Sony is reportedly considering selling its loss making PC division, ‘Vaio’, to investment fund Japan Industrial Partners.
The unit is anticipated to be sold for around $492m, following which the Japanese electronics firm would keep only a small stake in the newly formed company to take over the Vaio brand’s operations in Japan.
In addition, reports revealed Sony is consdiering whether to withdraw from overseas PC markets, Nikkei reported.
Selling off the PC business would lead to disposal losses, pushing Sony into a net loss for the first time in two years by the end of 31 March 2014.
According to latest Gartner research, sales of traditional PCs are slowing as smartphones and tablets gain popularity, with the global PC shipments projected to reach 278 million units this year.
Sony has also discarded reports of possible JV with China-based PC maker Lenovo, saying that it continues to deal with several options for the PC business.
