Prices Slashed For Nook, Kindle E-Readers

b0bby sends in a report from ZDNet about the sudden outbreak of a price war in e-reader devices. "On Monday, Barnes & Noble cut the price of the 3G Nook to $199. It also launched a $149 Wi-Fi version. Just hours later, Amazon responded by cutting the price of the Kindle to $189. At $259, the price of the Kindle and Nook just 24 hours ago, an e-reader purchase competed with an Apple iPad, which started at $499 for a Wi-Fi version. Below $200, a dedicated e-reader purchase makes a lot more sense." Sony dropped prices for its readers three months ago, but the move didn't kick off a price war at that time. Some believe that dedicated e-readers are doomed in the long run to lose out to general-purpose devices such as the iPad — and its coming imitators, many of which will be based on Google Android.

Comments

EBOOK PRICES

[birukun]

Until they drop Ebook prices, they can pound sand...... For those prices, Kindle/Nook should be free

Re:EBOOK PRICES

[straponego]

Agreed, the prices on ebooks are far too high. But if you are smart, ebook readers can be a good deal. There are a ton of free (and legal) ebooks out there. Old classics out of copyright are free, but also a decent library of newer SF. What pushed me to make the purchase was the price of a paper copy of Peter Watts' Behemoth... over $150 new, but free on his site. There's also Charles Stross, the Baen Free Library, etc... and I've barely started looking. The Nook store also has a fair number of freebies, but for the most part you'll have to download books from various sites and use Calibre to convert to one of the supported formats.

Factoring in the free books, the average cost of the books in my nook is about what used books would cost, or a bit less. I haven't had time to get serious about filling it with free books, or it would be even lower. I'd be happy to buy many more books through their store, but I won't do so aggressively until prices are reasonable (at $5, I'd go nuts, and their profits would skyrocket; everybody wins. But I guess they don't like money). So the Nook will save me money over the year, though not as much as I'd prefer. I read a couple thousand pages during my vacation, so it saves on weight, space, and trees as well.

If they raise the prices more (dick move, Steve Jobs), torrents of ebooks will become much more popular.

Neglect the benefits & tablets win...

[Coopjust]

When you neglect the benefits of dedicated eReader devices with e-ink, such as...

• The fact that they get battery life in weeks instead of hours
• The fact that they use minimal power between page flips (vs. a relatively steady draw)
• The fact that they are easier on the eyes
• The fact that they are more easily read in sunlight...

It's a lot easier to say that it's over and the iPad/tablet rush will kill the eReader revolution.

Not to mention the fact that the nook/Kindle are much, much cheaper. That makes taking it to places like the beach (large zipper plastic bag keeps it safe and readable) or just on the go in general is something you don't have to worry about.

Yes, the iPad will have its fans. But there are people who don't want a "do everything" device, they want something that reads books really, really well. And the nook, Kindle, and other eReaders do that. Until there's a radical revolution in color screen technology that gains the benefits that e-ink has (which are great for a book reading device)

Not to mention that the 3G iPad is $130 extra, and doesn't include free 3G for the store so you can make an impulse book buy wherever you are. That's major in the convenience factor of the device.

Re:Neglect the benefits & tablets win...

[Stray7Xi]

I used to get frustrated when I'd come to tech sites and people are claiming the iPad has the better screen because it's color...

Then I put it in perspective. We're on a tech site dedicated to computer geeks. For the most part they're not looking to read, they're looking to browse the web. When you look at book enthusiast blogs, eInk readers are still highly preferred. The kindle and the like are for hobbiest readers, and serious readers aren't going to put up with an LCD screen. I don't think price is even the biggest issue, hobbies are almost always expensive, but comfort wins. I'm curious what a slashdot poll would show for how much readers spent on their keyboard/mouse.

If you read a few books a year, then you don't need an ereader. If you read a few books a month, you'll want eInk reader, maybe even if it's in addition to the iPad you use for other functions. Borrow one from a friend and try reading on both for a couple hours.

Easier on the eyes?!?

[Isomorphic]

I disagree. I've owned a Sony Reader and an iPad. The iPad is, hands down, easier on the eyes.

The Kindle and other eInk displays have a contrast ratio of 6:1 to 7:1. The iPad backlit IPS display is 750:1 to 930:1.

Other than perhaps directly under the sun, the iPad display wins. In dim light, the iPad owns.

Re:What makes Android tablets "coming"?

[Andy Smith]

"Android will be better next year!"

In my opinion Android is better _this_ year.

For phones: My girlfriend updated her iPhone 3GS to the new OS last night. I see that she now has a phone that still can't compare to my HTC Desire with Android 2.1. (2.2 upgrade due within 2 weeks)

For tablets: I don't want a locked-down tablet like the iPad. There are some sucky Android tablets out now, yes, but inevitably there will be some very good ones. And even if they aren't as pretty and slick as the iPad, they will be _better_ than the iPad because, whichever one I choose, it will be my device to do whatever I want with.

I'm surprised that anyone would currently think Android needs to catch up with iOS. Android is far ahead. It's just that a lot of Android devices lack the "shiny factor" of the iDevices.

Re:e readers are insanely overpriced

[ppanon]

Not only that, but I own 20 year old paperbacks. It's not clear that Kindles will last anywhere near that long.

Re:e readers are insanely overpriced

[hairyfeet]

How so? Books are a communal thing, an eBook reader is not. My mom has been buying what was once considered 'trashy" Sci-Fi and horror paperbacks since the late 50s, thanks to her our public library gets to have one of the best classic Sci-Fi horror sections around, and my mom is on a first name basis with the librarians and most of the college girls in town thanks to her "need to free up shelf space" a couple of times a year. When she is in the library (which is often) she ends up chattering for ages with the local college girls, who want to know what she thinks of a particular artist/series or want to know if she has a missing book in some old fantasy series the girl is reading (which she often does) and they will sit there for ages discussing books.

You just don't get interaction like that with an eBook. They are just little ones and zeroes, little chunks of DRM that are quickly not worth anything, even to the one who paid. I remember when this whole eReader fad came around last in the mid 90s, and just like today the publishers wanted too much money for DRM infested crap. Just like then I have a feeling it will all end up in the trash, while my mom and the college girls at the library swap the last fantasy authors over tea.