It will be a struggle for a no-name eReader to exist in the new Kindle Wi-Fi marketplace above the $100 mark. Amazon made sure of that late yesterday, announcing a new generation of the Kindle at only $139.
The Kindle Wi-Fi is aimed at the casual reader. Available for pre-order at www.amazon.comkindle3G, it is smaller, lighter, faster and quieter than earlier Kindles. It’s E Ink screen has 50 percent better contrast than any other eReader, claims Amazon, and its body is 21 percent smaller while keeping the same 6-inch screen. The weight has been reduced by 17 percent to 8.5 ounces, which is lighter than a paperback book. Users get page turns that are 20 percent faster and quieter, plus book downloads in 60 seconds. Also, the storage has doubled to 3,500 books.
Amazon also launched a new generation of the 3G 6-inch Kindle. It has all the above improvements of the Kindle Wi-Fi but it weighs slightly more at 8.7 ounces. Battery life in both devices is up to a month with the wireless switched off. Both units also now feature “experimental web browsing.” We’ll find out more about that.
“Readers are going to do a double take when they see Kindle’s bright new screen and feel how remarkably light the smaller 8.7 ounce design feels in one hand,” said Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos. “If you don’t need the convenience of 3G wireless, we have an incredible new price point–$139 for Kindle Wi-Fi. Kindle Wi-Fi has all the same features, same bookstore, same high-contrast electronic paper display, and it’s even a tiny bit lighter at 8.5 ounces. At this price point, many people are going to buy multiple units for the home and family.”
The aggressive pricing of the Wi-Fi only device is likely a blow to off brand eReaders already hit by the Kindle/Barnes & Noble price war that brought a 3G eReader down to $189.
Forrester Research stated recently in Wired magazine that “Companies that had neither brand nor distribution have failed,” according to analyst Sarah Rotman Epps, noting that the eReader market is now in a full shift to the tablet PC. Audiovox has reportedly canceled plans to introduce the RCA Lexi eReader and Cool-er’s products are listed as out of stock on its website, said Wired.
Source: Amazon and Wired
