Quote:
Originally Posted by SensualPoet
But it doesn't change the fact that Sony is MIA at the moment and its lack of investment in the sales channel, the product platform and its bookstore has effectively erased every drop of edge it started with -- an edge it enjoyed well before the Kindle launch.
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I'm curious what this "MIA" is referring to.
The only company
continuously actively advertising is Amazon. I've seen Sony and B&N ads, but not so much any more. Even with the release of the new Nook, it's only been PR statements, tech blogs and previews. The same Sony had on the release of the *50 series.
Sony sold out of
all readers the week prior to Father's Day in the US (2 weeks ago?). Before that, they had
all models in stock except for the black PRS-650. The PRS-350 is back in stock, but other models aren't yet.
Sony has also
never advertised the Reader store, except in manuals delivered with a Sony Reader! In terms of the
edge Sony had, it was first to market with e-Ink, and stayed the biggest (and cheapest) until Amazon entered the fray. That edge disappeared with the Kindle because Amazon had a known bookstore that just happened to already be the world's largest! Amazon was a juggernaut, even with the ugly-stick Kindle 1. B&N was #2, and their entry with the Nook was similar -- a well-established bookstore to get the device in front of customers.
I believe Sony's
real mistake was not immediately expanding to other bookstores like Amazon, a huge miscalculation on their part. They wanted device lock-in, and they -- and we -- are still reaping the unfortunate benefits of that today.
-Pie