The Japan Times reports Sony is out of the PC optical drive business-- blaming "fierce competition" for the closing of wholly owned subsidiary Sony Optiarc.
The CD and DVD drive maker will stop operations from March 2013 before Sony liquidates all unit assets. According to sources most of around 400 employees will be taking early retirement.
Formed as a joint venture with NEC in 2006, Optiarc was turned into a full Sony subsidiary in 2008.
The Optiarc closing comes as part of a company-wide restructuring of money-losing Sony divisions following the huge fiscal 2011 and 2012 losses. Sony losses in Q2 2012 alone total $312 million as operating profits decline by -77% Y-o-Y.
Sony hopes to slash its total global workforce by 10000 (or 6%) by March 2013, in a move to boost efficiency while improving profits.
Go Sony to Pull Plug on Optical Disc Drives (The Japan Times)
