Will Kobo, Nook and Amazon Touch kill Sony?

[advocate2]

I find it interesting that Kobo and Nook chose to emulate Sony rather than Amazon. This is clear recognition of what the market wants the most. The problem is that in being both price competitive and similar in function, will the competition leave insufficient margin for Sony to stay in the market?

What are the odds that Sony will announce a new model, price competitive 6" reader in the near future? I think the odds are now very low. Since the 650 is hard to find, I've got to go with another touch screen manufacturer. Will many people pay $229 for a Sony Reader with Kobo $100 cheaper?

[viviena]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Sorry, but the world is bigger than New Zealand, Australia and Canada. It is not available in Europe. Don't know about Asia and Africa, but I guess there neither. Neither in stores nor online. So worldwide is just not true.

Not that it's worldwide, but it's apparently being released in Europe soon.

Originally Posted by Asawi

I' don't know if Kobo has anything similar at all.

...

(This is the Sony forum, so I guess this is OT, but where does it say that Nook has no web access and Kobo does? [as "rhadin" states] Old Nook did have web access, Kobo didn't. Is this changed with the new ones? Can't find info!)

Kobo devices don't support collections, at least the current firmware doesn't. Of course, little is known about the firmware for the new device. Those who like Sonys for their organisation of book libraries won't like the Kobo as-is.

My understanding is the Nook Classic has a rudimentary web browser. The Kobo Wifi can connect only to its webstore. The new Nook Touch has no web browser. Unknown for the Kobo Touch.

I'm not optimistic Sony will hold out in the Australian market. It's not even the cost that is offputting, but rather its lack of availability. Kobo has done very well by simply being available as well as being heavily promoted. Apparently, one can even get a Kobo Wifi with a particular private health insurer now.

[ProfCrash]

I suspect that Amazon will release a touch version of the Kindle this year. I dread it but I think it is coming. Amazon is sold across the globe. It can be purchased on every continent and Amazon is slowly working to open global e-book stores. The German store opened recently. I would not be surprised to see the rest of the European stores up and running in the next year.

The Nook is not available globally but it is not hard to get if you want one. The fact that it is an EPub reader means that not having access to the BN store is not a huge deal for folks. This is going to hold true for the Kobo. The price differential is enough that someone who does their research will probably be seriously considering buying a Nook or Kobo from ebay or through the existing services that send them overseas.

At this moment, the Sony differentiates itself from the Nook and Kobo with its casing. I know that the folks here love the look of it and feel that it is more robust then other e-readers but my K1 is alive and kicking after having been carted around the world, used at the beach, bumped around in a backpack, and dropped frequently. I don't think that is enough to justify the higher price point.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by elemenoP

Now let's talk about the 6" Pearl screen for a second. When Sony had so many shortages of the 650 model, it was often chalked up to not enough supply of the screen. Well, we'll see if Kobo or Nook ever have shortages!! Now we have FOUR major readers (actually more if you count all the different Kindle models separately) using the same screen.

eP

Very good point to keep in mind.

[ProfCrash]

The K3 has not had any shortages in the US since the initial launch. I have not heard of shortages for the non-US model in the lsat 6 months or so. The recent release of the KSO has not led to shortages or waitlists for any of the Kindles. This makes me think that the 650 shortage does not have much to do with the availability of the screen but something else.

Or some how Amazon has worked a deal where its shipments are filled first and that has screwed over Sony.

Sony does have a reputation of producing above average products of top quality but at a well above average price. I think many will continue to purchase Sony readers as long as they are available. I too remember the Clie line of PalmOS PDAs that entered the market when Palm had allowed the PalmOS PDA market to stagnate. Sony breathed a short-lived, new life back into the market with their well built and innovative line. But it was short-lived as Sony chose to bow out suddenly, leaving a LOT of unhappy Clie owners. I really don't see the Kindle, Nook, Kobo, etc. as the deciding factor that will kill the Sony reader. I think if that happens it will be a Sony decision based on whatever strange business philosophy they follow.

And we shouldn't forget the massive earthquake and tsunami of March, Sony might have been hit hard by this event. A lot of Japanese companies are scaling back sales in the USA due to that catastrophic event and its impact on their production capability.

[advocate2]

Does anyone know if Sony will get licensing fees from the copycats? If so, that would be a revenue stream that might give Sony an incentive to continue to refine the product line.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by advocate2

Will many people pay $229 for a Sony Reader with Kobo $100 cheaper?

