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Understanding Sony’s Internet-of-Things Story

in 10 Slides

Image source: Cisco.Image source: Sony.

Sony’s phones probably won’t challenge Apple or Samsung anytime soon, but the company is angling to improve its position in the IoT by bringing expanded connectivity features to its Xperia mobile line.

Sony is also using the Xperia brand for many of its other IoT-related products.

Image source: Sony.

The Xperia Agent is Sony’s entry into the smart speaker category and features a camera in order to respond to both gesture and voice commands.

Image source: Sony.

Sony is also manufacturing wearable technology including the Xperia Ear (a headset used in conjunction with its mobile phones), the Xperia Eye wearable camera, and lines of smartwatches and fitness bands.

Image source: Sony.

In 2016, Sony purchased chip company Altair in a $212 million deal. Altair specializes in chips for connecting devices to LTE networks, and its technologies will likely be an asset for Sony’s upcoming IoT devices.

Image source: Sony.

Sony is hoping to make the smart TV a go-to interface for controlling connected-home features like security, room temperature, and lighting. The company has also recently launched a projector technology that can turn any surface into a touch interface.

Image source: Sony.

Sony is already one of the big players in the mixed reality hardware space and has released standalone VR headsets as well as the PlayStation VR headset for use with its PlayStation 4 gaming console.

Image source: Sony.

Sony’s PlayStation brand, video game development resources, and popular entertainment properties could be major assets if mixed reality gaming and media continues to grow in popularity.

Image source: Sony.

The importance of video data in the Internet of Things combined with Sony’s expertise in imaging components and sensors points to big opportunities.

Image source: Sony.

The company is currently one of the leading providers of image sensing chips for mobile devices, and it looks to have substantial growth avenues in categories like security cameras, drones, and smart cars.

Image source: Pixabay.

Beyond manufacturing hardware components and selling devices, Sony anticipates that the next generation of device connectivity will open up new recurring revenue streams -- and it’s aiming to be a player in IoT services.

Image source: Sony.

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