Sony eReader

In 2014 it became public that Sony would be exiting the eBook reader market after more than 10 years. The Sony PRS-T3 will be the last dedicated reading device for the consumer market. Many market observers had already suspected this beforehand, as the previously rapid pace of development of Sony Readers had slowed to a halt in recent years.

In any case, the Japanese electronics giant is considered a pioneer of dedicated reading devices and drove development in the early phase decisively and almost single-handedly. Long before Amazon, Sony, together with E Ink and Philips, brought an eReader with the then-new E Ink technology to market in 2004. By today’s standards, the 6-inch device called the Sony Librie was a rather bulky specimen of an eBook reader and probably wasn’t particularly intuitive to use. In any case, the device was only available in Japan.

The early years

The Sony PRS-500, or “Portable Reader” as it was officially called, was introduced in 2006 as the successor to the first eReader. This time Sony ventured onto the international market in the USA. Compared to the Librie, operation was simplified, the QWERTY keyboard was removed, and the overall housing design was pared down to what mattered at the time. The PRS-500 remained true to its roots, however, particularly evident in the numbered control buttons beneath the display.

Sony Librie, PRS-500 and PRS-505 – eBook readers cut from the same cloth

In 2007 the Sony PRS-505 was introduced, which was simplified further yet again. There still wasn’t a complete overhaul of the control concept, however. The E Ink Vizplex screen was improved so that not only was the background brighter, but contrast was also better. The PRS-505 could now display 8 shades of gray instead of the predecessor’s 4. The internal storage was also increased to 256 MB and ePub and PDF support was improved. The PRS-505 arrived in Germany for the first time in 2008 and was sold primarily by Thalia.

Revolution with steps forward—and back

Sony also had a front-lit eBook reader. As early as 2008 the Sony PRS-700 hit the market. However, what was technically possible at the time imposed severe limits on the execution.

The biggest innovation up to that point arrived in 2008 and went by the name Sony PRS-700. Offered as an additional option alongside the PRS-505, the new eBook reader brought two key innovations: For the first time in a Sony eReader there was a capacitive touchscreen, as well as built-in lighting. So Sony had been experimenting with front lighting six years earlier. The result, however, was anything but satisfactory: on the one hand, the contrast was noticeably worse than on the PRS-505 due to the capacitive touchscreen used at the time, and while the lighting made the screen readable in the dark, the illumination itself was far from ideal.

The light was particularly visible along the screen edges, while the rest of the display was significantly dimmer. In addition, the color temperature of the lighting was almost uncomfortably blue. Sales of this undeniably revolutionary but technologically constrained eBook reader were correspondingly sluggish. The PRS-700’s failure was likely one reason Sony didn’t pursue further experiments with integrated lighting.

Expanding the product range

In 2009 the Sony PRS-600 “Touch Edition” followed, replacing the PRS-505. Like the PRS-700, the new eReader featured a capacitive touchscreen. This time Sony dispensed with lighting for good reason. Otherwise, not much changed compared to the PRS-700 in terms of features. New at the time was the ability to create handwritten notes with the touchscreen. The PRS-600 also had to face criticism for its contrast, which was worse than that of the PRS-505.

Fans of the PRS-505 were also less than thrilled that the casing was no longer entirely aluminum, although it has to be said that saving weight was likely necessary, since the PRS-600 tipped the scales at 286 grams, more than its predecessor (PRS-505: 250 grams).

Sony PRS-900, PRS-600 and PRS-300: The golden age of Sony eBook readers. There were three different models on the market at once.

Together with the PRS-600, two other eBook readers with different screen sizes (beyond the previously typical 6-inch format) hit the market for the first time. The Sony PRS-900 had a 7-inch display and was primarily intended for newspapers and magazines. To that end, it also integrated cellular connectivity, which could be seen as a direct response to the already very successful Kindle. Accordingly, the PRS-900 was only available in the USA and Japan.

Sony also expanded the product range in the other direction: the PRS-300 had just a 5-inch display and was essentially a smaller version of the PRS-505. Operation was therefore exclusively via hardware buttons, as there was no touchscreen. You also had to do without a memory card slot and audio features.

E Ink Pearl and IR touchscreen: technology without compromise

The next major change came with the model switch in 2011. The Sony PRS-650 was the first to launch with E Ink Pearl technology, which also brought a clear improvement in readability. In addition, Sony ensured an absolutely unobstructed view of the screen content by using an infrared touchscreen for the first time. Unlike the capacitive touchscreens of its predecessors, infrared technology doesn’t add an extra plastic layer on top of the display that could reduce contrast. The capacitive technology of that era in particular caused problems that no longer exist today.

Compared to its predecessor, internal storage was increased from 512 MB to 2 GB and battery life improved. With this technology, the Sony PRS-650 was considered the best eBook reader on the market, but it drew criticism for lacking Wi-Fi, which was slowly but surely finding its way into many competing products.

There were three eBook reader models again in 2011: Sony PRS-950, PRS-650 and PRS-350. Technically, the devices were all very similar and undoubtedly among the best on the market.

Alongside the 6-inch model, there was again a 7-incher (PRS-950) and a 5-incher (PRS-350). The PRS-950 stayed true to its predecessor’s unusual format and was once again primarily geared toward landscape reading of newspapers and magazines. It also included 3G connectivity. Compared to its predecessor, the Sony PRS-350 brought the biggest changes. The 5-inch eBook reader also received an IR touchscreen and the new E Ink Pearl display. Once again, however, you had to do without storage expansion and audio.

