Festive delays indicate high demand for Sony Reader
by Stevie Smith - Nov 19 2009, 10:25
Want one? Apparently lots of people do. Image: Sony.
The Amazon Kindle might have become something of an industry spearhead where electronic book readers are concerned, but market rival Sony has indicated that its Reader device is in such demand that expectant consumers will be left disappointed this Christmas.
Specifically, Japanese consumer electronics giant Sony Corp. has warned that pre-orders placed for its new Reader ‘Daily Edition’ might not be delivered in time for the festive holiday because demand for the device has outstripped the company’s sales expectations.
The Reader Daily Edition, which was unveiled by Sony during the summer ahead of a scheduled Christmas launch, has likely found traction with prospective buyers as content can be downloaded to it wirelessly – and evidently the $399 USD asking price hasn’t frightened them towards alternative, cheaper platforms.
“The number of people that signed up… to be notified of the Daily [Edition’s] availability exceeded our expectations over the last few months and we expect high demand now that it’s available,” a Sony spokesperson outlined to the Reuters news agency.
Anticipation for the Daily Edition started to surge on Wednesday after Sony began officially taking pre-orders through its official online Sony Style store, which outlines that the device will be shipped between December 18 and January 08. However, the store also warns that delivery between those dates is not guaranteed.
Although not equipped with wireless download capabilities, Sony also offers a smaller $199 USD Pocket Edition and $299 USD Touch Edition of its Reader device, while Amazon’s entry-level Kindle comes attached to a price of $259 USD.
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