Rather, Ando sees a personal computer (emphasis on the personal)
evolving to the point where it actually knows a person's individual tendencies
and tastes, functioning almost like a surrogate brain. He also sees more
cross-fertilization between computers and
consumer electronics to erase the old boundaries dividing television and PCs,
perhaps resulting in a hybrid device that, of course, winds up connected to the
Internet. The trick for Sony is to time things right so as to be on the cutting
edge of the next big thing. But being too far ahead of the curve can be just as
bad as being too far behind. For Ando and for Sony--one of the most successful companies in the history of consumer
electronics--the rewards could be as large as the margin of error is slim.
Sony is widely known for the design of its products. What do you think
PCs are going to look like in 2005?
I don't think we're going to see the typical boxes of today. As PC and
consumer electronics companies continue to influence one another, PCs will
change, especially as there is further integration of components, such as
digital cameras. The PC will take on many new roles, such as teacher, agent,
guide, and there will be many different designs...something that is very
personal and knows what your tendencies are, almost like a brain. Companies
will make all sorts of PCs based on hobbies, tastes, creativities and
capabilities. Computers will truly be more personal, and not just by name.
Wearable computers are very personal, and the industry has dreamed about
those for a while now. Is that something you think will catch on?
We tried a wearable-type device that we called the Glasstron and it never
caught on. There is something to be said for timing, though, and that was
nearly three or four years ago.
What do you think will be the next area of technology innovation in the next
couple years?
With the more common use of (liquid crystal displays), TVs are changing. At one
time, they were the center of home entertainment, but PCs came in and were
essentially the gateway to the Internet and took their place. Now the whole
industry is trying to make the TV the center again by connecting it to the
Internet and add new features such as DVD players. Eventually, it will be
connected to the PC, which will really be exciting.
When you talk about TVs becoming the center of home entertainment once
again, do you think that they will integrate popular features such as DVD
players and digital video recorders?
That is happening already, in Asian countries especially. The biggest change is
viewing style. It used to be that people just watched what networks broadcast.
Now with time-shifting capabilities, TVs will become more customizable to the
viewing habits of consumers. They will remember your favorite channels and
programs that you like, so you will just sit down and select what you want to
watch.
How do you think cell phones will change?
An important part of the digital revolution is the communications revolution.
And a significant aspect of the communications revolution is video. You're
starting to see that more in cell phones where cameras are built-in, and we're
adding that into many of our devices, even our handhelds.
It seems that more hardware companies are coming up with software and
concepts to help drive demand for hardware. Will that continue?
Hardware and software go hand in hand. Hardware can be commoditized very
rapidly, with competitors imitating an innovative device. One way to stay ahead
is to develop specific software for that hardware, which helps to differentiate
it from others. Software can be developed a lot faster than hardware, which
also helps. With higher levels of performance, you can have more robust
software.
What do you think is going to be the future theme in the personal technology
world?
The concept that consumer electronics devices can access all sorts of content
while connected to a network is the biggest trend, and as broadband rolls out
and becomes more commonly available--which will happen by 2005--companies have
to make it happen by introducing more types of products.
Two companies that stand out when it comes to innovation in the technology
world are Apple Computer and Sony. Apple is a lot smaller than Sony and doesn't
have the portfolio of products. Is that an advantage for them?
There are advantages and disadvantages. We respect Apple a lot for their
creativity and their emphasis on ease of use. We're going in the same
direction. However, they can move a lot faster because they are smaller. We
struggle with commoditization. When a product gets popular, others can imitate
it, but Apple is going their own way so no one can copy them exactly.
Sony is very familiar with robots because of its
We are hoping that robots will create a new type of industry. Initially, it
will be for entertainment and for giving comfort, but we think there is a long-term future for robots, and we are adding new technology to our robots so they
will quickly become more intelligent and more useful in day-to-day life.
You were one of the early proponents of the networked lifestyle, the role of
networks in the home and their future significance to consumers. Do you think
that access will extend beyond the home?
That has always been part of the plan, to be able to access your content from
anywhere. Even in our nonconnected devices, like Walkmans and camcorders, the
idea was that you could access your individual content anywhere. But now with a
PC and network infrastructure, we want to connect all products so you can
connect yourself to your network anytime, anywhere on any device. Delivering
rich content to devices is a challenge now on narrowband networks, but when
broadband rolls out more extensively, that will help out and be a big change
compared to the past.
These kinds of connected devices will represent a new concept for consumers,
and educating them to the benefits of these devices will likely prove to be a
big challenge. How do you think selling devices to consumers will change?
The biggest hurdle is actually the dealers who may not be sure how or even
where to sell devices. Do you put something like the Airboard (a combination TV and PC with an LCD screen)
with TVs or with PCs? We have faced this problem in the past, and we have
managed to educate them. What we don't want to do is make it too hard on the
consumer to use the device. We have even created a user-friendly committee
within the company to make sure that we don't run into that problem.
As a country, Japan seems more known for hardware than software. Do you
think that will change?
Well, hardware has been the more dominant of the two industries so far,
but...we're becoming more active in creating software, particularly when it
comes to ease of use.
