Time for US customers to abandon Sony?

[SoCalReader]

Well it appears to be official: Sony is abandoning the e-reader business in the USA. (Search PRS-T3 not to be released in the US.) Question is, should I, like other US customers, move on? I would be interested in your thoughts about advising Sony customers who read via e-ink and will not read via back-lit tablets.

Here is my situation. When I first selected an e-reader, I did a quite a bit of research and settled on the PRS-950 SC. Even though quite expensive, it was, bar far, the best at reading industry standard formats and PDFs. Since I have purchased from several retailers, with Sony I have about 50 book-licenses. While the 2 950's still work, I am in need of adding another reader for which the following conditions have to be satisfied:

0) the reader must use e-ink,
1) the reader must be able to read the EPUB and PDF file formats,
2) and the reader must be able to interface with the Sony Reader Store.

Based on my research, my options are:
0) PRS-T2, still available to US customers,
1) some type of Kindle - do any of them allow easy uploading of EPUB books and PDFs?
2) Barnes and Noble Simple Nook - same questions apply
3) Kobo Aura HD
4) or any others worth examining.

I'm interested in your thoughts and experiences. Thanks.

[SoCalReader]

Note, I am responding to this report: http://goodereader.com/blog/electron...-united-states

[Canuck_in_Japan]

Of course US customers should abandon Sony. All customers should be abandoning Sony due to their latest ereader travesty. They're really pulling a BlackBerry.

[graycyn]

It's possible they could change their mind. At any rate, because I rely on Sony for a proofreading reader, I picked up a refurb T2 on eBay for now. My Kobo Aura HD is my pleasure reader. Hubby was hoping for the new T3, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

If you're attached to Sony, maybe you should smuggle a T3 from Canada.

Amazon's issue: you have to jump through hoops to read ePubs.
Kobo's issue: PDF support is poor.
B&N: I can't comment on.

[KNI]

I am truly and deeply disappointed in the news that Sony will not be offering the T-3 in the USA. I was going to buy a T-3 when they became available. Two years ago I bought T-1's for my children and their spouses.

It certainly appears that USA Sony reader fans have just been orphaned.

Being treated like this will certainly make me think long and hard in future before I buy any Sony product.

It is one thing to discontinue a product line; another thing altogether to sell it in the rest of the world and not offer it in the States.

I would think Sony could sell T-3's through their bookstore and not offer the PRS T-3 reader into the distribution chain. But I have to think Sony will be closing down the USA Sony bookstore in the very foreseeable future.

This is a very sad day for Sony e-reader fans.

[SoCalReader]

Thanks folks for the response.

The next issue will be the closing of the Sony Bookstore. In many ways, the Borders electronic bookstore improved when it moved to Kobo, so the only data point we have makes me less concerned I will outright lose access to the files. Hopefully we will not get to that point.

As for a new reader, compared to the PRS950, I am unimpressed with today's smaller plastic readers. What I and many others seek is a large screen reader able to display PDFs. Maybe the 13.3 screen will arrive.

[KNI]

The more I think about this the more puzzled I am. What Sony purports to be doing simply does not make sense.

So here are a couple alternate scenarios:

1) Sony has a LOT of PRS-T2's still in inventory world-wide They don't want to take a bath. So what do they do - ship them all to the States and tell everyone in the USA that the PRS-T3 is not going to be offered in the USA, then give the T-2 on a modest price cut - bringing it down to what the dealer net price was - and keep selling them.

When they run out, then they say that due to consumer demand they are relenting on their decision to bring in the PRS-T3 and begin selling them. In defense of this scenario you will note on the Sony site that the PRS T-2 is still offered for sale.

Scenario #2:

The Kindle Paperwhite screen was not offered to Sony since Kindle got first rights to it and bought up all the initial production. Since the new Kindle Paperwhite is primarily a problem for Sony in the USA market Sony decides to wait until they can get the newer screen and put it into the PRS T-3, then release it, perhaps as a PRS T-3 PW or perhaps a new PRS T-4, meanwhile having unloaded their stock of T-2's.

I will readily admit I may well be wrong on this, but I maintain that what Sony is doing simply does not make sense, and in spite of some of their inept marketing they are not stupid.

Cheers

KNI

[Plumadona]

I think your overstock of T-2s makes sense - hope you're right!

Plumadona

[mwheinz]

Doesn't look good for that idea - I actually went to the sony webstore today, where they have the T2 "on sale" for $99 - but if you click on the freaking link, it says the T2 is no longer available!

What the heck, Sony?

[cortman]

Originally Posted by SoCalReader

Well it appears to be official: Sony is abandoning the e-reader business in the USA. (Search PRS-T3 not to be released in the US.) Question is, should I, like other US customers, move on? I would be interested in your thoughts about advising Sony customers who read via e-ink and will not read via back-lit tablets.

Here is my situation. When I first selected an e-reader, I did a quite a bit of research and settled on the PRS-950 SC. Even though quite expensive, it was, bar far, the best at reading industry standard formats and PDFs. Since I have purchased from several retailers, with Sony I have about 50 book-licenses. While the 2 950's still work, I am in need of adding another reader for which the following conditions have to be satisfied:

0) the reader must use e-ink,
1) the reader must be able to read the EPUB and PDF file formats,
2) and the reader must be able to interface with the Sony Reader Store.

Based on my research, my options are:
0) PRS-T2, still available to US customers,
1) some type of Kindle - do any of them allow easy uploading of EPUB books and PDFs?
2) Barnes and Noble Simple Nook - same questions apply
3) Kobo Aura HD
4) or any others worth examining.

I'm interested in your thoughts and experiences. Thanks.

That is a pity, as I was just eyeing up Son'y's Evernote function (I would love that).

Spoiler:

If you strip the DRM off of your Sony books, you can read them on any epub-capable device.

Kindle does alright on PDF's but doesn't handle epubs. There may be hacks out there that allow you to read epubs on the kindle but I have no experience with them.
I like my Kobo Glo's PDF support quite well, and I imagine the Aura HD would be better yet with the slightly larger screen (and better hardware).
I would recommend the Kobo.

[SoCalReader]

Originally Posted by mwheinz

Doesn't look good for that idea - I actually went to the sony webstore today, where they have the T2 "on sale" for $99 - but if you click on the freaking link, it says the T2 is no longer available!

What the heck, Sony?

I just ordered a black T2 for $85 on line from Computer City. We will see....

[mwheinz]

My old Nook Color handles ePubs and PDFs. Basically, everyone except Amazon can handle an ePub.

You might have DRM problems, though. I had already cracked mine so I could read them without using Sony's terrible Mac software, so I don't know if you have to do that or not.

[SoCalReader]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't a color nook a back lit tablet with limited tablet capabilities. If so, it does not satisfy my desire for an e-ink reader.

Frankly, it appears the entire e-ink reader industry is being abandoned for back-lit tablets even though the back-lit tablets (and even the front-lit, which produce the same physiological effect as a back lit tablet) strain the eyes more. (Also tough to read outside.)

[Ashjuk]

Originally Posted by KNI

...Two years ago I bought T-1's for my children and their spouses.

And that is probably the reason why Sony decided not to continue with the US market. Either you are very wealthy or, more probably, Sony Readers in the US are very cheap. I certainly could not afford to buy Sony readers at UK prices for all my family just like that.

So I can see exactly why Sony pulled out of the American market. Unless US customers are prepared to pay the price the rest of the world has to for their product it does just not make financial sense for them to continue to sell at almost no profit.

Sometimes it is not a good idea to keep chasing the price downwards.