Sony to challenge Apple in Japan with e-reader

[kjk]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100527...ediatechnology

Sony said Thursday it will launch an e-reader in Japan and set up a platform for newspapers, books, comics and magazines, challenging rival Apple a day before its iPad goes on sale in the country.

The move comes a day before the launch of the iPad in Japan and other countries outside the United States, where print media face a steady decline in advertising and have turned to e-readers as a chance for new revenue.

Sony, which has already started e-Book businesses in the United States, plans to sell e-readers in Japan by the end of this year to mark its return to the market after it virtually withdrew from the business there in 2007.

Welcome..back?

[luqmaninbmore]

Will this be a re-tooled Daily Edition or something new?

Luqman

[DawnFalcon]

It's Sony....probably their new flagship reader.

[mbagsh55]

As a long time Sony Reader user, I have no doubts that Sony can release a worthwhile hardware reader, but the problems with the Librie were not the device but the lack of worthwhile content.

The book industry here in Japan appears from the outside to be a cartel. I very rarely see Japanese books at reduced price even amazon.co.jp struggles to do much than a few percent with free delivery. Conversely the second-hand market is strong mostly due to the chain store "book off" - although again there is a certain amount of price fixing based on the original book price given a single very dominant player.

If Toppan / Asahi / KDDI and Sony can somehow convince the Japanese book industry to release eBooks without draconian restrictions I would be very interested. If like with the Librie content it is time-limited content that I cannot unlock, then I am not interested and I would be surprised if it results in new success for Sony.

I wish Sony the best of luck and hope that fear of losing out makes the book industry at least a bit more flexible than it has been in the past.

[EowynCarter]

Sony to challenge Apple in Japan with e-reader

Since when is Apple on the e-reader market ?

[SameOldStory]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Since when is Apple on the e-reader market ?

It seems that many things can be used to read books. I remember seeing, somewhere that people can even read on cell phones.

Well, IF that is possible then perhaps you can read on the ipad.

Just guessing.

PS- that is made by apple, isn’t it?

[m-reader]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Since when is Apple on the e-reader market ?

Yup. According to Steve Jobs people don't read books any longer .

Good on you Sony! I personally think it's going to be a Vaio tablet - but Sony has been known to surprise in the past.