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Old 06-19-2010, 04:10 AM   #1
kut
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Ebook readers price drop ??

I remember reading about eink screens about 3-4 years ago. I was super excited! a magical screen that looks like paper, I couldn't wait to own one. It was promised that eink would be cheap and affordable, but when the first sony reader came out it was anything but cheap
Its 2010 and eink based gadgets are still out of my budget

Anyways, whats the cheapest eink based reader available today ? and any guesses for the future ? can we expect some price drops ? a simple <100$ reader with 10mb storage that just reads txt/pdf files is all i want.


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Old 06-19-2010, 05:10 AM   #2
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I suspect the market will have to grow a lot before there's room for real budget e-readers. Both in terms of volume, and maturity. I suspect it'll take proprtionally longer than it did for MP3 players, because they're more of a niche product, and they're a bit harder to get right.

E.g. there are many defects in new e-readers - would you trust a really cheap one right now? Like my Hanvon (£120) - the original firmware was far inferior to Open Inkpot.

I guess you're not asking for much - only a $50 reduction on the Sony reader. So maybe you'll get lucky if you look out for sales etc.

ETA: Oops, should have said. The obvious cheapest atm is the $150 Sony reader. There may be less well known ones though.

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Old 06-19-2010, 06:03 AM   #3
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I'm a bit confused. Rounding say $300 for an e-reader verses $30 for a hardback. That's only 10 books to cover the cost of an e-reader. Or $10 for paperbacks which is only 30 books. Less than a years worth of reading before it's paid off. Of course I didn't factor in the free and $2-5 books that you can get for the e-reader. Plus highly portable library of books and the neat factor.
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Old 06-19-2010, 08:13 AM   #4
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The good-news for bargain-focused buyers is that Ebook reader prices *are* dropping.
A lot of the drop is coming at the low end and its not as noticeable because the drops are coming in the form of new products more than as outright price drops on existing product.
(Thus, the Kobo 6" reader came in at US$150 rather than the more common $199 and the Pandigital 7" color LCD Novel came in at $170-199--some added discount coupons to the intro pricing to go as low as $129--instead of the $259-299 typical of comparable MIDs.)

Still, existing product *is* dropping in price; the Sony PRS-300 has dropped from $229 to $149 (lower on the occasional sale), the PRS-600 has dropped to $199 and the PRS 900 has dropped to $299-349. The Aluratech Libre and the Jetbooks have been seen regularly (on sale) in the $99-129 range.

The Nook is currently under a promotion that includes a $50 gift card (making the effective price $209) and the rumor mill is they will have a new model out shortly that will be cheaper than the existing model.

As a rule, discounting on existing product paves the way for new products to follow, so we can expect to see significant activity in the sub-$199 range moving forward.

So far, Kindle2 has provided the pricing benchmark at $259 which other products are priced against (either higher or lower); hence Nook with comparable features came in at the same price while leaner-featured products (Sony PRS-600, Kobo) tend to be cheaper and higher-spec products (Sony PRS-900, Pocketbook 302, BeBook Neo, etc) can go to the $300+ range. If the rumored new Kindle, allegedly due in August, should come in at a lower price for the same feature set (which the Nook deal seems to presage) then the whole pricing structure is going to have to be rebuilt.

I'd say that anybody in the market for a mid-range reader (read: kindle2-like) that can *afford* to wait til sept-oct, do so. Anybody looking for a sub-$100 *list price* reader will have a longer wait but I expect we *will* see at least one Black Friday deal hit deep in that range (Say, $49-79). (And, of course; $99-129 will be seen more often, moving forward). Odds are a price structure shakedown *is* coming.

If you can't afford to wait, then look to the sales going on regularly these days (Best Buy, Newegg, J&R, among others) to see if an acceptable reader hits the desired price point. There are quite a few competent readers in the sub $200 range and more are moving that way every day.

