Sony have announced the new Xperia Tablet Z tablet, which will be only 6.9 millimeters thick and will weigh only 495 grams with a 10.1 inch display.
Sony have been struggling in recent years, reporting four straight annual losses. As we reported last week, they have also just sold their American headquarters for a whopping $1.1 billion to give them more cash on hand.
The new Xperia will also be a waterproof design, perhaps launching as soon as March in Japan. Spokeswoman for Sony Noriko Shoji spoke to Bloomberg today. No pricing information has been confirmed yet.
Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai has decided to focus on mobile devices in efforts to revive the company flagging fortunes. Their TV division has been unprofitable for eight straight fiscal years so they need to pull in more revenue from other sectors. Sony introduced their first tablet in 2011 however they have yet to make a dent in the market.
The tablet market is very important for all of the big players – worldwide tablet shipments are said to total 120 million units this year and may extend to 340 million by 2016, according to market research company IHS iSuppli.
Kitguru says: Sony face a tough challenge from Apple, Samsung and Amazon who all have high selling 7 inch and 10 inch tablets.