December 4, 2006
Sony eBook
Sony finally has something (good) to shout about. Apparently US sales of the Sony Reader - a paper-back sized electronic book reader with a six-inch screen - are well ahead of expectations despite the Reader’s relatively pricey $349 price tag and some annoying niggles.
The Japanese electronics giant, plagued by laptop battery recalls and component shortages that have forced it to scale back sales projections for its next generation PlayStation 3 console, says the Reader has been flying off the shelves. "It is much more successful than we expected," said Stan Glasgow, president of Sony Electronics’ US operations.
The Reader, which weighs 9-ounces and can hold up to 80 books in its electronic memory, was reportedly championed inside Sony by Sir Howard Stringer, Sony’s chief executive. Sir Howard is also believed to have helped persuade publishers to climb on board and make their titles available for download at a discount from the Sony Connect online store.
The success of the Reader comes despite some complaints about the lack of a backlit screen - presumably to save on power consumption - and that electronic page turning is somewhat slow. Sony has already indicated that it is working on further iterations to address these and other issues.
