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Does Sony hate (other people’s) innovation?
August 14, 2006 | 8:37 pm
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By David Rothman
“It appears from the Sony Mylo website that the Mylo is intended to be a closed box. Sony has arrangements with partners (Skype, Opera, Google, Yahoo), and it doesn’t seem as if new applications can be easily added to the machine (though I suppose a lot can be done with Opera plug-ins). I can’t even tell what OS it runs.” – Jonathan Zittrain on the Interesting People List. Note: OS is apparently Linux.
The TeleRead take: Another perspective. Related: $350 for Sony Mylo with Web, video, WiFi phone, MP3 and IM capabilities: Worth it?
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Comments:
In a word, yes. Sony has always been about the closed loop, and it only getting worse. Ironic, as Apple is moving in the other direction.
Ask anyone working in professional video about BetaCam, BetaCam SP and DigiBeta. Sony wants to own the platform and doesn’t want to share the hardware revenues with other people.
Not only is this device a closed box, but Sony has been closing the PSP as well with their firmware updates. Apparently the lesson is lost on them that one of the reasons the iPod was so successful is that it allowed people to easily use content they already owned. For this reason I am not optimistic that Sony’s Reader will be successful given that it is already a product the mass market doesn’t want, and its closed nature will make it unattractive to the early adopter market that actually does want it.
Btween the cost and the inflexibility, yes, this product is gonna have a tough row, Richard. I think you’re on target. David