Sony Ericsson / Sony Mobile

Sony Mobile's 2020 restructuring to niche positioning acknowledged failure in mass smartphone market. The Sony-Ericsson joint venture (2001-2012) and Sony's solo effort (2012-2020) couldn't compete against iPhone and Android leaders. Sony's Xperia phones had technical excellence but no differentiation that mattered to consumers. The company retreated to Japan and enthusiast markets rather than competing globally.