Outside of Japan, the VAIO brand is no more.
Sony is ditching the PC business in an effort to restructure amidst a declining PC market. The Japanese tech-giant has been struggling in recent years to keep up with the evolving consumer tech segment, and this latest move away from the PC is just a small step forward for the company.
Unlike other major PC vendors such as Lenovo and Asus, Sony is not as heavily vested in the PC business. As PC manufacturers continue to receive less profit from each system they sell, many companies that were once thriving in this business have or will exit the industry completely. Sony, being just one of the victims to falling demand, has sold off its VAIO unit to Japan Industrial Partners. Sony will maintain a 5% stake in the division.
So Long VAIO Support?
Even more significant is that the VAIO brand won’t be sold outside of Japan moving forward. This means that global consumers of VAIO-branded PC products will not have the top-tier support enjoyed by people within Japan. Analysts suspect that, for the time being, Japan Industrial Partners will concentrate the attention on the Japanese market only, with little chances that the VAIO PC brand will go global again anytime soon.
Don’t expect too many fresh updates for your VAIO PCs moving forward.
Sony’s restructuring effort will have a major impact on past and present customers. Newer VAIO models will be exclusive to the Japanese market, and current customers will likely have to find new and unofficial sources for updates and drivers for their VAIO products.
Sony Couldn’t Stay Up-To-Date, But You Can
It’s always a bit saddening to see a global brand like VIAO crumble, but that’s just how the technology sector works. Innovation in computing technology moves at a blistering pace, and the VAIO brand from Sony just couldn’t keep up.
Consumers outside of the Japanese market will have to pick up the slack for Sony as it transitions out of the PC market. This means all forms of technical maintenance is a personal project. If you or your business rely on VAIO or Sony-made PC’s, let our IT professionals analyze what must done to keep these products as up-to-date as possible.
