Conjecture: When would PRS-700 price go down?

thibaulthalpern · 03-03-2009, 06:12 AM

I'm new to the world of digital readers. As you can tell from the left hand column, my only reader are my pair of Danish eyeglasses and there a'int nothing digital about that one ;-)

Anyway, I'm wondering if any of you could hazard a guess as to when Sony would reduce the price of the PRS-700. Around what time? Summer 2009? And explain your guesstimate

dhbailey · 03-03-2009, 06:19 AM

They will most likely lower the price of the 700 when the next model comes out (800? 705? who knows?), and historically, Sony has brought out a new Reader about each year in November.

However, with the economy the way it is, and with Sony having taken such heavy losses, one can only conjecture as to when any new reader will appear, or even if a new reader will ever appear.

Sony vowed to keep the 505 current when they released the 700, so that they now have two pricing tiers, so my guess as to how low the 700 price will drop is "not very much." If they upgrade the 505 to the 510 and the 700 to the 705, then any price drop on the 700 will be just low enough to blow out remaining stock at the end after they see how well any new model does.

They may not bring out a 510, though. They may have known that the touch-screen muddied the clarity of the screen and that many wouldn't be happy with it, which would explain their keeping the 505 on the market. When the have resolved the touch-screen/crystal-clear-display issue, they may simply bring that out as a replacement for the 700, abandoning the 500-family totally.

My guesstimate would be "not before November 2009, and quite likely not even then."

thibaulthalpern · 03-03-2009, 06:26 AM

Geez, Mr. Bailey, just shatter a guy's fantasy about low-low prices....

j/k

Wetdogeared · 03-03-2009, 10:56 AM

Price of PRS700 just went up in Canada from 399.00 CA$ to 449.00 CA$, but I believe this was due to the devaluation of the CA$ against the US$.

WDE.

zelda_pinwheel · 03-03-2009, 11:14 AM

there should be a whole slew of new devices coming on the market in the next few months, some of which will be direct competitors to the 700. some of them may be cheaper and correspond to your needs, or alternately you may be able to get a used 700 cheaper from someone who decides to replace theirs. so, all hope is not *completely* lost.

j7f · 03-03-2009, 11:28 AM

was at the sony experience store in nyc. spoke w/ the store manager.
was told that they will typically deliver a new model, if one is to be had, around august.

as for the price dropping on the 700...i'm w/ you. however, everywhere i look the price seems stalled at 400 usd.

meanwhile, the 505 can be had for as low as 230usd.

go figure.

thibaulthalpern · 03-03-2009, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j7f

was at the sony experience store in nyc. spoke w/ the store manager.
was told that they will typically deliver a new model, if one is to be had, around august.

as for the price dropping on the 700...i'm w/ you. however, everywhere i look the price seems stalled at 400 usd.

meanwhile, the 505 can be had for as low as 230usd.

go figure.

I know...

Been trying to look for deals for the 700 but no deals so far. I wouldn't mind the 505 if it did PDFs well, and had annotation feature.

Server · 03-03-2009, 11:44 AM

As soon as the market becomes flooded with eReaders, you will start to
see some creative marketing come to play. Because the sony readers are
still unique enough and the market is in its 'infancy' stages, these price levels
reflect entry level interest and help gauge what consumers are ready and willing
to pay for a digital reader. The economics of reducing price vs. deeper market
saturation say that its probably premature but inevitable that it will eventually
happen. Since the production went to China as apposed to Japan, the savings
will eventually be passed on to the consumer but not by much.

Guestimate: not more than (± $100.00USD) and down the road...

thibaulthalpern · 03-03-2009, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Server

Because the sony readers are
still unique enough and the market is in its 'infancy' stages, these price levels
reflect entry level interest and help gauge what consumers are ready and willing
to pay for a digital reader. [...]

Guestimate: not more than (± $100.00USD) and down the road...

Cool! Thanks for the reply. How long has the digital reader market been around? I actually thought it has been here a lot longer, say since the late 1990s? Maybe I recall incorrectly.

thibaulthalpern · 03-03-2009, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

there should be a whole slew of new devices coming on the market in the next few months, some of which will be direct competitors to the 700. some of them may be cheaper and correspond to your needs, or alternately you may be able to get a used 700 cheaper from someone who decides to replace theirs. so, all hope is not *completely* lost.

Since I don't know much about digital readers, what companies do you think will be coming out with devices to compete with the Sony 700? Will they be sold in the U.S.?

zelda_pinwheel · 03-03-2009, 02:57 PM

well, the txtr looks very promising (there is a thread about it somewhere, just do a search), as does the BOOX. also, Netronix, which currently manufactures quite a lot of OEM devices (the Cybook Gen3 for instance), will certainly be presenting some new models soon which could be very interesting. and Jinke will also be coming out with new devices but we've got almost zero info so far on features... however, watch this space for news of the latest models presented at ceBit (going on this week in Germany) and the Paris book fair is also coming up in a month and some new devices will be shown there as well.

as for which will be sold in the US, i really have no idea, but i imagine that all these devices will start with regional launches and then expand their markets ; your guess is as good as mine for which regions will get them first for the moment (although txtr will almost certainly launch first in europe, because it's a german company). even if they are not available in the US right away if you really want one there are usually ways to import them (and keep an eye on our flea market forum also for possible deals).

pilotbob · 03-03-2009, 03:04 PM

The Onyx also. And Jinke/Hanlin line is going to have some new devices soon too.

