Quote:
Originally Posted by cmdahler
Or... On MR you get a skewed view of the popularity of various readers. For example, take the infamous iRex, which has a dedicated forum on MR. Here in the U.S., I'd be surprised if there were even as many as 5 thousand units of all iRex readers combined in retail circulation. How many people in mass markets like this one have even heard of Kobo or the Pocketbook? Hell, anytime anyone ever saw me reading my Sony, the first thing they'd invariably ask is, "Is that a Kindle?" In the general public's eye, Apple and Amazon are the only two readers available, and certainly based on volume of sales they are without question the only two brands worth talking about from a media perspective. That's a marketing failure on the part of Sony and all the other reader manufacturers, not a mainstream media problem. It's not the media's job to raise awareness of a brand, they just report on the things the public is most interested in.
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Dude, the Sony Readers are in Walmart, Target, Borders, and other shops. They are even in a vending machine at the mall across the street from my apartment. It was my interest in the Sony reader that brought me to MR, not the other way around. The Kobo is now getting displayed prominently in Borders; I was able to sell my used Kobo just this afternoon because of the name recognition that this placement generated. I think Sony should just release and update 505 model with better PDF support, dictionary support, and, perhaps, a wireless connection (they could use an on-screen keyboard like the pocket books use for searching the store and entering your credentials). With the pearl screen at the right price, this could be a killer product, especially with Sony's name behind it.
Luqman