Sony abandons the PC market to focus more on mobile

Sony will sell its struggling PC business to a Japanese investment firm, the company said Thursday, meaning the slick “Vaio” brand could all but disappear from markets outside Japan. Tokyo-based investment fund Japan Industrial Partners will operate the Vaio PC brand under a newly established firm and initially sell PCs in Japan only.

Sony today announced that it has sold its PC business to Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) as part of a strategy to focus on other areas, including its mobile division. The two sides have reached a preliminary agreement and aim to have a final agreement plotted by the end of March. As a result, Sony will cease planning to develop new PC’s and will discontinue manufacturing and sales this spring. Sony will also take a big step to spin out its TV business, which has been losing money, later this summer. By taking focus off two its biggest traditional businesses, Sony should theoretically have more resources to devote to mobile.