Form 6-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the month of July 2005
Commission File Number: 001-06439
SONY CORPORATION
(Translation of registrant's name into English)
7-35 KITASHINAGAWA 6-CHOME, SHINAGAWA-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN
(Address of principal executive offices)
The registrant files annual reports under cover of Form 20-F.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports
under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F,
Form 20-F X Form 40-F __
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information
contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the
Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
Yes No X
If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in
connection with Rule 12g3-2(b):82-______
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
SONY CORPORATION
(Registrant)
By: /s/ Nobuyuki Oneda
(Signature)
Nobuyuki Oneda
Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
Date: July 15, 2005
List of materials
Documents attached hereto:
i) Press release announcing Sony Ericsson Q2 Results
Sony Corporation Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
6-7-35, Kitashinagawa SE-164 83 Stockholm
Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 141-0001 Japan Sweden
PRESS RELEASE July 15, 2005
Sony Ericsson Gains Momentum in the Second Quarter
Highlights:
- The company gained momentum and market share
- The global market grew faster than expected
- Products announced in Q1 began to ship and were well received
The consolidated financial summary for Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB
(Sony Ericsson) for the second quarter ended June 30, 2005 is as follows:
Q2 2004 Q1 2005 Q2 2005
Numbers of units shipped (million) 10.4 9.4 11.8
Sales (EURO m.) 1504 1289 1614
Income before taxes (EURO m.) 113 70 87
Net income (EURO m.) 89 32 75
Units shipped in the quarter reached 11.8 million, a 14% increase compared to
the same period last year and a 26% increase sequentially. Sales for the quarter
were Euro 1,614 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 7%. Income
before taxes was Euro 87 million and net income was Euro 75 million, which
represents a year-on-year decrease of Euro 26 million and Euro 14 million
respectively, reflecting continued investment in R&D.
Sony Ericsson gained momentum and market share during the quarter as new
products started shipping. The higher unit shipments reflected the broadening of
the product portfolio to appeal to a wider range of price segments in the
market. Average Selling Price (ASP) remained stable in line with expectation.
The global handset market grew faster than expected during the quarter,
primarily because of increased demand in the lower price segments in both mature
and emerging markets. Sony Ericsson has upgraded its global market outlook for
2005 to over 720 million units.
"Sony Ericsson is pleased to report a solid second quarter which saw the company
gaining momentum as new products began to ship, and the increased investment in
product portfolio expansion over the past year started to bear fruit. New phones
announced in Q1, such as the 2 megapixel, auto-focus K750 camera phone, the K600
mid-tier UMTS 3G phone, and the K300, an affordable camera phone, were well
received by consumers and started to make a good contribution during the
quarter. We are also excited to be the first to bring a complete music
proposition to market with the new Walkman(R) phone, that will start shipping
shortly", said Miles Flint, President of Sony Ericsson.
During the second quarter, Sony Ericsson announced a number of new phones
including its second Walkman phone (W600), a mid-tier stylish compact clam-shell
(Z520) and an affordably priced stick phone aimed at Asia and Eastern Europe
(J210). In Japan, the W31S, a CDMA 1X EV-DO music phone for KDDI, started
shipping and has been selling very well.
Walkman(R) is the registered trademark of the Sony Corporation
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications serves the global communications market with
innovative and feature-rich mobile phones, accessories, PC-cards and M2M
solutions. Established as a joint venture by Ericsson and Sony in 2001, with
headquarters in London, the company employs approximately 5,000 people
worldwide, including R&D sites in Europe, Japan, China and America. For more
information, please visit www.SonyEricsson.com
CONTACTS:
Investors/Analysts
Ericsson Investor Relations
Gary Pinkham (Stockholm) +46 8 719 0000
Sony Investor Relations
Takao Yuhara (Tokyo) +81 3 5448 2180
Chris Hohman (London) +44 20 7444 9711
Press/Media
Ericsson External Relations
Pia Gideon (Stockholm) +46 8 719 2864
Sony Corporate Communications
Koji Kurata (Tokyo) +81 3 5448 2200
Sony Ericsson Corporate Communications
Aldo Liguori (London) +44 208 762 5860
Merran Wrigley (London) +44 208 762 5862
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve inherent
risks and uncertainties. We have identified certain important factors that may
cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in such
forward-looking statements. For a detailed description of risk factors see
Sony's and Ericsson's filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission,
particularly each company's latest published Annual Report on Form 20-F.