Amazon is sticking to its ereading guns and pushing the envelope with devices that some call out of date. In the face of the iPad, Amazon’s newest Kindles were more of the same, matching their predecessors ideas but adding in upgrades to the mix with lower prices.
As it turns out, most of the pundits were wrong to say that Amazon needed to shake up their hardware, the newest Kindles with their black and white e-ink displays are a huge hit (yet again) with consumers around the world. According to Amazon “the new Kindles [are] the fastest-selling ever.” In other words, Amazon is not falling behind by pushing e-ink, they are accelerating.
The new Kindle has set all kinds of records for Amazon, including being the most wished for and gifted product on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, and being ordered in 125 countries around the world. Amazon has begun to ship the new Kindles today, some two days earlier than originally anticipated.
There is a large chasm between the hardcore reading, and hardcore technology communities. We are seeing it manifest before our eyes. To many readers, Amazon is a Mecca for words, and the Kindle the future for reading without eyestrain, but still using digital technology. It seems that by perfecting its current model, and by not jumping to building a tablet like everyone is (or will be eventually), they have read their market well and are reaping the benefits.
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Either way, if you did order a new Kindle, look for it to come soon.
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