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 April 2006
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: April 13, 2006
List of materials
Documents attached hereto:
i) A press release announcing - Sony Ericsson Q1 Results
SONY ERICSSON
Sony Corporation Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
6-7-35, Kitashinagawa SE-164 83 Stockholm
Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 141-0001 Japan Sweden
PRESS RELEASE April 13, 2006
Greater depth in portfolio contributes to strong growth
Q1 Highlights:
- Strong sales & volume growth
- Expansion of portfolio at all price points
- Income before tax Euro 151 million - 115% year-on-year increase
The consolidated financial summary for Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB
(Sony Ericsson) for the first quarter ended March 31, 2006 is as follows:
Q1 2005 Q4 2005 Q1 2006
Numbers of units shipped (million) 9.4 16.1 13.3
Sales (EURO m.) 1289 2310 1992
Income before taxes (EURO m.) 70 206 151
Net income (EURO m.) 32 144 109
Units shipped in the quarter reached 13.3 million, a 41% increase compared to
the same period last year, higher than general market growth but down 17%
sequentially. Sales for the quarter were Euro 1,992 million, representing a
year-on-year increase of 55%. Income before taxes was Euro 151 million, which
represents a year-on-year increase of 115%. Net income more than tripled
year-on- year to Euro 109 million.
Earlier increases in R&D investment enabled Sony Ericsson to announce more new
products during the first quarter than in previous years. These products
included a further three Walkman(R) phones; the tri-band edge W810, the high-end
W950 with 4GB flash memory, and the mass market W300 clamshell. Building upon
the success of bringing Sony's very popular Walkman(R) brand to the mobile
phone, Sony Ericsson also announced the K800 and K790, flagship 3.2 megapixel
imaging phones and the first Cyber-shot TM branded phones in the portfolio.
Average Selling Price (ASP) rose 4% to Euro 149, reflecting the greater
proportion of higher-end products entering the product mix due to the new phones
for both KDDI and NTT DoCoMo in Japan.
In GSM markets a number of lower priced handsets such as the Z300, J230, J220
started to ramp up and ship. In Japan, NTT DoCoMo announced and started shipping
Sony Ericsson's first FOMA TM phone, the SO902i, and KDDI launched the W41S, an
EV-DO handset with Sony's FeliCa* multi-purpose IC card technology.
Growth in the global handset market continued to outpace earlier expectations,
and Sony Ericsson now forecasts the global market outlook for 2006 to be over
900 million units. Our previous guidance was 10% growth versus estimated 2005
market volumes of about 780 million units.
In March, Sony Ericsson strengthened its strategy of focusing on compelling
consumer mobile solutions through innovative mobile phones, accessories and PC
cards by signing an agreement to sell its business-to-business Telemetry and
Automotive M2M business units to Wavecom.
"The first quarter has seen Sony Ericsson announce a host of exciting products
which address a wide variety of consumer needs and lifestyle choices. We have
announced flagship models in our three key strategic areas: music, imaging and
enterprise, and feel well positioned to deliver an enhanced user experience at
all price points of our portfolio. The W800, W550 and W600 Walkman(R) phones
were big sellers during the quarter and we have now sold 5.5 million Walkman(R)
branded phones since mid-August, proving the success of our mobile music
strategy. With a total of eight Walkman(R) phones now announced or shipping,
plus the introduction of new Cyber-shot TM imaging phones, we are beginning to
deliver the differentiation in our product portfolio which Sony Ericsson
promised at the start of the joint venture," said Miles Flint, President of Sony
Ericsson.
The Shareholders decided on a dividend of Euro 247 million paid to the parent
companies on March 30, 2006.
FOMA TM is a trademark of NTT DoCoMo, Inc. in Japan and other countries.
*FeliCa is Sony's contactless IC card technology, providing advantage of
multi-applications in a single card, as well as high security features and
processing speed.
WALKMAN(R) and Cyber-shot TM are registered trademarks of Sony Corporation.
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications serves the global communications market with
innovative and feature-rich mobile phones, accessories, and PC-cards.
Established as a joint venture by Sony and Ericsson in 2001, with global
corporate functions located in London, the company employs approximately 6,000
people worldwide, including R&D sites in Europe, Japan, China and America. Sony
Ericsson is the global title sponsor of the Women's Tennis Association, and
works with the Association to promote the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in over 80
cities during the year. For more information on Sony Ericsson, please visit
www.SonyEricsson.com
CONTACTS:
Investors/Analysts
Ericsson Investor Relations
Susanne Andersson (Stockholm) +46 8 719 4631
Sony Investor Relations
Takao Yuhara (Tokyo) +81 3 5448 2180
Chris Hohman (London) +44 20 7444 9711
Press/Media
Ericsson External Relations
Ase Lindskog (Stockholm) +46 8 719 9725
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.