Touch Is Kobo responding to Nook Simple Touch Pricing?

vferdman · 12-01-2011, 01:35 PM

I just noticed that B&N Nook Simple Touch (without advertizements) is now $99. I looked at Kobo site and the non-ad version of Kobo Touch is still $130. Just a month ago Kobo Touch was $10 cheaper than Nook Simple Touch (at $140). today it's $30 more expensive? Makes no sense! The $99 Kobo Touch has ads, so no comparison there... Any ideas? I now feel pretty bad for buying the Kobo Touch at $130. Kindle feels a bit faster on page turns and in general feels like a bit more refined device. I am not knocking Kobo Touch, I love it and have been using it for over a month, but I don't think it's worth a $30 premium.

Any comments out there?

--
V

Suzanna · 12-01-2011, 01:43 PM

No, the Kobo isn't $30 more expensive than the Kindle. The Kindle Touch for $99 is the special offers version, so the price is the same as the Kobo SO version. The Kindle Touch without ads is $139 - it's actually more expensive then the Kobo without ads. (Well, in the U.S. anyway. No ad-supported versions here in Canada and the regular price is $139 here. The Kindle Touch isn't available here at all.)

As for the Nook ... they're obviously willing to take a big hit on pricing to offer it for $99 without ads. I'm not sure how they can afford to do that.

vferdman · 12-01-2011, 01:57 PM

Sorry, I made a typo referring to Kindle. I meant Nook Simple Touch. I edited the typo out. Kindle Touch did not feel nearly as good in use as the Kobo or Nook. I really like the Kobo Touch, but at $30 premium Kobo will either have to follow suit or perish. Nook Touch is a nice little reader and seems to have similar features to Kobo. It also feels way faster, but again, this is from an experience playing with it in the store, whereas I own and use Kobo Touch every day. Who knows, after being loaded with content Nook may be a bit slower, but on the shelf int he store it feels and looks great. In fact I would have chosen the Nook had it not been more expensive than Kobo. Great hardware buttons for page turning (page fwd and page bkwd on either side of the screen) that Nook has are worth a lot in everyday use.

GhostKobold · 12-01-2011, 04:50 PM

There is no nook simple touch without special offers, in the form of the bottom half of your home screen being special offers for B&N books.

Suzanna · 12-01-2011, 04:58 PM

Really, GhostKobold? Nook isn't available here in Canada (unless you jump through hoops to get one redirected to you) so I didn't know about that.

GhostKobold · 12-01-2011, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sao

Really, GhostKobold? Nook isn't available here in Canada (unless you jump through hopes to get one redirected to you) so I didn't know about that.

Yes, I would love a device with nook's physical side buttons and the Kobo touch's homescreen the one for the nook is mostly just an add from B&N about B&N books

(those bottom four books are not your books but recommendation for you to buy)

This takes up far more room than the kobo home screen with adds (that I have seen) or the Kindle home screen...mind you the kindle 4g home screen ads.

vferdman · 12-01-2011, 07:34 PM

Honestly, I look at the home screen of my Kobo very rarely. I agree that the bottom row of anyone telling you "what to read next" is annoying, but still, it is not as if I am being sold a low fat yogurt. Other than the home screen making reading suggestions for you, the Nook is very fast in operation and seems to support the same formats as Kobo does. All for $30 less. Does anyone know if the screen is the same size as Kobo?

Also, if the WiFi is disabled, will the suggestions still update? The WiFi on my Kobo is usually off (airplane mode) so as to prolong the battery life and I really do not shop out of the reader itself. I mostly use side-loaded content with Calibre.

GhostKobold · 12-01-2011, 07:55 PM

Yea but it is not 30 dollars less, its 99.99 and you get ads. You may not care because you are ok with the nook book ads but it still has ads. The Kobo touch is 99.99 and you get ads. The Kindle touch is 99.99 and you get ads.

