Monday, May 10, 2010

Would a new ebook reader be DOA?

You may have heard of Acer, but you may not have known the company is the #2 maker of laptops and netbooks. Acer bought Gateway and eMachines several years ago, and they have also carved out a nice share of the netbook market.

They have announced plans for a new eBook reader to launch sometime this fall. They are entering a field dominated by Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s Reader, and Barnes & Noble’s Nook. Oh yeah, and then there’s the iPad.

Acer’s goal is to become the number one maker of “tweener” devices, which are devices in between smartphones and netbooks. But is there much of a point in introducing a new e-reader, or would that be similar to a company launching a new word processor for Windows?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It depends on their cost. If they don't need the product to be a huge hit, it would complement their product line well as they work to compete with Apple and HP. If they need it to be a huge hit, I do not see that happening.

Anonymous said...

Price is key. Kindle can beat iPad as an e-reader (as long as their eBook prices are about the same) because there is no monthly data service cost. People who want an iPad for other purposes most likely won't buy any brand e-reader. But for the rest of us who are happy with our laptops and don't want an expensive tablet, a cheap e-reader is appealing. If it is only $20.00 cheaper than the Kindle though, I am buying a Kindle.