Sony is in talks over the sale of its loss-making personal computer business Vaio to investment fund Japan Industrial Partners for up to US$490 million), according to a newspaper report.
Asian business publication Nikkei reports Sony plans to sell its PC business to a new firm established by Japan Industrial Partners and take a small stake.
Previous reports had suggested Sony was in talks with Lenovo Group over a joint venture, though Sony dismissed this and Lenovo declined to comment.
Sony has however admitted it plans to revise its strategy over Vaio, with smartphones and tablets affecting PC sales worldwide.
HumanIPO reported last month global PC shipments fell by 6.9 per cent to 82.6 million units in the fourth quarter of last year, the seventh consecutive quarter shipments have declined.
Though its PC business is running at a loss, Sony’s release it the PlayStation 4 (PS4) has been a success, with over 2.1 million consoles sold globally within a month of the device’s launch on November 15.