They are all the same price and they all have ads.

vferdman · 12-30-2011, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GhostKobold

Yea but it is not 30 dollars less, its 99.99 and you get ads. You may not care because you are ok with the nook book ads but it still has ads. The Kobo touch is 99.99 and you get ads. The Kindle touch is 99.99 and you get ads.

They are all the same price and they all have ads.

Well, the latest Kobo Touch firmware (1.9.16) adds the book suggestions you call "ads" just like the $99 Nook. Now what? Stop calling it "ads" or just admit that Nook is $30 cheaper for a very similar device?

BTW, my definition of advertizing in this context is ads by third party for things that may or may not be related to literature. What both B&N and Kobo do is "suggest" books from their own store. These are supposed to be somewhat targeted to your particular interests. I am not crazy about this kind of peddling, but at the same time I can't call this "advertizing" with the annoying connotations this entails. I think both devices should get rid of that "feature" or at least make it optional (disable-able?)

afv011 · 12-30-2011, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vferdman

BTW, my definition of advertizing in this context is ads by third party for things that may or may not be related to literature. What both B&N and Kobo do is "suggest" books from their own store. These are supposed to be somewhat targeted to your particular interests. I am not crazy about this kind of peddling, but at the same time I can't call this "advertizing" with the annoying connotations this entails. I think both devices should get rid of that "feature" or at least make it optional (disable-able?)

I agree with your description. It is not like they ask the reader to buy a vacuum cleaner or a microwave oven, the banner displays books based on your recent purchases. I also agree that it would be nice to have an on/off setting for the banner but, honestly, I never go to the home screen, so I couldn't care less - I only use the library and the reader.

Suzanna · 12-30-2011, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vferdman

I am not crazy about this kind of peddling, but at the same time I can't call this "advertizing" with the annoying connotations this entails. I think both devices should get rid of that "feature" or at least make it optional (disable-able?)

Who knows if this will change in future, but for now we can disable the "peddling" by choosing to view our shortlist on the home page of the Kobo. I actually like having the shortlist there, since the shortlist is my virtual TBR list.

Minautor · 12-31-2011, 12:03 AM

Kobo really shouldn't rely on the fact that no competition is available in Canada because it is not true. You can always buy other ereaders on ebay or you can make B&N or Amazon ship to a re-shiping address for 5$ plus shipping fees. Also most of the Canadian population live not too far from the U.S. border, very easy to go shopping.

I was very much on the edge to buy a nook instead of the Kobo. It has the same screen size, it is cheaper, it is faster. Most of its defect are software base, like the lack of landscape mode for pdf viewing.
But...
You can root the nook to install android and get whatever apps you want. Even those specially made for the rooted nook (which allow pdf reading in landscape mode)
Kindle app
Kobo app
Nook app
Gmail app
Opera web browser
pdf ez reader
angry bird and so on...

Why I didn't chose it? Because I had enough of jailbreaking my iphone... (which is the same principle about rooting a nook)
At that moment also I didn't know about the new firmware version 16 of the kobo... it would have changed my mind.

BWinmill · 12-31-2011, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vferdman

Well, the latest Kobo Touch firmware (1.9.16) adds the book suggestions you call "ads" just like the $99 Nook. ... I think both devices should get rid of that "feature" or at least make it optional (disable-able?)

The Kobo Touch has the option to swap the ads with your shortlist. So it is optional.

As for the $30 difference, it's big in terms of relative costs but it is small compared to the price of books (it's the equivalent of 2 to 6 books). Then again, my first ereader cost almost $300. So who am I to comment on prices.

GhostKobold · 01-06-2012, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vferdman

Well, the latest Kobo Touch firmware (1.9.16) adds the book suggestions you call "ads" just like the $99 Nook. Now what? Stop calling it "ads" or just admit that Nook is $30 cheaper for a very similar device?