Moving forward, pricing *will* go down; the real question is whether to wait or jump now and start ebook reading sooner. Everybody will have their own private answer to that.

Last edited by fjtorres; 06-19-2010 at 08:19 AM.
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Old 06-19-2010, 10:24 AM   #5
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thanks for such a detailed and thoughtful reply fjtorres.

I guess I can wait till august for the new kindle to shake up the prices...or maybe I should just spend the extra money...
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Old 06-19-2010, 11:05 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by stargazertony View Post
I'm a bit confused. Rounding say $300 for an e-reader verses $30 for a hardback. That's only 10 books to cover the cost of an e-reader. Or $10 for paperbacks which is only 30 books. Less than a years worth of reading before it's paid off. Of course I didn't factor in the free and $2-5 books that you can get for the e-reader. Plus highly portable library of books and the neat factor.
Your numbers would be off for those of us who can't afford to buy new books on a regular basis. I mostly read library books, buy second-hand and borrow from friends.

Plus, I think you forgot to add the cost of the actual ebooks (and not just the ones in the $2-$5 range) (assuming the owner of said device buys some ebooks).
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Old 06-19-2010, 07:10 PM   #7
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I guess I can wait till august for the new kindle to shake up the prices...or maybe I should just spend the extra money...
I think what applies here is the old line about buying PCs:

"Don't buy it until you're ready to plug it in and start using it."

When it comes to consumer electronics prices will always come down; the question about waiting is about balancing money savings against the use you might've made of it while waiting for your price. In this case, the question becomes: how much is two months' use worth to you.
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Old 06-19-2010, 11:04 PM   #8
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I think what applies here is the old line about buying PCs:

"Don't buy it until you're ready to plug it in and start using it."

When it comes to consumer electronics prices will always come down; the question about waiting is about balancing money savings against the use you might've made of it while waiting for your price. In this case, the question becomes: how much is two months' use worth to you.


i agree, buy when you are ready, otherwise you'll end up driving yourself nuts.
consumer electroics are always going to drop but you can't worry about that.

I bought a 32 HDTV 2 years ago for over $600. Today they mostly go for about $400 to $500 for a similiarly specd 32 in. But I also have two years worth of HD watching

the waiting game can get to be a little much after a while. Though I do agree a couple of years ago e-readers were EXTREMELY overpriced. Some stil are.
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Old 06-20-2010, 02:51 AM   #9
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Your numbers would be off for those of us who can't afford to buy new books on a regular basis. I mostly read library books, buy second-hand and borrow from friends.

Plus, I think you forgot to add the cost of the actual ebooks (and not just the ones in the $2-$5 range) (assuming the owner of said device buys some ebooks).
At the moment your reading costs are near zero.

How much are willing to spend to read an ebook? If your budget will be the same, then you'll be confined to free and $1.99 indie ebooks. Then the basic least expensive ereader will suffice.

If your favorite authors are mainstream, then be prepared to spend $9.99 - $12.99 for an ebook. Budget doesnt permit? Then dont buy an ereader.

At the moment it seems you would be paying a high price for convenience as you have access to unlimited books cheaply.
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Old 06-20-2010, 04:31 AM   #10
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In addition to what fjtorres mentioned, keep in mind that the iPad is going to change the entire pricing structure for e-readers, not to mention that it will probably drive several of the manufacturers out of business - there are way too many manufacturers for the market, which has shrunk considerably at the high end now that an iPad can be had for $500. And this pricing pressure is going to continue down the price points.

kut, if you don't want to wait, buy used. I picked up a barely used Sony 600 with the cover that retails for $30 for $150 total.

