On the heels of price cut decisions made by its rivals Barnes & Noble and Amazon after feeling pressure from the Apple iPad, Japanese Sony also slashed the prices of its three e-reader models, heating up the price competition in the e-reader category, the Wall Street Journal reported on July 7. Of three Sony e-reader models, Sony's new high-end e-reader, dubbed the Daily Edition, now retails for US$299, originally priced at US$349; Sony's entry-level e-reader, dubbed the Pocket Edition, retails for US$149, down from US$169; the Touch Edition retailed for US$169, down from US$199. Sony is expected to launch a new generation of e-readers in the coming weeks. Sony, however, refused to comment on the report.

 

Aside from Sony, Barnes and Noble announced on June 21 a price reduction for its Nook e-reader to US$199, down from US$259, including the Wi-Fi (Wireless-Fidelity)-only Nook e-reader, with a price tag of US$149, according to the same source. On the same day, Amazon also announced that the company would cut the price of its original Kindle to US$199, down from US$259. Last week, the price of Amazon's newly launched Kindle DX e-reader featuring higher contrast was reduced to US$379, down from US$489, according again to the Wall Street Journal.