result, in 1976, Masaru Ibuka retired and Morita was named president of the company. Morita then started several subsidiaries at Sony, one of the most important of which was the creation of an insurance company in 1979.

Sony History – The Great Recession

Sony was at its peak in those years, producing many products, but the severe recession of the 1980s also affected Sony. The drop in purchases caused Sony to reduce the cost of its products and its dividends plummeted. Many businesses were destroyed in those years, many thought that Sony would soon go bankrupt.

At that time, Norio Oga came to Sony, a young manager with a whole new set of ideas and perspectives, he was able to keep Sony alive in the recession of the 1980s and at the same time develop compact disc production. Sony had lost the Vi بازارas market, but this did not happen again in the case of compact CDs, and Sony invested in the production of these products before other companies.

History of Sony – Production of the first

At the same time, the world’s first all-transistor TV and the first video recorder were produced by Sony. Sony executives strongly believed in the invention of new devices. This approach has always been in the minds of Sony executives, who sought to be the first brand in the production of new audio devices.

Sony’s first Walkman

With this in mind, many of Sony’s first inventions took place, the company produced the historic Walkman, when Sony introduced the world’s first stereo recorder.

Sony History – Changing Approach

Sony bought the music company CBS Records with Oga in 1988, and then in 1989, with a significant investment, bought Columbia Pictures in the United States.

In this way, Sony’s presence in the audio and video fields expanded, and the company’s focus shifted to the entertainment industry. Following this trend, PlayStation was born in the early 1990s to make Sony one of the mainstays of the three video game, music, and movie industries.

Norio Oga

Morita, who considered Oga a more deserving person, then appointed him as his successor as CEO, as Ibuka had done for Morita in 1976.

With the presence of Morita and her new successor Oga, Sony’s new policy to expand its entertainment presence has increased. Sony was looking for convergence and connection between music, film, and the digital realm of electronics over the Internet.

Sony’s first video recording camera

History Sony – the first non-Japanese executive

In 2005, Howard Stringer from Wales became Sony’s first non-Japanese CEO. Of course, Stringer was also the first non-Japanese CEO among large Japanese companies. The Japanese usually have a particular bias towards domestic executives, and Stringer’s presence at Sony was considered an important event in Japan.

Stringer cut 9,000 extra jobs at Sony while helping Sony’s presence in the media. One of Stringer’s most important influences on Sony was the production of blockbuster films such as Spider-Man. He sought to eliminate Sony’s ancillary businesses, and Sony wanted to refocus on electronics. Sony’s first camera was produced in the same years.

Stringer had some success, but some of Sony’s financial losses during his tenure were insurmountable, so in 2012, Kazu Hirai came to Sony.

Sony History – The Age of Hira

Harry’s main goal was to change Sony’s management structure from bureaucracy. Hiray also focused on three areas: mobile, gaming, and image technology. Hiray, meanwhile, sought to mitigate the losses in the Sony TV market. He then bought a stake in Sony Ericsson to invest in the mobile sector.

The Vaio division, which produced Sony laptops, was also sold in 2014. Instead, the Sony TV division became a fully managed company to offset its $ 7.8 billion loss over a decade by increasing its productivity.

Sony History – Sony is getting smaller every day

With the failure of the company’s mobile division, many other divisions were sold. In the same year 2014, Sony announced that it was closing more than 20 stores. The company also sold a 9.2% stake in Square Enix Game Studio. However, back in 2014, Sony announced that it would expand its marketing and video game business in collaboration with the Pearl Group in Shanghai, China.

In 2016, it was announced that Sony Pictures and Entertainment would merge Sony Pictures Entertainment with the company’s gaming division, Sony Interactive Entertainment. In 2019, Sony’s mobile phone, TV and camera division was merged, and this can be announced as the most important news from Sony in recent years.

Sony History – Sony’s greatest achievements

During its 75 years, Sony has produced several very special and unique products that shook the world like bombs. The company also changed some standards in the world of technology, and many times, with Sony’s inventions, changed the way people lived in general.

The company’s first product was a home rice cooker, but the company went on to produce a tape recorder and radio, and due to its success in this area, Sony remained the main focus on audio and radio products until 1990.

Sony Historian

In 1950, the company produced the first Japanese tape recorder, the Type G.

In 1955, Tokyo Tsushin Kogyu has renamed Sony, and in the same year, Sony produced the first Japanese transistor radio.

Sony’s first portable TV was produced in 1960.

Sony audio cassette

Sony launched its first tape recorder in 1966.

Actually, Sony started working with CBS Records in 1968. it is partnered with CBS to record music.

1968 also saw the launch of Sony’s first color TV.

Sony video cassette player

In 1994, the first PlayStation game console was sold in Japan.

In 1995, Sony introduced its first handheld video recorder.

Though In 1999, Mr. Nobodoki Adieh became the CEO of Sony.

Howard Stringer

In 2005, Howard Stringer was named Sony’s first non-Japanese executive.

In 2012, Mr. Hiray became CEO of Sony.

In 2013, Sony introduced the PlayStation 4, the best-selling gaming console in history.