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Whew! Release date returns to Sony Reader page
June 2, 2006 | 2:20 pm
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By David Rothman
Here. “Do you think they’re close to a release or have they given up trying to set a date? Has anyone gotten any better info from Sony?” asks a member of the Librie group. My guess is that Sony has spent too much money, or at least gambled too much prestige, to shut down this project.
Update, 3 p.m.: A newer version of the page with a late-summer date.
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Comments:
Well, I sure hope they have too much pride to abandon this project. I mean, this is just a device to display text, not a mission to mars.
Sony is likely operating on the dubious “Content is King” model. Unlike most would-be early adopters, who are focused on the hardware, Sony sees the device as a means to an end: the sale of content through Connect. As recently noted, Connect is still slouching towards completion, and Sony won’t release the hardware platform until the content engine can go live.
My armchair business sense tells me that the company would do better to pursue the reverse strategy. Provide support for open formats like HTML, then position the device as a tool for reading online content offline, i.e. as a paperless printer. That’s the way I’ve been using my Librie, so generally don’t feel limited by the lack of commercial ebooks. Once the public “gets it,” enough sales would be generated to curry favor with content partners, and Sony would have bought enough time to perfect Connect while enjoying an early stream of revenue from device sales in the meantime.