Official Sony PR re PRS-300/600

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by frozennorth

I agree. It sure sounds like an oxymoron. Same with vat. There's no value added to the product.

I believe tax is added to the product everytime value is added. So, the manufacturer, the distributor, then at retail. From Wikipedia:

In this way, the total tax levied at each stage in the economic chain of supply is a constant fraction of the value added by a business to its products, and most of the cost of collecting the tax is borne by business, rather than by the state. VAT was invented because very high sales taxes and tariffs encourage cheating and smuggling.

Someone mentioned Obama wanting to have this... I don't know about that. But, I strongly support the FairTax... which is a national consumption tax to replace the income tax, but it is nothing like VAT... and the pre-bate is built in so it can't be called "regressive" although many people say it is.

BOb

[sherman]

And then over here in NZ, we have GST.

It's a single 12.5% rate that applies to ALL goods and services sold in the country - no matter how small or large the purchase is. There are no exclusions as far as I know - this is done for simplicity's sake as much as anything else.

All prices must be assumed to include GST unless explicitly stated by the seller that the price excludes GST. This means the price you see on the shelf is the price you pay at the counter.

I always have to keep reminding myself when I go to the US that some indeterminate amount will be added to the price at the counter.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by sherman

And then over here in NZ, we have GST.

It's a single 12.5% rate that applies to ALL goods and services sold in the country - no matter how small or large the purchase is. There are no exclusions as far as I know - this is done for simplicity's sake as much as anything else.

All prices must be assumed to include GST unless explicitly stated by the seller that the price excludes GST. This means the price you see on the shelf is the price you pay at the counter.

I always have to keep reminding myself when I go to the US that some indeterminate amount will be added to the price at the counter.

Not really indeterminate. Most state's sales tax is between 5-7% with some exceptions, like I think NY City is higher because there is a city sales tax in addition to state tax. but, if you figure on 7% you'll be pretty close.

BOb

[doreenjoy]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Not really indeterminate. Most state's sales tax is between 5-7% with some exceptions, like I think NY City is higher because there is a city sales tax in addition to state tax. but, if you figure on 7% you'll be pretty close.

BOb

Here in San Francisco, we're paying 9.5%

But baby, it's worth it to live here.

[sherman]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Not really indeterminate. Most state's sales tax is between 5-7% with some exceptions, like I think NY City is higher because there is a city sales tax in addition to state tax. but, if you figure on 7% you'll be pretty close.

BOb

Fair enough, but still, at least here in NZ one can have correct change right ready to give to the checkout person, without needing to do any sort of calculation whatsoever. And with our smallest coin now having a value of 10 cents...

And I'm not even going to get into the obscure hocus pocus that is gratuities/tipping... (as that has absolutely no relation at all to the current topic at hand, which is the new Sony readers!!)

[herbdb]

Originally Posted by Kostas

From a consumer pov, sales tax and vat look the same. But the concept is quite different, especially for businesses.

Not true for a business. If there is no added value, incoming vat = outcoming vat, no extra tax.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_added_tax

In the US, supplies used to produce products are purchased tax free; as are goods to be resold. The impact on the consumer is the same.

If you look at the "wiget" example in wikipedia you will see the total tax in the simple example is the same, but it is paid at different stages. In the end the consumer pays the same for his purchase and the taxing entity collects the same tax in both systems.

[RWJ]

Bugger. I just put a $40 deposit on repairs for my two-weeks-out-of-warranty 505. And I just got back from a trip in the US. If they'd done this a month earlier, I'd have snapped up a 600 in a heartbeat. Given that as discussed I'd now have to pay shipping and customs and duty, I can't see getting a new one in the immediate future.

[acastillo]

Originally Posted by Abecedary

I'd say the reason is simply because they're still working on it. Possibly trying to set up deals with bookstores/publishers to allow purchasing directly from the device. But they've stated several times now that they are definitely working on a wireless reader.

Ah . . . could this be another step in Sony's devious plan to take down the Kindle??

News Corp May Break Ties With Amazon Over Kindle Terms-Fox Business
Wednesday 08/05/2009 6:21 PM ET - Dow Jones Newswire

News Corp. (NWS) may break ties with Amazon (AMZN) over pricing terms for the Kindle e-reader, News Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch said Wednesday in a conference call, according to a report on Fox Business Network. Murdoch also said News Corp. is in talks with Sony Corp. (SNE) about making content available on that company's upcoming e-reader, which aims to challenge the Kindle.
Murdoch also said that this will be the fiscal year the company starts charging for online news content beyond the Wall Street Journal's Web site.
News Corp. is the parent company of Fox Business Network and Dow Jones & Co., the publisher of this newswire.
Web site: www.foxbusiness.com

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by acastillo

Ah . . . could this be another step in Sony's devious plan to take down the Kindle??

