At least around here, this Sunday’s Target flyer included…
The Sony Reader at $299.99.
I don’t have a horse in this race (and maybe I’ll write again about that one day), but if you’re looking for an indication that dedicated ebook readers may have a serious niche market (that is, something that could involve millions of users), I think this may be more interesting than the Kindle: Target’s not only carrying it, but advertising it.
It’s not the price, it’s the presence.
To further your point, the Sony Reader is the only one that works with Overdrive. With amazon, you pay, then you pay more, but onthe sony reader, you pay once, and you can add the rest for free. It’s the only open reader on the market.
As I say, I don’t really have a horse in this race: I’m really not the target demographic for ebook readers, for several reasons. I might suggest that some non-dedicated devices may be “open readers” even more than the Sony (e.g., large-screen smart phones/media players/PDAs), but among devices using e-paper, you’re probably right.
One thing I can almost guarantee: If Sony can show, say, half a million sales of its Reader, it will say so. Loudly and repeatedly. None of this “sales are confidential” stuff…unless they’re so low they’re humiliating.