Classic Nook 2 Predictions

[detayls]

Yes, I was listing iPhone. I did buy a Nook but took it back when the LCD screen bugged me too much. Now I use a Kindle 3.

This was not the point though. I was predicting that Nook needs to be made radically cheaper and to do that they need to eliminate anything superfluous. This is what Amazon has done. The new Kindle 3 WiFi is clearly about as lean as it can get.

The point is the books folks. B&N and Amazon are really competing on books not readers.

[eGeezer]

Actually, I doubt that either the Sony or the Kindles are being manufactured any cheaper (cost-wie, not quality-wise), they are just charging less and making the difference up with book sales. nook, as well, will not be able to decrease the cost of manufacture significantly, and the current price is pretty darned good in this arena.

[MrPLD]

I think another year and we should see the Kindle tickling the $99 mark but I'm not sure how far beyond that they'll push it. At the $139 price it's already creating a demand explosion which should help bring the cost of eInk tech down over time.

[detayls]

Have either of you actually held a Kindle 3 in your own hot little hand?

It's basically a thin plastic case containing a battery, a screen and very simple keyboard, a tiny logic memory board and a couple of switches. The cost of goods and labor must be well south of $99.

By comparison the Nook is much larger and heavier plastic case with a sheet metal interior, a removable battery, a connector for an unneeded card, a small logic board and a fairly large LCD and lots of connectors ans switches.

The parts cost alone is over $100 with labor it will be unlikely that the $149 is covered.

The Nook has two fabulous advantages: ePub and bricks-and-mortar stores. Their support is vastly inferior to Amazons so their costs need to be re-directed from the reader itself.

I would bet actual money that they will introduce a "lite" version that will soon replace the current hardware. They don't really have a choice.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by detayls

Have either of you actually held a Kindle 3 in your own hot little hand?

It's basically a thin plastic case containing a battery, a screen and very simple keyboard, a tiny logic memory board and a couple of switches. The cost of goods and labor must be well south of $99.

By comparison the Nook is much larger and heavier plastic case with a sheet metal interior, a removable battery, a connector for an unneeded card, a small logic board and a fairly large LCD and lots of connectors ans switches.

The parts cost alone is over $100 with labor it will be unlikely that the $149 is covered.

The Nook has two fabulous advantages: ePub and bricks-and-mortar stores. Their support is vastly inferior to Amazons so their costs need to be re-directed from the reader itself.

I would bet actual money that they will introduce a "lite" version that will soon replace the current hardware. They don't really have a choice.

Ohh please, the kindle is not the second coming. The only reason why it is doing better than the others is because Amazon actually runs commericials and created a strong brand recoginition. and Kudos to their marketing department.
The Nooks LCD screen is the major reason why people who bought the Nook and who actually were out comparing the two, chose that over the Kindle,

The kindle is a very outdated looking, style wise and navigating wise device. But and it's a huge BUT. they advertise all over and they advertise well.

[sun surfer]

I have to agree. There will always be some people who don't like the LCD screen or this or that on the nook, but if B&N had the money to market it better, it would've gained way more ground than it did. The marketing wasn't bad; it just wasn't and isn't nearly as prevalent as Kindle marketing. The nook is a solid device and has a lot of advantages.

[detayls]

I didn't say the Kindle was/is the second coming.

If you read the post again, all I said was that it is made for much less which gives Amazon more wiggle room on pricing.

In actual fact I said that Nook had two big advantages and made no mention of any superiority in use for Kindle.

People see words on the page that are not really there. The Kindle is cheaper to produce and that is all there is to it. Nook needs to follow this trend or fail.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by detayls

People see words on the page that are not really there. The Kindle is cheaper to produce and that is all there is to it. Nook needs to follow this trend or fail.

Totally agree. I hope B&N ditches that LCD panel in Nook 2.

The three most important things to me now in an ereader are: library books, battery life, and a black body. N1 has the first one covered, while K3 has the last two. I want N2 to have all three.

