Price war? B&N gets aggressive: Nooks at US$149-199

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by m-reader

You are on the money with most of what you said here. I'd only disagree on your assertion that a $399 large format e-reader wouldn't sell. I know a bunch of people (including myself ) who would pay $500 easy for a decent 9" device in a flash.

I'm another myself; I'm waiting on the Pocketbook 901. (But that one is aimed at $349, not $399.)

But I said *tough* sell; doesn't mean *nobody* will buy it. (Somebody is buying the BROTHER ereaders, after all.)

But I don't think large-format eink will be much of a *business* at that price point. The days of being a player in eink readers with annual sales of 25,000 units are just about over. Pretty soon you're either racking in tens of millions in $$$ sales or you're out of it.

And large-format eink readers are an endangered species before they really speciated.
Part of it is form factor (a lot of the vaue of eink readers is their small size/light weight); part of it is the target market. The bulk of the large format market is obsessed with PDF, which isn't really an ebook format and really needs a full computer and *color* display behind it for proper use. And probably a touchscreen. Add it up and it looks more like a TabletPC and less like a Nook or Kindle or PB360.

With the iPad, Android Tablet/webpads, the coming slate netbooks, and the Core-based Win7 Tablets coming in the next year, the pricing differential is going to have to be significant for pure reader devices to survive. Like, from $149 to $499. That's better than a 300% spread.

A $399 reader only has a 25% price advantage over the iPad, zero over the slate netbooks, and is actually more expensive than the android webpads.

You tell me a Mirasol-driven 10in reader will hit $399 this fall and I might see a market for it; small but survivable. But black and white with no video or animation? Nope. Sorry, I don't see it. Not at that price. The competitors are simply a better value.

It would be a niche within a niche at most.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Part of it is form factor, part of it is the target market. The bulk of the large format market is obsessed with PDF which isn't really an ebook format and really need a full computer and *color* display behind it for proper use.

With the iPad, Android Tablet/webpads, the coming slate netbooks, and the Core-based Win7 Tablets coming in the next year, the pricing differential is going to have to be significant for pure reader devices to survive. Like, from $149 to $499. That's better than a 300% spread.

A $399 reader only has a 25% price advantage over the iPad, zero over the slate netbooks, and is actually more expensive than the android webpads.

Exactly, myself and everyone I know who wants a big screen reader wants it for PDFs (scholarly journal articles), Word documents and textbooks. None of which are suitable to e-ink.

And most of us want something more than a dedicated device that we only use to read those things as we'd get a lot more use out of a full on tablet that can do internet, e-mail, calendar and contacts, videos, etc. etc.

There are definitely people out there who want a 9-12" dedicated reader--but like you I'm not sure it's a big enough niche to survive.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by luqmaninbmore

I own a Kindle and I have owned a nook, so I'm familiar with the features. With the Kindle, you had basic web-surfing so the 3G connection really brought a lot to the plate. With nook, not so much. I tended to have my periodicals delivered at home and to do most of my ordering from home.

The nook also has web surfing, not understanding your post. The wireless connection brings out the same benefits for each the Kindle and the Nook.

The 3G is great when you are out and about and don't have to worry about being connectied to wi fi. And want to download a newspaper or buy a book on the fly.

[Avarwen]

Alriiiiiiiiiight giggidy giggidy nice price I've been waiting for a wi-fi only e-reader with a lower price point. I was thinking 200 big boys but this is even better. I never got into 3g I still have a regular MP3 player that I hook up to my comp so this suits me just fine. This could get me to buy an e-reader. Amazon better act fast or they will lose sales to the nook.

[J. Strnad]

I have to think that the Kobo inspired the price drop on the Nook. Now we'll see if they're able to undercut the Nook or not.

I think we're finally approaching that magical <$100 price point that I've been waiting for since 2004.

The ereader market is definitely due for a shakedown. The price of reading devices and ebooks themselves have been too high for too long and now, as ereading is catching on, we'll see the market correct.

[GA Russell]

I'm reminded of the satellite radio war of three years ago. Sirius offered expensive radios and an inexpensive subscription. XM offered lower-priced radios and a higher-priced subscription. Eventually Sirius switched to the XM model.

So it's very possible that we will see inexpensive eBook readers with more expensive eBooks.

[Fbone]

If you arent in a hotspot, cant you download an ebook to your phone and transfer it to your nook with the WIFI app?

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

There are definitely people out there who want a 9-12" dedicated reader--but like you I'm not sure it's a big enough niche to survive.

I'm one of them.
I want one for my mother. Almost bought the DX but the price and the weight held me off. Now I'm waiting on PB901: I love the Pocketbook *platform* strategy and all it brings to the table and the 901 looks to be a reasonable size and weight. And the Price is acceptable for a pure reader. (Would be better at $299 but if it runs the same software as my PB360 it would still be a good value. Because I would be able to give my mother a first-class reading experience.)
I might even buy one for myself. ;-)

But I know full well that I'm in a very tiny minority in not needing the added Tablet features (I *already* own two TabletPCs and a netbook). The added features don't give me anything I need or want. Most people looking big, however, do want to browse and do want a touchscreen (which is why Pocketbook is also cooking up a 903 model). I wish them well, but...

We knew that once Apple got into the game things would change; well, today's Nook news is the first big ripple.

We've long known the future of dedicated readers was small and cheap; now we have one of the bigger players saying, in effect; "I'm game. Let's do cheap."

[fjtorres]

BTW, ZDNet has some interesting comments on Amazon's need to answer and answer *now*:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/amazon...33?tag=nl.e539

[tlrowley]

Amazon answers - $189

[kdittyr]

I just looked at amazon and they, too, have dropped their price on the kindle2 to $189.

This is getting interesting.

[kdittyr]

Originally Posted by tlrowley

Amazon answers - $189

D'oh! You beat me to it...

[tlrowley]

I was surprised that it hadn't already been mentioned - I'm usually behind the news

[AnemicOak]

Funny. New Kindle $189.00, refurb $219.99


I wonder what price point(s) we'll see on the K3 if it does indeed come out in August and if it does indeed have the new higher contrast screen PVI/eInk has been showing off.

[BVLarson]

The price for both will be down to $99 by 2012. Just watch... They can't sell us ebook readers that lock us into their stores for any kind of high price in the face of generic competition. They will have to bet we will buy books to pay for it. Isn't competition grand??