the dream of a technician
CBS SONY, which is backward in the record industry, has cultivated the first large-scale music conglomerate in Japan and pushed the performance of Columbia Film Company to the first place in the United States. SONY, the hardware company that knows the most about software, is a technology-based enterprise company.
Akio Morita, the president of SONY, revealed this feature when talking about the development history of SONY: "This is a series of stories to realize Mr. Inoue's dream."
Mr. Masaru Ibuka, the founder of p>SONY, was a famous scientist and inventor before the Pacific War. Morita and Inoue met when they went to the Institute of Naval Technology Distribution School. After Morita acquired Columbia Film Company, he made the following remarks at the press conference:' SONY Company founded by technicians took the software industry as an opportunity. Hardware without software can't be a real great cause.
In order to expand the hardware business, software business is absolutely necessary, which is the conclusion of SONY for many years. SONY, which has invested a large sum of money to acquire software enterprises, is the company that knows the software industry best. Even after SONY invested a huge sum of money to acquire Columbia Pictures, it never let the concept of hardware as the mainstay and software as the vice collapse.
In October 1989, SONY announced its acquisition of Columbia Film Company, which aroused strong repercussions in the United States. In the headline news of NEWS WEEK, the statue of Liberty was replaced by a kimono, with the title "Japan bought the soul of America", which caused considerable criticism in the United States (because the film made in Colombia used the statue of Liberty in the opening title). In addition to openly countering such remarks, Morita said in an interview in Japan that he was very disappointed with the United States.
The background of the so-called disappointment is quite mysterious. The reason for the uproar is that some people in Japan and the United States have also raised why no one made any criticism when Australian capital acquired MGM/UA (MGM) and 2th century FOXS, which is simply racial discrimination.
But it is not because of this that Morita came to the conclusion that he was disappointed with the United States. Morita mentioned in the conversation: "When I gave a speech in the United States, I mentioned why no one said anything when CA was sold to the French. This is a fundamental problem in the United States. I liked electricity very much when I was a child, and I was crazy about radio. RCA is the representative of American high-tech industry. After the war, all Japanese electronics industries asked RCA to buy patent rights. Therefore, for me as a technician, RCA is the source of American soul. Singular company bought RCA research institute and RCA, and then sold them to French enterprises. This is a great thing for American industry. The American media should pay more attention to this fact and review why the United States lost RCA ... "When RCA was sold, it didn't care at all, and SONY acquired the film company, only to put forward that it was the soul of the United States. This is an untenable place for the United States. What the media pays attention to represents the concern of the American public. Americans have shifted their focus to the software industry, not making things or selling them. This is also the decisive reason for the persistent deficit in the United States. However, this discussion only touches on the surface of the fundamental problems of the American economy and cannot cut into the real theme.
after p>RCA was sold, American citizens did not have any sense of crisis. However, foreigners far away in the East are sighing because of this. What does this symbolize? SONY has been adhering to the "technical thought" since the post-war period, pioneering a road symbolizing "Japan based on technology", and at the same time externalizing its software positioning. President Morita's proud "MADE IN JAPAN" is actually closely related to SONY's history.
Starting from the ruins
Just like the acquisition of Columbia Film Company, SONY has always stood in the leading position in the high technology of the times. "Imitating others or other companies, you can't create your own path, you have to do what others don't do." At this time, SONY has decided to develop into Tokyo's communication industry. When you open the history books of SONY, you can find an article referring to "Tokyo Communication Industry", which is actually the predecessor of SONY Corporation.
in 1945 (the 2th year of Showa), the founder, Inoue-Shen, and seven employees of Tokyo Branch, a pre-war operating company, jointly funded the establishment of "Tokyo Communication Research Institute" (later changed to Tokyo Communication Industry) in a room of Japan's Qiaobaimu Department Store in Tokyo after being bombed by B-29. When it was founded, the property of the whole company was just money in the deep pocket of the well.
It was a great time to be full, so they first tried to make food-related products, such as rice cookers and toasters, but everything could not be made successfully. Finally, the first product appeared: electric seat cushion. It is a product with wires wrapped between two pieces of cloth, which sells well in small shops and is a very precious cash income for the newly established Dongtongyan.
Next, the "short-wave trusted antenna" related to SONY is manufactured. This device can be easily installed on an ordinary AM radio, and the equipment used to receive short-wave signals sells well, which will have a positive impact on SONY's development giants in the future.
