June 22, 2010
By the ZippyCart Ecommerce Software Reviews Content Team
The holiday shopping season is still many months away, but the ereader battle is already heating up as Amazon and Barnes & Noble reduce some of their ereader prices. Barnes & Noble was first to make an announcement yesterday, dropping the price of their Nook 3G ereader from $259 to $199. They also debuted their new Wi-Fi only version the Nook ereader which retails for only $149. Amazon quickly responded and dropped the price of the Kindle from $259 to $189, which puts it $10 below the Nook 3G. Amazon still has not dropped the price of their high end Kindle DX, which is still priced at $489. These lower prices should draw in more people who were on the fence about purchasing an ereader, and who do not want to invest in an iPad. The new price points will also make these ereaders very attractive gifts for those shopping online for the 2010 holiday season.
Amazon has been doing a great job of leading the ereader market, but the increased competition from Barnes & Noble and the Apple iPad will make things much more difficult. Another device which is also adding to the competition is the iPhone, which just released a new model and a new mobile operating system iOS 4. However the iPhone is not the best reader device, as the screen is quite small. Despite the competition, Amazon looks to maintain their lead by offering their Kindle ereader for only $189. So if you are an avid reader who has still not made the jump to an ereader, then you might consider the Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook, now that the prices have dropped.
Amy is the co-founder of ZippyCart. She went to school for film in Cleveland, Ohio and ended up working in the field of viral video marketing, which eventually led her to her real profession: SEO. When she's not writing for ZippyCart, she can be found out and about Seattle, WA.
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We should keep focus not on the reader cost but the books. The reader is a minor one time purchase. Overpriced ebooks is where the retailers make money. Why do ebooks cost so much more than the paperback version? Why can I share a paperback book but not an ebook? Until this situation is improved this avid reader is sticking to paper.