Lower cost of image sensor business lifts Sony`s annual income estimate
(Digital Photography Review)

According to a report by Reuters Japanese electronics manufacturer Sony has lifted its operating income estimate for the financial year ended March 31. Sony says it now expects an income of around ¥285 billion ($2.6 billion), which is up from a 240 billion yen estimate in February. The main reason for the adjustment of the estimate are lower amortization costs for Sony`s financial services segment but the company also cites lower-than-anticipated costs for its image sensor business. The company doesn`t provide any more detail than that, so we can only speculate what those anticipated costs were.  Sony`s semiconductor business has been a market leader for years with a dominating market share of around 40 percent. Sony sensors have been deployed in the cameras and smartphones of a large number of vendors. The company will report its full-year results on April 28.