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Sony delays new camera launch due to Thai flooding

The electronics maker is shifting production to an unaffected factory nearby but may still miss the crucial holiday season.

Sony said Thursday it has been forced to postpone the launch of a new camera and cut production of another because a factory in Thailand has been affected by the widespread flooding there.

The company's new "NEX-7" high-end portable digital camera was due to be released next month in time for this year's holiday season, but its launch has now been postponed indefinitely. Production of Its new SLR "Alpha 65," which had already launched in some countries, has also been cut off. Several accompanying lens kits and headphone products have also been affected.

Months of heavy monsoon rains have flooded the central and northern portions of the country, killing over 300 people, according to media reports. Tens of thousands more have been evacuated and Bangkok is now under threat, and hundreds of factories producing everything from cars to semiconductors have been swamped.

"Sony is currently shifting production to another unaffected factory in Thailand that normally makes car audio products, but there is no set date when production will start up again," spokesman Yasuhiro Okada said.

The affected factory is in Ayutthaya, north of the capital in the central portion of Thailand. It was used mainly used for assembling parts manufactured in other regions, Okada said.

Nominations for the 2012 ARN IT Industry Awards open on Tuesday, June 12.

More about: Alpha, Sony

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