BTW, my definition of advertizing in this context is ads by third party for things that may or may not be related to literature. What both B&N and Kobo do is "suggest" books from their own store. These are supposed to be somewhat targeted to your particular interests. I am not crazy about this kind of peddling, but at the same time I can't call this "advertizing" with the annoying connotations this entails. I think both devices should get rid of that "feature" or at least make it optional (disable-able?)

Forgive me if I am not following but an ad is an ad, whether you like the product or not, or its related to what you are currently looking at. If a Barnes and Nobles book ad is not an ad, then neither is a commercial on a T.V. show advertising another T.V. show. Targeted ads are still ads, just like all those Google banners that pop up for shoes when I am looking for shoes online.

I have a kindle 4g (with ads) my wife has the nook (with book suggestions)
the experience is the same on both once the book is open other than one having a touch screen and one not. I spend far more time reading on my device than I do looking around the library or staring at the home screen so for any of these three devices 99% of my time looking at them will be as ad free as my daughters kindle fire (without ads). I view them all as a valid option at $99 bucks with the nook and kindle obviously being epub friendly and if your going to side load a lot of books (or have a big epub library) the decision comes down to aesthetics, not cost.

vferdman · 01-06-2012, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GhostKobold

I spend far more time reading on my device than I do looking around the library or staring at the home screen so for any of these three devices 99% of my time looking at them will be as ad free as my daughters kindle fire (without ads). I view them all as a valid option at $99 bucks with the nook and kindle obviously being epub friendly and if your going to side load a lot of books (or have a big epub library) the decision comes down to aesthetics, not cost.

Well, my original point was that Kobo Touch and Nook Touch are very similar devices with Nook having some advantages like hardware page turn buttons and faster overall operation. That being said, Kobo is $30 more. That is my point, that's all. I am not arguing the definition of "advertising". Just saying that Kobo is now $30 more expensive for the same or slightly inferior device as Nook Simple Touch. I own Kobo Touch and am happy with it, but when I saw Nook Touch drop to $99 less than a month after I bought the Kobo Touch for $130 I wondered if this can be sustained by Kobo. After all, this is a consumer market place and two device with very similar features have to compete somehow. After making this point I was told that Nook shows suggestions from their store on the home page and Kobo does not. A few weeks after that the latest firmware for Kobo Touch put suggestions from Kobo store on the home page (at least by default). Kobo team is either complacent about the market or thinks that they have an advantage in Canada since Nook is not easily available there. That's all fine, but here in US Kobo Touch makes little sense in light of Nook Simple Touch. That is my point, not what is or is not advertising.

12-01-2011, 01:35 PM	#1
vferdman Member Posts: 12 Karma: 176190 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Kobo Touch (black)	Is Kobo responding to Nook Simple Touch Pricing? I just noticed that B&N Nook Simple Touch (without advertizements) is now $99. I looked at Kobo site and the non-ad version of Kobo Touch is still $130. Just a month ago Kobo Touch was $10 cheaper than Nook Simple Touch (at $140). today it's $30 more expensive? Makes no sense! The $99 Kobo Touch has ads, so no comparison there... Any ideas? I now feel pretty bad for buying the Kobo Touch at $130. Kindle feels a bit faster on page turns and in general feels like a bit more refined device. I am not knocking Kobo Touch, I love it and have been using it for over a month, but I don't think it's worth a $30 premium. Any comments out there? -- V Last edited by vferdman; 12-01-2011 at 01:50 PM.

12-01-2011, 01:43 PM	#2
Suzanna Living in the past Posts: 432 Karma: 6011289 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kobo Arc	No, the Kobo isn't $30 more expensive than the Kindle. The Kindle Touch for $99 is the special offers version, so the price is the same as the Kobo SO version. The Kindle Touch without ads is $139 - it's actually more expensive then the Kobo without ads. (Well, in the U.S. anyway. No ad-supported versions here in Canada and the regular price is $139 here. The Kindle Touch isn't available here at all.) As for the Nook ... they're obviously willing to take a big hit on pricing to offer it for $99 without ads. I'm not sure how they can afford to do that. Last edited by Suzanna; 12-01-2011 at 01:46 PM.

