Nook’s Kindle Counterpunch: The Hands-On Approach [Nook]

The recent $140 Wi-Fi Kindle may have been the most recent salvo within the ebook reader wars, nevertheless it\’s definitely not the last. The ball\’s in Barnes and Noble\’s court, and they\’re all in favour of the home field benefit of 720 storefronts.

B&N\’s going to be clearing out enough room for 1,000-square foot Nook boutiques in each of its brick-and-mortars, the Big apple Times reports, so we can allow customers to aim the Nook out for themselves and and have their questions answered by employees. While Kindle\’s available in Target, the vast majority are bought online, sight unseen.

The emphasis on advertising might be an illustration that the ebook reader price wars can have temporarily bottomed out. That\’s fine by Sony, who also responded to the recent Kindle by not budging at all on price, consistent with Forbes:

\” Pricing is one consideration within the dedicated reading device marketplace, but Sony won\’t sacrifice the quality and design we\’re bringing book lovers to lay claim to the least expensive eReader,\” said Phil Lubell, Sony Electronics\’ vp of digital reading.

A stance that might almost be admirable, if Sony\’s ebook readers were any good.

In any case, it\’s clear that the recent Kindle\’s got people spooked. \” Advertise more\” and \” do nothing\” aren\’t strategies that give the patron the next product or let them save extra cash. And however much the personalized effect can help for now, ultimately everyone who\’s not Amazon still has lots of catching up to do. [NY Times, Forbes]

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This post is tagged: approach, Counterpunch, HandsOn, Kindle, nook, nooks