Is sony going to release new e-reader soon?

[rammbam]

Im thinking of buying the new kindle,but i still want to see whether sony
will release better e-reader this month cse i cant wait longer than that.

So anyone having information on new sony e-reader?

[wallcraft]

Last year the PRS-300 and PRS-600 leaked on 07-30-2009 (New Sony model to be called PRS-300 and PRS-600) and were announced on 08-05-2009 (Official Sony PR re PRS-300/600). In previous years, the PRS-505 and PRS-500 were delivered at about the end of September.

So I would expect something in the next two months, and it would make sense to pre-anounce before the Kindle WiFi models start shipping. However, the recent Kindle/Nook/Kobo price wars must raise a serious question at Sony about whether they can compete. Sony is strong outside the US, but I don't see how prices can be maintained worldwide with Amazon shipping to so many countries.

Note that you can order a Kindle and cancel before delivery (although the case may ship first), and even return it within 30 days.

[levander]

rammbam, i'm about to buy a Sony PRS-600 today. I decided to buy it from Wal-mart because of their 90 day return policy. That way, if a new reader does come out, I can just return this old one.

[banjobama]

We can only hope. Sony is pretty much the only brand to which I have any loyalty left, ha ha. I'm crossing my fingers that the PlayStation 3 of ebook readers gets released from them this year and everyone gets proved wrong.

[Worldwalker]

I have no brand loyalty at all to Sony, not since the rootkit incident, but they make darn good ebook readers.

*holds high the banner of the Silver Sony Brigade*

[wolfing]

If money is an issue, go for the Kindle. Sony already said that they won't participate in the 'price war', and that they will concentrate on releasing 'high end' ebook readers.
I love my PRS-600, but it really looks like Sony is thinking of leaving the ebook reader market. They haven't released an update to the firmware in almost a year (and it could certainly use one).

[jashsu]

Originally Posted by wolfing

If money is an issue, go for the Kindle. Sony already said that they won't participate in the 'price war', and that they will concentrate on releasing 'high end' ebook readers.
I love my PRS-600, but it really looks like Sony is thinking of leaving the ebook reader market. They haven't released an update to the firmware in almost a year (and it could certainly use one).

Sony usually says these things and then ends up competing on price anyway. (see their position on laptops, TVs, game machines, etc etc). I do think there is a non-negligible possibility that Sony may leave the market completely, but they would only do this if there was no more business to continue pursuing. They did this in the past with their line of PDAs, the Clie. That was due to the death of the standalone PDA market, though.

Back in 2006, I had a 50/50 bet that Sony would abandon ebook readers a year or two after the initial launch of the PRS-500 (which I bought at full price!). Seems like they've only strengthened their commitment, but the market for ebook readers is significantly different today compared to four years ago.

Time seems ripe for the annual refreshes (perhaps powered by E-ink Pearl). I imagine if they want to stay in the game, all models in the 2010 line will pack either wifi, 3G, or both. The over-the-air download method is the key to making e-books usable for the average customer. Fiddling with desktop software should not be the primary method of obtaining books for a reader from a company with an ecommerce backend. Amazon was the first to realize this.