MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - All this Kindle love by the press...how about the Sony Reader?

coase · 05-08-2009, 09:22 AM

I think Sony has always failed to market the required services for the hardware. Hence, their bookstore stinks. Their hardware is great but Sony doesn't know how to handle the "soft" side. They botched SACD, Minidisc, Betamax... Need I go on? Amazon has done a great job with marketing and with providing lots of books at a reasonable price. I'm not crazy about their attempt to tie you to their store, but they've really done a good job of making the Kindle a device that appeals to the modern reader.

I bet that Sony doesn't have a team of people who read these forums and the various blogs to see how to respond to criticism. In contrast, Amazon seems to care a lot about what people think and say about the product. Sony's corporate structure is very unresponsive to the general public.

I had a great high end SACD player from Sony that needed to be sent in for repairs. It came back scratched and dented. I ranted and complained to various channels. They basically shrugged their shoulders and said, "It works, right?" In contrast, I've had emails from Amazon even about customers grousing in the forums about various issues.

Oh well, I still like my Reader, but I am fearful that this will be Betamax to someone else's (not necessarily Kindle) VHS.

05-08-2009, 09:22 AM	#7
coase Enthusiast Posts: 41 Karma: 500 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: Nook Color	I think Sony has always failed to market the required services for the hardware. Hence, their bookstore stinks. Their hardware is great but Sony doesn't know how to handle the "soft" side. They botched SACD, Minidisc, Betamax... Need I go on? Amazon has done a great job with marketing and with providing lots of books at a reasonable price. I'm not crazy about their attempt to tie you to their store, but they've really done a good job of making the Kindle a device that appeals to the modern reader. I bet that Sony doesn't have a team of people who read these forums and the various blogs to see how to respond to criticism. In contrast, Amazon seems to care a lot about what people think and say about the product. Sony's corporate structure is very unresponsive to the general public. I had a great high end SACD player from Sony that needed to be sent in for repairs. It came back scratched and dented. I ranted and complained to various channels. They basically shrugged their shoulders and said, "It works, right?" In contrast, I've had emails from Amazon even about customers grousing in the forums about various issues. Oh well, I still like my Reader, but I am fearful that this will be Betamax to someone else's (not necessarily Kindle) VHS.