IFA 2009 Preview

It is almost the end of August and that means it is time for the world’s largest consumer electronic show, the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA). I am anticipating the new A-Series walkman which I believe is to go on sale this October. Last year Sony revealed the S, E and B walkmans with most available for sale shortly after. This of course is a good indication since, "IFA is a trade show which is focused more on market-ready technologies” according to Jens Heithecker the executive director of Messe Berlin, which organizes the IFA trade fair each year. Unlike CES, any new products at IFA should go on sale within 1-2 months, and not 4-6 months as with the X-Series.

Sony Europe’s Press conference is slated for the first media day, September 2 at 17:00 local time. But as with last year, I am hopeful that Sony will issue a press release prior to the show. The new E-Series and B-Series already been released in Europe and the E-Series is mentioned on the IFA website but I do hope more walkman products are planned for IFA, otherwise it will be a bleak time for walkmans this fall. The new S-Series has leaked via Sony Insider from Materiel.net and is even available for ordering but I am not sure if anyone has pulled the trigger and purchased one yet.

Any press release could come as early as next week perhaps on August 28 or on August 31. Engadget mentioned something about a supposed new OLED TV from Sony with information confirming or denying this on August 31, therefore this could signal August 31 as the day Sony releases its IFA press release. If the new A-Series debuts at IFA, then possible designations would be:

NWZ-A834 (8GB), NWZ-A835 (16GB) and NWZ-A836 (32GB)

I do not believe Wi-Fi will be offered to keep costs down but anything else is fairgame. Pricing for the new A should be inline with the pricing that leaked for the new S, NWZ-A834 (149 euros), NWZ-A835 (199 euros) and NWZ-A836 (229-249 euros). Flash pricing has fallen in the recent months and if Sony opts for a poor cpu then a high price as with the X-Series would doom the new A-Series.

Now the countdown begins to IFA and if Sony will debut either or both the new S-Series and A-Series.