I’ve had a lot to say about the Xperia Ear over the past two weeks. Not only do I not find them competitive enough against Apple AirPods, but also priced exuberantly higher with wacky promos that almost nobody can partake in. It’s not that I find the product idea bad – in fact, I believe digital assistant-driven products will be for the next decade what mobile was for the last decade – but I’m not exactly sure who Sony is targeting with Xperia Ear and unlike Samsung with a boatload of cash on hand, Sony can’t afford the business strategy of throwing products at the wall in the hopes of one of them sticking.

Recently, Sony has released a video series meant to highlight what Xperia Ear can offer. Here is how they describe the first video:

 Among the hustle and bustle of London, photographer Tom uses Xperia Ear to stay connected and in control of his day. With weather reports, diary dates, messages and more, it’s there to give him all the information he needs, wherever his shooting schedule takes him. 

My favorite quote from the fake Jony Ive:

 I’m so ambitious 

Clearly the creative team behind the video was not. I get what Sony is going for here – showcase a lifestyle where Xperia Ear fits in, but I can’t find any of it relatable and I’m not frankly convinced how Xperia Ear is going to appropriately handle most of the interactions it depicts. I’ve said this time and time again but Sony’s promo videos lack energy and momentum. Now let’s see the real Jony Ive introduce a similar product.

Now the styles of the two videos are absolutely different but one conveys a lifestyle that you can’t quite relate to because you can’t exactly figure out what or how Xperia Ear does what it’s supposed to, and the other, while deep diving in the technical end manages to convey a product that’s easy to understand and a future that it’s meant to be a part of.

Hell – from the Sony video, it’s not even clear what products the Xperia Ear works with and the product is actually never mentioned by name which is rather odd. But having not spent any time with either product, this is less about what each is able to do and more about how Sony conveys their ideas and products, and routinely so. The fact that it has less than 3,000 views should tell you something.

Discuss:

What did you think of the ‘One Day in London’ video?