Sony vows to win e-reader war.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by charleski

Unfortunately, the lack of wireless and the relative difficulty of purchasing books for the technically incompetent is going to hurt Sony in the mass market.

Don't forget that the new Sony PRS-900 does have wireless capability, although they're made the questionable decision to use a CDMA radio, which basically restricts the device to the US market.

[rcuadro]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Yes. I have (somewhere) a Panasonic minidisk player. All sorts of different companies made those. It was an excellent recording format.

Really? Then I take most of what I said back

[Renaldo]

Originally Posted by rcuadro

Just like Beta... and Mini Discs... and Memory Sticks... and UMD games... like UMD movies...

Sony isn't one of the largest, most successful multinational corporations in the world for nothing. What doesn't catch on the in the US is often the standard in other parts of the world.

[holterzoff]

yes, a myst, crappy products, bad support, and successful.....

[perversity]

Originally Posted by holterzoff

yes, a myst, crappy products, bad support, and successful.....

Even though I have a prs600, I tend to agree with this one.

[Kali Yuga]

Sony is going to have to do a little bit more than land a quasi-exclusive deal with Murdoch to "win the war."

I do think the Sony hardware is pretty good, but the Kindle hardware is generally good enough (and priced competitively now) to make that moot. If B&N gets its act together quickly, same goes for them. Considering that Amazon and B&N have never made hardware like this, and Sony has a long track record making portable devices, I'm not sure that an extensive resume will make a big difference.

Unfortunately it's extremely difficult to tell what anyone's standings are, since no one is releasing device sales figures. Anyone up for a little corporate espionage?

[Connallmac]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

Sony is going to have to do a little bit more than land a quasi-exclusive deal with Murdoch to "win the war."

If this is Sony's opening salvo, I am not impressed.

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

Unfortunately it's extremely difficult to tell what anyone's standings are, since no one is releasing device sales figures. Anyone up for a little corporate espionage?

Welcome to Texas Hold 'Em, corporate style!

[kovidgoyal]

Gah there is no e-reader war. e-reader's are going to become commodities in the next year. There's only so much you can do with an e-reader and the hardware released next year will do it all. Then all that's left is drops in price and erosions of the manufacturers margins. The next major development will be reflective, low power screens with high refresh rates, then you'll start to see multifunction devices that also make great readers, at which point the computer/phone manufacturers will get involved. And in a decade there will be no significant market for dedicated reading devices.

[Not_A_Crook]

Today sony has always vowed to a particular goal, and most of those so-called "goals" don't meet up until two years later at the worst...

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Gah there is no e-reader war. e-reader's are going to become commodities in the next year.

How dare you express a rational opinion!

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

There's only so much you can do with an e-reader and the hardware released next year will do it all.... In a decade there will be no significant market for dedicated reading devices.

Unfortunately, I have to disagree with your analysis here on a few points.

There is a fair amount of evidence that when presented with extremely similar options, people will place excess weight on what are essentially trivial differences. E.g. the differences between digital SLR's is actually very small, so various users will inflate those differences out of proportion of their actual utility in order to distinguish between the models and brands. Similarly, the differences between the existing ereader hardware is also quite small, as everyone is using eInk. Commodification also hasn't really mattered much in the computer space, there's still a lot of focus on branding. I don't see how even an equalization of hardware in the ebook reader space, or everyone selling the same open DRM-free format, will wind up changing the dynamic much, even if rationally it should.

Second, there are several reasons why dedicated ereaders are going to stick around:
• As long as they use eInk or a similar technology, they will have major advantages in terms of readability, power consumption and portability.
• Dedicated devices will be less distracting than a multi-function device (which, for starters, is likely to interrupt your reading with email notices, calendar reminders etc)
• They will be better for education, as it will be easier to lock the devices down (e.g. prevent students from web-surfing in the middle of class)
• Chances are the majority of punters will end up using some type of multi-function device. However, the majority of book buyers also only buy a small number of books per year. In contrast, the heavy book buyers (10+ books per year) will most likely want a dedicated, focused device with a high-quality reading service, and will most likely keep dedicated readers going for a long time.

As to whether there is a "war," it's clearly just the good ol' competing for dominant market share and mind share. Going after raw market share isn't always the best business strategy, especially if you gut your ability to turn a profit in the process of attempting to grab a greater share....

[igorsk]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Don't forget that the new Sony PRS-900 does have wireless capability, although they're made the questionable decision to use a CDMA radio, which basically restricts the device to the US market.

Actually it is GSM, but the module they currently use is limited to the North American 850/1900 band. Putting a similar module with tri- or four-band support should be pretty easy, I think.

[kovidgoyal]

That depends on whether a multi-function device offers a significantly degraded reading experience. As long as it has a low power reflective screen of reasonable size, it wont. I don't buy the distraction thing. We're all capable of hitting the off switch on the wireless radio when we dont want to be disturbed.

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

That depends on whether a multi-function device offers a significantly degraded reading experience.

A multifunction device will need to be able to do video and animation, which in turn almost certainly precludes optimization for reading. The multiple functions will also mean it will need faster processors and more storage, thus adding to power drain and bulk. Battery technology is also notoriously slow to develop. Further, epaper will likely continue to develop and increase in capability, e.g. adding color, flexible / bendable screens, faster screen changes, lower power consumption etc.

I.e. if you want a device that's good for reading, you'll want a device that is light, uses little power, and doesn't beep every 30 seconds. If you want a device that will be good for watching videos, reading email, web surfacing, listening to music etc., something's going to give.

Further, the development of multifunction devices does not always result in the eradication of a focused device. FM radios, compressed audio players, digital cameras, digital recording equipment, DVD players, and so forth still persist despite the ease of integrating those functions into singular devices. As long as reading has unique requirements, and people do it enough, a focused device is highly likely to stick around.

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

I don't buy the distraction thing. We're all capable of hitting the off switch on the wireless radio when we dont want to be disturbed.

We could, but I doubt we will. I have yet to actually see anyone turn off the radio of their iPhone just because they're reading an ebook....

[pwalker8]

That's the big question, will a non dedicated device result in degraded experience. The other question mark is power consumption. I tend to fail more in the dedicated device camp, though I also like to have a device that can do several things. I carry both my iPhone and an ipod classic because I like to have access to all of my music. I carry both my iPhone and my eReader because while the iPhone is fine for those little 5 to 10 minute periods where you are waiting, my Sony 505 is a much better reading experience, plus the power consumption is much less on the Sony. If I use the iPhone for a long period then I either need to use an external battery or recharge it. Another thing to consider is if the multi purpose device is significantly heavier or not. It all comes down to how you read, do you read sitting in a chair with the device in your lap, or do you read lying down holding the device in your hand?

My guess is that there will be room for both types of devices in the market for a while to come.

[Stevo]

Originally Posted by Connallmac

If this is Sony's opening salvo, I am not impressed.

Same here. They could start by lowering the price. Seriously, they could easily surpass Kindle if they lowered the price, especially with the non-wireless models.