Sony products – NOT for consumer benefit.

When one thinks of electronics consumer products there is a wide variety of products available. When choosing a product one must also take into account the cost of accessories, something the general public do not entertain at the point of purchase.

Certain manufacturers push for their proprietary standards, in order to maximise profits in the investment of their technology. This is generally NOT to the benefit of the consumer.

One such example is the memory card. There are many standards and new one always being brought out. It is debatable whether the new standards are of benefit to the user or just another means of the companies to force the users to upgrade to their new technologies.

This comparison will compare Sony’s Memory Stick to the Secure Digital Card.

When Sony invented the 1GB Memory Stick, the technology was already in place to deliver it with a capacity of 32 GB.

For all intensive purposes the technology required to produce 2GB is the same, whether it be in SD or Sony’s MS format. To be fair to the comparison the same manufacturer, Sandisk is used.

2GB in

Micro SD - $43.95

(Sony)M2 - $65.95

This example clearly illustrates that there is a premium of 50% to use the Sony product, with no benefit to the end user whatsoever.

Source: mobile issue 1 Summer 07/08