Very short question for Sony reader users

[jbcohen]

What factor(s) led up to sony's decision to discontinue their line of ebook readers?

[petercreasey]

Due to Sony's lackluster marketing, the market didn't realize that the Sony ereaders are the best the market has to offer.

[booklover6]

Lack of sales, of course. It's all about the money.

[DuskyRose]

I was a fan from the start, and have to say it's very, very hard to get other people enthused about a machine they don't know anything about, haven't heard about, and can't see for themselves. So I quit recommending them even though I love them because Sony just couldn't be bothered to advertise themselves.

Especially when they all disappeared from local stores and the only place you could see one was the Sony stores. We don't have any locally, so it's a long drive to get to the store, and half the time none of the models were charged and working.

And even though I love them, and might have been willing to buy a PRS-T3 just for kicks before they went out of the business, Sony didn't want to sell me one in the US. It just wasn't worth the hassle of trying to find one elsewhere. Not when everyone else WANTS to sell me their model.

I think Sony lost interest and gave up long ago. Eventually, I had to as well.

[rem736]

i think we can all guess. but i also don't think it's appropriate for us to answer on behalf of sony, as your question suggested. that being said, i think the decline started when most major e-reader manufactures went on to produce lighted e-readers. sony, with its disastrous experience with the lighted prs-700, decided that it would not manufacture anymore lighted models. and they refused even though the technology has advanced enough to the point of satisfying most users. so while most other brands offer at least one lighted model that consumers would rave about, they fell behind. most, now spoiled, would rather purchase a lighted model. sony refuses to produce another lighted model with the up-to-date tech and so people stopped buying sony models, leading it to exit the consumer market.

that's just too bad, because i love the stability of their firmware. i even recently bought the T2 (on sale) and am using it regularly despite having also purchased the kobo aura hd a few months earlier. i just have to sit in a location with adequate lighting now.

[PatGIV]

Originally Posted by rem736

i just have to sit in a location with adequate lighting now.

Hi rem736, I am the proud owner of both the T1 and T2 (also bought on sale @ TigerDirect) and love to read in bed before retiring for the evening. I have owned a direct lighting source to read by since my old navy days w/a little product called "Mighty Bright" reading light. Cheap price and really gets the job done. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjttZUkFs6c

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

What factor(s) led up to sony's decision to discontinue their line of ebook readers?

Even in the best of times, eReaders were a niche market for Sony. They can maintain an "under-performing" niche market when they're healthy, but Sony is in trouble right now. They jettisoning a lot of products -- not just their eReaders.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by DuskyRose

I think Sony lost interest and gave up long ago. Eventually, I had to as well.

I think it's more than "losing interest." They just couldn't compete with Amazon and (to a lesser extent) Barnes & Noble. They used to be fairly easy to find, Best Buy and Target both carried Sony Readers for several years. I can't remember for sure, but I think Office Depot and Staples also carried them, at least for a while.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by rem736

i think the decline started when most major e-reader manufactures went on to produce lighted e-readers.

I think the decline started well before front-lit eReaders hit the market. I think when Amazon started subsidizing Kindles (and Barnes & Noble followed them), that's when Sony started to really decline. Their Reader market just couldn't compete with Amazon's and Barnes & Noble's markets and Sony didn't have the market to subsidize them.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by PatGIV

Hi rem736, I am the proud owner of both the T1 and T2 (also bought on sale @ TigerDirect) and love to read in bed before retiring for the evening. I have owned a direct lighting source to read by since my old navy days w/a little product called "Mighty Bright" reading light. Cheap price and really gets the job done. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjttZUkFs6c

I use an E-Luminator from M-Edge. Also cheap. You can find them for under $5 on eBay now (which includes shipping) -- or at least you could a month or two ago (haven't checked recently). ... Quick check ...

... Yep, they're still available for under $5. From this seller (below) and from several others.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/M-Edge-e-Lum...item258bb816c2

I like the fact that they start blinking every hour so you remember to get up and walk around a bit. But, unlike the Mighty Bright, these do require some kind of case -- I just slip them over the front flap when I have bent back for reading.

I also bought T2s from Tiger Direct. Nice eReaders.

[rem736]

Originally Posted by PatGIV

Hi rem736, I am the proud owner of both the T1 and T2 (also bought on sale @ TigerDirect) and love to read in bed before retiring for the evening. I have owned a direct lighting source to read by since my old navy days w/a little product called "Mighty Bright" reading light. Cheap price and really gets the job done. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjttZUkFs6c

i like the idea of a portable book light. and i even got one from verilux. but the unevenness of how the light hits the screen and the glare it produces off a single narrow area are real detractors for me.

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by rem736

i like the idea of a portable book light. and i even got one from verilux. but the unevenness of how the light hits the screen and the glare it produces off a single narrow area are real detractors for me.

While I absolutely still love my Sony 350s as the best reader, I hated having to carry around the extra bulk for a light. I have the Sony case with light, but it's a bit bigger and you still need to carry an extra battery for it. Attachable lights were even worse with carrying the light and the battery. That's the main only reason I gave in and got a Glo, for the front light. The size is almost as small as the 5" Sony and no more worrying about extra batteries.

Sony's lack of advertising (I think they did some ads for the x50 line, but I don't remember seeing anything after that), and then their short-sighted view on incorporating a front light into their readers was the final nail.

I could care less about an integrated bookstore and it's not a selling point for me at all. I prefer to buy all my books through my PC to keep them in one place, from wherever I get the best price, and then just convert if needed (when purchasing from Amazon) to send to my ereader of choice.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by rem736

i like the idea of a portable book light. and i even got one from verilux. but the unevenness of how the light hits the screen and the glare it produces off a single narrow area are real detractors for me.

The E-Luminator seems to have pretty even (diffused) lighting. I like that it has three brightness settings.

[Rizla]

Hardly anyone is interested in paying top-dollar for a device without a front-light. Somebody high-up in Sony messed up. Shame for the people who lost their jobs.

[petercreasey]

The comments on device lighting are interesting.

I have no interest in having my 950 with a light capability.