For Sony, a year of living defectively

Sony's tech woes keep on going.

The Japanese electronics giant announced last week that a flaw in the LCDs in some of its Cybershot cameras means that they may not work in warm and humid areas. Sony said it would repair affected cameras for free, and that of the more than 1 million models sold, around 4,000 could need repairs.

Sony found similar defects in other digital and video cameras last October.

The camera problems cap off a year of tech troubles for the company. Sony batteries used in laptops manufactured by Dell, Apple, Lenovo, Sharp, Fujitsu, Gateway, Toshiba and Sony itself were all recalled earlier this year.

Blog community response:

"The company really is struggling to turn itself around, and the last thing it needs at this point is for its brand to take a hit and consumers to see its products as unreliable. So a note to Howard Stringer: while sorting out the company's content and technology mess is important, don't let it come at the expense of product quality. Sony can't afford to fail at either one at this point."
--TechDirt

"If you work for Sony, telling the bosses that you've got another problematic component after *that* battery recall is a job you really don't want. The better news for the firm is that the firm only expects about 4,000 units--half a percent of units shipped--to have been affected so there will be no material effect on financials. Still, the damage to the iconic brand caused by dubious QA testing is surely having an unwanted impact."
--Techlime

"If there's any company that's anxious for this year to end, it must be Sony."
--Engadget