BOb

Andybaby · 03-03-2009, 08:40 PM

yeah its Nice to see a whole List of Devices available

I expect a Price Decrease i late summer though late Fall of this year of atleast $50

I dont think Sony is gonna have their Prices effected by the market of other devices.

Personally i think Amazon is where you should Put your Money.

thibaulthalpern · 03-04-2009, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andybaby

Personally i think Amazon is where you should Put your Money.

Not sure I understand. You mean I should get an Amazon Kindle instead? Or, do you mean it's more likely that the chances of Amazon lowering the price of its Kindle is higher than the chances of Sony lowering the price of its Reader?

jbruce · 03-13-2009, 12:39 AM

The short answer - sorry I tend to get long winded when I'm enthused about something: The price won't drop - until they start running out of new features; or, a competitor hits the market hard with a better quality product.

***************

I think Andy is saying (and if not, this is how I'm reading into it) that the Kindle will be the device most affected by devices scheduled this year.

From my research the two major players in the consumer eReader market are Amazon and Sony. iRex and some of the others are more the "professional" market (hence the features + price). And, between Amazon and Sony - the Sony is the only one a consumer can see - sans borrowing from a stranger or friend (or watching low quality videos).

There is a potential that Amazon (if they stick with an annual release), will be far behind the market with regard to the device itself before year's end (joystick highlighting; no internal lighting; not multi-format; no alternate storage; etc.).

And, if Sony doesn't do something about clarity of the screen - soon - they're in a similar corner: Release a 705 real quick with improved clarity, and take a minor hit by offering a reduced upgrade pricing. (Again, I believe Apple did this after some users didn't appreciate the iPhone price drop, so close to the time of purchase.)

The thing I would like to point out - with regard to these two companies specifically - the eReader, at this point, is a hobby device for them - not their bread and butter. The "better" devices are most likely going to come from companies who only make eReaders. But, that also means - that the prices will be higher.

There are also the bookstore team-ups to consider. B&N acquires Fictionwise and eReaders. Sony is using Borders to kiosk the PRS 700 & 505 readers (Borders used Amazon as the eStore, until @ 2007) - so, maybe the Sony eBookstore will be replaced? The competition will eventually lead to a plateau of pricing (for titles and devices) - most laptops (no matter the brand) are anywhere from $1000 to $3000 - that sort of thing.

Personally, I think the bar will be set at around $150 to $300 for a good quality consumer eReader. Because, the money isn't in the device - it is in the "software" (in this case - the books).

This takes me right back to the Browser wars of the 90s when the internet hit public release.

03-03-2009, 06:12 AM	#1
thibaulthalpern Evangelist Posts: 478 Karma: 451808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: California, USA Device: my two eyes, KLiiK, Sony PRS-700	Conjecture: When would PRS-700 price go down? I'm new to the world of digital readers. As you can tell from the left hand column, my only reader are my pair of Danish eyeglasses and there a'int nothing digital about that one ;-) Anyway, I'm wondering if any of you could hazard a guess as to when Sony would reduce the price of the PRS-700. Around what time? Summer 2009? And explain your guesstimate

03-03-2009, 11:44 AM	#8
Server Anti-Narcissist Posts: 171 Karma: 307 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Somewhere Far, Nowhere Near... Device: SØNY6	0.02¢ As soon as the market becomes flooded with eReaders, you will start to see some creative marketing come to play. Because the sony readers are still unique enough and the market is in its 'infancy' stages, these price levels reflect entry level interest and help gauge what consumers are ready and willing to pay for a digital reader. The economics of reducing price vs. deeper market saturation say that its probably premature but inevitable that it will eventually happen. Since the production went to China as apposed to Japan, the savings will eventually be passed on to the consumer but not by much. Guestimate: not more than (± $100.00USD) and down the road...

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03-03-2009, 06:19 AM	#2
dhbailey Guru Posts: 604 Karma: 733 Join Date: Mar 2007 Device: HP iPAQ211 / PRS 500, 700 and 505	They will most likely lower the price of the 700 when the next model comes out (800? 705? who knows?), and historically, Sony has brought out a new Reader about each year in November. However, with the economy the way it is, and with Sony having taken such heavy losses, one can only conjecture as to when any new reader will appear, or even if a new reader will ever appear. Sony vowed to keep the 505 current when they released the 700, so that they now have two pricing tiers, so my guess as to how low the 700 price will drop is "not very much." If they upgrade the 505 to the 510 and the 700 to the 705, then any price drop on the 700 will be just low enough to blow out remaining stock at the end after they see how well any new model does. They may not bring out a 510, though. They may have known that the touch-screen muddied the clarity of the screen and that many wouldn't be happy with it, which would explain their keeping the 505 on the market. When the have resolved the touch-screen/crystal-clear-display issue, they may simply bring that out as a replacement for the 700, abandoning the 500-family totally. My guesstimate would be "not before November 2009, and quite likely not even then."