The "Green Pencil" column of Asahi Shimbun introduced the struggle history of Inoue-Shen on October 6th, 1945. After Morita returned to the countryside, someone just asked him if he would like to be a lecturer at the University of Tokyo. After seeing the column of Asahi Shimbun, Morita took the opportunity of taking office in Tokyo to meet Inoue again.
In the era of Dongtongyan, Jingshen's company was very difficult to operate. Morita continued to be a university lecturer while helping with the work. The following year (1946), "Tokyo Communication Research Institute" was reorganized into "Tokyo Communication Industry Co., Ltd." with a capital of 19, yen and 2 employees, and a head office and factory were set up in the current SONY head office, namely Shinagawa Yudianshan. Morita resigned as a lecturer and concentrated on the development of the company's work. At that time, Inoue was thirty-eight years old and Morita was only twenty-five.
The origin of p>SONY's leap
Shortly after its start-up, it was the accessories used to manufacture and repair radios that supported Dongtonggong (short for Tokyo Communication Industry Co., Ltd.). However, what haunts Inoue's mind is making his own brand products.
At that time, SONY's products were radios. Of course, there was widespread discussion in the company. Should we step into the ranks of making radios? However, Inoue is very opposed, mainly because the manufacturers of post-war radios have just slowly recovered from the aftermath of the war, so Inoue is optimistic about WIRE RECORDER. However, at that time, there were manufacturers who made WIRE, but they were not interested in the plan of well depth. But this result is better. I saw on NHK that the American troops in Japan were using the newly-developed recording and playback machine, so I began to develop the production of the recording and playback machine. According to the development experience of WIRE RECORDER, Jingshen completed the trial work in just a few days.
The tape problem is more troublesome, but it has been successfully completed after the test. In 195, two years after the development, the first Japanese-made recording and playback machine, called G-type, was finally commercialized and began to go on sale. Although the production technology is excellent, it doesn't sell well; A good product is not equal to a best seller, which is the first experience that Jingshen learned. In an era when college graduates and staff salaries are less than 1, yen, it is of course too high to sell at the price of 17, yen.
The court first bought the G-type tape recorder, and ordered 2 sets at a time, which was an unprecedented order, probably because the court was short of stenographers at that time. Also because of this incident, Morita and Inoue realized the importance of market demand. Later, G-type slowly started a sales network centered on public institutions and schools. The recorder gradually became smaller and lighter, from H-type to P-type, and then developed into M-type recorder. At this time, the G-type tape recorder obtained the basic patent right of AC bias method, and Dongtonggong began to monopolize the domestic market, and gained profits from a large number of entrepreneurs.
Understanding semiconductor
A radio is a machine that receives electric waves, modulates and amplifies the signals according to the electric waves, so that people can hear the sound. At that time, the amplification equipment must use vacuum tubes; The younger generation may not have seen the vacuum tube, which looks like a light bulb. Therefore, household appliances using vacuum tubes are relatively large in size. In 1947, a doctor from the Bell Institute in the United States invented miraculous electronic components. Although the volume is like a solid the size of a toothpick tip, it has the same function as a vacuum tube. This is the semiconductor. Inoue and Morita have noticed this technology that will surely win the Nobel Prize in the future. So in 1952, Jing Shen, the first person to arrive in the United States, knew that the backstage (WE) of Bell Research Institute would soon allow other manufacturers to have the patent right to use semi-directed works. At that time, "Dongtonggong" had 12 employees, one third of whom were excellent technicians. It was the most suitable choice to gather their strength to complete the work of semiconductor productization. Therefore, Inoue made up his mind to obtain the right to use semiconductors.
