What's Your Prediction - $99 Digial Reader

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I am going to guess that more people know of the Kobo then JetBook and hardly anyone I know outside of this board knows about the Kobo.

Actually, most people I know do know the Kobo - just not by name. It's "that reader you always see at Borders."

[Fayth]

Originally Posted by abookreader

I'd venture a guess that if Borders were to file for bankruptcy the online digital book business would remain and a large number of their bricks and mortar stores would shut down. eBooks are profitable.

But yeah, I'd get your online library there liberated and backed-up, but I say that about any retailer - not just Borders.

I've used Border gift cards to buy eBooks before. The selection isn't as large as Amazon/Barnes and their prices can be high but around Christmas they ran an awesome $5 booksale. Maybe you'll find something good.

Yah, I took the DRM off my ebooks shortly after I bought them, but I didn't know about dropbox. Awesome site, thanks for the link.

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by Lemurion

Actually, most people I know do know the Kobo - just not by name. It's "that reader you always see at Borders."

heheh No one I know goes to Borders or is aware that Borders sells an e-reader.

Which is probably part of the reason Borders is in trouble.

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

heheh No one I know goes to Borders or is aware that Borders sells an e-reader.

Which is probably part of the reason Borders is in trouble.

Could be... could be.

Of course it could be said that our household motto is: "Never met a bookstore they didn't like."

We go to any bookstore anywhere around here.

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by Kris777

jetBook Lite ($79.99 on NewEgg now) has book marking...

I think if the price for the Jetbooks in Australia were comparative to the US they would be a reasonable hit here. I find it rather difficult to consider a Jetbook Lite (or even Mini even though that is starting to look a little tempting) when they are listed on the Ectaco site at $149US ($199.95AUD if bought in Australia) yet places like Newegg who only sell in the US have them for $79.99US (especially given the dollar is on par).

Going back to the Kobo it appears only Borders US have them for $99, Australia they are still $179AUD (given dollar par we are paying an almost 100% premium).

I might sound like a poor Aussie but Amazon sell the Kindle for $139 regardless of where you live and other than the UK don't offer local sale (ie: must buy from the US and have an internationally warranty). Kobo and Jetbooks are available both locally in Aus or internationally from the US at completely different prices (and I assume if I bought either from the US I wouldn't be able to in the event of a warranty claim send it to a local store).

[CazMar]

Originally Posted by Solicitous

.....
Going back to the Kobo it appears only Borders US have them for $99, Australia they are still $179AUD (given dollar par we are paying an almost 100% premium).

I might sound like a poor Aussie but Amazon sell the Kindle for $139 regardless of where you live and other than the UK don't offer local sale (ie: must buy from the US and have an internationally warranty). Kobo and Jetbooks are available both locally in Aus or internationally from the US at completely different prices (and I assume if I bought either from the US I wouldn't be able to in the event of a warranty claim send it to a local store).

Well, this is what we have come to expect from retailers in Australia over the years. Then they complain because everyone buys from overseas via the internet, then blame the GST (a sales tax)! No-one would care if they only had to pay GST, but a 100% markup gets most of us searching EBay or logging into Amazon.
My local musical instrument shop has been charging modest profits on imported goods for years and I always buy from him because I trust him, why buy from China or elsewhere when you have this service at hand?
Wait until there is an EReader which doesn't tie you into a retailer and can be used in Australia - then watch the local price drop.

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by Solicitous

I think if the price for the Jetbooks in Australia were comparative to the US they would be a reasonable hit here. I find it rather difficult to consider a Jetbook Lite (or even Mini even though that is starting to look a little tempting) when they are listed on the Ectaco site at $149US ($199.95AUD if bought in Australia) yet places like Newegg who only sell in the US have them for $79.99US (especially given the dollar is on par).

Last time I looked they were even pricier than that locally. I tried to purchase one at Newegg a while back for my wife to use at work. The transaction went through, money came out of my account but the transaction was canceled 'cause Newegg "don't do foreign cards".

