Sony: The best and worst gadgets from more than 50 years of consumer electronics
As Sony sells off its Vaio computer division we take a look at some of the Japanese electronics giant's hits - and misses - over the decades
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Your support makes all the difference.Sony’s recent decision to sell off its PC business may come as much of a surprise to industry analysts, but it’s certainly sad news for fans of the stylish Vaio brand.
Sony’s influence in the consumer electronics market has waned considerably over the past decade, and despite promises by CEO Kazuo Hirai that the company is ready to innovate once more, doubts remain over the company’s future.
However, it wasn’t always like this, and we thought we’d take a quick look back at some of the company’s most influential and best-loved designs from the last 50 years. Not so much a premature memorial, but just a gentle stroll down memory lane.
From the original 3.5-inch floppy disk to the world's first OLED TV, Sony has invented and helped standardize many of the most enduring components of consumer electronics, with many more products such as the Walkman or the PlayStation becoming icons in their own right - as well as best-selling devices.
Take a look:
Once a upon a time even Apple used to look to Sony for design tips (iPhone prototypes emerged during patent disputes showing a Sony-inspired handset) and looking at some of the design classics that the company has created, it's not hard to see why.
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