Sony CEO: We’re In A Race Against Steve Jobs’s Legacy To Revolutionize The TV Set

By

Sony-TV

Steve Jobs told his biographer Walter Isaacson he had “finally cracked” the television set, sparking more rumors his team in Cupertino are on the cusp of launching a revolutionary new television that will change home entertainment forever.

Apple won’t be the first to attempt this, however. Sony’s CEO Sir Howard Stringer says he is competing against Steve Jobs to change the traditional television set.

In a breakfast hosted by The Wall Street Journal, Stringer revealed he has “no doubt” that Apple is working on a revolutionary television set, but insists the Cupertino company isn’t the only one on the task. Sony is also working on something completely different; “That’s what we’re all looking for,” Stringer said.

The CEO revealed he is personally competing against Apple’s co-founder and former CEO, and that his company has spent the last five years developing an ecosystem strong enough to take on Apple’s:

I spent the last five years building a platform so I can compete against Steve Jobs. It’s finished, and it’s launching now.

Stringer said, “there’s a tremendous amount of R&D going into a different kind of TV set,” and insisted “it will take a long time to transition to a new form of television.”

As things currently stand, Sony loses money on every single television set it sells, and that has to change, Stringer said:

We can’t continue selling TV sets [the way we have been]. Every TV set we all make loses money.

If Sony’s product really is “launching now,” then the company will be the first to attempt to change the way we watch TV. Analysts have predicted that Apple’s set won’t arrive until 2013, but it could be well worth the wait. Rumors claim the device will feature Apple’s intelligent Siri assistant, and Steve promised “it will have the simplest user interface you could imagine.”

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.