MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Conjecture: When would PRS-700 price go down?

jbruce · 03-13-2009, 12:39 AM

The short answer - sorry I tend to get long winded when I'm enthused about something: The price won't drop - until they start running out of new features; or, a competitor hits the market hard with a better quality product.

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I think Andy is saying (and if not, this is how I'm reading into it) that the Kindle will be the device most affected by devices scheduled this year.

From my research the two major players in the consumer eReader market are Amazon and Sony. iRex and some of the others are more the "professional" market (hence the features + price). And, between Amazon and Sony - the Sony is the only one a consumer can see - sans borrowing from a stranger or friend (or watching low quality videos).

There is a potential that Amazon (if they stick with an annual release), will be far behind the market with regard to the device itself before year's end (joystick highlighting; no internal lighting; not multi-format; no alternate storage; etc.).

And, if Sony doesn't do something about clarity of the screen - soon - they're in a similar corner: Release a 705 real quick with improved clarity, and take a minor hit by offering a reduced upgrade pricing. (Again, I believe Apple did this after some users didn't appreciate the iPhone price drop, so close to the time of purchase.)

The thing I would like to point out - with regard to these two companies specifically - the eReader, at this point, is a hobby device for them - not their bread and butter. The "better" devices are most likely going to come from companies who only make eReaders. But, that also means - that the prices will be higher.

There are also the bookstore team-ups to consider. B&N acquires Fictionwise and eReaders. Sony is using Borders to kiosk the PRS 700 & 505 readers (Borders used Amazon as the eStore, until @ 2007) - so, maybe the Sony eBookstore will be replaced? The competition will eventually lead to a plateau of pricing (for titles and devices) - most laptops (no matter the brand) are anywhere from $1000 to $3000 - that sort of thing.

Personally, I think the bar will be set at around $150 to $300 for a good quality consumer eReader. Because, the money isn't in the device - it is in the "software" (in this case - the books).

This takes me right back to the Browser wars of the 90s when the internet hit public release.

03-13-2009, 12:39 AM	#15
jbruce Connoisseur Posts: 64 Karma: 88 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Sony PRS 700	The short answer - sorry I tend to get long winded when I'm enthused about something: The price won't drop - until they start running out of new features; or, a competitor hits the market hard with a better quality product. *************** I think Andy is saying (and if not, this is how I'm reading into it) that the Kindle will be the device most affected by devices scheduled this year. From my research the two major players in the consumer eReader market are Amazon and Sony. iRex and some of the others are more the "professional" market (hence the features + price). And, between Amazon and Sony - the Sony is the only one a consumer can see - sans borrowing from a stranger or friend (or watching low quality videos). There is a potential that Amazon (if they stick with an annual release), will be far behind the market with regard to the device itself before year's end (joystick highlighting; no internal lighting; not multi-format; no alternate storage; etc.). And, if Sony doesn't do something about clarity of the screen - soon - they're in a similar corner: Release a 705 real quick with improved clarity, and take a minor hit by offering a reduced upgrade pricing. (Again, I believe Apple did this after some users didn't appreciate the iPhone price drop, so close to the time of purchase.) The thing I would like to point out - with regard to these two companies specifically - the eReader, at this point, is a hobby device for them - not their bread and butter. The "better" devices are most likely going to come from companies who only make eReaders. But, that also means - that the prices will be higher. There are also the bookstore team-ups to consider. B&N acquires Fictionwise and eReaders. Sony is using Borders to kiosk the PRS 700 & 505 readers (Borders used Amazon as the eStore, until @ 2007) - so, maybe the Sony eBookstore will be replaced? The competition will eventually lead to a plateau of pricing (for titles and devices) - most laptops (no matter the brand) are anywhere from $1000 to $3000 - that sort of thing. Personally, I think the bar will be set at around $150 to $300 for a good quality consumer eReader. Because, the money isn't in the device - it is in the "software" (in this case - the books). This takes me right back to the Browser wars of the 90s when the internet hit public release.