Thalia Streamlines eBook Reader Lineup, Retains Only Tolino Shine
And then there was one. Ever since the release of the Tolino Shine, there has been speculation about whether Thalia would revamp its eBook reader lineup. Now it has happened: the bookseller has dropped all of its eBook readers – except, of course, the Tolino Shine.
This means the Bookeen HD Frontlight, Bookeen Cybook Odyssey, and eBook Reader 4Ink have been removed from Thalia’s lineup. On the company’s German homepage, you’ll only find the Tolino Shine and the Tablet PC 4. It’s unclear whether the other eBook readers have been permanently shelved or if this is just a restructuring that might eventually bring the devices back. Thalia in Austria and Switzerland still offer the Bookeen eBook readers.
A complete exit of the Bookeen eReaders would indeed be surprising, as the French eBook reader manufacturer recently made a deal to connect the devices with the Telekom Cloud. This step seems almost pointless if the eBook readers really are disappearing now because if Thalia completely removes the devices from its lineup, the German market is likely lost for the French manufacturer.
Lack of Alternatives as a Competitive Disadvantage
With four different eBook readers, Thalia had a fairly broad offering in recent months. This certainly isn’t always beneficial if you want to push the Tolino Shine as the key reading device. However, the complete absence of affordable in-house alternatives is undoubtedly a critical issue.
If you look over at Amazon, you’ll see that the basic Kindle model is still selling brilliantly and has held onto the second spot on the 100 bestselling electronics at Amazon.de list for months – right behind the Kindle Paperwhite. A year ago, the basic model was even ahead of the Kindle Touch. Offering affordable alternatives makes a lot of sense.
For a short time, Thalia did just that with the eBook Reader 4Ink and the Bookeen Cybook Odyssey, priced at 35 and 59 euros respectively. However, it now seems those were clearance prices. A pity.
Perhaps a budget Tolino model will follow soon, without a touchscreen or lighting, which could fill the gap. Even when the Tolino Shine was announced, the officials noted that the Shine would only be the first device of a new product line.
