Quote:
Originally Posted by sabredog
The Kobo in Australia certainly pushed the ereader concept along at a rapid pace in a market that had stagnated.
Prior to Kobo, almost all ereaders were limited to online purchase and cost three times as much as elsewhere. The exception was the Kindle, which still needed to be ordered online.
The Kobo appeared in a brick and mortar store, providing interested and casual customers alike the ability to gain a hands on look.
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That's what happened here in Canada, too. There are thousands of people thinking about ereaders because they've seen them in the Chapters/Indigo stores now, and had never had the opportunity to handle an ereader before.
Many will choose other devices, and that's fine. Many will also get one because it does what it needs to (read books) and having it in their hands NOW fills the instant-gratification need.
There's also a place for Kobo's simplicity and ease of use for the very un-tech-savvy population.
I could give my mom a Kobo, if I gave her a Sony or a Kindle she'd take one look at all the buttons and put it away, never to look at it again.