The new Kindle is smaller overall, but with the same size screen, has a higher contrast, is lighter and the WiFi-only version clocks in an-even-poor-student-friendly $139. Amazon is selling eBooks like crazy and will most likely continue to do so. But with all of that, today’s announcement just seems like a mercurial improvement, not the kind of industry re-inventing moment that the iPad launch was less than four months ago. As such, we’re disappointed.
We give credit to Bezos and Amazon for grinding their feet into the soil and trying to hold their ground. To them, the Kindle is an eReader – nothing more and nothing less, and that’s just fine with them. Undoubtedly, Amazon has conducted a ton of market research that points to this idea being the correct course. However, even though Amazon has defined this industry to this point, it no longer stands alone. With a new “oh-my-gosh” Kindle, however, it could have regained lots of the ground that it has been forced to give up to Barnes & Noble, Borders and most importantly, Apple over the last six months. The new Kindle, however, is more “oh” than “oh-my-gosh”.
No matter what Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says about building one device that does one thing extremely well, or how light and cheap the Kindle becomes, the fact remains that it is another device that people have to carry. This isn’t just the Kindle’s or even a misgiving of eReaders in general – all dedicated devices face this same issue eventually. Who carries around a calculator anymore? Heck, people are even starting to leave their digital cameras at home in favor of their phones – even when they travel. Convergence, mobility and raw power are what people want: and that is exactly what smartphones and tablets are giving them. One line in the Wall Street Journal article today featuring Bezos especially caught our eye as endemic to what will most likely eventually be the Kindle’s fall. Bezos was quoted as saying:
“For the vast majority of books, adding video and animation is not going to be helpful. It is distracting rather than enhancing. You are not going to improve Hemingway by adding video snippets.”
Sure, reading Hemingway might not be improved by video snippets in-book, but what if I’m on a train/plane/automobile and I want to watch “The Old Man and the Sea” after I read the book. Obviously on a Kindle, I’m out of luck – on a iPad, well, fire up Netflix.
So a new 20% smaller and cheaper Kindle every 18 months that brings a little better reading experience isn’t going to cut it if Amazon wants to stay in the device game. They have excellent iPad/iPhone and Android apps that we’ve been applauding, a tremendous library that continues to grow at reasonable prices, but it is really hard to look at the Kindle/Nook/Kobo right now without thinking, “do I really need bring that – and my iPad?”
Note: For another view on this issue, check out our Alex Wilhelm’s posts: iPad Not On The Cusp Of ‘Crushing’ The Kindle and This Is Why The Kindle Is Winning
You’re assuming someone has both & can therefore choose which one to bring with them. The whole point if mass market price points is that the mass market doesn’t and won’t own both. It’s an either or scenario, not a both and scenario.
No, I’m actually assuming that people wouldn’t buy both in the first place – my “do I really need to bring both?” question is more the question you ask yourself at the store, not after you have both. Right now, I’m trying my hardest to never bring my laptop with me, just my iPad (which doesn’t always work, but that’s more a software issue than anything else) – so I’m actually asking “do I really need to bring my laptop too?”. Also, as far as “mass market” goes, the iPad is creeping up on 4 million sold, and Apple has sold 100 million iPhones/iPod Touches – and that is just Apple, nevermind all the other tablets/smartphones coming out – so it’s not even necessarily a eReader vs tablet debate, it’s also a eReader vs smartphone debate, which I mentioned above.
Hope this clarifies my position a bit. Thanks for the feedback and for reading!
Interesting post Chad.
I like that the price of a Kindle dropped, but your correct in that Amazon didnt really shake things up.
Amazon could shake things up if they:
1. Create a Color readable at night Kindle with E-ink
2. Install Android. :)
3. keep it at $249 & $199
4. free 3g to download books and $9.99 a month internet.
Well you have to admit dude that is pretty cool stuff.
Lou
http://www.anonymous-surfing.es.tc
You know if you are not into reading books, than don’t buy an e-ink book reader. I am sick of hearing about how everyone wants their book to come with video. If you want video get a computer. If you want video get an Ipad.
If you want to read a book get a stupid book or the closest thing to it the kindle. I am thinking of getting my 5 year old a kindle. Kids have enough distraction when reading, the last thing they need is an ipad with video and video games and music at the ready. They will never learn anything. And we are training a whole new generation of kids to get ADD.
With the lower price it becomes affordable for anyone. Kids from all work of life can now have access to thousands of books for free. NO more excuses since the 3g version has no data plan. They should hand them out to kids when they start middle school.
Congrats Amazon on the new lighter, slicker, cheaper design. You are going to sell a boat load of them. I am going to be bold and say more kindles will be sold than Ipads.
totally agree – actual paper books FTW!
yeah you’re completely right..people buy a kindle and then they want it to have videos…thats stupid. If it is for read only.
I want to read books on a device that will fit in my purse… I have a phone that can run apps, play music and videos if I want them. Amazon is trying to sell an ebook reader. They want to sell ebook readers in order to sell books — do they really care if you are using an iPad or phone with an app to read them? The Kindle is being sold to people who either don’t want, don’t need or can’t afford the fancier gizmos. I may even upgrade mine.
Thanks for the feedback. One thing that I would say here is that I fully expect a lighter, thinner and perhaps even smaller (say a 7″ screen) iPad next year, as well as similar Android tablets (which already exist). Those devices should fit just about anywhere.
The new Kindle thin, light weight, affordable device with easy on the eyes e-ink for people who enjoy reading books. I have no issue reading on a Kindle or a Nook, but the iPad hurt my eyes even with the brightness turned way down. This is Apples vs. Oranges technology. The iPad is a computer screen with a cool app for reading books. I don’t think reading books is the main reason you buy an iPad. I know a guy who bought and still has an iPad but bought a Kindle after 2 weeks of trying to read on an iPad. I think there is enough people in this world to support both platforms and many will be happy to simply have an easy on the eyes e-reader.
I find it interesting no one mentions the battery life. When I read a novel, I can be reading for a good fifteen to twenty hours. From what I’ve read Kindle can do that, the iPad can’t. Then there is the eye strain issue with the iPad. All I can say is that the Kindle is in my shopping basket for reading.
I think the iPad is more a web browsing media platform than a reading on. Although I’m still not convinced by the iPad in general. But I’m an apple iPhone/iPad skeptic.