Kobo went poolside to unveil their newest ereading device, the Kobo Aura H20, which will go on sale for $179 on October 1 in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain. Kobo president Michael Tamblyn says in the release: “When we asked our customers what held them back from reading more ebooks, many told us they love to read in the bath, by the pool, or on the beach, but believed that devices and water didn’t mix. As we dug deeper, we found that more than 60 percent of customers surveyed said they would love to be able […]
eReaders
eNews: Sainsbury Takes Full Control of Anobii; Nook GlowLight in the UK; and More
Sainsbury’s is now the sole owner of fledgling ebookstore Anobii, the Bookseller reports, buying out Penguin Random House’s 24 percent stake and Harper UK’s 12 percent stake. (The company first acquired HMV’s 64 percent stake in Anobii in 2012.) Sainsbury’s said the move “gives it full control of the platform as part of its growing Sainsbury’s Entertainment digital offer”, with plans to expannd its current website selling film, music and books. Barnes & Noble will sell its current version of Nook GlowLight in the UK for £89, with the ereader stocked in retailers including Argos, ASDA, Blackwells, Foyles, John Lewis, […]
Nook Commits to 1 Million Samsung Tablets
Following the Thursday announcement that Nook will sell co-branded Samsung tablets through Barnes & Noble, the bookseller indicated in an SEC filing they have made a “minimum purchase commitment during the first twelve months…of 1 million devices.” If “certain sales thresholds” are not met by December 31, that term is extended to 15 months. Samsung has also “agreed to fund a marketing fund,” and the overall commercial agreement between the two parties last for two years. Barnes & Noble ceo Mike Huseby has a lengthy phone interview posted with Geekwire. “It’s important to understand these are co-branded devices,” he says. “They’re customized […]
Sony to Transfer North American Reader Store to Kobo
As we had heard a while ago, in conjunction with their quarterly earnings release Sony confirmed that they are turning over the North American Reader market to Kobo. “Sony’s Reader Store customers and their current ebook libraries will transfer to the Kobo ecosystem starting in late March,” they say in their announcement. Kobo will service Sony Reader device owners and will be the ebook provider for Sony’s continuing lines of tablets and smartphones in the US and Canada. The Kobo app will be pre-loaded onto “select” Sony phones and tablets. Sony effectively abandoned further development of the US market last September, […]
Soft Holiday Sales for Barnes & Noble Are Still An “Improvement” As Digital Content Falls Again
Barnes & Noble followed up their weak second quarter sales report with some improvement over the following 9-week holiday sales period (through December 28): Same-store sales at the BN superstores and BN.com declined 6.6 percent overall, and 5.5 percent on a comparable-sales basis, at $1.1 billion. But nearly all of the retail decline was due to weaker sales of Nook devices and accessories; “core” store sales were “essentially flat”, down 0.2 percent compared to last year. General book sales probably declined more, since the company points to “strong increases in our juvenile, gift and toys & games categories.” But the […]
Amazon Courts Independent Retailers With Kindle Sales Program
Amazon’s ongoing attempt to convince independent retailers to sell Kindle devices and ebooks persisted a little bit more with the formalization of program under the name Amazon Source. The company touts Source as a way for “independent bookstores and other retailers to sell Kindle devices and accessories, and earn money while doing so” through programs tailored for small businesses. At least two bookstores in Washington state, the University of Puget Sound Campus Bookstore and JJ Books, tested out Amazon Source in a pilot program. Source presents two options to retailers: Buy Kindle devices at a 6 percent discount and earn a […]