US Retail Partners not excited about Kobo Glo?

[tnforpaul45]

Hi all,

Been trolling here a few weeks, decided to join and post a thread! Kobo's website shows the following U.S. retailers as a place to purchase the Glo:

Best Buy
Target
Frys
Sears
Buy.com
Newegg.com
Walmart.com

But of these, only Best Buy has the Glo's even listed. And no pre-order availability at that! What are us Yanks to do? Any advice, or, is the Glo going to be delayed into the US? Where could I drive to on Oct. 1st and buy a Glo in person?

C'mon Kobo, time to play with the big boys!

[tnforpaul45]

To reply to my own post: I apologize if that sounded snarky. I am just frustrated that it appears that the Kobo Glo's are going to trickle in to the US.

Kobo has a superior product on their hands. It has the same PPI as the Paperwhite, without the hazyness on the screen of the Nook Glowlight (which i compared in a Best Busy this weekend and the NookGlow's screen is considerably worse than the regular Touch), and the Kobo's not restricted to the Amazon infrastructure. Its superior in every way, save battery life and 3G partnership (Amazon), to these two top-dog competitors. It just needs some 1. Marketing for exposure, 2. Word of mouth, and 3. Author support.

I just want to know what is going to be the best option for me to purchase on come Monday?

Thank you all!

[fbrII]

Well like it or not I think it's our turn to suffer. Since driving to Canada is not practical from St. Louis my plan is to:

1) Wait for the long awaited update to 2.0 and make sure it solves the current problem with slow page turns for epubs.

2) See what the early buyers have to say.

3) If things look well, wait until the units are available for order through the Kobo site.

My guess if the e-readers are not available for order on Kobo's site tomorrow, it won't be much longer.

I think that's about all you can do, unless you are within a reasonable driving distance from Canada and your passport is current.

[scrapking]

Originally Posted by tnforpaul45

To reply to my own post: I apologize if that sounded snarky. I am just frustrated that it appears that the Kobo Glo's are going to trickle in to the US.

Kobo has a superior product on their hands.

You're having the opposite problem as Kindle fans have in the rest of the world. Amazon treats the rest of the world as second-class citizens: no Paperwhite release date outside the U.S.; the Fire wasn't released in any country outside the U.S.; the Fire HD is only coming to the U.S. and a couple of European countries (seemingly on the countries where Amazon's LOVEFiLM service operates), and only the 7" version, not the larger-screened model.

At least Kobo *wants* to release it in the U.S., they're simply having trouble because the market dominance of Kindle and Nook in the U.S. appears to be making things difficult for other parties.

I agree with you that Kobo appears to have the superior product here, and soon Kobo will be the only major player with a front-lit e-reader on the market outside the U.S. (and, eventually, the UK if/when the Nook gets released there). If you're in Canada, France, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Japan, etc., etc., etc., the Kobo Glo is going to be the only game in town for a while to come. This could be Kobo's big chance, internationally. They're already the dominant player in Canada and France. As for the U.S. market, I'm not sure what Kobo needs to do to get their footing back there. Borders' bankruptcy was a huge setback for them in that market.

Back on topic. Because of the broad availability of the Kobo Glo in Canada, I bet you'll be able to purchase a Canadian-sourced Glo (which will guarantee it supports all the right power standards, etc.) easily on eBay within days. For that matter, I'd be very happy to pick one up for you too, if you wished. You can pay my costs (including shipping) and pay me through PayPal, if you wish. I have one pre-ordered in-store, and would be happy to snag an extra one for you if they have extra units on launch day (apparently Oct. 5th, or so the staff told me today when I checked on my pre-order).

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by scrapking

You're having the opposite problem as Kindle fans have in the rest of the world. Amazon treats the rest of the world as second-class citizens: no Paperwhite release date outside the U.S.

As has been reported earlier they are having supply problems getting screens for the PW and this is likely why the release is US only for the time being, it's their largest market (B&M stores in the US appear to not be getting them right away either due to this). It's possible Kobo is having some of the same supply issues and that's why BestBuy etc. don't have a release date yet, Kobo would want to supply their bigger markets first if supplies are limited (you can't buy it from the Kobo website from the US either which you could with other Kobo's).

the Fire wasn't released in any country outside the U.S.; the Fire HD is only coming to the U.S. and a couple of European countries (seemingly on the countries where Amazon's LOVEFiLM service operates), and only the 7" version, not the larger-screened model.

The Fire is a vehicle to sell the Amazon ecosystem of Books, Movies/TV, Music and Apps and is built around that concept so of course that's where it's being released.


