06-16-2010, 02:32 AM | #16 |
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6-8 months ago I thought 6" displays were still @ $60? I could be wrong- its been known to happen Ill see if I can get someone to get mean actual current volume price on a 5" display.
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06-16-2010, 06:16 AM | #17 | |
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http://www.isuppli.com/News/Pages/Am...n-Reveals.aspx The costs were from April 2009, so slightly over a year ago, I thought it had been in 2008. Anyway, they did have the cost of the 6" panel used in the K2 at $60...so even your estimate of $45-$50ish sounds high for the current market, especially given the number of devices being produced today compared to about the same time last year. Plus like Amazon has done with their combining the $100 credit toward any device or device accessory associated with playing Audible ebooks. Also Sony's $100ish price drop to clear out inventory combined with the Amazon option show it's very possible to get very close to the $100 price point and that is for a device with all the bells & whistles. A plain Jane reader w/o wifi or MBB access should cost even less....of course that is unless the mfg's apply a different cost to a component when defending their current prices and the inability to lower prices to that magic sub-$100 point. CPU are pretty much free these days, the display controller should be dropping in price just like the screens themselves...assuming PVI as well as Epson and whoever Epson is sub-contracting the controllers out to have increased line efficiency. It just does not seem to make sense to me by this point in time with e-ink brand panels as well as the newer competing brands that are coming to the market Real Soon Now (to quote Jerry Pournelle...one of my fav quotes of his always used sarcastically of course... ). And really thanks for double checking on the prices... |
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06-16-2010, 08:46 AM | #18 |
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06-16-2010, 09:18 AM | #19 |
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That would be great. We don't pay customs taxes for anythink below €150 here in Turkey.
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06-16-2010, 11:59 AM | #20 |
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06-16-2010, 01:41 PM | #21 |
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No specific reason other than they are a world known brand and associated with discounted prices.
There are dozens of e-readers out there cheaper than the nook, kindle or iPad, but those are the price points most people think of when they hear ereader. When I started researching them for myself I only knew about Sony, Kindle and nook and at the time, I didn't think Sony had an e-ink screen. Then I found this forum and realized I just scratched the surface. It set me back about 5 months! However if you load up an endcap with cheap ereaders around back to school shopping or Christmas shopping and you'll pick up a lot of impulse buys. |
06-16-2010, 01:45 PM | #22 |
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I believe wally world exercises a fair amount of censoring in what they sell in their book department. I don't think I would want to be tied to them for anything
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06-16-2010, 01:56 PM | #23 | |
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Besides Apple censors what can go on their product - people are still buying it. eReaders need to hit the casual reader market to really make an impact. |
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06-16-2010, 02:02 PM | #24 |
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Apple is censoring their iBooks Store catalog as well as apps?
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06-16-2010, 02:06 PM | #25 |
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I don't think they are censoring iBooks, but they did try to censor a graphic of Ulysses, and then flipped their position after the story was released in the media. There was a post about it on MR. My comment was directed to the general censorship of apps. To me, all censorship is bad.
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06-16-2010, 02:17 PM | #26 | |
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06-16-2010, 02:21 PM | #27 |
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I think we overestimate the attraction of eink devices, based on our personal experiences.
It's true, that even at the $359 I paid for my Kindle early last year, I could justify the expense because I read a lot (or aspire to...), and used to spend $20-30 per book on a regular basis, and the non eink devices and ebook stores then didn't stack up very well. But even at $50, something that is good only for long form reading is not an attractive proposition except to heavy readers who have not yet made the move to digital, or are looking for a backup e-reader. All it will do is cannibalize the non-digital book sales, it won't make readers out of people who aren't, and it won't keep the tablet/smartphone/media gizmo market from exploding. Occasional readers will be happy with reading on their iPhones or iPads or Android device, now that they have, or will soon have, access to a number of ebook sellers and associated free reading applications. For myself, I think it is very likely that the next generation iPod Touch (326dpi screen) will replace my Kindle for on-the-road reading. A 5-6" eink screen is not portable enough, and for more specialized reading (eg PDFs, magazines, newspapers, manga/comics) is not nimble enough. And I don't know that a 3.5" eink screen would sell well as a dedicated reading device, though that might be an interesting attempt to achieve a $50 price point and improve portability. Last edited by tomsem; 06-16-2010 at 02:25 PM. |
06-16-2010, 06:21 PM | #28 | |
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I don't know where you shop, but I sure don't have access to "dozens of e-readers" cheaper than the Nook or Kindle. Those are both $259; the cheapest Aztak device at Best Buy is $289 in Canada; Kobo is $149. The Sony e-readers are $199 on sale and closer to double most days of the week. $149 is already a pretty great deal for a basic reader that allows you to shop at many different stores offering ePubs and borrow ePubs free from the local library. I'm also not convinced there is any need to rush to a subsidized $49 reader. Vendors have a hard time keeping up during Xmas as it is and no one has a vested interest in losing gazillions selling devices. Amazon will do very nicely selling ebooks into the Kindle base as it grows and grows. Sony has no vested interest in a cheap or subsidized reader -- it has zero interest in being a bookstore. And, there are a finite number of readers for whom an electronic device holds appeal -- $49 isn't the tipping point for them ... although $149 is certainly more interesting than $259. As long as Amazon et al build greater value into the higher price, they can command those levels and attract more dedicated reading public. |
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06-16-2010, 07:45 PM | #29 | |
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As for dozens under $259 perhaps I was exaggerating but try newegg.com: Jetbook lite - $119, Astak pocket pro - $199, Libre - $119, Sony 300 - $149, Hanvon Wise reader - $149, Sungale - $129, etc... This doesn't count the knock offs. I seem to remember Walgreens selling one for $99. I never stated there had to be a rush to get a cheap ereader on the market, I just stated my opinion on what it would take to explode the ebook market and I stand by that opinion. I think the free or heavily discounted ereader with a subscription to a book of the month club would also have the same effect. Get em hooked on a cheap device, then sell them the deluxe model. |
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06-20-2010, 08:12 PM | #30 | |
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There is no ongoing cost, nobody subsidized my hardware, and I can cancel any time I want with no further cost to me. That makes me a happy consumer. This $49/$99 idea that will cost me more in the future is not for me at all. I have enough monthly bills as it is. |
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