From the New York Times:

Another dent in its once-sterling reputation is the last thing Sony needed, after having to recall 9.6 million laptop batteries because of fire hazards.

Which colors a later statement from the same article:

Sony [was] late to the exploding markets for portable music players and flat-panel televisions.

U.S. Investigates Sony for Antitrust Violations [NY Times]
Earlier: Sony battery explodes at Yahoo's Mission College campus [Valleywag; photo by Kevin Collins]

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