I don't see how either the KoGlo or the PW can be called superior yet. Personally I hope they both turn out to be good devices.

[soulfuldog]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

I don't see how either the KoGlo or the PW can be called superior yet. Personally I hope they both turn out to be good devices.

Exactly, and it'll probably be a month or two before you can really say with any certainty whether one is any better or not.

Incidentally, I don't get the brand love that so many people seem to have for their ereaders. Amazon is probably my favourite online store, and I really like my Kindle, but I'm just as excited about the Kobo Glo being released?

As for the .mobi v .epub argument, there are other places you can buy .mobi books from besides Amazon, and apart from that, being hooked into the Amazon infrastructure might be a negative for some, but for others it's a plus.

Anyway, as a UK resident, I'll be dropping into WH Smith sometime this week to see if they have any demo models of the Glo available, it'll probably be next year before I can get the opportunity to do that with the Kindle PW. It'll be interesting to see how well it does here in the UK, that early release (along with the Nook Glow supposedly being out this Autumn too) might give Kobo the chance to grab a little edge over Amazon.

[taming]

Originally Posted by fbrII

Well like it or not I think it's our turn to suffer. Since driving to Canada is not practical from St. Louis

The good news in St. Louis, at least for the future, is that great book stores like Left Bank Books will undoubtedly be part of the deal Kobo is working on with indies in the states. LBB is one of the things I have missed greatly since moving to Alberta from St. Louis. That and Ted Drewes.

[fbrII]

Well I checked Left Bank Book's website and if they are going to carry Kobo e-readers they are not advertising at this time. I plan to give them a call today however to see if they have any plans to carry.

Hope you are enjoying life in Canada - I'm planning on a trip to Quebec next year, by which time, I also hope to have a new Kobo.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by l_macd

Incidentally, I don't get the brand love that so many people seem to have for their ereaders. Amazon is probably my favourite online store, and I really like my Kindle, but I'm just as excited about the Kobo Glo being released?

Well in a way it's natural for folks in one ecosystem or another to want to feel that they of course made the 'right choice' and that their device is the best.

I've pre-ordered a PW based on past experience with Amazon (and their easy return policy if it turns out that it's not for me), just like I'm waiting for user reviews on the Glo before deciding if it might be better for me based on past experiences with Kobo.

[fbrII]

Independent book stores

Checking with my local independent book store I was told their alignment with Kobo would not start until after the new year because the current agreement with Google is in effect until then.

[tnforpaul45]

Scrapking, thank you so much for your generous offer to pick one up for me! I will seriously consider it.

I fully agree: Kobo has a BIG chance. It's a big earth, and there's a lot more Free Market out there besides the U.S. Being a firm believer in the power of the free market (no desire to start a political argument there), I fully welcome all the competition that Kobo can bring to Amazon and B&N. Bring it on, I say! Kobo needs to bring in that capital and then attack the U.S. market. They have great hardware, now it's time to bring in some great software. Start hiring some software developers and get cracking! Stay nimble, and go for it!

With Amazon phasing out the DX in the near future, I think it would be wise of Kobo to come out with a 9.7" eReader one of these days, but only after its a safe bet to do so.

Originally Posted by scrapking

You're having the opposite problem as Kindle fans have in the rest of the world. Amazon treats the rest of the world as second-class citizens: no Paperwhite release date outside the U.S.; the Fire wasn't released in any country outside the U.S.; the Fire HD is only coming to the U.S. and a couple of European countries (seemingly on the countries where Amazon's LOVEFiLM service operates), and only the 7" version, not the larger-screened model.

At least Kobo *wants* to release it in the U.S., they're simply having trouble because the market dominance of Kindle and Nook in the U.S. appears to be making things difficult for other parties.

I agree with you that Kobo appears to have the superior product here, and soon Kobo will be the only major player with a front-lit e-reader on the market outside the U.S. (and, eventually, the UK if/when the Nook gets released there). If you're in Canada, France, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Japan, etc., etc., etc., the Kobo Glo is going to be the only game in town for a while to come. This could be Kobo's big chance, internationally. They're already the dominant player in Canada and France. As for the U.S. market, I'm not sure what Kobo needs to do to get their footing back there. Borders' bankruptcy was a huge setback for them in that market.

Back on topic. Because of the broad availability of the Kobo Glo in Canada, I bet you'll be able to purchase a Canadian-sourced Glo (which will guarantee it supports all the right power standards, etc.) easily on eBay within days. For that matter, I'd be very happy to pick one up for you too, if you wished. You can pay my costs (including shipping) and pay me through PayPal, if you wish. I have one pre-ordered in-store, and would be happy to snag an extra one for you if they have extra units on launch day (apparently Oct. 5th, or so the staff told me today when I checked on my pre-order).

