So another company realises that apple may be a threat and decides to kind-of adopt their thinking.

Bets SE, then nokia, then motorla will soon all start telling the world and dog about how they have JUST figured out that people dont want all the range and that, anyway, its the software features that make the products different. And the world will be in awe at their wisdom... !

The dog will just shrug and kick a chair around..

That said, even Apple make/have made 6 different versions of the iPhone...

(five if you don't count the white one as a different model)

Does that mean that I won't get a mobile phone signal on the periphery of cell coverage with a new Sony Ericsson handset, since the handset ‘range’ is to be reduced?

At least Nokia finally got the E-series and N-series teams talking to each other, and Motorola finally understood that hardware and software should be designed in co-operation with each other.

SE handset range is insane though, even taking into account the need to have low-, mid- and high-end handsets across both prepay and contract and the fact that they run Cyber-shot, Walkman and now XPeria sub-brands 73 is a bit much.

Reduced by 20% isn't enough

Reduced TO 20% isn't even enough. Reduce to 7%, I say.

Put that effort into making 5 superb handsets : Cheap bar, cheap flip, mid-price bar, mid-price flip, smart/mediaphone.

And with the bar vs flip, the only difference should be the packaging. Same feature, same software.

Give them names. Like the Sony, the Sony Flip, The Sony Plus, the Sony Flip Plus and the Sony SmartMedia. Keep these names through product refreshes and redesigns.

Build a brand within a brand.

Hah! I read this initially as: SE plans to cut handset range (e.g., from 30km to 24km??) apparently because there are too many mobiles (perhaps leading to interference which could be helped by reducing handset range??)

... if they cut to about 10% but make the remaining models really really good? All out of SE lately is either hideous, half-assed, or cheap. This includes that Xperia thing which continues the long tradition of SE releasing expensive, overfeatured smartphones with a lot of potential that — after an endless wait — turn out slow, buggy and are supposedly meant to ripen in the pockets of their users. Remember when SE used to be cool and innovative? Yeah, me neither.

I agree with Hywel. There's no need for a company to have so many different phones out at once. Keep it to around 5 or something.

As they said, just have low range bar/flip phones, mid range bar/flip phones, and a smart phone. I think that you've covered just about everything there. I doubt many people would be very confused over that.

Fat product ranges usually stem from an excess of marketing droids all touting their own unique must-have product features - most of which will be entirely useless. They should replace some of the droids with an empowered KISS fundamentalist.

... like my good old W300 was very similar to the W200, all the W8x0's, and really, they were spewing too many new models, too fast. I doubt even those with cash to follow the bling bling fashions weren't able to keep up with this.

However, I also think they should keep the good models; I loved my W300 but the following Wxxx models were hideous; no clamshell models after the 300 and well, I wanted a damn clamshell phone! I ended up switching to a BlackBerry. If I'm going to get a non-clamshell phone, it would have a QWERTY keyboard at least.

As a mobile developer all I can say is, it's about bloody time! Trying to support the never ending supply of new handsets every month is a nightmare - especially when they are just tweaks that then break something else! *urgh*

While we're at it, how about a mobile phone that, you know, sounds like a damn phone...

I totally agree with Hywel, Beaver and Vincent, there's no need whatsoever for more than a handful of different models from any one manufacturer. The "Cybershot" and "Walkman" branding is hugely irritating, when the Cybershot phones play music too, and (guess what?) the Walkman phones also have cameras. Particularly irksome, however, is the way they always hold back on a few features for each model. You can never quite get everything you want in one handset. Please, just make one decent phone! Is it really so hard?

It is likely that the Symbian range is a goner.

Symbian sold to Nokia.

The user interface UiQ is now open-source

with most or all developers layed-off.

The location within Sony-Ericsson developing the Symbian phones

will lay-off like 90% of the employees.

No future for my favourite phone, sigh!

I read the title as '...reduce handset RAGE by 20 percent'

Thoughts of battling Streatham clotheshorse Naomi Campbell flitted through my mind.

There's been a gaping hole at the top of the sony range for getting on for 2 1/2 years. i had a P800/900/910 but even 18 months ago when i got a ancient (but quite cosy) M600 their flagship phones (990 then p1) were unusable and quickly dropped by the carriers. since the death/abdication of palm and sony there is a real, huge demand out there for a decent non touchscreen-only phone for grownups - the only workabl option is the N95 or something from RIM, and for me the bold is much to big and the curve much too old, just take a look at how much a treo still goes for on ebay. the X1 might be the answer (though if ever there was a company holding up its hands and saying 'ok, we're no good at this game, we'll get an somone else to do it for up' its sony with the X1), the googlephone isnt there yet. i just want a nice looking qwerty phone that'll wont cause me trauma every day for 18months, and my choice much too limited than it should be in this fairly mature market - Paris, what should i do?!

I purchased an SE k800i last year, took it back a day later as the speaker failed, and had nothing but trouble with the replacement, have had to put my sim into an old nokia so that i can make calls.

SE never again for me

After the travesty of what I know like to call the fail phone (w910i - breaks every week - im on my third.) its no shock

How about having the clamshell designs named "Flipping Good" and "Flipping Awesome".

I can see that there is some differentiation between Walkman and Cybershot phones, but they all overlap. I ended up with a SE K800i Cybershot, even although I wanted it to play music more than have a camera (although I'm pleased I got that one as the camera is actually pretty good for my usage). So I'd agree with a small model range. Perhaps 5 is too small as some people will want different things, but keep it under 10 on sale (as new) at any one time, sharing as much hardware and software as is possible. Some people want thin, some want a big screen,some clamshell, some no camera...

Precisely! I've long since found Sony's range to be ridiculous. The functional differences between models is negligible, and often the handsets are the same as each other but just in a different case - would you like a little orange button with that or a metallic case with the same button on the side? Utter piffle.

They had a good idea with the K850i, and the touch buttons. Then they took it too far with the next model and put six of them around the screen instead of leaving the camera controls on the keypad. Result - back to small screens for ZERO functional gain.

Sony lost their way ages ago. They need a damn good kick up the jacksy! 5 really good models would do. 73 cases of "same crud, different wrapper" needs sorting out. It's basic business sense. Paris - cos she'd have a simpler range of phones than SE ;-)

I think you are all missing the point about the range of phones available.

To the vast majority of users their mobey is a statement about "who they are" and not just about a device that does some stuff.

mobile phones are fashion.