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The claims about five major U.S. chains still carrying Sony Readers are wishful thinking. Sony has not been updating stock at any retailers for quite some time. The shipments received months ago are being slowly sold out. And that's that. Out of three current models of readers only one, the 350, can still be found outside Sony's own online outlet in the U.S. With the notable exception of a few speculators, i.e. Datavis, who resell with high markup over the official price. Salespeople in local Sony stores make claims to the effect of the readers being discontinued. They haven't been getting any stock either.
I don't see what is there to argue about - these are obvious facts.
It is possible that Sony decided to pull back to a single source retail via its own store. It is also possible that Chinese manufacturers of accessories have disappeared overnight with all the design information, so Sony cannot possibly remanufacture any significant number of covers in half a year they have been missing. Or that the whole thing is part of some brilliant marketing strategy to make the readers so hard to find that everyone wants them. Or that the entire stock has gone to satisfy Japan's demand, the Western markets being left to pick up scraps. Once every Japanese has been allocated a reader, Sony will come back to us?
Sony didn't bother to address any of these questions officially. Sony's PR people will talk about their great TVs and cameras, but they seem to have forgotten about the Sony Reader. The technoblogs don't bother asking. Isn't it indicative of something, when Engadget writes that Kobo is the first ebook reader with pearl screen and UV touch? Do they remember Sony? Not until some fans remind them...
Where is Steve Haber? Still at Sony?
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