Prices of e-book readers not likely to drop soon

[Hellmark]

I wouldn't go for a subscription model. If it was something like what was said, where it was read what ever for one monthly price, I'd consider it, but when you're poor, cash flow can be inconsistent. A month ago, I was doing ok, but now due to bills I'm struggling to see if I can even afford to get to work till pay day. Right now, there are a lot of people in similar situations, so buying outright is a better option.

[jasonkchapman]

Originally Posted by Format C:

The iPod is cool.
It's a must have among the youngest (and the middle aged who play young).
Every other player is perceived as a wannabe...
And coolness is priceless.

Is the ebook reader cool enough?
I doubt it



OK, I know some ebook readers are actually Cool-er....

Yes, but "coolness" is entirely a marketing phenomenon. Most of what makes something "cool" is that other people think it's "cool". Consumers are terrified of being in the "wannabe" group, so they desperately look for a crowd to follow.

Based on my own anecdotal assessment, yes. E-book readers are reaching the point of being "cool". I work in the Wall Street area. More and more, I'm seeing folks settling in with devices while eating lunch or reading during the subway commute (mostly Sonys, some Kindles).

Folks I know who, over the last few years, expressed mild curiosity about e-book readers, are suddenly saying things like "I really want a nook!" It's probably not the device itself so much as some kind of alchemical reaction that occurs when a certain number of major players get involved in an industry, or maybe it just looks "cool". I don't know. Personally, I have no trouble recommending any of the major players. The more consumers who join the marketplace, the better the options will be.

[JSWolf]

To me, I want a music player designed to play music. The iPods are just so-so when it comes to music quality. Apple spends too much time adding gimmicks to the iPods that they forget to concentrate on the music part of them.

I want my reader to do well at displaying a book to me. I don't want it loaded up with all sorts of stuff I won't use.

I find a lot of these do it all devices do something important (to me) not well enough because it's not what's important to the company that made it.

[suecsi]

To me, I want a music player designed to play music. The iPods are just so-so when it comes to music quality. Apple spends too much time adding gimmicks to the iPods that they forget to concentrate on the music part of them.

I want my reader to do well at displaying a book to me. I don't want it loaded up with all sorts of stuff I won't use. I find a lot of these do it all devices do something important not well enough because it's not what's important to the company that made it.

Absolutely agree. I love the combination of my Sony PRS505 and my old Creative MP3 player which still works though its years old (but plays nice with Audible).

[JSWolf]

My Rio Karma works well and sounds better then my wife's iPod Touch 2nd generation. Yes, the iPod has all these apps for it. But I want a music player that does it well. The Rio Karma is not perfect, but the sound quality is pretty good and it plays FLAC, OGG, and MP3 which is all I need.

[jasonkchapman]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

To me, I want a music player designed to play music. The iPods are just so-so when it comes to music quality. Apple spends too much time adding gimmicks to the iPods that they forget to concentrate on the music part of them.

Amen. That's why I'm still carrying my Rio Karma. If/when it dies, there are still rebuilt units around. When that dries up, I can hope that the Trekstor Vibez is still around, since it uses the Rio/DNNA firmware.

[Kellhus]

Originally Posted by HarryT

£60 ($100) seems ridiculously cheap to me. The cheapest device on sale in the UK that I know of is the Sony PRS-300, at £179.

Yeah, it may seem riciculously cheap for you and your market but please remember there are other countries and markets besides yours. Right now the average price of an e-ink device is approx. 1/3 of my monthly wage, and I'm above average in my country. So to say that it's ridiculously cheap is to say that you have absoutely no idea what does it look like outside your country.

[rhadin]

I would consider a subscription service, just as I considered a subscription service for my cell phone. It depends on what is offered and the terms. With my cell phone I had a choice of buying an unlocked phone and then simply doing a month-to-month contract with a cell phone service or getting a subsidized phone and locking myself in for 1 to 2 years. I decided that the economics were such that being a subscriber was better. Without knowing what the deal would be for a reader, I don't see how anyone can predecide it is or isn't the way to go.

[pedgarcia]

We could expect lower prices as long as the cost drops as well. Having more ebook readers available and increased sales will help reducing these costs. We can see in the past 6 months how many new players starting selling ebook readers and how the prices have been dropped so far.

I don't think it will cost $100 soon, though. Unless, of course, some player starts selling it with low or no margins expecting more revenue from the content, which is actually a problem if you don't have a proprietary format to tie on your costumers (like Amazon) with your hardware.

Cheers

Paulo

[gwynevans]

Originally Posted by HarryT

£60 ($100) seems ridiculously cheap to me. The cheapest device on sale in the UK that I know of is the Sony PRS-300, at £179.

Actually, it's at £149 at WHS, Waterstones & John Lewis (although the latter's currently out of stock).

[gwynevans]

Originally Posted by Kellhus

Yeah, it may seem riciculously cheap for you and your market but please remember there are other countries and markets besides yours. Right now the average price of an e-ink device is approx. 1/3 of my monthly wage, and I'm above average in my country. So to say that it's ridiculously cheap is to say that you have absoutely no idea what does it look like outside your country.

I rather suspect that Harry's point is that, given the cost of the components, expecting it to sell at $100 was the ridiculous part, not that it was ridiculously affordable!

[Hellmark]

Originally Posted by gwynevans

I rather suspect that Harry's point is that, given the cost of the components, expecting it to sell at $100 was the ridiculous part, not that it was ridiculously affordable!

Yeah, I took it that way too. I mean, it is nuts to expect the price of something (especially something so expensive) to quickly drop to half or a third of the current price.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Yes, but he's an eInk guy.

We've got the jetBook Lite going for $149 and the JC Penney SimplicitE pegged to go at $129.

I can definitely see someone offering a sub-$100 device fairly soon. I don't expect it to be eInk, but I don't see the world of manufacturers waiting on the sidelines and doing nothing just because PVI wants to keep its price up. There are too many potential customers waiting for the price to fall below $100 to buy their first eBook reader for manufacturers to ignore.

Well, the Ebookwise is only $89. It's not e-ink, but it is a dedicated reading device. The Sony PRS-505 was selling for as low as $70 in some Target stores not too long ago. I'm not expecting prices to drop drastically this year, but with several devices with larger screens hitting the market next year (hopefully), 5 or 6 inch devices will probably drop in price somewhat. (keeping my fingers crossed)

[Hellmark]

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

Well, the Ebookwise is only $89. It's not e-ink, but it is a dedicated reading device. The Sony PRS-505 was selling for as low as $70 in some Target stores not too long ago. I'm not expecting prices to drop drastically this year, but with several devices with larger screens hitting the market next year (hopefully), 5 or 6 inch devices will probably drop in price somewhat. (keeping my fingers crossed)

Standard LCD displays, especially non color are cheap and easy to use. Older tech is always cheaper.

As far as the 505s, those were selling below cost, merely to clear out inventory, so I wouldn't count those.

[fugazied]

I'd rather see them retain current price levels and just add more features, in the same way Apple usually do. The release of a 'budget' Kindle might be nice, but I want a few more features yet before they start concentrating on dropping the price.