[selina4books]

I'm not having any luck at all in the States. I was hoping for one for a trip this week, my Kobo wifi barely functions. But the guy at Best Buy just looked at the same webpage I can see and said "Oh, I guess they're coming soon." Since I can read (hence wanting the new Kobo Glo!) I already knew that. He had no clue when, if ever, "coming soon" means. Target said they are not carrying any Kobos, only Nooks, Walmart doesn't have them on their website and the girl at the store said, "Wait, what? You mean a Kindle?" had no luck with Newegg or Buy.com, they only show the old ones and don't even say "coming soon".

Frustrating and I have even more empathy for people trying to get s new Kindle than I did before (and I already had a lot.)

[scrapking]

Originally Posted by selina4books

Walmart doesn't have them on their website and the girl at the store said, "Wait, what? You mean a Kindle?"

That's all the more bizarre given Walmart's recent decision to stop carrying the Kindle (though how well Walmart communicates decisions down to front-line staff I don't know).

Originally Posted by selina4books

Frustrating and I have even more empathy for people trying to get s new Kindle than I did before (and I already had a lot.)

The weird part is that people in Britain get to use their localised store for buying e-books, as do Australians, as do Germans, etc. In Canada, we have an Amazon.ca but we're not permitted to use it for buying e-books so we have to use Amazon.com. Logging into my Canadian Amazon account I am greeted with messages encouraging me to order Fires and Paperwhites, but when I try to I get messages like this:

"Kindle Paperwhite, 6" High Resolution Display with Built-in Light, Wi-Fi cannot be shipped to the selected address. To purchase Kindles available to you, please visit the Kindle product page on Amazon.com (intl.)"

If you won't sell it to me, at least set your website up not to encourage me to do so! This isn't rocket appliances here, it's relatively easy to hide content you're unwilling to sell to people who have a Canadian address, isn't it?

[scrapking]

Originally Posted by tnforpaul45

Scrapking, thank you so much for your generous offer to pick one up for me! I will seriously consider it.

I fully agree: Kobo has a BIG chance. It's a big earth, and there's a lot more Free Market out there besides the U.S. Being a firm believer in the power of the free market (no desire to start a political argument there), I fully welcome all the competition that Kobo can bring to Amazon and B&N. Bring it on, I say! Kobo needs to bring in that capital and then attack the U.S. market. They have great hardware, now it's time to bring in some great software. Start hiring some software developers and get cracking! Stay nimble, and go for it!

With Amazon phasing out the DX in the near future, I think it would be wise of Kobo to come out with a 9.7" eReader one of these days, but only after its a safe bet to do so.

You have until Thursday night to make a decision, and since we've had this public dialogue about it and since we'll be using PayPal you'll have some protection. I'm probably going to snag an extra one or two as gifts anyway, so one more would be no big deal.

The Kindle DX is an interesting beast, thanks for pointing it out to me (I'd never looked at it before). If you could read in landscape mode then it would actually be pretty nice. Otherwise I don't think I would enjoy it, I prefer reading text on my Kobo Vox (7") versus my iPad (10" or so) because my eyes don't have to travel back and forth so far on the 7" screen. The Kobo Glo will be my first 6" screen, and it'll be interesting to see how it compares to a 7" one.

[scrapking]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

As has been reported earlier they are having supply problems getting screens for the PW and this is likely why the release is US only for the time being,

Was the Kindle Touch also supply constrained? It was also released in the U.S.-only at first.

Even if it's supply constrained, I'm not sure that a U.S.-only release is the correct decision. The Xbox 360 was supply constrained at launch, yet Microsoft kept to its plan of back-to-back-to-back North American, European, and Japanese launches. You don't want to make your secondary and tertiary markets feel like second-class citizens.

The Fire is a vehicle to sell the Amazon ecosystem of Books, Movies/TV, Music and Apps and is built around that concept so of course that's where it's being released.

I disagree that it's true at all, let alone an obvious truth. Even if they can't offer the full suite of content in every country, they can offer e-books and apps at an absolute minimum. Some of the other content could also be offered, even if in a more limited fashion than in the U.S.

I don't see how either the KoGlo or the PW can be called superior yet. Personally I hope they both turn out to be good devices.

They're pretty similar aside from how the touch screens work (capacitive for the PW, infra-red for the Glo), and like you I rather expect both of them to be good.