I suspect not many would look beyond the price gap, which is too bad. I certainly am very pleased with my Sony 950 and was happy to pay the $100 difference for it. Sony's biggest problem is that it leads the market on design and features but fails to balance that against price, compounding the problem by consistently failing to make a case for why someone should pay the difference.

As of this moment (and subject to future change), I would expect to buy another Sony down the road. My 505 is 3.5 years old and still running perfectly. My wife uses it every day for several hours a day, having inherited it from me when I got my 950 last October. When I was using the 505, I used it for at least 3 hours, and often 4 or more hours, every day. My point is that in the 3.5 years of owning the 505, it has worked like a charm -- no problems, no failures, no service required. It just works and works well.

I view the 505 and 950 as quality builds.

[ProfCrash]

And people can say the same about the original Kindle. It is a quality product that is working just fine many years down the line. So the build quality really does not differentiate the Sony from the Kindle. I have a feeling that people will be talking about their Nook Classics in the same way in another year or so.

[AlbertaCowboy]

I certainly hope that the Sony line will continue. I love my Sony, much more than any of the others available here in Canada. Sure the Sony is way overpriced. Sure you have to keep buying new accessories for every model. Sure the covers don't come standard. But the quality is better... What's that, the new Kobo has Perl too? Hmmmm. Dammit, it sounds like I'm even trying to convince myself that the Sonys are still viable in the current form and market.
The only feature that seems to be superior to that of the Kobo appears to be the ease of which Sony supports collections. For me, it's worth paying an extra $100 bucks to have the convenience that I'm used to. I certainly wouldn't think that willingness to pay more for a small feature to be all that common.
Keep in mind though, that a lot of folks (myself included) figured that the PRS-700 was the death knell for the Sony Reader line. They rebounded with the PRS-350 & 650 to remain in the game. If Sony bows out, then I suppose I'll just become a Kobo fan.
(I do laugh though thinking of myself walking around huffing at Kobos saying "Well I prefer the feel of the old Sonys", like paper bookers huff at eReaders. )

[Poppaea]

I will pay gladly the prices Sony charges for their superior design any day again! Even if it is true that those black rubber cases are built equally good, they are just ugly. My flat is Empire antiques and not Ikea and everything else I own is of high quality and aesthetically pleasing, why should I look for hours each day at an ugly reader just to save some money??? If it'd mean to save up a couple of weeks longer for the reader that gives me the most pleasure, so be it, but I would not settle for less.

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

I will pay gladly the prices Sony charges for their superior design any day again! Even if it is true that those black rubber cases are built equally good, they are just ugly. My flat is Empire antiques and not Ikea and everything else I own is of high quality and aesthetically pleasing, why should I look for hours each day at an ugly reader just to save some money??? If it'd mean to save up a couple of weeks longer for the reader that gives me the most pleasure, so be it, but I would not settle for less.

Obviously that is fine but do you think that it is wise for Sony to bank on people like yourself to keep their e-readers afloat?

I look forward to seeing how Sony responds to this. I would hope that they release a new e-reader that can differentiate itself from the others and keep the line going. Sony has done some great things for e-readers and I don't want them to go away. Competition is good for prices and features. Losing one of the earlier players would be sad.

That said, Sony is going to have to come out with something spectacular if they want to keep charging what they do and not have people move to the Kobo or Nook.

[Asawi]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

My flat is Empire antiques and not Ikea and everything else I own is of high quality and aesthetically pleasing, why should I look for hours each day at an ugly reader just to save some money???

My home is IKEA. Cheap, cheerful and lots of color. Which only prooves that you can come to the same conclusion from different directions!

My pink 350 in it's pink Sony cover fits so well in my somewhat tasteless home. Also in my super cool (equally lacking in "good taste") T@B teardrop caravan.

(Having said that, There are some really nice covers available for the Nook. Wish the device was better looking though!)

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by Asawi

My home is IKEA. Cheap, cheerful and lots of color. Which only prooves that you can come to the same conclusion from different directions!

My pink 350 in it's pink Sony cover fits so well in my somewhat tasteless home. Also in my super cool (equally lacking in "good taste") T@B teardrop caravan.

(Having said that, There are some really nice covers available for the Nook. Wish the device was better looking though!)

I love my pink 350 in its pink Sony lighted cover, but I have to admit, I've always loved the Roots cases for the Kobo. It's too bad that I haven't seen any lighted covers for the Kobo.

[mcrow24]

Sony will kill Sony. Charging $40-$100 more for eReaders that have fewer features than the competition will be their undoing.