Showing posts with label sony. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sony. Show all posts

"E-Waste" Policy: NGOs Living in an RCA World

"A broken calendar is not as good as a broken clock." - Robin Ingenthron
RCA Emblem - Nipper ponders Obsoete Victrola Waste Stream
Catching up with electronics trade publication reading.  In Slashdot, I saw this article about the possible deathbed watch for Sharp Electronics.  Sharp is still a big producer in the display device field.   From ComputerWorld:
"Japan's Sharp, a major supplier of LCD displays to Apple and other manufacturers, has warned that it may not survive if it can't turn around its business, an admission that caught few off guard.
"The Osaka-based manufacture said there is "material doubt" about its ability to continue operating in its earnings report filed Thursday. Sharp added, however, that it still believes it can cut costs and secure enough credit to survive. Its IGZO technology for mobile displays is likely to be a key element of its business strategy.
"Companies with credit trouble must warn about possible concerns over their survival as part of their disclosure requirements."
Intelligent observers generalize on the decline of Japanese "Big E" - Sony, LG, Sharp, Panasonic, etc., and the rise of Samsung and Korea.  Korea is feeling its oats, in car production and electronics and music.  But how significant is this?  Time for a history lesson on Japanese and American transistor manufacturing.

Growth of cities in developing world

This is a fascinating little tool, showing overlays of the the growth charts of the largest cities in the world.

590 Cities Charted:  Impure Blog

As Yadji explained in his video, people are leaving the backwaters of the developing world and heading to the city.   I've been writing a lot this year on the "pixelization" of wealth distribution, and how clumsy the "rich vs. poor" country debate has become.

The changing world means that companies like Sony, RIM (Blackberry), HP/Compaq, and Dell are receding, just as RCA, Magnavox, and Polaroid disappeared over the past decades.   But when I read that the "electronics industry" is in decline, I laugh.   That's like saying "basketball is in decline" because Larry Bird or Michael Jordan are unable to compete on the court. 


Today's Presentation at CES Las Vegas

Innovation Policy Summit 

Today I make my pitch for Fair Trade Recycling


Product Refurbishment and Reuse in the Developing World: What is its Current and Future Role in the CE Industry?

Thursday, January 12, 2012 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
LVCC, North Hall N264

In developing nations, refurbishment and reuse activities are a major part of local CE industries.
How do refurbishment operations meet local consumer demand? How do they affect the environment?
Will new, lower-priced technologies put these operations out of business, or could they become global
go-to locations for operations like warranty repair?





Moderator(s): 
  • Willie Cade – PC Rebuilders & Recyclers, LLC.
Panelist(s): 
  • Robin Ingenthron – Good Point Recycling
  • Adam Minter – Journalist
  • Amr Sheira – CompuMe Egypt
  • Douglas Smith – Sony Electronics Inc.