in 1952, Akio Morita (now president of SONY) went to the United States to sign a contract with WE. In his book "MADE IN JAPAN york", Morita mentioned his first visit to: "When I first visited the United States, I was shocked by the American landscape. Everything is so big, so far, so vast, and so diverse. It is simply impossible to sell our products in such a country. My only feeling is that I am overwhelmed by the United States. " When Morita visited the United States, Dongtonggong had no idea about the future of semiconductors. Even WE just use semiconductors in hearing AIDS. But Inoue and Morita have decided to use semiconductors in radios. The radio made by RCA using small vacuum tubes before the war can only last for four hours, and it is also an expensive battery, which takes up more than half of the radio space. If semiconductors are used, the problems of power and battery size can be solved, and the products produced will be epoch-making products. Inoue and Morita have thought that if portable radios can be made, they will certainly create new markets. After Morita and WE signed the contract, they traveled to Europe. Morita later mentioned that Europe had just recovered from the war, so it felt very depressed. One day when ordering ice cream in a restaurant in Germany, Morita saw decorations like Japanese umbrellas. The waiter said with a flattering look, this is made in your country. It can be seen that people all over the world know only about Japanese products. What brought Morita's dream was the Philips factory. Holland is an agricultural country. In the corner of such a city, Dr. Philips has fulfilled his dream and built a world-class modern enterprise. Morita thought, "We should be able to do it."
As a result of the efforts of the world's smallest radio technician, Mitsui Bank, which was the main bank at that time, was shocked. Unfortunately, the first successful company to develop transistor radio in the world was not SONY, but was completed by American REGEMCE Company in 1954. The following year, SONY completed the first transistor radio TR-52. After collecting the evaluation of performance from all sides, only 4% of American companies and 5% of SONY are obviously SONY's victory. Moreover, American companies' semiconductors are made from abroad, while SONY makes them by itself, which makes technicians feel more confident.
the origin of Sony
it was later that Sony set up its European head office in Britain. Sheng Tian, who won the honorary gold medal of Wang Li Art College, made the following speech at the award ceremony: "SONY has been creating new things." After listening to this, the attendees felt that this sentence was full of mystery. Maybe some of them laughed and thought that SONY was just a typical example of success by using European inventions. After slowly scanning the audience, Morita continued: "The so-called new music, the name' Sony', is as new English as' Walkman'." When this statement came out, even in a serious and solemn venue full of British gentlemen, it caused a burst of sudden laughter. In this speech, members have suggested that Morita should be awarded the honorary certificate of advanced English conversation, which shows that the British are a nation with a great sense of humor.
the first product made by p>SONY is the TR-52 radio developed by using semiconductors for the first time in Japan, but the company name is not as named as Morita said in his speech in Britain. When TR-52 was exported to the United States, the name Tort-suko (トッコ Japanese pronunciation) was used, probably because Americans would not like strict pronunciation, so they considered changing the brand name. This is just like the abbreviations used by TKK and East Express Metro, while the abbreviations of NHK and CBS are similar to those of TV stations, which are easy to impress the public. At that time, Dongtonggong sold the self-developed tape recorder under the name SONI—TAPE. SONICI in English is the plural of the Latin word SONUS, which is the etymology. This SONI and the popular word "SONNY BOY" (cute little boy) at that time are combined into one, which is SONY, but for the sake of easy pronunciation, the letters are changed to four words, so Sony, which is famous all over the world, was born. The new transistor radio "TR-52" also started to shine with this new name. At that time, there were even office workers who specially ordered shirts with big pockets to put in transistor radio, which became popular all over the country. In 1958, the company was officially renamed as "SONY Corporation", and its shares were also listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
brand obsession
For the first time, Morita took TR--52 with the name "SONY" engraved on it to the United States, and spent $29.95 all over the retail stores, but couldn't sell it. At this time, a "BURORBA Company" ordered 1, units, but it was rejected by Morita. The main reason is that the company's conditions require SONY to use their trademarks for sale in the United States. At that time, BURORBA was one of the few watch manufacturers in the United States, but Morita did not want to become a satellite factory. Employees of the company told Morita, "Our company has a history of more than 5 years and is a traditional company." However, Morita also replied rudely: "Our company will definitely not lose to you in fifty years, and will definitely become famous." However, it doesn't take 5 years, and the result is already obvious. Only people who are interested in watches know about BURORBA Company. Ironically, the BURORBA watches of the 195s are really valuable, because they can already be listed as antiques. In contrast, SONY has now become a world-famous brand. "I don't feel sorry for rejecting such an order at all. On the contrary, I have confidence in my own brand." At that time, 1, orders were like a dream, and Morita refused. Therefore, it is easy to understand Morita's feelings of suing when he found a chocolate manufacturer using SONY's name to launch a product. "Trademark is the life of an enterprise, and it should be protected even against all difficulties. I always think so. trademark