Looks like it’s been posted: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2392115,00.asp
Let’s recap my prediction:
So, here’s my prediction: in the next 2-3 weeks Sony will announce a new ebook reader. It will be touch screen. It will be a pearl e-ink display. And it will retail for under $180.
Well I called it, though I was two months early. I forgot about the WiFi though
. Now that I’ve taken a better look at it though I’ve noticed something. It’s priced too high still. The other readers are in a race to the bottom, and I’m afraid that ebook readers are not a must have gadget. Which means that people will buy the cheapest one, not the best quality one. They’ve done a good thing by lightening it up (plastic chassis), but they also need to lighten the price more. I know I predicted $180 and it came in at $150, but now that Amazon is looking like they’ll bring out a new Kindle in time for Christmas, Sony needs to win the price war.
A $109 price point would pretty much kick out the rest of the competition.
That being said, I think that Sony’s focus on libraries is going to be a major point in their favour.
So I just realized today that both Kobo and Nook have new editions out. And Kobo’s is selling for $139. Looks like the Kindle 3 is almost to its one year milestone, and Kindle now has a new ad-supported version (not touching that one with a ten foot pole). Well, as I love my Sony I figured that I’d go take a look at their current offerings. And low and behold the touch edition: sold out, pocket edition: sold out. In fact only the daily edition is left. So I checked around, looks like the Sony is on a major sale down at Amazon… I sense a theme developing here. They’re clearing out the models. Which hints at one thing. Last year (around November I think) Sony inked a deal for an exclusive contract for new e-ink displays.
Putting these together I think we have a new model coming out soon. And I think it’s going to be competitive with the Kobo. So, here’s my prediction: in the next 2-3 weeks Sony will announce a new ebook reader. It will be touch screen. It will be a pearl e-ink display. And it will retail for under $180. If they’re smart they’ll peg it at $139. If they’re stupid they’ll peg it at $199. They will also have a smaller version, an updated pocket edition, which will retail for $99. It won’t have touch screen, but it will have a pearl e-ink display.