Last edited by flyash; 06-20-2010 at 04:39 AM.
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Old 06-20-2010, 05:15 AM   #11
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In addition to what fjtorres mentioned, keep in mind that the iPad is going to change the entire pricing structure for e-readers
Can you explain why? The iPad is a lot more expensive than virtually all eInk devices; why should it affect the price of them?
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Old 06-20-2010, 11:23 AM   #12
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Can you explain why? The iPad is a lot more expensive than virtually all eInk devices; why should it affect the price of them?
Some of the full-sized readers that are good for pdf are pricey. Too pricey for all but some niche markets now that the iPad is out. For example, the Kindle DX is $489 - I'd posit that the market for the DX has shrunk considerably in a market where the iPad can be had for a mere $11 more. That will force prices for the DX lower, and by extension, the lower priced DX will force smaller readers lower. E.g., if the DX is lowered to $400, the Sony 900 at $350 starts looking overpriced. And so on.

Again, that's not to say that there aren't niche markets that will pay relatively high prices for an e-reader when an iPad can be had for the same or only a little bit more, but the broader consumer market appeal of pricey (say, north of $300) e-readers has been crushed, and as described above, that affects pricing all the way down the pricing structure.
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Old 06-20-2010, 12:37 PM   #13
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At the moment your reading costs are near zero.

How much are willing to spend to read an ebook? If your budget will be the same, then you'll be confined to free and $1.99 indie ebooks. Then the basic least expensive ereader will suffice.

If your favorite authors are mainstream, then be prepared to spend $9.99 - $12.99 for an ebook. Budget doesnt permit? Then dont buy an ereader.

At the moment it seems you would be paying a high price for convenience as you have access to unlimited books cheaply.
Not exactly zero $. Used books are not super cheap, either, depending on where you get them. Thrift stores ~ 95 cents and up; used book stores $4 and up for paperbacks and trades. And you get what they have.

I'm not so much a first-run bestseller reader, so the $9.99 and up model probably doesn't apply to me as much. And I haven't begun reading any of the indie books yet, so I don't know what to expect, quality-wise. All the arts carry a wide spectrum of quality and taste though, so.....

As libraries carry more and more digital media, there will be more & more benefits to owning an eReader for people like me.
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Old 06-20-2010, 01:15 PM   #14
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Not exactly zero $. Used books are not super cheap, either, depending on where you get them. Thrift stores ~ 95 cents and up; used book stores $4 and up for paperbacks and trades. And you get what they have.


As libraries carry more and more digital media, there will be more & more benefits to owning an eReader for people like me.
Do your research and make a realistic book budget,, if you havent already. I hate to see you spend $150+ on a reader and not be happy with costs and quality of selection.

I didnt realize used book costs are that high. In my area there arent any used book stores. Libraries have put them out of business. Still if $4 is more than you're willing to pay, then really look at the indie publishers to see if they will satisfy your reading habits.

Regarding libraries -- Are they suffering budget cuts in your town/state/province? This may affect their digital inventory. In my state Overdrive and all ebooks are scheduled to end July 1st. Results of a $10 million budget cut.
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Old 06-20-2010, 02:13 PM   #15
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Do your research and make a realistic book budget,, if you havent already. I hate to see you spend $150+ on a reader and not be happy with costs and quality of selection.

I didnt realize used book costs are that high. In my area there arent any used book stores. Libraries have put them out of business. Still if $4 is more than you're willing to pay, then really look at the indie publishers to see if they will satisfy your reading habits.

Regarding libraries -- Are they suffering budget cuts in your town/state/province? This may affect their digital inventory. In my state Overdrive and all ebooks are scheduled to end July 1st. Results of a $10 million budget cut.
Our libraries (a county wide system) have experienced on-going cuts and have reduced their hours & staff significantly. I expect more cuts. There are not many used bookstores in my near vicinity, but the thrifts, like Goodwill & St. Vincent DePaul, carry books.

My eReader will be a birthday gift, so I won't be buying it, and I figure there is enough in the public domain to keep me busy for quite some time. Personally, I'm not looking to the eReader as a total replacement for paper books, only a supplement. I look forward to clearing some shelf space of the classics because they are so readily available.
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