Sony to close optical drive manufacturing division as part of ongoing restructure

Sony has announced that it intends to close its Sony Optiarc optical drive manufacturing division by March 2013 as part of a broader restructure.

According to Tom’s Hardware, the division predominantly manufactures DVD burners, BluRay players and other optical drives for desktop PC manufacturers.

However, despite controlling around 15% of the market, the division has delivered losses due to tough competition and price pressures.

Sony is currently in the middle of a major restructure that will see 10,000 jobs cut, representing 6% of its global workforce. The restructuring was announced after Sony reported a record annual loss of $US6.4 billion.

The news comes after speculation emerged earlier this month that Apple might ditch optical drives in its next-generation iMac and Mac Pro devices, as consumers increasingly turn to high-speed broadband networks and cloud storage to store and transfer files.