Quote:
Originally Posted by DaleDe
Astak has been up front about this from the beginning. Originally they did not intend to sell them via retailers at all to be able to keep the price down for us by cutting out the middle man. Then the Pocket Pro was so good that retailers basically pressured them, I believe, to be able to offer it. So long as Astak is up front with their dealers I think they won't have a problem.
Dale
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Dear All:
It can be a thorny issue. On the one hand, the retail stores do not have to charge freight. Therefore, they can charge $229 and really still be a good deal. Plus, they have the display and people can try the device before buying. We also try to do occasional rebates to stimulate their sales.
The latest retailer to carry Pocket PROs also got the Books On Board coupon to go with their devices to give them a solid start. That coupon will save about $100 in Rewards Dollars on the first ten eBooks. Trust me, we try to make the retailers very successful.
As you know, we are up against the Sony PRS-300 which, while pretty stripped, is advertised ad nauseum by famous sports figures. MOST buyers do not have the knowledge that MobileRead Forum members have... so they go for the brand name and pay little attention to the huge list of features on the Pocket PRO. That is a real shame; but it is reality. Most reviewers also overlook the main features. WHY on earth a reviewer would neglect to see the value in an SD card slot and a user-replaceable rechargeable battery I cannot grasp. To me, they are absolute necessities but reviewers sometimes overlook the obvious and accept the false concept that a relative unknown like Astak cannot sell a better device for the same dollars. This does not imply the Sony is anything less desireable... it is a good machine... I just feel the Pocket PRO is clearly the better value.