Going back to the Kobo it appears only Borders US have them for $99, Australia they are still $179AUD (given dollar par we are paying an almost 100% premium).

I might sound like a poor Aussie but Amazon sell the Kindle for $139 regardless of where you live and other than the UK don't offer local sale (ie: must buy from the US and have an internationally warranty). Kobo and Jetbooks are available both locally in Aus or internationally from the US at completely different prices (and I assume if I bought either from the US I wouldn't be able to in the event of a warranty claim send it to a local store).

It would be in Borders Australia's best interest to lower the price to a comparable level. I know I would buy another Kobo at that price for my wife, upgrading her JBL.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

heheh No one I know goes to Borders or is aware that Borders sells an e-reader.

Which is probably part of the reason Borders is in trouble.

No one I know goes to Barnes & Noble or Borders.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Solicitous

I might sound like a poor Aussie but Amazon sell the Kindle for $139 regardless of where you live...

You're not. You guys are being ripped off. I wish you could get the same pricing we do, so you'd have better choices. I truly feel for you.

[elizilla]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

No one I know goes to Barnes & Noble or Borders.

Borders has their headquarters here (Ann Arbor MI) and has a fantastic store downtown. They also have two other "big box" stores here. And there's one B&N store. Frankly I have always considered the B&N a disappointing bookstore. They put in these huge imposing big box style stores, that look like they would have everything, but then when you walk inside, either they're only about ten feet deep, or if they have the square footage that the exterior promises, they don't have much in it - instead they go for an "airy" feel where the space is all pretty empty. I would be sad to lose our Borders stores.

[jbcohen]

Kobo, hmm. I was hoping to get a touch screen and/or a color reader for approximatly $100. Although the Kobo looks interesting.

And yes you can use all Borders gift cards on the web site, I have been doing just that for a while. I had a mixup with an online order of a Libra Pro and wound up with two of them, did not need two so they gave me the value in a gift card, that was probably four months ago and I am still working through the value on the card, works great at the web site.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

The Kobo is lacking in features that the Nook and Kindle have, like book marking. This makes me think that the Kobo will stay the basic e-reader for folks with the Kindle and Nook staying where they are price wise.

The Kobo also has a series bug in font embedding where most embedded fonts will fail to work. So really, the Kobo is way way too basic to bother with (IMHO). And with the font embedding bug, that's also a minus for it.

[HamsterRage]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

$99 is what it should've been priced at to begin with. It doesn't have the specs to warrant Kindle pricing.

I can't agree with that. When it came out, the Kindle was pushing $300. So the $149 for the Kobo was a great price. I'd be willing to bet that the only reason you can buy a Kindle for $150 today is because of Kobo.

My guess is that within a year or two, devices like the Kobo will go for under $40.

[SleepyBob]

Originally Posted by HamsterRage

I can't agree with that. When it came out, the Kindle was pushing $300. So the $149 for the Kobo was a great price. I'd be willing to bet that the only reason you can buy a Kindle for $150 today is because of Kobo.

My guess is that within a year or two, devices like the Kobo will go for under $40.

Actually, the only reason you can buy a Kindle for $150 today is because of Nook. Amazon lowered their price about two days after B&N lowered theirs.

$149 for the Kobo was a value when a Kindle cost $300. Once the price on Kindles came down, the Kobo needed to, too.

[HamsterRage]

Originally Posted by SleepyBob

Actually, the only reason you can buy a Kindle for $150 today is because of Nook. Amazon lowered their price about two days after B&N lowered theirs.

$149 for the Kobo was a value when a Kindle cost $300. Once the price on Kindles came down, the Kobo needed to, too.

Kobo started it when they came into the market in April at the lowest price around. And when the Kindle came down, the Kobo dropped too and then followed up with with the WiFi model. I think the last of the original model were sold off months ago for $99. To see the WiFi drop by 1/3 in six months is pretty significant.