This is indeed an indicator of the really sad state of affairs for the Japanese giant Sony. If you have been waiting to pick up the latest and greatest Sony flagship devices – the Sony Xperia Z2 (and for that matter the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact) – on contract from your friendly neighborhood carrier, we’ll just have to dampen your spirits. Earlier rumors had suggested that T-Mobile would exclusively carry the Sony Xperia Z2 in its line-up, given that the carrier also had the original Xperia Z and had exclusivity over the Xperia Z1S. We also heard rumblings earlier that the device could come out as a Verizon exclusive. However, in all contradiction to these older rumors, we have confirmation directly from the horse’s mouth – so to say.
Japanese OEM Sony has confirmed that fans of the Xperia Z2 could expect the device to be available for retail in the US sometime later this summer. However, the report also states that the flagship device will not be available on-contract from any of the carriers in the States, instead the device will be available from the company’s online store. Though this news is dampening if you were waiting for the Xperia Z2, the situation is far worse for those who were eagerly awaiting the smaller – yet robust – Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, will have to let go of hope. Sony has been very blunt in denying the retail availability for the Z1 Compact in the US – simply put – the device will never come to the US. Another factor needs to be enumerated here. Sony themselves have stated that they’ll be speeding up their refresh cycles for their flagship devices. As of yet, almost all manufacturers follow an annual cycle, wherein we see the flagship device receive an upgrade on a yearly basis. However, by speeding this up, Sony would then be launching devices on a half-yearly basis. The flawed strategy notwithstanding, this would mean that by the time the Xperia Z2 would be available for purchase in the US, it would be time for Sony to unveil the Sony Xperia Z3 – which is definitely not a prospect which any potential buyer would be happy about.
What this announcement goes on to show is that Sony has been sidelining the US smartphone market and deems to keep its home-base happier. However, if this is how Sony plans on treating their fans in one of the largest smartphone markets, we should advise them to start packing up. Fans don’t remain fans for long if you don’t treat them nice. What’s your take on this? Shout it out in the comments below.