Reuters recently reported that Sony is planning to sell its Vaio personal computer division in an effort to streamline its business. Vaio PC division is losing money already and Sony is looking to stop it by selling it to possible parties. Sony is already in dicussion with investment fund Japan Industrial Partners to sell its Vaio unit.
A new company would be set up by Japan Industrial Partners to take over the Vaio brand’s operations in Japan, according to the plan under consideration, the source said. Financial details and stakeholdings in the new entity were still being discussed.
Apart from Japan, Sony is also planning to stop its operations from overseas PC markets. PC market in general is in bad shape with declining growth and also Sony holds very low single digit market share in that market. A Japanese newspaper The Nikkei business daily reported that the Vaio PC unit would be sold for up to $493 million. There were also reports that Lenovo might be interested in buying Vaio division.
How about Microsoft buying Sony’s Vaio division? $493 million is not at all a significant money for Microsoft, but the real question is whether they will step in to save a quality Windows OEM which is known for their premium design. For example, Sony VAIO Pro 13 is one of the best Touch Ultrabooks available right now in the market.
Source: Reuters