[sun surfer]

to detayls post - I was more just agreeing with part of what boswd was saying than replying to what you wrote.

to tubemonkey's post - I'd rather them keep the LCD screen because I like it but more importantly, it distinguishes the nook and makes it unique. I think they can come up with better battery life and lighter weight while still keeping it.

Also, I know it's an extra expense and work (and personally I like grey/black too), but you can easily buy a black decal for the nook that would cover the white up and removes easily with no damage to the nook, and also you can buy a different-coloured back cover if you want too, including in dark grey/black.

But I agree with what you're getting at - a black or grey nook 2 would be great, though I am fine with my white one (Apple got me used to white stuff before they started going black, silver and colours).

[ST-One]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Thanks; that's good to know. A glowing LCD display would cause me to cover it up with a piece of cardboard.

I prefer buttons to swiping.

Me too.

[ST-One]

Originally Posted by detayls

I didn't say the Kindle was/is the second coming.

If you read the post again, all I said was that it is made for much less which gives Amazon more wiggle room on pricing.

In actual fact I said that Nook had two big advantages and made no mention of any superiority in use for Kindle.

People see words on the page that are not really there. The Kindle is cheaper to produce and that is all there is to it. Nook needs to follow this trend or fail.

So, what you are saying is that you get less from Amazon for almost the same amount of money B&N charges for the Nook (which, as you said, contains more and more complicated technology - oh, and that SD-card slot in not not needed, the navigation via the LCD-touch-screen is much faster [and I don't give a damn about the dictionary being somewhat more cumbersome to use; I use almost never on the Kindle and just as often on the Nook - and I'm German, reading books in English], and that I can replace the battery by myself is a huge plus, and it's not that heavy compared to dtf-books].

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

to tubemonkey's post - I'd rather them keep the LCD screen because I like it but more importantly, it distinguishes the nook and makes it unique. I think they can come up with better battery life and lighter weight while still keeping it.

Also, I know it's an extra expense and work (and personally I like grey/black too), but you can easily buy a black decal for the nook that would cover the white up and removes easily with no damage to the nook, and also you can buy a different-coloured back cover if you want too, including in dark grey/black.

But I agree with what you're getting at - a black or grey nook 2 would be great, though I am fine with my white one (Apple got me used to white stuff before they started going black, silver and colours).

To me, library books are enough to distinguish the Nook from the Kindle.

As to my other requirements, I realize I can achieve them with add-ons, but they cost money: Nook ($149) + additional battery ($30) + black skin ($20) + additional 2GB storage ($5) = $204. K3 already has these features built-in and it's only $139. That's why I'm hoping N2 adds them.

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

To me, library books are enough to distinguish the Nook from the Kindle.

As to my other requirements, I realize I can achieve them with add-ons, but they cost money: Nook ($149) + additional battery ($30) + black skin ($20) + additional 2GB storage ($5) = $204. K3 already has these features built-in and it's only $139. That's why I'm hoping N2 adds them.

Keep in mind that the extra battery is probably not going to be used to extend reading life; what is going to do is give you a way to keep your device running when the original battery finally dies without having to ship it back to the manufacturer. Likewise, the 2 GB storage is more than just 2GB... its the added flexibility that allows you to expand storage as needed or to swap out cards if you decide to segregate certain file types.

--
Bill

[DiamondDave]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

To me, library books are enough to distinguish the Nook from the Kindle.

That's the reason I bought the nook. Had Amazon supported epub, I may have made another decision. I am really enjoying my FLOP library card and would be peeved if I were stuck with the formats that the Kindle supports (legally).

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by DiamondDave

That's the reason I bought the nook. Had Amazon supported epub, I may have made another decision. I am really enjoying my FLOP library card and would be peeved if I were stuck with the formats that the Kindle supports (legally).

That's cool. I'm lucky to have several libraries around me with large OverDrive content.