Sony Corp. has a hit product on its hands. Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. will be happy to sell it to you.
Sony's latest star performer isn't a gadget like the Walkman or PlayStation. Instead, it's a chip found in almost every high-end camera and smartphone. Apple's iPhone 5 and 4S use it and so do Samsung's flagship Galaxy S4 and LG's G2, researchers say.
The company that helped invent the compact disc has captured almost a third of the $7.6 billion market for low-power sensors that record crisp snapshots. Sony's revenue from the chips gained an estimated 30 percent last year as Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai tries to revive the electronics unit after its TV business posted nine straight annual losses.