As I was saying last week, one of the main issues to adoption of ereaders is the price. The device is seen as a gadget in it’s own right and not a facilitator/enabler for the reading of books. I was reading earlier on Techlogg that Sony has cut the prices of its ereaders substantially in response to a price war going on between Amazon and Barnes & Noble with their respective devices.
The device that I’d like to see as the universal format for an ereader, Sony’s 5 inch Reader Pocket Edition has had $20 lopped off the price, bringing it down to $150. This is the smallest price cut in the range- Sony has knocked a whopping $60 off the Reader Touch Edition, which has a larger screen, expandable memory via two different card slots and a touchscreen. Sony are now selling this for $170, which considering the extra features over the Reader Pocket Edition, suggests the price for the more basic device could go a lot lower. Sony selling for what they think the market can tolerate? Probably.
It’s interesting to note that converting in pounds and adding VAT would put the Reader Touch Edition at £132, and the Reader Pocket Edition at £117. These prices are £70 and £30 cheaper respectively than Amazon are currently selling them for.
It’s speculation whether these price cuts will make it to these shores as Sony are notorious for pricing what they think the territory will accept but who knows, we might be closer than we think to an affordable quality ereader over here in good old Blighty.