Android OS as a convenience upgrade

In 2011, a new generation of devices with Wi-Fi functionality was finally introduced. Along with the wireless connection and Sony’s new focus on the smartphone and tablet sector, the naming was also changed. The eBook reader was called the Sony PRS-T1 “Reader WiFi”.

Compared to its already very good predecessor, there wasn’t much room for improvement, so the PRS-T1 again featured a 6-inch E Ink Pearl display with 800×600 pixels and used an IR touchscreen. By that time, other manufacturers had also adopted touchscreen technology.

Along with the name, the device’s design changed significantly and was brought closer to the Japanese electronics company’s tablet and smartphone lines—much to the dismay of many fans. The glossy, highly reflective casing of the black model was also a frequent point of criticism. On the plus side, the new plastic housing brought a very significant weight reduction, so the eBook reader set a new best at 168 grams and felt much lighter during long reading sessions.

The Android operating system, used for the first time in a Sony Reader, also brought a number of usability improvements, although the old system basically worked well. Particularly popular was the ability to “root” the OS to gain full access and install additional apps.

The model change to the PRS-T1 was already the first sign of a crisis for Sony eBook readers: the 7-inch and 5-inch models were discontinued.

Stagnation at Sony Reader …

In 2012 came what was likely the first major disappointment among Sony fans. While every previous model change had brought some important technical improvement, the PRS-T2 actually cut features: the audio function was dropped. Otherwise there were no noteworthy changes compared to its predecessor, apart from a redesign of the buttons and a now matte-black, non-reflective housing surface.

The disappointment among many fans of the series was particularly great because Sony passed on a higher-resolution screen and lighting—two things that competing newcomers without exception brought to the table.

With the T series came stagnation for Sony’s readers—and ultimately the end. A Sony PRS-T4 will not appear.

Although E Ink Pearl technology was still used, the contrast was at least better than on the PRS-T1 thanks to excellent panels. The lower price of the PRS-T2, and especially the accompanying promotions, ensured that the device still sold very well.

With the Sony PRS-T3, the definitive end of the Japanese company’s eBook reader division took shape, because the device introduced in 2013 lagged behind the competition in both hardware and software. The lead Sony had held for nine years had finally vanished and been reversed by competitors. The PRS-T3 dispensed with built-in lighting, which by then was standard on every major eBook reader. At least the screen resolution was finally improved, though this came at the expense of contrast (compared to the PRS-T2).

The PRS-T3’s biggest innovation was the integrated front cover that protected the screen. Personally, I found the construction a bit wobbly when open, but at least it provided a unique selling point versus the competition. Sony also stuck with an infrared touchscreen, while almost all other manufacturers had switched to the increasingly good (and cheaper) capacitive technology.

… and the end of the pioneer

The very modest changes already prompted speculation that the PRS-T3 might be the last Sony Reader model. The company apparently didn’t want to (or couldn’t) invest more money in developing the division. When it became known that the eBook reader wouldn’t be released in North America and then the eBook store was closed, the writing was on the wall. Shortly thereafter, the remaining eBook shops outside Japan were shut down as well, with customers handed over to Kobo. The recent sales stop of the Sony PRS-T3 now marks the actual end of the Japanese electronics company’s 10-year-old eBook reader division.

One might argue that Sony remains active with the DPT-S1, but it isn’t a classic reading device—rather a digital notepad with network connectivity for document management. Aside from that, the roughly $1,000 price tag is far above the level of the 6-inch eBook reader market and clearly targets a different audience.

The end of Sony’s eReaders gives me a pang of nostalgia, because the first dedicated reading device I owned was a Sony PRS-505. I had the device expensively imported from the USA by mail order in 2007, and it provided many joyful hours of reading. It went so far that after a battery failure I bought the eBook reader again from Thalia’s remaining stock, even though the PRS-600 was already on the market. The lower contrast of its successor meant I preferred to stick with the tried-and-true PRS-505.

In retrospect, one can certainly say that Sony made an enormously important contribution to the technical realization of reading devices. Without Sony, the market would undoubtedly not be where it is today. However, it must also be said clearly that the Japanese company, particularly in the area of services, made a number of consequential mistakes that were likely decisive for the end of its eBook business. The biggest mistake was certainly trying to compete with Amazon and Barnes & Noble in the US market without offering comparable purchasing convenience. Without Wi-Fi support on the PRS-600 and PRS-650, the chances of success were relatively small. At the same time, the rest of the international market was more or less neglected, so that in the important German book market their own eBook store was launched essentially far too late. By that time the competition had long been established in Europe, and possibilities that undoubtedly existed were simply allowed to pass by.

For the eBook reader market, not much will change with Sony’s exit. Only Libri or eBook.de will need to reorient themselves, and I have already speculated that the PocketBook Touch Lux 2 (possibly under their own label) will move more into the focus of their future eBook strategy. Other market participants (Thalia) said goodbye to dependence on Sony years ago, so the end has no effect on them anyway. Since Sony’s most recent generations brought relatively innovation-light devices to market, the impact on competitors and the broader market will remain limited.

For fans of the brand, however, that will be cold comfort. Sooner or later, die-hard Sony Reader users will also have to switch to other eBook reader manufacturers. At least PocketBook has emerged for some time now as a new driver of innovation which, thanks to its new user interface, finally promises to address the biggest criticism of its previous devices.

10 years: Sony eBook readers from beginning to end