The Brutal Math Of A Death Spiral

Second Quarter Earnings Report Brings More Bad News For Borders

Borders Second-Quarter Year By Year:

2007 – $945M
2008 – $749M
2009 – $617M
2010 – $526M

OK, if in just three years your sales have dropped nearly fifty percent, isn’t it time to really do something different?

The New Sony Readers: Initial Thoughts

I’ll have to see them for myself, but right now my thinking is this:

1) Apple pursued a high-price strategy and its market share withered away years ago. Now Apple offers more for less.

2) No wireless. Are they nuts?

3) Sony says focus groups said touchscreen was more important than wireless. Did Apple focus group the iPhone? No.

4) And dig this: There is note taking in all of them now. Did the focus group goobers who said touchscreen was more important than wireless also say they took notes? I doubt it! People who can’t figure out buttons most likely breathe through their mouths.

5) And explain, Sony, how people can use the Kindle OK with as many buttons as your original Librie had!

So, we have a high-priced product aimed at a low-IQ market?

None of this is a slam against the devices themselves (well, except for that No Freakin Wireless?!!? bit). From what I’ve read in the User Guide, they’ve made some interesting UI improvements.

But aiming at the masses with cable syncing while your two main competitors — Kindle and Nook — offer no cable/no computer use is just about Mission: Impossible.

New Sony Readers: Guides And Library Software

To download the installer for Sony’s Reader Library software update that now includes the PRS-350 Pocket Edition and PRS-650 Touch Edition, hit this page. [Fixed link. Select your OS. Unfixed link was for Windows only!]

Sony Reader PRS-350 Pocket Edition User Guide link is on this page.

Sony Reader PRS-650 Pocket Edition User Guide link is on this page.

Sony Reader PRS-950 Daily Edition User Guide is not yet available.

Sony Illustrates Why Proofreading Matters!

From the User Guide of the new Sony Reader PRS-650 Touch:

The correct dimensions from their own website:

Sony Reader: New Home Screen

I have the manual for the new Sony Reader PRS-650 Touch (you can get it too by clicking on User Guide at this page — it will open a PDF).

I don’t have any opinion formed of the new Readers yet, but I did want to note that I like their new Home Screen setup:

Click = big

Making the last read book that prominent is very helpful.

Convert from a Fraction to a Decimal – WebMath

Convert from a Fraction to a Decimal – WebMath

Wow, do I really need this!

Evil Wylie Speaks

@mikecane Once again, you are the canary in the coalmine. What would we do without you? Eat soylent green all day?Wed Sep 01 12:05:42 via TweetDeckEvil Agent Wylie
EvilWylie

Previously here:

Scribd: Why Is Anyone Surprised?

Scribd: Why Is Anyone Surprised?

Evil Wylie thinks he has some sort of scoop about the new Scribd Archiving scam: Scribd.com Comes to the Dark Side.

Puhleeze.

I warned all of you about what it was possible for Scribd to do with your property back in May at my fallow kitten-delayed blog: Scribd Creator Terms Of Service.

And before that with this post: If You Don’t Own It, You Will Lose It.

All of you who thought you’d get some early advantage by jumping on these services?

Welcome to the future.

Soylent Green is people.