PVI asked to keep quiet about E Ink shipment figures

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by rhadin

In today's New York Times there was a large ad for the Kindle announcing that the New York Times was available for easy download to the Kindle. Nice ad. Now where was that Sony Reader ad?

Are newpaper readers the "target audience" of the Sony Reader? I don't read newspapers, but I've had many different bookreaders. None of the regular newspaper readers I know have an eBook reader. A statistically meaningless sample, I know, but still it goes to show that there's no necessarily a correlation between reading newspapers and buying eBook readers.

On the other hand, it's an obvious place for the Kindle to be advertised because it has the specific feature of being able to download newspapers.

Companies have to target their advertising budgets; the readership of the NYT isn't necessarily the audience that Sony are going after.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Companies have to target their advertising budgets; the readership of the NYT isn't necessarily the audience that Sony are going after.

As a general proposition, Harry, I agree and running a Sony Reader ad in the daily New York Times might not be effective -- but the target audience does read the New York Times, especially the standalone Book Review section published on Sundays.

Similarly, I wouldn't think the Kindle's target audience was the newspaper reader, but clearly Amazon thinks otherwise. Interesting about the ad was that Amazon didn't mention reading books on the Kindle, just that the New York Times was available.

My point only was that Amazon is advertising and Sony is not.

[questionfear]

I think it's probably a combination of factors. Right now Amazon is under the microscope with rumors of a Kindle 2, and there might be concerns that a new size screen could be linked to them. Or Sony might just want to keep things a little quieter, since they want to give the niche time to develop and everyone's being analyzed for dead weight/superstars these days. Given the interwebs desire to crunch, chew, spit out, rechew, respit, pee on, stomp on, and then hold up as godlike every bit of rumor news these days, I don't blame them for wanting some numbers kept quiet.

[nekokami]

I think the Kindle makes a lot of sense as a newspaper reader, because of the cellular network. There are a few newspapers (outside the US) available for the iLiad, as well.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by rhadin

My point only was that Amazon is advertising and Sony is not.

In that specific place, no, but people have reported seeing a lot of Sony Reader advertising at places like airports. It's also sold at airports.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by HarryT

In that specific place, no, but people have reported seeing a lot of Sony Reader advertising at places like airports. It's also sold at airports.

It is sold in SkyMall magazine as well.

[RickyMaveety]

It is also sold through the Amazon website.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-PRS-505-L...9420272&sr=8-1

But then, everyone probably knows that ....

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Falbe Publishing

The absence of sales data on all fronts makes one initially think that the ebook readers are flopping, but the activity at this forum alone seems to indicate at least a healthy niche market.

The activity at this forum clearly shows support for e-books in general. Individual readers may rise and fall, but e-books remain mighty!

At any rate, I'm sure Amazon wants the numbers to be kept quiet, because they are working their "slow progress" strategy in regards to e-books, and the numbers (which probably show relatively low numbers) would only serve to make shareholders nervous. If shareholders don't see something that will make them money next year, they tend to slobber and twitch, and dump their shares for blockbuster entertainment stocks. Likewise the media, who would only trash Amazon over low numbers (as they did during Amazon's first, what, ten years), and cause more slobbering and twitching.

Amazon's playing their "A" game. It may not be pretty, but it gets the job done.

[seamusfp]

Originally Posted by pagansoul

People have a bad habit of mixing apples with oranges when it comes to numbers. What amount is a success, what is failure?

I think this is really the issue, Bezos is saying things like 'The Kindle will be the iPod of reading' that sets a much larger investment expectation than the niche market of mobileread population. So, what investors might be expecting with 'ipod of reading' volumes and the current reality of a nascent niche product volumes likely do not match.

As well with the amount of flack that Sony has gotten for the PS3 sales, I can see why they might not want volumes getting out.

[Barcey]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

How many E Ink display panels did Prime View International ship this year? How many of them went to Amazon (Kindle) and Sony (Reader)? In the words of a wise man: Seal up your lips and give no words but mum. Which is pretty much what PVI has been told:



Source: Digitimes

Does anyone care to speculate why our friends from Amazon and Sony would be so desperate to keep hints of actual sales figures hidden? It makes you wonder... anyways, according to the same report, PVI is going to single out revenues from their e-paper business starting next year. Then we'll know more.

I'm not surprised Sony and Amazon asked them not to release the numbers.

Looking at their website they have 5 different sizes of EPD displays. They can't really publish how many of each size they shipped or it would tip off future product annoucements. i.e. heh they didn't ship many 6" displays last month but suddenly they shipped a bunch more 7" displays... heh a new Kindle is coming.

If they publish numbers the way they have been by just saying how many displays in total they shipped then the numbers get misinterpreted and people speculate on how many Kindles have been sold. If Sony/Amazon don't want to release actual numbers then they also don't want people guessing based on inaccurate data.

Let's see they shipped 20,000 EPD displays last month. I saw 3 Kindles and one Sony on the bus this morning so that means 75% Kindles. Wow they sold 15,000 Kindles last month.

Alternative reality... Heh they shipped 20,000 EPD displays last month. 15,000 of them were for 1.9" displays for cell phones... 4,000 were 6" and 1,000 were other. 50% went to Amazon. Heh they only sold 2,000 Kindles last month.

Better if they just release volumes in dollar value rather then units shipped until there are multiple vendors and/or Amazon/Sony start releasing unit sale volumes.

[forsooth]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

How many E Ink display panels did Prime View International ship this year? How many of them went to Amazon (Kindle) and Sony (Reader)? In the words of a wise man: Seal up your lips and give no words but mum. Which is pretty much what PVI has been told:
.

It is standard thing anyone working for the company will keep a tight lip
I know only one who did not
ask him what occurred

oh Right!

[forsooth]

I dont know how i got here

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by forsooth

I dont know how i got here

Don't worry.
"Just because you don't know where you are doesn't mean you don't know where you're going."