12-01-2011, 01:57 PM	#3
vferdman Member Posts: 12 Karma: 176190 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Kobo Touch (black)	Sorry, I made a typo referring to Kindle. I meant Nook Simple Touch. I edited the typo out. Kindle Touch did not feel nearly as good in use as the Kobo or Nook. I really like the Kobo Touch, but at $30 premium Kobo will either have to follow suit or perish. Nook Touch is a nice little reader and seems to have similar features to Kobo. It also feels way faster, but again, this is from an experience playing with it in the store, whereas I own and use Kobo Touch every day. Who knows, after being loaded with content Nook may be a bit slower, but on the shelf int he store it feels and looks great. In fact I would have chosen the Nook had it not been more expensive than Kobo. Great hardware buttons for page turning (page fwd and page bkwd on either side of the screen) that Nook has are worth a lot in everyday use. Last edited by vferdman; 12-01-2011 at 02:01 PM.

12-01-2011, 04:58 PM	#5
Suzanna Living in the past Posts: 432 Karma: 6011289 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kobo Arc	Really, GhostKobold? Nook isn't available here in Canada (unless you jump through hoops to get one redirected to you) so I didn't know about that. Last edited by Suzanna; 12-01-2011 at 09:09 PM. Reason: Ack ... jump through "hoops", not "hopes"!

12-01-2011, 07:34 PM	#7
vferdman Member Posts: 12 Karma: 176190 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Kobo Touch (black)	Honestly, I look at the home screen of my Kobo very rarely. I agree that the bottom row of anyone telling you "what to read next" is annoying, but still, it is not as if I am being sold a low fat yogurt. Other than the home screen making reading suggestions for you, the Nook is very fast in operation and seems to support the same formats as Kobo does. All for $30 less. Does anyone know if the screen is the same size as Kobo? Also, if the WiFi is disabled, will the suggestions still update? The WiFi on my Kobo is usually off (airplane mode) so as to prolong the battery life and I really do not shop out of the reader itself. I mostly use side-loaded content with Calibre. Last edited by vferdman; 12-01-2011 at 07:37 PM.

12-01-2011, 04:50 PM	#4
GhostKobold Member Posts: 10 Karma: 7240 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: Kindle 4g, Kindle Fire, Nook ST	There is no nook simple touch without special offers, in the form of the bottom half of your home screen being special offers for B&N books.

12-01-2011, 07:55 PM	#8
GhostKobold Member Posts: 10 Karma: 7240 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: Kindle 4g, Kindle Fire, Nook ST	Yea but it is not 30 dollars less, its 99.99 and you get ads. You may not care because you are ok with the nook book ads but it still has ads. The Kobo touch is 99.99 and you get ads. The Kindle touch is 99.99 and you get ads. They are all the same price and they all have ads. Last edited by GhostKobold; 12-01-2011 at 10:17 PM.

12-31-2011, 12:03 AM	#12
Minautor Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: kobo touch	Kobo really shouldn't rely on the fact that no competition is available in Canada because it is not true. You can always buy other ereaders on ebay or you can make B&N or Amazon ship to a re-shiping address for 5$ plus shipping fees. Also most of the Canadian population live not too far from the U.S. border, very easy to go shopping. I was very much on the edge to buy a nook instead of the Kobo. It has the same screen size, it is cheaper, it is faster. Most of its defect are software base, like the lack of landscape mode for pdf viewing. But... You can root the nook to install android and get whatever apps you want. Even those specially made for the rooted nook (which allow pdf reading in landscape mode) Kindle app Kobo app Nook app Gmail app Opera web browser pdf ez reader angry bird and so on... Why I didn't chose it? Because I had enough of jailbreaking my iphone... (which is the same principle about rooting a nook) At that moment also I didn't know about the new firmware version 16 of the kobo... it would have changed my mind.

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