Sony has just come out with their first earnings report of 2013 which spans the April-June quarter with some encouraging news. While a far cry from the $8-12 billion net profit that Apple tends to make or the low billions from Samsung, Sony brought in an operating profit of 36.36 billion yen ($369.68 million) with a net profit of $35 million. This comes well ahead of the 25.3 billion yen profit that many analysts were expecting for the battered company. This also places the company well ahead of the year prior which saw them post an operating profit of 6.3 billion yen.

According to Sony thanks to their mobile division which consists of their Android smartphones and tablets and surprisingly television sales, the company was able to beat expectations while the PlayStation division held the company down with lower sales. Lets talk details.

PlayStation, the gaming division of Sony and one of the companies key pillars saw an operating loss for the quarter with sales of the PS3, PSP, and PS2 down slightly. With an uptick in R&D spending, thanks to the impending launch of the PS4 saw the division as a whole down 7.2%. With strong demand for the PS4 and a potential price drop for the PS3 with its launch, Sony is going into the holiday season with a compelling product line.

The mobile division was once again the savior for Sony and an indication that despite a US presence which can only help things more, the company made the right decision to bring all smartphone and tablet designs in house. With higher sales for smartphones (9.6 million units), revenue for the division was up 36% while sales were up nearly 38% compared to the year prior.

Another saving grace for the now nearly two year old CEO Kaz Hirai was his decision to simplify the companies television line while expanding to new territories like 4K. This resulted in year-on-years sales up 18.2 percent in a typically low televisions sales period of the year.

Discuss:

What do you think Sony needs to do to continue their rise?

[Via Sony]