News Corp May Break Ties With Amazon Over Kindle Terms-Fox Business
Wednesday 08/05/2009 6:21 PM ET - Dow Jones Newswire

News Corp. (NWS) may break ties with Amazon (AMZN) over pricing terms for the Kindle e-reader, News Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch said Wednesday in a conference call, according to a report on Fox Business Network. Murdoch also said News Corp. is in talks with Sony Corp. (SNE) about making content available on that company's upcoming e-reader, which aims to challenge the Kindle.
Murdoch also said that this will be the fiscal year the company starts charging for online news content beyond the Wall Street Journal's Web site.
News Corp. is the parent company of Fox Business Network and Dow Jones & Co., the publisher of this newswire.
Web site: www.foxbusiness.com

That's interesting...

[doreenjoy]

Originally Posted by acastillo

Ah . . . could this be another step in Sony's devious plan to take down the Kindle??

News Corp May Break Ties With Amazon Over Kindle Terms-Fox Business
Wednesday 08/05/2009 6:21 PM ET - Dow Jones Newswire

News Corp. (NWS) may break ties with Amazon (AMZN) over pricing terms for the Kindle e-reader, News Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch said Wednesday in a conference call, according to a report on Fox Business Network. Murdoch also said News Corp. is in talks with Sony Corp. (SNE) about making content available on that company's upcoming e-reader, which aims to challenge the Kindle.
Murdoch also said that this will be the fiscal year the company starts charging for online news content beyond the Wall Street Journal's Web site.
News Corp. is the parent company of Fox Business Network and Dow Jones & Co., the publisher of this newswire.
Web site: www.foxbusiness.com

Sounds like News Corp is playing Amazon and Sony off against each other to get the highest dollar for News Corp content.

It'll be interesting to see where they end up. My money is on Sony because they seem like the kind of company to throw lots of money at a problem in the hope of getting more market share.

[SolRaven]

Originally Posted by plexusnexus

Now seriously considering upgrading from PRS505 to the 600!
Which leads to a tricky choice: I like very much the silver color because it goes well with the grayish text background (and I noticed when fiddling with older Sony store models that for black models, the black frame seems to contrast too much with the gray background and may distract from reading).
At the same time, this may just be a misleading perception. And the Sony website's picture of the black PRS600 makes it look pretty tempting. So what is your experience from current models? Besides esthetics, which would be the best PRS600 for a good reading experience - black or silver model?

Although navy blue isn't my favorite color, the reason I bought the drk blue 505 instead of silver is because I had read reviews that said the dark, almost black color added contrast to the lettering because the dark shadowy color of the reader fell away into the background and all you were left seeing were the words.

I love the sangria red reader but thought the gorgeous color of the reader would distract my reading. Silver, or any shade of grey would've been my "go to" color but the reflectiveness of the silver is what made me stay away from it and buy a color that was light absorbing and not reflecting. The last thing I wanted was any light reflecting back into my eyes.

That being said, it seems everyone really loves the color they bought so, perhaps it matters much less than I thought and you should get the one you want; if you don't like it, you can always skin it.

[SolRaven]

Originally Posted by Ea

I agree with you about the silver. I think the black looks nice, too, but black has a tendency to look either 'cheap' or 'expensive & powerful', while silver is more neutral, and I'm still not sure which side the black Reader falls on. If this issue matters to you, it's something to consider.

One thing Sony has down is aesthetics. I thought the sangria red would look cheap until I saw it in person and it has to be one of the most gorgeous reds I've ever seen. Heck, I have a Sony mp3 player that I need to sell on ebay but it's so gorgeous I have yet to part with it. I think whichever color you choose you will love. From what I can see, everyone believes the color they chose is the best and have no regrets. I'm not a blue person but I love my blue 505. The only reason I'd look at another color other than black is because the 600 looks so similar to my 700 that I'm thinking I may need a little variety. Eh... I think I'll try out different skins before I commit to a color other than black.

[doreenjoy]

The silver is brushed so it's not that reflective.

I agree that Sony has the sexiest product design right now. Better even than Apple IMO.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

The silver is brushed so it's not that reflective.

I agree that Sony has the sexiest product design right now. Better even than Apple IMO.

That's not too difficult. Personally, I find white looking cheap.

[jaknudsen]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

That's not too difficult. Personally, I find white looking cheap.

Hmm, which of Apple's products are white?