Sony had better do more than read the fine print to stay ahead.
Whether we like it or not, it’s a multi-tasking world. One of the reasons for this state of affairs is the plethora of innovative multi-tasking digital devices at our disposal. Mobile phones that take pictures, surf the Web, download music and give us GPS directions when we’re lost. The more digitally accelerated a gizmo, the better we like it. At the very least, it gives us bragging rights. At the very best, it makes us more productive.
So I just don’t get what Sony is thinking by aggressively marketing and advertising its Sony Reader? Yes, this different-looking, book-shaped electronic device is designed to allow us to easily download books and read on the go, but that’s all it can do.
For that I can buy a book-shaped book for about the same price as any of those in Sony’s library – without the need for batteries.
And if I really want to read books in a paperless way I can do it on an Apple iPhone that can also keep my pictures, music let me surf the web and call my book group buddies at the same time.
In my book, BrandSimple, I explain that the most powerful companies in the world establish a simple, differentiated meaning for their brands and ensure it’s something people will care about. Difference without relevance is a very expensive proposition, especially in the digital device category. While the high resolution print on the Sony Reader screen is impressive, it’s going to stay different for about the same amount of time it takes you to read this blog. Life in this category moves very fast. That’s why it’s called digital acceleration. While every other technology brand is working hard to figure out the next different and relevant multi-tasking combo to offer its busy users (including the ability to digitally embrace reading material), Sony seems to be lost behind the library stacks. I would suggest that before any more money is spent engineering the fine print, Sony step back, look at the big picture, and figure out how to differentiate itself in a meaningful way.
September 15th, 2007 at 12:13 am
I have often wondered why Sony has struggled with trying to re-invent the wheel. I mean, they have always had their own proprietary items hoping to become the industry standard only to find that they were not universally accepted. Think about these items: Minidisc, Memory Stick, BluRay disc, and a host of other items. That’s not to say that Sony hasn’t had a great deal of success, what with the PS3, the Vaio computers, and its cameras and video equipment, they’ve done really well. But I think they ought to be the best by being the best at what their customers want, not developing something else we don’t really need. I mean, do we really want a device that the only thing you can use it for is to read digital books?