Quote:
Originally Posted by SensualPoet
Amazon did. It has its own views about what makes a customer-centric experience the best possible, and a vision on why connectivity must lie in the very DNA of the product. In an age dominated by the Internet and, at the time (2006), 12 years since the explosion of broadband began, leaving connectivity out of the equation was short-sighted on Sony's part.
<...>
BTW, Best Buy still sells PRS 505s on its Canadian website for those interested. The fact they are still trying to get rid of a model discontinued a year (or was it two years) ago, speaks volumes.
|
The 505 in BestBuy Canada is probably just a fluke, like that recent sell-out of 505's on BaM. Perhaps a few units were found at some warehouse somewhere and put on sale. Already sold out. I don't have any numbers to prove it, but my suspicion is the 505 model was more popular worldwide than Kindle, and sold more units around the world. It still commands decent prices on eBay.
As far as Amazon's ecosystem is concerned, I do agree that Amazon made a few right choices. It was early то the game of online bookselling (paper books), and it acquired a lot of user input in its rating and review system. That's what makes up the major part of its ecosystem - ratings and reviews. They make the books sell. IMDB would be a great partner for someone who wants to be in business or renting or selling movies and TV programs - it owns ratings and reviews, the content more valuable than "The Content" itself.
As far as online connectivity is concerned, it
doesn't matter so much. iPod didn't have it, and it was a major hit. Sony tried to copy the Apple's system for book distribution. Amazon came into the market a year later, and it learned from Sony's mistakes.
It's hard to imagine anyone being able to compete on Amazon's terms now-a-days. Give away the reader, make money on accessories and content. Sony is fine with readers and accessories, but its content delivery system would require a major revamping. And Sony's markets are not necessarily the same as Amazon's. I suspect that outside the U.S. Amazon loses a lot more money than it makes despite all that content it owns. In places where people don't normally buy ebooks someone like Pocketbook/Netronix would be much more popular than Kindle.