Good news: Rakuten’s launch of the Kobo Touch has in Japan has seen 100,000 units sold, a decent number by any measure. Bad news: according to The Japan Times, the launch hasn’t been problem-free. Overall, it seems Rakuten has enjoyed a steady launch of the Kobo Touch in Japan, but there’s still plenty of room for Amazon to make up ground when it eventually unleashes the Kindle.
The relative success of the Kobo Touch in Japan shows that consumers in the country are interested in e-readers, which is something of a turnaround after many years of apparent apathy. Rakuten was the first to get a modern e-reader to market in the country, an advantage that won’t last long if the Kindle shows up and is seen to be a step forward.
Problems reported by users in Japan range from issues with software to disappointment regarding the number of titles available from Rakuten’s store. These are issues that Rakuten is already working to address. The company aims to have around 200,000 titles available by the end of the year, a considerable increase over the current level of around 30,000.
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