The Sony eVilla is a discontinued Internet appliance from Sony. It debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show 2001 and was released to the public on June 14, 2001 for $499 USD after 18 months of development.[1] With the additional $21.95 USD monthly fee, users could access the Internet, send and receive e-mail, play audio and video, and save files to Sony's Memory Stick.
After less than three months in the market,[2] Sony discontinued the product on September 13, 2001. Customers received full refunds for the product and the monthly subscription fee.[3] Spokesman John Dolak remarked that "[the] product did not meet our expectations, it did not operate as planned."
Sony entered the Internet appliance market as other manufacturers were getting out, canceling their plans, and discontinuing their offerings. By the time the Sony eVilla shipped, only 150,000 internet appliance devices had shipped within the past year. In addition, many customers could not justify the purchase of an inherently limited internet appliance when other manufacturers were offering more capable personal computers for the same price.[citation needed]