03-03-2009, 06:26 AM	#3
thibaulthalpern Evangelist Posts: 478 Karma: 451808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: California, USA Device: my two eyes, KLiiK, Sony PRS-700	Geez, Mr. Bailey, just shatter a guy's fantasy about low-low prices.... j/k

03-03-2009, 10:56 AM	#4
Wetdogeared Storm Surge'n Posts: 5,776 Karma: 8213195 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lobster Capital Device: S0ny PRS-300/350/505/700/T1	Price of PRS700 just went up in Canada from 399.00 CA$ to 449.00 CA$, but I believe this was due to the devaluation of the CA$ against the US$. WDE.

03-03-2009, 11:14 AM	#5
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	there should be a whole slew of new devices coming on the market in the next few months, some of which will be direct competitors to the 700. some of them may be cheaper and correspond to your needs, or alternately you may be able to get a used 700 cheaper from someone who decides to replace theirs. so, all hope is not completely lost.

03-03-2009, 11:28 AM	#6
j7f Member Posts: 20 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: none yet	was at the sony experience store in nyc. spoke w/ the store manager. was told that they will typically deliver a new model, if one is to be had, around august. as for the price dropping on the 700...i'm w/ you. however, everywhere i look the price seems stalled at 400 usd. meanwhile, the 505 can be had for as low as 230usd. go figure.

03-03-2009, 02:57 PM	#11
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	well, the txtr looks very promising (there is a thread about it somewhere, just do a search), as does the BOOX. also, Netronix, which currently manufactures quite a lot of OEM devices (the Cybook Gen3 for instance), will certainly be presenting some new models soon which could be very interesting. and Jinke will also be coming out with new devices but we've got almost zero info so far on features... however, watch this space for news of the latest models presented at ceBit (going on this week in Germany) and the Paris book fair is also coming up in a month and some new devices will be shown there as well. as for which will be sold in the US, i really have no idea, but i imagine that all these devices will start with regional launches and then expand their markets ; your guess is as good as mine for which regions will get them first for the moment (although txtr will almost certainly launch first in europe, because it's a german company). even if they are not available in the US right away if you really want one there are usually ways to import them (and keep an eye on our flea market forum also for possible deals).

03-03-2009, 03:04 PM	#12
pilotbob Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,832 Karma: 11844413 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tampa, FL USA Device: Kindle Touch	The Onyx also. And Jinke/Hanlin line is going to have some new devices soon too. BOb

03-03-2009, 08:40 PM	#13
Andybaby Wizard Posts: 1,279 Karma: 1002683 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New York Device: PRS-700	yeah its Nice to see a whole List of Devices available I expect a Price Decrease i late summer though late Fall of this year of atleast $50 I dont think Sony is gonna have their Prices effected by the market of other devices. Personally i think Amazon is where you should Put your Money.

03-13-2009, 12:39 AM	#15
jbruce Connoisseur Posts: 64 Karma: 88 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Sony PRS 700	The short answer - sorry I tend to get long winded when I'm enthused about something: The price won't drop - until they start running out of new features; or, a competitor hits the market hard with a better quality product. *************** I think Andy is saying (and if not, this is how I'm reading into it) that the Kindle will be the device most affected by devices scheduled this year. From my research the two major players in the consumer eReader market are Amazon and Sony. iRex and some of the others are more the "professional" market (hence the features + price). And, between Amazon and Sony - the Sony is the only one a consumer can see - sans borrowing from a stranger or friend (or watching low quality videos). There is a potential that Amazon (if they stick with an annual release), will be far behind the market with regard to the device itself before year's end (joystick highlighting; no internal lighting; not multi-format; no alternate storage; etc.). And, if Sony doesn't do something about clarity of the screen - soon - they're in a similar corner: Release a 705 real quick with improved clarity, and take a minor hit by offering a reduced upgrade pricing. (Again, I believe Apple did this after some users didn't appreciate the iPhone price drop, so close to the time of purchase.) The thing I would like to point out - with regard to these two companies specifically - the eReader, at this point, is a hobby device for them - not their bread and butter. The "better" devices are most likely going to come from companies who only make eReaders. But, that also means - that the prices will be higher. There are also the bookstore team-ups to consider. B&N acquires Fictionwise and eReaders. Sony is using Borders to kiosk the PRS 700 & 505 readers (Borders used Amazon as the eStore, until @ 2007) - so, maybe the Sony eBookstore will be replaced? The competition will eventually lead to a plateau of pricing (for titles and devices) - most laptops (no matter the brand) are anywhere from $1000 to $3000 - that sort of thing. Personally, I think the bar will be set at around $150 to $300 for a good quality consumer eReader. Because, the money isn't in the device - it is in the "software" (in this case - the books). This takes me right back to the Browser wars of the 90s when the internet hit public release.

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