UK book retailer Waterstones has cut the price of Sony’s Pocket Edition e-book reader to £99.99. The reduction comes just days after Amazon announced two new Kindle models including a WiFi-only variant which will sell for just £109.
As well as Amazon’s Kindle devices and bookstore, which are both now available in the UK, eBook sellers are facing competition from Apple’s iPad which offers a number of eBook buying options including Apple’s own iBooks.
The availability of internet connected eBook-capable devices is set to grow as manufacturers launch products to compete with the iPad. Such devices could harm sales of dedicated readers unless prices fall substantially.
Waterstones MD Dominic Myers has previously suggested the retailer could join the iPad next month, although a the team behind the retailer’s Twitter account have more recently stated there is no release date for an app.
The price cut effectively halves the original selling price of £179 in just under a year and makes the Sony reader one of the cheapest on the market, although high street retailer Argos is offering the Binatone Read Me e-Book for just £89.99