06-21-2010, 09:46 AM | #1 |
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Price war? B&N gets aggressive: Nooks at US$149-199
With their Father's Day Gift Card promo expiring, Barnes and Noble went ahead and cut the Nook price outright.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-...eadlinesArea.0 The 3G Nook is now US$199. They also intro'ed the WiFi-only Nook at $149. The ony visible difference is the color of the rear plate: white. Now to see the effects ripple through... |
06-21-2010, 09:55 AM | #2 |
Novelist
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The $150 price point is a significant psychological barrier for many consumers. Having several e-readers under that price will open the market for millions of consumers who are just waiting to tell themselves they can afford one.
L.J. |
06-21-2010, 10:11 AM | #3 |
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...plus, the Nook is hardly an entry-level reader.
I'd say that pressure to get to $99 just went way up on Sony and Kobo. Going to be fun, I think. |
06-21-2010, 10:16 AM | #4 |
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I just saw this today. I'm still trying to decide about e-readers but it makes me want to wait a little longer and see what happens in the market.
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06-21-2010, 10:17 AM | #5 |
eBook Newbie
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Awesome. Price wars are great! Thanks, B & N!
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06-21-2010, 10:33 AM | #6 |
Orisa
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This gives even more pressure to certain companies (are you listening, Pocketbook? And you, Bookeen?) to offer lower prices.
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06-21-2010, 10:38 AM | #7 |
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if the Nook is released internationally with a price point like this it could really cause huge waves.
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06-21-2010, 11:04 AM | #8 | |
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Quote:
Just saying. Until it becomes clear if this is an industry-sustainable price or a content-subsidized price this is "interesting" but not a clear win for consumers. Not if it reduces the market for viable eink readers in the US to Nook and Kindle. Right now we don't know if these prices are a result of lower component costs (which might allow competitors to follow, even if at a distance) or just B&N buying mind share and marketshare for its ebook *store*. As pointed out in the "$49 Kindle" debate, captive ebook readers like Nook and Kindle might be able to survive in a subsidized-hardware pricing regime. Sony and other pure hardware vendors likely wouldn't acrue the same benefits. Last edited by fjtorres; 06-21-2010 at 11:09 AM. |
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06-21-2010, 11:07 AM | #9 |
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With such price cuts it seems to me that Amazon is putting pressure on B&N, not the opposite.
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06-21-2010, 11:26 AM | #10 |
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Tough for smaller companies to follow suit-Amazon, B&N, and Borders all have (some) money to play the race to the bottom game...not sure if everyone will survive.
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06-21-2010, 11:31 AM | #11 |
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06-21-2010, 11:44 AM | #12 |
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Over the long haul, I think its going to come down to a few smart companies who figure out the best ways to monetize existing customers but who can also draw them in using a low-price-point device. Clearly, people want to see these devices get cheaper. That seems to be the general opinion of the market. The companies are discovering this and will soon match the market demand. a <$100 device with solid features is not far off. The fact that new competitors are entering every month tells me there will not be a problem with companies abandoning the market. The market is solid and growing. We will just have to wait for it to stabilize
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06-21-2010, 12:15 PM | #13 | |
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Quote:
I don't know, someone had to make a big move sooner or later, With the iPad taking all the thunder from high end features such as the Alex and with the Kobo getting some news for bare bones ones, this was bound to happen by one of the big players. I just think Barnes and Noble wanted to be the first this time instead of always playing catch up. Now you can get a full feature, wireless downloading e-book reader for $150 as opposed to a bare bones one like the Kobo or the lower end Sony's. And the $199 as pointed out before by someone on this thread, is a huge move to bring and even more full featured e-book reader to under $200 Let it begin. |
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06-21-2010, 12:51 PM | #14 |
Da'i
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Given that the 3G is only used to access the B and N store, why would anyone purchase the 3G nook? Is buying a book while standing in line at the supermarket that important that it's worth 50 bucks? The only use I would have for the 3G is getting my paper delivered when I'm on vacation and away from a hotspot. At home, wifi would be just as easy.
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06-21-2010, 12:53 PM | #15 | |
Wizard
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Quote:
But otherwise, yeah, WiFi is good enough for most people. |
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