Sony Ericsson warned that a wide launch of its Xperia neo smartphone will be delayed until the third quarter due to supply chain disruptions resulting from the disaster in Japan last month, and said that shipments of its other Xperia-branded gadgets could also be affected.
The Xperia neo, which Sony Ericsson introduced at the Mobile World Congress trade show in February, was supposed to be broadly launched late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter, but Sony Ericsson said its launch will be delayed until the early third quarter.
Additionally, Sony Ericsson said it has communicated to operator partners and distributors that some volumes of its Xperia arc and Xperia Play smartphones have been affected. The company did not say how many shipments have been affected or what specific markets will be impacted.
Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) is expected to launch the company's Xperia Play PlayStation phone in the near future. A Sony Ericsson spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how the delays might impact the Verizon launch.
Numerous companies throughout the wireless industry have suffered supply chain disruptions as a result of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan March 11. Sony Ericsson said it will address the issue in greater detail when it reports its first quarter earnings April 19.
Sony Ericsson has been banking on its new range of smartphones running Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android platform to help it capture back market share, especially among Android licensees.
For more:
- see this WSJ article (sub. req.)
- see this Engadget post
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